Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to allow local authorities to issue housing benefit payments to claimants on more than one date in each month to prevent rent arrears from accruing.

Local authorities have some discretion in deciding the payment frequency for Housing Benefit, and are expected to take into account the reasonable needs and convenience of the claimant in determining the timing of payments. However, the general principle is that the timing of payments should reflect the nature of the claimant’s liability.