Oral Question·Department for Work and Pensions
“What recent assessment she has made of the contractual performance of Serco plc in delivering call-handling services for her Department.”
Tabled: 2 November 2021Answered: 8 November 2021
Asked by
John McDonnell
Labour — Hayes and Harlington
Answering Minister
the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Answer from Hansard
Sir Stephen Timms
My hon. Friend raises an important matter. I just point out that the April 2024 one-year local housing allowance increase has cost an additional £1.2 billion in the last financial year, and it will cost about £7 billion over five years. We keep local housing allowance rates under review. He is right to stress the importance of those, but future decisions on them will need to be based on the Government’s priorities and reflect the difficult fiscal conditions that the Government are dealing with.