Social Security Benefits: Children
Lords · Question HL13723 · Tabled 20 Jan 2026 · Department for Work and Pensions · Official record
Answered 2 Feb 2026
Question
Asked by Lord Bird
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the benefit cap on demand for local authority hardship support, including discretionary housing payments, and how this affects the ability of councils to support children who
Answer
Answered by Baroness Sherlock, 2 Feb 2026
In the financial year 2024/25, 9% of Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) expenditure was recorded by Local Authorities in England and Wales as related to the Benefit Cap (9%) and 7% of expenditure being used on a combination of welfare reforms (including ...