Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many supported exempt accommodation housing benefit claims in Birmingham during 2024-25 were referred to the Single Fraud Investigation Service; how many of these claims led to an investigation; how many of these investigations found evidence of fraudulent activity by providers of supported exempt accommodation in receipt of direct payment of housing benefit; what actions were taken against providers found guilty of fraudulent activity; how many of these investigations found evidence of fraudulent activity by tenants of supported exempt accommodation; and what actions were taken against tenants found guilty of fraudulent activity.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Referrals of suspected fraud received by the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) are recorded under generalised categories for data reporting purposes, and it is not possible to specifically isolate the volume of referrals relating to supported exempt accommodation. Where the DWP feels there is sufficient evidence of benefit fraud in any case, the DWP will refer the case to the Crown Prosecution Service (Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service for Scotland) to consider prosecution. We cannot comment on any on-going investigations, however the DWP will continue to work closely with other Government agencies and Local Authorities to tackle abuse of the Housing Benefit system.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many fraud and error reviews under the Housing Benefit Award Accuracy Initiative were carried out during 2024-25 for supported exempt accommodation housing benefit claims in Birmingham; and what proportion of all claims in Birmingham were these reviews.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

14,000 supported exempt Housing Benefit claims in Birmingham were subject to an Housing Benefit Award Accuracy 'full case review' in 2024/25. This represents 15% of all Housing Benefit claims in Birmingham over the period.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she expects to publish a response to the consultation seeking views on the implementation of measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023, which closed on 15 May 2025.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government remains absolutely committed to improving the quality of supported housing and implementing the measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023.

The government will publish its response to the consultation as soon as possible, ahead of consulting on draft licensing regulations and guidance. We are also pressing forward with implementing other measures in the Act including the duty on local authorities to produce supported housing strategies, for which guidance will be published in February.