Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what impact the under occupancy penalty has had on levels of (a) child poverty and (b) child poverty for children with a disability.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No assessment has been made of the impact of the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy (RSRS) on child poverty. It is not possible to produce a robust assessment of the impact of RSRS on child poverty because we do not have the data to fully measure behavioural impacts that may have resulted from the policy.
The latest statistics show that in 2022/23 there were 100,000 fewer children in absolute poverty after housing costs than in 2009/10.
Statistics on the number of Children living in absolute and relative poverty by disability in the UK are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication in “table 1_7c” and “table 1_7d” (respectively) of “summary-hbai-timeseries-1994-95-2022-23-tables” found here. The latest statistics published on 21 March 2024 are for the financial period 2022/23. The latest available data can also be found on Stat-Xplore here.
The RSRS policy applies to claims for housing support where the claimant is living in a social rented sector property that is considered to have more bedrooms than the household requires.
The policy helps to encourage mobility within the social rented sector to make better use of the existing social housing stock and strengthens work-incentives.
There are easements available which allow for the provision of an additional bedroom in certain circumstances, such as to support families of disabled children, foster carers and parents who adopt.
For individuals who may require additional support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) may be available. DHPs are paid entirely at the discretion of the local authority and since 2011 the Government has provided nearly £1.7 billion to local authorities.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the (1) actual, and (2) projected, aid contributions to individual countries in South Asia, broken down by category of project.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We do not have a breakdown by project category of future spend. Programme allocations are continually reviewed to respond to changing global needs, including humanitarian crises, fluctuations in GNI and other ODA allocation decisions.
We do have information on project category spend for previous calendar years which is published in the statistics on international development. This data is based on calendar year not financial year and covers the whole of HMG. Please see below data based on 2022, the last available calendar year.
2022 | 2022 Total | ||||||||
Row Labels | Afghanistan | Bangladesh | Bhutan | India | Maldives | Nepal | Pakistan | Sri Lanka | |
Administrative costs (non-sector allocable) | £273,832 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £150,105 | £0 | £423,938 |
Advanced technical and managerial training | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£54,390 | £0 | -£2,535 | £0 | £0 | -£56,924 |
Agricultural development | £1,292,411 | £0 | £0 | £47,020 | £0 | £0 | -£1,361,746 | £0 | -£22,316 |
Agricultural policy and administrative management | £0 | £2,809 | £0 | -£152 | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£253,566 | -£250,909 |
Agricultural research | £0 | £0 | £0 | £240,948 | £0 | £0 | £7,715 | £0 | £248,663 |
Agricultural services | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£2,274,286 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£2,274,286 |
Anti-corruption organisations and institutions | £2,518,313 | £576,402 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £175,805 | £144,143 | £0 | £3,414,663 |
Basic drinking water supply | £0 | £350,000 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £219,574 | £0 | £0 | £569,574 |
Basic drinking water supply and basic sanitation | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £639,497 | -£1,361,746 | £0 | -£722,250 |
Basic health care | £707,157 | £250,000 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £2,994,645 | £387,457 | £0 | £4,339,258 |
Basic life skills for adults | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £258,611 | £0 | £0 | £258,611 |
Basic nutrition | £0 | £712,997 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £14,770 | £0 | £0 | £727,767 |
Basic sanitation | £0 | £350,000 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £37,522 | -£2,723,493 | £0 | -£2,335,971 |
Biodiversity | £0 | £22,328 | £0 | £165,389 | £74,068 | £961,707 | £37,573 | £67,842 | £1,328,907 |
Business development services | £0 | £0 | £0 | £96,736 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £96,736 |
Business policy and administration | £0 | £0 | £0 | £565,783 | £0 | £0 | £437,513 | £0 | £1,003,296 |
Civilian peace-building, conflict prevention and resolution | £4,130,547 | £1,981,030 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £4,399 | £2,225,242 | £1,355,856 | £9,697,073 |
Communications policy and administrative management | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £127,531 | £0 | £44,422 | £0 | £171,953 |
COVID-19 control | £0 | £23,407 | £0 | £802,602 | £0 | £0 | £5,949 | £0 | £831,958 |
Culture | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £61,341 | £0 | £61,341 |
Culture and recreation | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£22,408 | £0 | £0 | £85,158 | £0 | £62,750 |
