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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Social Housing regulator on the timetable for setting the regulatory standards relating to (a) competence and conduct and (b) information and transparency; and whether his Department has made an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of providing assistance to (i) local authorities and (ii) social housing providers to meet those standards.

In the coming months, the Government intends to consult on directions to the Regulator of Social Housing to set standards relating to the competence and conduct of social housing staff and information and transparency. Following this, Government will direct the Regulator, who will conduct their own consultations before the standards come into force.

We will carry out full impact assessments on implementing the standards. Social landlords are responsible for providing safe and decent homes for their tenants and meeting the regulatory standards. Landlords should not be looking to Government to fund meeting these requirements.