Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many funds are allocated to local authorities by her Department through a process of competitive bidding; and if she will publish the names of those funds.

Local Authority Partnership, Engagement and Delivery (LA-PED) provides funding to local authorities for the costs in delivering Housing Benefit (a DWP benefit delivered by local authorities) and reimburses local authorities for Housing Benefit expenditure incurred. More recently, we fund for further grants delivered by local authorities, such as, the COVID Winter Support Grant. The delivery of HB and grants (as applicable) is legislated and therefore a statutory duty for local authorities. All funding provided through LA-PED does not go through a process of competitive bidding.

To date we have had no competed grants to LAs in 2021/22