Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that disabled people being evacuated from buildings that fail fire safety inspections are found suitably accessible housing.

Answer (Alok Sharma)

The Government believes it is important that people who require accessible housing are given the right level of priority under a council’s housing allocation scheme, and that councils and social landlords are able to make the best use of affordable housing in their area, including accommodation which is accessible or has been adapted. We have retained the statutory ‘reasonable preference’ requirements which ensure that priority for social housing is given to those who need to move on medical and welfare grounds, and this includes grounds relating to a disability.

The Government also funds the Disabled Facilities Grant, which pays for adaptations to the homes of disabled people to help them live safely and independently. Local housing authorities are under a statutory duty to provide adaptations for those people who qualify for the grant. The Disabled Facilities Grant funding for England for 2017-18 is £431 million.