Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
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 adequacy of dedicated local authority phone lines that have been set up to provide support for vulnerable people with getting access to food during the covid-19 oubreak.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government is working closely with local authorities in the response to Covid-19. This includes supporting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable to Covid-19 and have been advised by the Government to shield, as well as people who are vulnerable for other reasons. Local authorities are supporting with a wide range of functions including supplementing nationally provided food boxes where shielding individuals have additional support needs and providing social contact for those who are isolated.
As at 17 April, 98 per cent of local authorities had dedicated phone lines in place to provide support for the vulnerable in getting access to basic food supplies.
Local government and their Voluntary Community Sector partners are well-placed to understand and meet the needs of vulnerable people in their communities.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
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 plans to bring forward legislative proposals to implement the recommendations in the report entitled, Local Government Ethical Standards published by the Committee on Standards in Public Life on 30 January 2019.
Answered by Luke Hall
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment basis he has made of the potential effectiveness of implementing the recommendations of the Committee on Standards in Public Life report entitled Local Government Ethical Standards published on 30 January 2019.
Answered by Luke Hall
The government is currently carefully considering the Committee's recommendations and will issue a response in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's consultation on Domestic abuse services: future delivery of support to victims and their children in accommodation-based domestic abuse services, which closed on 2 August 2019, when the response to that consultation will be published.
Answered by Luke Hall
My Department will be publishing the government response to the consultation ‘Future delivery of support to victims and their children in accommodation-based domestic abuse services’ shortly.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to introduce priority housing status for all homeless survivors of domestic abuse in the forthcoming Domestic Abuse Bill.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
Domestic abuse is an abhorrent crime that nobody should have to suffer. The Government is absolutely committed to protecting victims of domestic abuse and their families.
A victim of domestic abuse already has priority need under the homelessness legislation if they are vulnerable as a result of having to leave accommodation because of violence from another person, or threats of violence from another person that are likely to be carried out.
In addition, people who are homeless or owed a duty under the homelessness legislation must be given reasonable preference (priority) for social housing. Statutory guidance issued in 2012 goes further and makes it clear that local authorities should consider giving additional preference (high priority) to those who are homeless and require urgent rehousing as a result of domestic abuse.
The Department has no plans currently to change the definition of priority need or reasonable preference.