§ Mr. HendryTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects to publish renewed guidance to local authorities about their duties in respect of making housing benefit payments.
§ Mr. BurtThe Department issues guidance to local authorities on all aspects of housing benefit, in the form of a guidance manual and circulars. The manual has recently been fully updated and was issued to all authorities earlier this month. It covers the requirement for local authorities to make interim payments of rent allowance where, through no fault of the applicant, a claim cannot be settled within 14 days.
The Department is committed to issuing strengthened guidance to local authorities shortly to remind them of this duty.