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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of incentive payments to private landlords on (a) helping homeless people access long-term and stable housing options and (b) the provision of social housing in the local area.

No assessment has been made, however local authorities have a duty to house those who are homeless and can provide incentives to private rented sector landlords where this is necessary, to secure accommodation that is suitable and meets the needs of homeless people. The Government is clear nobody should be without a roof over their head, that’s why we have committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period. This includes £37.8 million of funding to launch the London Collaboration Project, to improve the supply of homes and reduce the cost to local authorities. We recently announced £19.5 million for 54 projects across England through the Private Rented Sector Access Fund to enable thousands of households to be supported into long-term private rented accommodation.