Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of number of tenants in receipt of housing benefit in the private rented sector (a) prior to housing benefit being paid directly to the tenant and (b) since housing benefit has been paid directly to the tenant.

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.

Direct payment of Housing Benefit to tenants was introduced nationally in the private rented sector from 2008 as part of the Local Housing Allowance scheme. Whilst the majority of Housing Benefit claimants are paid directly, there is still provision for direct payments to be made to landlords in certain circumstances. The number of tenants in receipt of Housing Benefit in the private rented sector is available on DWP Stat-Xplore.

Guidance for users is available at:

https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html