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 the publication Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published on 12 May 2025, CP1326, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of restricting access to local authority housing for (a) current and (b) former overseas nationals based on their English language proficiency.

The government has no plans to make such an assessment.

Eligibility for social housing is tightly controlled. If a person’s visa means that they cannot access state benefits or local authority housing assistance, they are not eligible for an allocation of social housing. Only eligible individuals can join waiting lists and be given a social housing tenancy.

Where foreign nationals are eligible, they will have their housing needs considered on the same basis as other eligible applicants in accordance with the local authority’s housing allocation scheme. People who are homeless, in overcrowded housing or who need to move for medical reasons are prioritised.

The previous government consulted on changes to social housing allocation tests. This government’s response was published on 2 September and can be found on gov.uk here.