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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of local authority licencing schemes in improving safety and living standards in the private rented housing sector.

Licensing is effective in delivering improved standards in the private sector when applied as necessary, for example, to target high risk houses in multiple occupation, or in specific areas that are suffering from problems, such as those associated with low demand for housing or anti-social behaviour.