The Government recognises the financial pressures tenants are facing and is providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023-24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living. Individuals who need help to make their rent payments may be eligible for a range of financial support through the welfare system.

LHA determines the maximum amount of housing support for Housing Benefit and Universal Credit claimants renting in the private rented sector. LHA is not intended to meet all rents in all areas.

In April 2020 LHA rates were raised to the 30th percentile of local market rents, a significant investment of almost £1 billion. We have maintained the increase since then so that everyone who benefited continues to do so.

The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) policy is kept under regular review. We monitor average rents and housing support levels provided to claimants to assess the impact of the policy. Any assessment made is always within the context of the economic landscape at the time.

For those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs and need further support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities. Since 2011 the Government has provided nearly £1.6 billion in DHP funding to local authorities

Yes, they will.

In April 2020 Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates were raised to the 30th percentile, a significant investment of almost £1 billion, we have maintained the rates in cash terms since then ensuring claimants continue to benefit from the significant increase.

On the 17 November the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions confirmed in his Written Ministerial Statement that LHA rates will be maintained at those increased levels for 2023-24.

For those who need additional support with housing costs, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are available from local authorities. Since 2011 we have provided almost £1.5 billion in DHPs.

To ensure stability and certainty for households, in the Autumn Statement the Government has announced £26bn in cost of living support for 2023/24. This includes Cost of Living Payments for the most vulnerable. In 2023/24, households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to a further £900 in Cost of Living Payments. A £300 payment will be made to pensioner households and individuals in receipt of eligible disability benefits will receive a £150 payment. Also included is the amended Energy Price Guarantee which will save the average UK household £500 in 2023-24 and raising the benefit cap by 10.1% in line with inflation.

For those who require extra support, the Government is providing an additional £1 billion of funding, including Barnett impact, to enable the extension of the Household Support Fund in England in the next financial year. This is on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing total funding to £2.5 billion. It will be for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate their additional Barnett funding.

In addition, we are uprating benefits for working age households and disabled people, as well as the basic and new State Pensions, all by 10.1%.

Inflation has a range of impacts on the public finances and previous OBR forecasts have shown how inflation can increase spending on welfare and debt interest, as well as tax revenues. With respect to debt interest, the most recent OBR forecast in March projected that government spending on debt interest would reach £83.0 billion in 2022-23. The OBR also publish a ‘ready reckoner’ to estimate the effect of changes in economic determinants, such as inflation and gilt rates. This shows the estimated change in debt interest costs from a 1 percentage point increase in inflation and gilt rates throughout the forecast.

The Government is committed to ensuring that hard-working NHS staff do not find themselves reducing their work commitments due to the interaction between their pay, their pension, and the relevant tax regime.

The NHS pension scheme is one of the most generous schemes available, and protects pensions in payment by increasing them by CPI and revalues accrued CARE benefits by CPI+1.5% each year.

Pensions tax relief one of the most expensive reliefs in the personal tax system. In 2019/20 Income Tax relief on total contributions and National Insurance relief on employer contributions for pension savings cost the Exchequer £61 billion, with around 60 per cent of Income Tax relieved at the Higher and Additional rates. The annual allowance helps to ensure that the highest earning pension savers do not receive a disproportionate benefit.

99 per cent of pension savers make annual contributions below £40,000, the level of standard annual allowance which has applied from 2014/15. Individuals who breach the annual allowance on tax-relieved pension savings can also use an option called ‘scheme pays’, under which they can require their pension scheme to pay their annual allowance tax charge now (in return for an actuarially fair reduction in their pension), provided that the annual allowance charge is at least £2,000 and they have exceeded the annual allowance of £40,000. In England and Wales, the NHS Pension Scheme goes further, allowing Scheme Pays to be used on any annual allowance charges relating to accrual in that scheme.

The Government is committed to ensuring that hard-working NHS staff do not find themselves reducing their work commitments due to the interaction between their pay, their pension, and the relevant tax regime.

The NHS pension scheme protects pensions in payment by increasing them by CPI and revalues accrued CARE benefits by CPI+1.5% each year.

99 per cent of pension savers make annual contributions below £40,000, the level of standard annual allowance which has applied from 2014/15. Individuals who breach the annual allowance on tax-relieved pension savings can also use an option called ‘scheme pays’, under which they can require their pension scheme to pay their annual allowance tax charge now (in return for an actuarially fair reduction in their pension), provided that the annual allowance charge is at least £2,000 and they have exceeded the annual allowance of £40,000. In England and Wales, the NHS Pension Scheme goes further, allowing Scheme Pays to be used on any annual allowance charges relating to accrual in that scheme.

The Government is committed to ensuring that hard-working NHS staff do not find themselves reducing their work commitments due to the interaction between their pay, their pension, and the relevant tax regime.

The NHS pension scheme protects pensions in payment by increasing them by CPI and revalues accrued CARE benefits by CPI+1.5% each year.

In April 2020, the Government raised the thresholds above which the tapered annual allowance applies by £90,000. As a result, no one with a net income before tax below £200,000 is now affected by the tapered annual allowance. In addition, the annual allowance only begins to taper down for individuals who also have total income (including pension accrual) above £240,000. It was estimated at Budget 2020 that these changes have taken up to 96% of GPs and up to 98% of NHS consultants outside the scope of the tapered annual allowance.

These changes allow pension savers to build significant retirement savings tax free, while also ensuring that the highest earning pension savers do not receive a disproportionate benefit from pension tax relief.