Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Household Support Fund can be used to assist individuals with a 'no recourse to public funds' condition.

The guidance for the current Household Support Fund (HSF) scheme, running from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025, was published on Gov.uk and can be found here: 1 October 2024 to 31 March 2025: Household Support Fund guidance for county councils and unitary authorities in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The guidance clarifies the circumstances in which funding from the HSF can be used to provide support to those with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF).

It is for Local Authorities (LAs) to determine what support they can lawfully provide to a person with NRPF based upon an individual assessment of their status, circumstances, and support needs. When carrying out this assessment, LAs will wish to consider their discretionary powers and statutory duties.

This includes providing basic safety net support if it is established that there is a genuine care need that does not arise solely from destitution, for example, where there are community care needs, migrants with serious health problems or family cases where the wellbeing of a child is in question.