Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to ensure that disabled people have access to specialised homes in (a) the private sector and (b) social housing.
Answered by Jacob Young
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out that local authorities should assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, including people with disabilities and reflect this in their local plan. Alongside this, my Department, DHSC and the NHS provide capital grant funding to help subsidise the delivery of new supply of supported housing including for disabled people.
Local housing authorities have a statutory duty to provide home adaptations for people who satisfy a needs assessment, eligibility criteria and a means test. They also have powers to provide adaptations for those that do not qualify under the duty. Government funding helps adapt around 50,000 homes annually, with the majority (90%) of adaptations being level access showers, stair lifts, or ramps. Government funding for the Disabled Facilities Grant has more than doubled, rising from £220 million in 2015-16 to £625 million for 2024-25.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to (a) review and (b) amend the maximum fair rent inflationary index set in the Rent Act 1977.
Answered by Jacob Young
The Government has no plans to amend the Rent Act 1977 or Maximum Fair Rent Order 1999.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department’s consultation on reforms to social housing allocations, published on 30 January 2024, whether (a) EEA, (b) Swiss citizens and (c) their non-EEA/Swiss family members with pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (i) have equal treatment rights and (ii) will continue to be eligible for social housing under the proposals set out in that consultation.
Answered by Jacob Young
If a person has equal treatment protection in matters of housing under the Withdrawal Agreement, the EEA-EFTA Separation Agreement or the Swiss Citizens’ Rights Agreement, they will meet the UK connection test as proposed in the consultation on social housing allocations reform.
The UK connection test will only need to be met by individuals who make an application for social housing, not the entire household.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2024 to Question 10209 on Refugees: Homelessness, what steps he is taking to monitor the effectiveness of the support his Department provides to local authorities to reduce the risk of homelessness for new refugees.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
We have welcomed nearly 200,000 Ukrainians to the UK since the war began and provided £1.1 billion to councils through a tariff for each arrival in their area to support guests and sponsors. Most Ukrainians have been able to sustain housing without the need for homelessness support. This year councils across the UK have been allocated £150 million to help prevent homelessness for Ukrainian households and others at risk of homelessness, and there will be an additional £120 million available next year.
The vast majority of Afghans who were in bridging hotels have been supported to move into settled accommodation. We have provided a £35 million package for local authorities to increase the support available to Afghans and help overcome the specific barriers they face in accessing the housing system, including £7,100 per person in flexible housing fund to help households into settled accommodation. There is also £9,150 per household available to local authorities for homelessness costs, and up to 6 months wraparound funding of £28 per person per day for those in temporary accommodation.
We will continue to support the Afghan cohort into settled housing, including through the £450 million third round of the Local Authority Housing Fund which follows the first two rounds of £750 million to help house Ukrainian and Afghan families in England. The Department continues to monitor homelessness in these groups, working closely to support local authorities so they are able to carry out their duties.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his Department's polices of the British Red Cross' report entitled Fearing, fleeing, facing the future: how people displaced by the conflict in Ukraine are finding safety in the UK, published on 24 February 2023.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
Homes for Ukraine hosts will continue to receive £500 a month as a ‘thank you’ for their ongoing support for their Ukrainian guests for a third year of sponsorship. We are also launching a £450 million third round of the Local Authority Housing Fund to help provide a new, permanent supply of accommodation for local communities.
The ‘thank you’ payments have been extended for a further year to reflect the continued generosity of sponsors in hosting guests from Ukraine over a longer period of time than anyone expected, and to ensure that those wishing to provide ongoing sanctuary can do so as the conflict continues.
More generally, government is increasing the Local Housing Allowance to cover the 30th percentile of local rents. This will help make housing costs more affordable for private renters in receipt of benefits. 1.6 million low-income households will be better off, with an average gain of £800 in 2024-25. Rates will be raised across Great Britain in April 2024.
£120 million is also being made available across the UK, to help councils with Ukraine and homelessness pressures. Local authorities will be able to use some of this funding to support Ukrainian households who can no longer remain in sponsorship to help access settled accommodation.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has provided recent guidance to local authorities on encouraging homeowners in conservation areas to (a) improve the energy-efficiency of their homes through retrofitting and (b) maintain the character of their properties.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The Government is fully committed to encouraging homeowners to incorporate energy efficiency measures in their properties in order to tackle climate change. Historic England, the Government’s adviser on heritage matters, publishes a range of advice on installing energy efficiency measures in historic buildings.
The Government has also recently undertaken a review of the practical planning barriers that households can face when installing energy efficiency measures such as improved glazing, including in conservation areas and listed buildings. An announcement on the outcome of the review will be made in due course.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had discussions with the Leader of the House on the timetable for progressing the Renters (Reform) Bill.
Answered by Jacob Young
In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to help support private sector tenants whose landlords object to their requests for home insulation.
Answered by Lee Rowley
We encourage all households to improve the energy efficiency of their homes where they can. Furthermore, in relation to the current PRS MEES Regulations, tenants already may request their landlord’s consent to make energy efficiency improvements at their own expense and the landlord has a duty not to unreasonably refuse a request.
To help households afford improvement of energy measures, including insulation, we are providing taxpayer subsidy of £6 billion this Parliament and a further £6 billion to 2028 on making buildings cleaner and warmer. That is in addition to the £5 billion that will be delivered through the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) and the Great British Insulation Scheme up to March 26. We have supported households with up to half their energy costs last winter and continue to support the most vulnerable through the Warm Home Discount, which is £150 to 3 million households.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had recent discussions with estate agencies in England on potential discrimination faced by (a) pregnant women and (b) people with children when engaging with the private rented sector.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Estate agents are prohibited from discriminating against pregnant women in the private rented sector. A victim of unlawful discrimination can seek damages through the County Court or an injunction to compel compliance with the law.
In addition, we are committed to outlawing unacceptable discriminatory blanket ban practices against families in the private rented sector.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he plans to present the Renters (Reform) Bill to Parliament before the end of 2023.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Renters (Reform) Bill was presented to Parliament and had its First Reading on 17 May. The Bill's Second Reading is subject to parliamentary scheduling and will be announced in the usual way.