Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the potential impact of not uprating Local Housing Allowance on homelessness in Wales.

I have discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on a regular basis and on a range of issues. My officials work closely with DWP, MHCLG and other departments, including regarding Local Housing Allowance (LHA).

The Government is taking action to support low-income households, including removing the two-child limit to reduce child poverty, benefitting 69,000 children in Wales. In addition, we are increasing the National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage building on April 2025 increases that already helped up to 160,000 workers in Wales, cutting household energy bills by £150 per year and uprating the Universal Credit Standard Allowance by over 6%. This is the first ever sustained real terms increase in the Standard Allowance, directly benefitting 320,000 households in Wales.

Discretionary Housing Payments are available from local authorities for those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs and need further support.