Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of Critical Time Intervention programmes for local authorities on preventing homelessness amongst people leaving prison.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We recognise the importance of public sector organisations working closely together to support people during key transition points. Within the National Plan to End Homelessness, we have worked collaboratively across Government to set ambitious targets to reduce the number of people leaving institutions into homelessness, enabling local authorities and local partners to deliver better support at transition points.
This includes a commitment to a 50% reduction in the proportion of people who become homeless on their first night out of prison and are subject to probation supervision by the end of this parliament.
To deliver on this commitment, we want to ensure the right support is available as people transition out of prison. This includes continued investing in Community Accommodation Service models and embedding as standard practice local partnerships, co-location and pre-release planning.
Asked by: Margaret Mullane (Labour - Dagenham and Rainham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to deliver a sustainable supported housing sector.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government values the vital role played by supported housing in helping older, disabled and other vulnerable people to live independently and well, and the contribution it makes to wider government objectives, including tackling rough sleeping and homelessness.
Funding for the local commissioning of local housing-related support services is through the Local Government Finance Settlement. The final 2026-27 Settlement makes available £78 billion in Core Spending Power for local authorities in England in 2026-27, a 6.1% increase compared to 2025-26. The final 2026-27 to 2028-29 Settlement confirms £740 million in new grant funding additional to the provisional Settlement, bringing the total new grant funding delivered through the multi-year Settlement to over £4 billion.
As part of the Local Government Finance Settlement, we have provided £159 million for targeted areas over 2026-29 for support services in supported housing, with the primary focus on reducing single homelessness and rough sleeping.
At the Spending Review, the government announced £39 billion for a new Social and Affordable Homes Programme over 10 years from 2026-27 to 2035-36. This programme also seeks to support an increase in the delivery of specialist and supported housing.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 on homelessness presentations, local authority workloads, and private rented sector supply.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Impact Assessment for the Renters’ Rights Act can be found here.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
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 A National Plan to End Homelessness, 11 December 2025, CP1452, whether the new requirement for social housing landlords to rehouse statutory homeless households referred by the council will apply to former asylum seekers who have been given leave to remain.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Asylum seekers are not eligible for social housing or homelessness support.
If granted refugee status, they become eligible but have their needs considered on the same basis as other households owed a homelessness duty under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consideration is given to police advice and crime data when determining the suitability of properties for dispersed asylum accommodation.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Since 2022, the Home Office has adopted a policy of Full Dispersal, which works to ensure that Asylum accommodation is equitably distributed across the country and that a small number of Local Authorities are not unduly burdened. The Asylum Accommodation plans were developed in an evidence based and deliverable manner and are underpinned by an indexing model which considers several social factors, including crime rates, levels of homelessness and availability of GPs and Dentists.
Development of the plans was informed by feedback provided by local authorities, Strategic Migration Partners (SMPs) the Local Government Association as well as other Government Departments. Details of the Asylum Accommodation Plans are shared with nominated local authority officials and progress is routinely monitored within regular official forums jointly attended by Local Authority, Home Office, accommodation providers and SMPs colleagues.
The Home Office and its accommodation providers operate a robust consultation process, which not only ensures that local authorities are aware of all ongoing procurement activity of Dispersed Accommodation in their respective areas, but also allows them to share local expertise and intelligence, including information from statutory partners such as police, at the earliest opportunity to inform procurement.
Our accommodation providers ensure that consultation with local authorities is carried out in accordance with the requirements and standards set out in the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts. At all times, the Home Office maintains oversight of procurement and consultation to ensure effective and appropriate delivery, in line with expected standards and requirements.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance is issued to accommodation providers on consultation with local authorities during the postcode check process.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Since 2022, the Home Office has adopted a policy of Full Dispersal, which works to ensure that Asylum accommodation is equitably distributed across the country and that a small number of Local Authorities are not unduly burdened. The Asylum Accommodation plans were developed in an evidence based and deliverable manner and are underpinned by an indexing model which considers several social factors, including crime rates, levels of homelessness and availability of GPs and Dentists.
Development of the plans was informed by feedback provided by local authorities, Strategic Migration Partners (SMPs) the Local Government Association as well as other Government Departments. Details of the Asylum Accommodation Plans are shared with nominated local authority officials and progress is routinely monitored within regular official forums jointly attended by Local Authority, Home Office, accommodation providers and SMPs colleagues.
