Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of discretionary housing payments in supporting tenants through periods of difficulty.

The purpose of Discretionary Housing Payments is to provide support with housing costs for those entitled to Housing Benefit or the housing costs element of Universal Credit that are experiencing difficulty in meeting their rental costs. Research with Local Authorities undertaken by the Department has shown that DHPs are awarded to claimants in times of difficulty including a crisis or change of circumstances.

Further information on how DHPs are used by Local Authorities can be found in:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/discretionary-housing-payments-temporary-accommodation-and-universal-support-delivered-locally-local-authority-insight-survey-wave-31

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-insight-research-wave-32

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/use-of-discretionary-housing-payments-financial-year-2017-to-2018