Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2014-06-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to ensure that jobseekers whose jobseeker’s allowance claim is cancelled are informed with greater clarity that their housing benefit will also be cancelled as a result.

Esther McVey

When a Jobseeker’s Allowance claim is terminated, the claimant is issued with an end of award notice. This notification informs the claimant that they need to contact their Local Authority if they have a claim to Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit.

Over and above this, Jobcentre Plus guidance is being strengthened to stress the importance of advising claimants to contact their Local Authority if they have a claim to Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit and their claim is terminated, sanctioned or disallowed.