The Home Office and its accommodation providers operate a robust consultation process, which not only ensures that local authorities are aware of all ongoing procurement activity of Dispersed Accommodation in their respective areas, but also allows them to share local expertise and intelligence, including information from statutory partners such as police, at the earliest opportunity to inform procurement.
Our accommodation providers ensure that consultation with local authorities is carried out in accordance with the requirements and standards set out in the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts. At all times, the Home Office maintains oversight of procurement and consultation to ensure effective and appropriate delivery, in line with expected standards and requirements.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consultation local authorities are provided with in the development and review of their local Asylum Accommodation Plans.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Since 2022, the Home Office has adopted a policy of Full Dispersal, which works to ensure that Asylum accommodation is equitably distributed across the country and that a small number of Local Authorities are not unduly burdened. The Asylum Accommodation plans were developed in an evidence based and deliverable manner and are underpinned by an indexing model which considers several social factors, including crime rates, levels of homelessness and availability of GPs and Dentists.
Development of the plans was informed by feedback provided by local authorities, Strategic Migration Partners (SMPs) the Local Government Association as well as other Government Departments. Details of the Asylum Accommodation Plans are shared with nominated local authority officials and progress is routinely monitored within regular official forums jointly attended by Local Authority, Home Office, accommodation providers and SMPs colleagues.
The Home Office and its accommodation providers operate a robust consultation process, which not only ensures that local authorities are aware of all ongoing procurement activity of Dispersed Accommodation in their respective areas, but also allows them to share local expertise and intelligence, including information from statutory partners such as police, at the earliest opportunity to inform procurement.
Our accommodation providers ensure that consultation with local authorities is carried out in accordance with the requirements and standards set out in the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts. At all times, the Home Office maintains oversight of procurement and consultation to ensure effective and appropriate delivery, in line with expected standards and requirements.
Asked by: Lord Moraes (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to address the increase in homelessness of refugee households; and what assessment they have made of the impact that the 28-day move-on period for asylum seekers given refugees status has on homelessness levels.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is committed to supporting individuals granted leave to remain to successfully transition from asylum accommodation to mitigate the risk of homelessness.
This Government is aware of the need for a smooth transition between asylum accommodation and other accommodation. The Home Office is working to identify and implement efficiencies to support this process and mitigate the risk of homelessness.
The Home Office has also placed Asylum Move-On Liaison Officers in over 50 Local Authorities across the UK, working alongside the Migrant Help and NGOs to support individuals who will be leaving asylum accommodation, and ensure a successful transition.
An independent evaluation of the impact of the 56-day pilot has been completed. The evaluation gathered insights from local authorities, devolved governments, service providers, and voluntary sector partners.
It is important that we take the necessary time to review this evidence before making any longer-term policy decisions. This measured approach ensures that future arrangements are sustainable and continue to meet our statutory duties while supporting those granted asylum effectively.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is the Department taking to remove barriers preventing community homelessness health services, such as mobile clinics, from accessing NHS SystemOne records.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is important that community health teams can access the information they need to provide quality care, including for people who are experiencing homelessness. NHS England and the Phoenix Partnership (TPP), the company that provides SystemOne, already offer several routes for some clinicians to view records outside of GP settings.
These include national services such as GP Connect and the National Care Records Service (NCRS), which allow clinicians to see key information from GP records. NCRS can also be used on mobile devices such as iPads. Integrated care systems are rolling out Shared Care Records, which give clinicians wider access to both GP and secondary care records, where appropriate.
More broadly, the Government’s commitments to improve health outcomes for people experiencing homelessness are set out in the cross-government strategy, A National Plan to End Homelessness. Through this strategy, we are working with NHS England, local authorities, and third sector partners to strengthen integrated care pathways. This includes improving collaboration between primary care, outreach teams, and community services. More information about the strategy is available at the following link:
The Single Patient Record will enable improvements as it will provide a comprehensive view of health and care information across care settings. It will give both patients and professionals secure access to a single, accurate and up-to-date record – wherever and whenever it's needed.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help ensure local authorities design local homelessness support services that meet the needs of older people when they experience homelessness.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Homelessness is far too high, including amongst people over the age of 65. The government publishes homelessness data, including the age of the main applicant owed a prevention and relief duty on gov.uk here.
Our National Plan to End Homelessness sets out that councils should design accessible, inclusive and culturally-sensitive services, supported by targeted interventions, which meet the needs and experiences of all people who need their help, including older people.