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 adequacy of the three-week period, including over the Easter period, to claim the Household Support Grant.

The Household Support Fund, which has been extended from 1 April to 30 September, provides funding for Upper Tier Local Authorities in England to deliver support for people who are struggling to afford household essentials such as energy and water bills, food, and other necessities.

It is for Local Authorities to determine how to use this funding, within the parameters of the scheme, based on their assessment of local need. Local Authorities have been working quickly to get their schemes up and running.

The Household Support Fund extension is just one part of a wider package worth £22 billion that we are providing in 2022-23 to help ease cost of living pressures.