Asked by: Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2019 to Question 234648 on Housing Ombudsman Service, for what reasons there has been a 24 per cent increase in cases entering the Housing Ombudsman Service’s formal remit for determination in 2018-19.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The increase in cases entering the Housing Ombudsman’s formal remit is likely to reflect the increase in the volume of residents exiting landlords’ complaints procedures and still seeking resolution. We cannot comment with certainty on the reasons for the increase as the explanation will be the aggregate of individual factors across social landlords. Responsive repairs has continued to be the largest category of complaint received at 37 per cent of the overall number in 2017-18.
Asked by: Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2019 to Question 234648 on Housing Ombudsman Service, which stakeholders the Housing Ombudsman Service is required to consult with on the proposals within its draft Corporate Plan 2019-22 and draft Business Plan 2019-20; and which organisations have responded to those consultations.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
Under the Framework Document agreed between the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Housing Ombudsman, the Housing Ombudsman will consult with residents and members of the Scheme on the draft business plan each year. The Housing Ombudsman received 74 responses from individual landlord organisations, residents and resident organisations and other stakeholders. A list of respondents will be published together with the Business plan 2019-20 and Corporate plan 2019-22 once they have been agreed.
Asked by: Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the merits of the request by London Fire Brigade for sprinklers to be placed on all new-build residential developments.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Department is undertaking a technical review of the Building Regulations’ fire safety guidance. A call for evidence closed on 15 March. The call for evidence specifically asked for views on the provision of sprinklers.
The Department is currently analysing the responses to the call for evidence including that from the London Fire Brigade.
Asked by: Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the average time taken by the Independent Housing Ombudsman was to determine case complaints in 2018-19; and how many complaints took longer than the six-month target to determine.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Housing Ombudsman Service’s 2018-19 annual report and accounts, when published, will confirm the average case determination time. The average time taken in 2018-19 to determine cases entering the Housing Ombudsman Service’s formal remit is expected to be less than 7 months as of the end of March 2019.
For the year to date, 67 per cent of complaints entering the formal remit have taken longer than six months to determine. Performance is improving with 50 per cent of complaints in February determined within 6 months. This is in the context of a 24 per cent increase in cases entering the Housing Ombudsman’s formal remit for determination in the year to date.
Asked by: Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has asked the Independent Housing Ombudsman to change the six month target for determining case complaints in 2019-20.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Housing Ombudsman Service has consulted on its draft 2019-20 Business Plan and draft 2019-22 Corporate Plan. The Secretary of State is required to approve these prior to their publication. The plans are geared around the Housing Ombudsman Service dealing with complaints as effectively and swiftly as possible and supporting the local resolution of complaints. Targets for 2019/20 will be agreed between the Housing Ombudsman Service and Secretary of State for the publication of the new plans.
Asked by: Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many full time equivalent staff were employed by the Independent Housing Ombudsman in 2018-19; and how many of those staff were (a) caseworkers, (b) adjudicators and (c) review managers.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The full time equivalent of staff employed by the Housing Ombudsman Service in 2018-19 is 67.9.
The number of (a) caseworkers, (b) adjudicators and (c) dispute resolution managers is as follows:
a) Caseworkers (Dispute Resolution Advisors and Adjudicators): 41.6
b) Of which, Adjudicators: 25.6
c) Dispute Resolution Managers: 6.0
Asked by: Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2018 to Question 178312 on Regulator of Social Housing: Public Appointments, whether the recruitment campaign to strengthen the Board of the Regulator of Social Housing has resulted in the appointment of any tenants in the last six months.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
We are currently looking to recruit up to three new members to the Board of the Regulator of Social Housing. We have identified that one of these posts should be filled by someone with significant senior level experience of operating in a customer facing environment (ideally in social housing). As set out in the Social Housing Green Paper, we want to ensure that the Board has the right level of experience and skills to ensure landlords deliver a better standard of service to their tenants.