To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will report on the use of discretionary housing payments in the 21 least densely populated rural districts of the United Kingdom, as announced by the Department for Work and Pensions on 30 July 2013.

The Department has collated and published information about the use of Discretionary Housing Payments by Local Authorities in Great Britain for the first six months of the financial year from April 2013 to September 2013. The information was published on 20 December 2013 and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-discretionary-housing-payments

In 2013 the government contribution to Discretionary Housing Payments was increased to £180 million. As part of this, local authorities are able to bid for funding from a £20 million reserve fund. The scheme is open to bids until 3 February 2014.