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 Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025, whether the Disabled Facilities Grant will be available to disabled residents required to pay for changes to living circumstances arising from recommendations of person-centred fire risk assessments.

Under the Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 regulations, residents with disabilities or impairments in high-rise and certain medium rise buildings will be entitled to a person-centred fire risk assessment to identify equipment and adjustments to aid their fire safety and evacuation. Where costs arise, these may fall to the building owner, all residents or the individual resident. Where the cost of an identified mitigation would fall to the resident, the resident can decline to pay for it, in which case that mitigation may not be put in place. The Government has committed funding this year (2025/26) supporting social housing providers to deliver RPEEPs for their renters. Future years funding will be considered through the Spending Review process.

Residents can apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant from their local council which can help cover the capital costs of adaptations so they can live safely and independently at home.

Local housing authorities have a statutory duty to provide adaptations for disabled people following a needs assessment, means test, eligibility criteria and subject to any permissions required from a landlord. They also have powers to provide financial assistance for adaptations for those that do not qualify for funding under the duty, and in some cases to waive the means test.