Decentralisation and support to subnational government | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £138,288 | £2,475,959 | £0 | £0 | £2,614,248 |
Democratic participation and civil society | £250,000 | £1,394,795 | £0 | £0 | £57,419 | £973,571 | £443,327 | £0 | £3,119,111 |
Domestic revenue mobilisation | £0 | -£728,536 | £0 | £193,016 | £0 | £117,203 | £1,059,571 | £0 | £641,254 |
Education and training in water supply and sanitation | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £12,737 | £0 | £0 | £12,737 |
Education facilities and training | £0 | £115,830 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £1,464,741 | £0 | £1,580,571 |
Education policy and administrative management | £0 | £577,278 | £0 | £97,983 | £0 | £0 | £3,077,249 | £0 | £3,752,510 |
Educational research | £0 | £361,000 | £0 | -£266,036 | £0 | £188,423 | £594,639 | £0 | £878,026 |
Elections | £0 | £12,027 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £900 | £0 | £12,927 |
Electric mobility infrastructures | £0 | £0 | £0 | £70,000 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £70,000 |
Electric power transmission and distribution (centralised grids) | £0 | £0 | £0 | £68,700 | £0 | £173,312 | £0 | £0 | £242,012 |
Emergency food assistance | £128,041,086 | £8,635,594 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £136,676,679 |
Employment creation | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£255,005 | £0 | £0 | -£255,005 |
Ending violence against women and girls | £21,461,697 | £1,009,135 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £728,846 | £3,068,578 | £0 | £26,268,255 |
Energy generation, renewable sources - multiple technologies | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£889,376 | £0 | £1,200,806 | £0 | £0 | £311,430 |
Energy policy and administrative management | £0 | £50,553 | £0 | £158,146 | £0 | £368,287 | £0 | £0 | £576,985 |
Energy research | £0 | £0 | £0 | £23,688 | £0 | £147,098 | £0 | £0 | £170,786 |
Energy sector policy, planning and administration | £0 | £0 | £0 | £1,479,122 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £1,479,122 |
Environmental education/training | £0 | £0 | £48,668 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £48,668 |
Environmental policy and administrative management | £635,676 | £6,904,699 | £0 | £24,064,426 | £0 | £4,380,855 | £5,812,804 | £0 | £41,798,459 |
Environmental research | £0 | £120,723 | £0 | £3,082,518 | £0 | £863,732 | £0 | £0 | £4,066,974 |
Facilitation of orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility | £0 | £102,902 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £234,377 | £0 | £0 | £337,279 |
Family planning | £265,080 | £565,862 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £102,500 | £3,660,244 | £0 | £4,593,686 |
Financial policy and administrative management | £0 | £0 | £0 | £507,690 | £0 | £0 | £301,387 | £0 | £809,077 |
Formal sector financial intermediaries | £0 | £0 | £0 | £49,665 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £49,665 |
Health education | £338,898 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £219,770 | £0 | £0 | £558,668 |
Health personnel development | £0 | £273,503 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £273,503 |
Health policy and administrative management | £0 | £1,760,392 | £0 | £3,122,660 | £0 | £2,298,530 | £343,452 | £0 | £7,525,034 |
Higher education | £911,301 | £649,203 | £172,288 | £2,693,479 | £214,955 | £434,329 | £1,992,063 | £395,690 | £7,463,308 |
Human rights | £0 | £1,775,384 | £0 | £0 | £183,646 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £1,959,030 |
Immediate post-emergency reconstruction and rehabilitation | £4,081,072 | £2,602,056 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £1,382,031 | £12 | £0 | £8,065,171 |
Industrial development | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £317,516 | £0 | £0 | £317,516 |
Industrial policy and administrative management | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £1,102,394 | £0 | £0 | £1,102,394 |
Infectious disease control | £0 | £344,911 | £0 | £106,589 | £0 | £721,591 | £3,657 | £0 | £1,176,748 |
Informal/semi-formal financial intermediaries | £1,133,493 | £0 | £0 | £65,012 | £0 | £129,305 | £0 | £0 | £1,327,810 |
Information and communication technology (ICT) | £0 | £277,978 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £277,978 |
Legal and judicial development | £0 | £562,328 | £0 | £0 | £207,433 | £219,762 | £1,059,545 | £23,435 | £2,072,502 |
Legislatures and political parties | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £86,128 | £28,936 | £0 | £0 | £115,064 |
Livestock | £1,133,493 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £1,133,493 |
Low-cost housing | £0 | £0 | £0 | £7,590 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £7,590 |
Material relief assistance and services | £133,863,525 | £7,210,063 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £367,000 | £13,753,266 | £1,840,000 | £157,033,854 |
Media and free flow of information | £0 | £27,380 | £0 | £0 | £85,021 | £201,771 | £0 | £0 | £314,172 |
Medical research | £0 | £349,577 | £0 | £3,227,794 | £0 | £153,028 | £1,625,422 | £0 | £5,355,821 |
Medical services | £0 | £0 | £0 | £19,694 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £19,694 |
Monetary institutions | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£4,122,509 | £0 | £367,746 | £0 | £0 | -£3,754,763 |
Multi-hazard response preparedness | £0 | £3,119,353 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £2,296,059 | -£346,074 | £0 | £5,069,339 |
