Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of paying housing benefit directly to tenants on their ability to secure accommodation in the private rented sector.

DWP has not made an assessment specifically looking at the effect of paying Housing Benefit directly to tenants and their ability to secure accommodation in the private rented sector. The Government believes that direct payment of Housing Benefit to claimants is an important consideration in encouraging people to manage their own budget in the same way as other households, particularly where it may help claimants when they move in work.