Vicky Foxcroft – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vicky Foxcroft on 2015-10-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 2.110 of the Summer Budget 2015, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of limiting backdating in housing benefit to four weeks on homelessness provision reliant on funding from that benefit.

Justin Tomlinson

No assessment has been made. Housing Benefit is not designed to provide support for homelessness funding – that is a matter for the Department for Communities and Local Government and the devolved Governments in Scotland and Wales.