Multisector aid | £10,000,000 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £10,000,000 |
Multisector education/training | £179,070 | £2,964,257 | £0 | £10,757,244 | £0 | £1,082,590 | £5,089,541 | £1,148,813 | £21,221,516 |
Participation in international peacekeeping operations | -£26,486,939 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£26,486,939 |
Personnel development for population and reproductive health | £0 | £628,071 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £628,071 |
Population policy and administrative management | £0 | £63,206 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £49,325 | £159,552 | £0 | £272,083 |
Primary education | £677,795 | £1,749,487 | £0 | £96,754 | £0 | £0 | £1,368,615 | £0 | £3,892,652 |
Privatisation | £4,424 | £0 | £0 | £62,081 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £66,505 |
Public finance management (PFM) | £0 | -£4,128,373 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £820,701 | £1,854,023 | £0 | -£1,453,650 |
Public sector policy and administrative management | £34,999 | £576,042 | £0 | £859,780 | £0 | £789,046 | £91,270 | £0 | £2,351,137 |
Relief co-ordination and support services | £59,853,084 | £2,072,828 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £6,022,939 | £0 | £67,948,851 |
Removal of land mines and explosive remnants of war | £5,000,000 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £5,000,000 |
Reproductive health care | £1,369,857 | £1,435,386 | £0 | £52,362 | £0 | £490,359 | £1,851,776 | £0 | £5,199,740 |
Research/scientific institutions | £378,625 | £1,287,873 | -£72,577 | £740,328 | £0 | £1,049,080 | £908,916 | £2,760 | £4,295,005 |
Road transport | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£1,137,143 | £0 | £2,256,726 | £1,800 | £0 | £1,121,383 |
Rural development | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £202,165 | £0 | £0 | £202,165 |
Security system management and reform | £0 | £43,536 | £0 | £0 | £458,799 | £69,946 | £0 | £0 | £572,281 |
Site preservation | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) development | £5,530 | £0 | £0 | £1,245,753 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £1,251,283 |
Social Protection | £0 | £1,351,346 | £0 | £39,879 | £0 | -£345,949 | £226,615 | £0 | £1,271,891 |
Solar energy for centralised grids | £0 | £0 | £0 | £117,792 | £0 | £648,694 | £0 | £0 | £766,486 |
Statistical capacity building | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £353,100 | £0 | £0 | £353,100 |
Teacher training | £0 | £508,061 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £663,698 | £0 | £1,171,759 |
Trade facilitation | £5,530 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £133,722 | £0 | £139,252 |
Trade policy and administrative management | £6,637 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £203,275 | £0 | £209,912 |
Transport policy and administrative management | £0 | £0 | £0 | £69,054 | £0 | £128,892 | £1,200 | £0 | £199,146 |
Tuberculosis control | £0 | £29,991 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £29,991 |
Upper Secondary Education (modified and includes data from 11322) | £338,898 | £897,000 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £985,293 | £0 | £2,221,190 |
Urban development | £0 | £0 | £0 | £542,146 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £542,146 |
Urban development and management | £0 | £1,050,000 | £0 | £78,000 | £0 | £695,269 | £781,523 | £0 | £2,604,792 |
Vocational training | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £646,527 | £0 | £0 | £646,527 |
Waste management/disposal | £0 | £0 | £0 | £14,424 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £14,424 |
Water resources conservation (including data collection) | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £219,574 | £0 | £0 | £219,574 |
Water sector policy and administrative management | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £31,842 | £0 | £0 | £31,842 |
Water supply - large systems | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £737,655 | £0 | £0 | £737,655 |
Water supply and sanitation - large systems | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£1,137,143 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | -£1,137,143 |
Women's rights organisations and movements, and government institutions | £0 | £1,800,998 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £59,406 | £1,444,631 | £0 | £3,305,036 |
Grand Total | £352,405,092 | £54,672,670 | £148,379 | £45,728,404 | £1,633,288 | £37,241,408 | £57,842,803 | £4,580,830 | £554,252,874 |
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he made an assessment of the potential merits of removing the under-occupancy penalty during the preparation of the Spring Budget.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
No assessment has been made.
The removal of the spare room subsidy (RSRS) policy applies to claims for housing support where the claimant is living in the social rented sector in a property that is considered to have more bedrooms than the household requires.
The policy helps encourage mobility within the social rented sector to make better use of the existing social housing stock and strengthens work-incentives.
There are no plans to abolish this policy and easements are available to support disabled people and carers, the families of disabled children, foster carers, parents who adopt, parents of service personnel and people who have suffered a bereavement. The deduction does not apply to pensioners in receipt of Housing Benefit.
