Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that provision of accessible housing for older and disabled people is prioritised in light of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
We recently consulted on options to raise accessible housing standards, including options to review and potentially tighten the regulatory framework to deliver accessible new homes. By 2021-22 the Government will have invested over £4 billion through the Disabled Facilities Grant, funding adaptations to almost 450,000 homes since 2010. In our Social Housing White Paper we said that we will look at how we can improve access to suitable homes for disabled people. Our planning rules already mean councils must consider the needs of older and disabled people when planning new homes, and we are significantly reforming the planning system to put a much greater emphasis on design and quality, creating a system which gives local people more of a voice to make clear what new development their areas need and where.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to require all new homes to meet the accessible and adaptable standard.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Further to our consultation on how to raise accessible housing standards, we are considering responses and will publish a Government response setting out next steps
The evidence from this work will help Government consider what changes can be made, including reviewing and potentially tightening the regulatory framework to deliver accessible new homes and updates to statutory guidance.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to respond to the consultation on raising accessibility standards for new homes published on 8 September 2020.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Further to our consultation on how to raise accessible housing standards, we are considering responses and will publish a Government response setting out next steps
The evidence from this work will help Government consider what changes can be made, including reviewing and potentially tightening the regulatory framework to deliver accessible new homes and updates to statutory guidance.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
What steps he is taking to ensure that all residential buildings with unsafe cladding are remediated.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Almost 95 per cent of all high-rise buildings identified at the beginning of last year with unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding have now been remediated or have works underway.
The Government has announced a further £3.5 billion for the remediation of unsafe cladding on high rise buildings of 18 metres and above, in addition to the £1.6 billion we have already provided. Through an additional package we will also now provide a generous financing scheme to allow buildings of 11-18 metres in height to access finance for remediation of unsafe cladding. Leaseholders will pay no more than £50 per month towards this.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to introduce a mandatory requirement for fibre optic infrastructure to be included in all new developments.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Ensuring that every new home is built with fast, reliable and resilient broadband is a priority for this Government. We announced in March 2020 that we will amend the Building Regulations to require the provision of gigabit-capable connectivity such as fibre optic infrastructure to new homes. We plan to publish a technical consultation this Winter and to introduce the new requirements in 2021.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to protect the right to a fair reference for tenants in rented accommodation.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The reference process is a private matter between the parties involved and not something it would be appropriate for the Government to intervene in.
Landlords and letting agents may wish to obtain references from their prospective tenant’s former landlords or letting agent but cannot charge the tenant a fee for this process. As part of the referencing process, landlords may take into account various factors when deciding whether to let to a tenant, including previous or outstanding rent arrears. Where these factors have been adversely affected by circumstances arising from the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, we would encourage landlords and letting agents to be considerate of this when deciding whether to accept or recommend such tenants. When completing the referencing process, both the previous landlord and prospective tenant should therefore provide any necessary contextual information to aid these considerations. For example, this could include details of any voluntary arrangements or payment holidays which were agreed.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support shielding tenants in private rented accommodation whose landlord requests that a third party access their property at short notice.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Tenants have a right to the quiet enjoyment of their property and must be given at least 24 hours’ notice of any visit to the property. If a tenant is self-isolating, no work should be carried out in their home unless it is to remedy a direct risk that affects their safety or the safety of their household.
Landlords of clinically extremely vulnerable people can carry out routine repairs and inspections, provided the latest guidance on social distancing, working safely in people’s homes and guidance for clinically extremely vulnerable individuals is followed.
It remains a crime for a landlord to harass a tenant. Tenants who are concerned should contact their local authority or the police.