Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the written evidence submitted by the Information Commissioner’s Office to the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee for its inquiry into the Regulation of Social Housing, RSH103, HC 18, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the recommendation that registered social landlords be made subject to Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Through the proposed Access to Information Scheme, private registered providers of social housing will have similar obligations as they would under FOIA (Freedom of Information Act 2000), enabling tenants to access information about their landlords.

The department has had discussions with the Scottish Information Commissioner's Office over on the impact that extending Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act (FOISA) has had on Scottish private registered providers.