Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to raise awareness the matter of lead poisoning in the home as a result of historic lead paint.

To raise awareness of this important issue, the government publishes advice on lead paint in older homes which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advice-on-lead-paint-in-older-homes. In addition, the Health and Safety Executive has specific advice and guidance for employers, which is at https://www.hse.gov.uk/lead/index.htm.

In order to facilitate the effective enforcement of housing standards generally and in the private rented sector in particular, including hazards associated with lead and lead paint, we have begun a comprehensive overhaul of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). The HHSRS is a health-based, risk assessment framework used by local authorities for the evaluation of conditions in residential properties and the review will make the system easier to understand for landlords and tenants and correct the disconnect with other legislative standards.