Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies on funding structures for short-term and long-term supported housing of the report by Rethink Mental Illness, Mental Health Supported Housing: Securing financial stability, supply and quality relating to the variety of length of stay of people within mental health supported housing.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
I have recently met with representatives of Rethink Mental Illness and have considered their report. In bringing forward our new model announced on 31 October, we listened carefully to the concerns raised from across the supported housing sector.
We will continue to fund long-term supported accommodation, for example for people with long-term mental ill health, through the welfare system, with 100 per cent of housing costs, including rent and eligible service charges, being met (unless other benefit restrictions may apply to the individual involved). This funding will no longer be capped by Local Housing Allowance rates giving providers the certainty they need in order to invest in future supply.
For short-term accommodation, all funding for rent and eligible service charges previously met by Housing Benefit, will instead be allocated to local authorities through a grant to funding the commissioning of provision at a local level. To protect short-term supported housing provision, we are ring-fencing this funding.
We are also bringing in a new oversight regime, with a National Statement of Expectations, to set out clear standards and outline Government’s expectations over local planning, commissioning and services.
We will continue to engage with the sector and stakeholders to seek their views on key elements of the reformed funding model. It is important that the model is responsive and will work for providers, tenants and clients.
These new models ensure that everyone who would be eligible under the current system to have their housing costs met, will continue to be so, whether they are staying in short-term accommodation, long term accommodation or in transition between the two.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Government's funding supported housing consultation, published on 31 October 2017, and the Government's proposal for a ring-fenced local grant fund for supported housing, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure that such ring-fenced funding will be maintained in the future.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
Government recognises that supported housing is of vital importance to vulnerable people. The ring-fence for short term supported housing will be retained in the long term in order to protect this important provision and the vulnerable people it supports. Future funding for short-term accommodation will continue to take account of the costs of provision and demand for services in this part of the sector.
Funding for the housing costs of sheltered, extra care housing and other long-term supported accommodation such as housing for people with learning or physical disabilities or mental ill health, will remain in the welfare system. This funding will be uncapped by Local Housing Allowance rates as these will no longer apply.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Government's funding supported housing consultation, published on 31 October 2017, whether in the event that a tenant on a mental health supported housing scheme has an initial anticipated length of stay of less than two years, but this subsequently extends to more than two years within the same scheme, the Government proposes that such a tenant would move from one funding system to another.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
I have recently met with representatives of Rethink Mental Illness and have considered their report. In bringing forward our new model announced on 31 October, we listened carefully to the concerns raised from across the supported housing sector.
We will continue to fund long-term supported accommodation, for example for people with long-term mental ill health, through the welfare system, with 100 per cent of housing costs, including rent and eligible service charges, being met (unless other benefit restrictions may apply to the individual involved). This funding will no longer be capped by Local Housing Allowance rates giving providers the certainty they need in order to invest in future supply.
For short-term accommodation, all funding for rent and eligible service charges previously met by Housing Benefit, will instead be allocated to local authorities through a grant to funding the commissioning of provision at a local level. To protect short-term supported housing provision, we are ring-fencing this funding.
We are also bringing in a new oversight regime, with a National Statement of Expectations, to set out clear standards and outline Government’s expectations over local planning, commissioning and services.
We will continue to engage with the sector and stakeholders to seek their views on key elements of the reformed funding model. It is important that the model is responsive and will work for providers, tenants and clients.
These new models ensure that everyone who would be eligible under the current system to have their housing costs met, will continue to be so, whether they are staying in short-term accommodation, long term accommodation or in transition between the two.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funding and other support his Department has offered to Manchester City Council to carry out fire safety checks on high-rise buildings.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
Where Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding is present on social housing over 18 metres in height, the Government is providing testing for local authorities and housing associations free of charge. If the screening tests indicate that such cladding would not meet the limited combustibility requirements of the current Building Regulations guidance, local authorities, housing associations and the fire and rescue service will determine the best course of action, communicating closely with residents. Where work is necessary to ensure the fire safety of social housing, we will ensure that lack of financial resources will not prevent it going ahead.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to use the authority given to him in the Building Act 1984 to retroactively enforce the standards laid out in the Building Regulations England & Wales Part B (2006) Fire Safety in Dwelling Houses on all buildings and compel all building owners to undertake a fire safety check.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
There are no powers in the Building Act 1984 to require retroactive compliance with the requirements of the Building Regulations or to compel building owners to carry out fire safety checks. In some cases there may be requirements for fire safety checks under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 or the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (England) Regulations 2005.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much has been spent on training and resources to enable local emergency services to better respond to possible incidents involving transport of nuclear warheads and high level nuclear waste passing through their areas in the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Percy
Data on expenditure for training and resources for local emergency services is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what notice is given to local government emergency services on nuclear warhead convoys and consignments of high level nuclear waste passing through their areas.
Answered by Andrew Percy
Police forces are always notified in advance of a nuclear weapon convoy being routed through their area. Police forces may advise fire and rescue services of the presence of the convoy if it is moving into the vicinity of a fire service operation. I am withholding specific information on the period of notice given to emergency services as its disclosure would prejudice the capability, effectiveness and security of the armed forces.
The Ministry of Defence holds no High Level Waste as part of the Defence Nuclear Programme.
For those movements of civil nuclear and radioactive material that the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is responsible for, the relevant police authorities are involved in the planning stages and are aware of upcoming movements of material. The other emergency services are involved on a case by case basis, but for higher category material, all three emergency services sit in the Multi-Agency Command Centre and will be aware movements are due to take place.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, following the review of homelessness legislation undertaken by the charity Crisis entitled The homelessness legislation: An independent review of the legal duties owed to homeless people, published on 25 April 2016, whether he plans to undertake a review of such legislation.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
I welcome the recent report from the Crisis Expert Panel into the legal duties owed to homeless people. It provides a valuable insight into how aspects of the current legislation in England can learn from the model adopted in Wales.
We are considering all options, including legislation, and will continue to talk to local authorities, homelessness organisations and other government departments.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many 16 and 17 year olds presented as homeless to Manchester City Council in the last 12 months for which figures are available.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
There have been fewer than 5 cases in Manchester City Council in the last 12 months for which figures have been published (July 2014 - June 2015).
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to improve supported accommodation for homeless young people in (a) Manchester, Withington constituency, (b) Manchester and (c) nationally.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
The Government is committed to preventing youth homelessness and is taking specific action across England to support young homeless people into stable accommodation, education, training or employment.
We have invested £14 million to enable Crisis to support 10,000 vulnerable single people into privately rented tenancies, of which 41 projects are specifically targeted at young people.
Our £15 million Fair Chance Fund payment by results scheme is supporting 1,600 vulnerable homeless 18-25 year olds into accommodation, education, training and employment. Projects for the scheme are being delivered across the country including the Manchester area.
In addition, the Government is investing £40 million in Platform for Life, a lower rent shared accommodation programme to provide young homeless people with a stable base for work and study. We have also implemented the ‘Youth Accommodation Pathway’, good practice model that supports young people to remain in the family home where it is safe to do so and offers tailored support for those who cannot. This has been disseminated across all English local authorities.