For individuals who may require additional support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) may be available. DHP payments are entirely at the discretion of the local authority and since 2011 the Government has provided nearly £1.7 billion to local authorities.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that property management companies repair building facilities required for (a) public safety and (b) mobility without delay.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Everyone has the right to a safe and secure home, and this Government is taking steps to increase quality and regulation across all housing stock. This includes reviewing the Decent Homes Standard, improving the way social housing is regulated through The Social Housing Regulation Act 2023 and delivering a better deal for renters through the Renters (Reform) Bill.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which Ministers sit on the cross-government ministerial board for care leavers; how many times the board has met in the last 12 months; and if she will publish the board's minutes for the last 12 months.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The Care Leavers Inter-Ministerial Board is co-chaired by the Secretary of State for Education, and the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Ministers that sit on the Board include:
The Ministerial Board has met twice in the last year. Minutes of meetings are not published.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of exempting people with autism from the under occupancy penalty on the grounds of their sensory needs.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The removal of the spare room subsidy (RSRS) policy seeks to encourage greater mobility within the social rented sector.
There are no plans to review the policy, and there are easements which allow for the provision of an additional bedroom in certain circumstances, such as to support the needs of disabled people.
Where a member of the household is, by virtue of their disability, not able to share a bedroom and is in receipt of a qualifying disability benefit, they are entitled to claim for an additional bedroom. The same applies where someone requires and receives overnight care on a regular basis from a non-resident carer, providing they meet qualifying criteria.
Where additional support is required, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available for those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. Since 2011 we have provided nearly £1.6 billion in funding to local authorities for DHPs.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
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 potential merits of a review of the under-occupancy penalty.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are no plans to review the Removal of the Spare Room policy.
The policy applies to claims for housing support where the claimant is living in the social rented sector in a property that is deemed too large for their needs. The policy aims to strengthen work incentives and seeks to encourage greater mobility within the social rented sector.
There are easements to the policy which allow for the provision of an additional bedroom in certain circumstances, such as to support the needs of disabled people. Pensioners in receipt of Housing Benefit are exempt from the policy.
Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available for those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. Since 2011 we have provided nearly £1.6 billion in funding to local authorities for DHPs.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many households in England are affected by the under-occupancy charge for (1) one extra bedroom, or (2) more than one extra bedroom; and what assessment they have made of the financial impact of these deductions on those households.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
For the latest data available, related to September 2022, 286,149 households were subject to the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy (RSRS) for 1 extra bedroom, and 63,759 for 2 or more extra bedrooms. This data is available on Stat-Xplore.
For 2021/22, a total of £434m worth of deductions were made for RSRS in Great Britain. This includes households on Universal Credit and Housing Benefit. No wider assessment has been made.
The RSRS policy applies to claims for housing support - either Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit - where the claimant is living in the social rented sector in a property that is deemed too large for their needs.
The policy helps encourage mobility within the social rented sector to make better use of the existing social housing stock and strengthens work-incentives. An additional bedroom is allowed in certain circumstances such as for disabled people and carers, foster carers, and parents of service personnel. Additionally, those in receipt of pension age housing benefit are exempt.
Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP’s) are available for those who need additional support with housing costs. Since 2011 we have provided nearly £1.6 billion in DHP’s to local authorities.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Government has made of the (a) financial and (b) mental health impacts on families of the removal of the spare room subsidy during the cost of living crisis; and if he will make it his policy to abolish that penalty.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No assessment has been made.
The removal of the spare room subsidy policy applies to claims for housing support where the claimant is living in the social rented sector in a property that is deemed too large for their needs. The policy aims to strengthen work incentives and seeks to encourage greater mobility within the social rented sector.
There are no plans to abolish the policy, and certain easements are available which allow for the provision of an additional bedroom in certain circumstances, such as to support the needs of disabled people.
Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available for those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. Since 2011 we have provided nearly £1.6 billion in funding to local authorities for DHPs.
We are doing more to help households who may be struggling. The government announced substantial cost of living support for 2023/24 in the Autumn Statement. This is intended to provide stability and certainty for households and includes Cost of Living Payments for the most vulnerable, meaning around 8 million households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to a further £900 in Payments in 2023/24. Benefits and state pensions will also be uprated by 10.1% in 2023-24.
For those who need additional support the Government is providing an additional £1 billion of funding, including Barnett impact, to enable a further extension to the Household Support Fund in England over the 2023/24 financial year. In England, this scheme will be backed by £842 million, running from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, which local authorities will use to help households with the cost of essentials. It will be for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate their additional Barnett funding. Local Authorities are expected to support households in the most need, and in particular those who may not be eligible for the other support government has recently made available.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the research briefing published on 29 January 2023 by the COVID Social Mobility and Opportunities study on the impact of long Covid among those from less socio-economically advantaged backgrounds, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on tackling long term inequalities for young people.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
There have been no specific discussions.