Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of the Household Support Fund is spent on furniture and appliances.

Percentages of Household Support Fund (HSF) spend by category are published in DWP’s management information, based on data provided by local authorities. This information is available here:

Household Support Fund management information - GOV.UK

For each release, Table 2 shows a breakdown of HSF spend by category. Furniture and appliances are included within the “wider essentials” category, which also covers items such as clothing, period and hygiene products, and essential transport-related costs. We do not hold data on the proportion specifically spent on furniture and appliances, so cannot provide a further breakdown.

The first release of management information (covering 6 October 2021 to 31 March 2022) did not include this category, as it was not collected at that time.