Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the supply of transitional accommodation for young people.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). That consultation can be found on gov.uk here. As part of this, we sought views on whether the planning system provides appropriate flexibility to support temporary accommodation affordable housing products, such as stepping stone housing, when considering matters such as space standards. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.
I also refer the noble Baroness to the answer provided to Question UIN 1861 in the other place on 27 May 2026.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to evaluate the success of their homelessness strategy.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We are taking a cross-government approach to delivering the long-term solutions we need to get us back on track to ending all forms of homelessness. This includes a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, bringing together ministers from across government to oversee delivery of our strategy. The Inter-Ministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping works across government to maintain collaboration and assure delivery of the commitments in this strategy. The Group will receive quarterly data updates, tracking progress against the targets. We will also publish reports at least every two years that monitor progress on the implementation of measures set out in this strategy, including our national cross-government targets. Our headline targets include: eliminating the illegal use of B&Bs, halving long-term rough sleeping, and increasing prevention and relief rates.
More comprehensive information can be found in Chapter 7 of the National Plan to End Homelessness.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 financial impact on local authorities relying on out-of-area temporary accommodation placements.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Legislation and statutory guidance is clear that local authorities should, wherever possible, place homeless households within their own area, except where there are clear benefits for the person seeking assistance (for example, in cases of domestic abuse). However, in some areas where there is a limited supply of suitable accommodation it is sometimes necessary to place households in temporary accommodation outside the local area. This should be as near as possible to the original placing local authority.
We have published data on out-of-area placements, setting out which areas have received placements, the composition of households placed out of area and the type of accommodation they are placed into. You can find this data in the detailed local authority table (tables TA9 onwards) here.
The published data show the local authority where the household is owed a duty and the region where a local authority places a household. The Department does not collect more detailed information on out of area placements (for example, addresses) of temporary accommodation placements, and it is not possible to determine the exact, or average, distance of out-of-area placements.
Information on local authority spending is here, including the Revenue Outturn (RO4) return, which covers housing services and includes information on local authorities’ expenditure on homelessness activities. However, the Department does not collect information on the financial impact of out-of-area temporary accommodation placements.
The Department has committed to publish a Temporary Accommodation Toolkit which will cover a range of issues, including good practice on procurement to ensure an appropriate supply of suitable, local accommodation, and on mitigating negative impacts of out of area placements when they are unavoidable, including through appropriate notification and links to support.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to Answer of 28 May 2026 to Question 3072, what assessment he has made of the average distance homeless households are being placed from their home local authority area in temporary accommodation.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Legislation and statutory guidance is clear that local authorities should, wherever possible, place homeless households within their own area, except where there are clear benefits for the person seeking assistance (for example, in cases of domestic abuse). However, in some areas where there is a limited supply of suitable accommodation it is sometimes necessary to place households in temporary accommodation outside the local area. This should be as near as possible to the original placing local authority.
We have published data on out-of-area placements, setting out which areas have received placements, the composition of households placed out of area and the type of accommodation they are placed into. You can find this data in the detailed local authority table (tables TA9 onwards) here.
The published data show the local authority where the household is owed a duty and the region where a local authority places a household. The Department does not collect more detailed information on out of area placements (for example, addresses) of temporary accommodation placements, and it is not possible to determine the exact, or average, distance of out-of-area placements.
Information on local authority spending is here, including the Revenue Outturn (RO4) return, which covers housing services and includes information on local authorities’ expenditure on homelessness activities. However, the Department does not collect information on the financial impact of out-of-area temporary accommodation placements.
The Department has committed to publish a Temporary Accommodation Toolkit which will cover a range of issues, including good practice on procurement to ensure an appropriate supply of suitable, local accommodation, and on mitigating negative impacts of out of area placements when they are unavoidable, including through appropriate notification and links to support.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to Answer of 28 May 2026 to Question 3072, what plans he has to include guidance on maximum recommended distances for out-of-area placements in the Temporary Accommodation Toolkit.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Legislation and statutory guidance is clear that local authorities should, wherever possible, place homeless households within their own area, except where there are clear benefits for the person seeking assistance (for example, in cases of domestic abuse). However, in some areas where there is a limited supply of suitable accommodation it is sometimes necessary to place households in temporary accommodation outside the local area. This should be as near as possible to the original placing local authority.
We have published data on out-of-area placements, setting out which areas have received placements, the composition of households placed out of area and the type of accommodation they are placed into. You can find this data in the detailed local authority table (tables TA9 onwards) here.
The published data show the local authority where the household is owed a duty and the region where a local authority places a household. The Department does not collect more detailed information on out of area placements (for example, addresses) of temporary accommodation placements, and it is not possible to determine the exact, or average, distance of out-of-area placements.
Information on local authority spending is here, including the Revenue Outturn (RO4) return, which covers housing services and includes information on local authorities’ expenditure on homelessness activities. However, the Department does not collect information on the financial impact of out-of-area temporary accommodation placements.
The Department has committed to publish a Temporary Accommodation Toolkit which will cover a range of issues, including good practice on procurement to ensure an appropriate supply of suitable, local accommodation, and on mitigating negative impacts of out of area placements when they are unavoidable, including through appropriate notification and links to support.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on infant and child mortality rates for children living in temporary accommodation; whether his Department collects data on the housing status of children at the time of death; and what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on mitigating health risks faced by children in temporary accommodation.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers at the Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, as well as other departments, are engaging through the interministerial group supporting the cross-Government homelessness strategy, A National Plan to End Homelessness, including discussions to mitigate the health risks faced by children in temporary accommodation. The plan is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-national-plan-to-end-homelessness
The Department is considering the recommendations set out in the recently published Child Mortality in Temporary Accommodation Report, and taking forward actions, some of which are already in policy development, such as introducing a clinical code for children in temporary accommodation, ensuring these families are proactively contacted by health services and ending the practice of discharging newborn babies into bed and breakfasts or other unsuitable shared accommodation. The report is available at the following link:
The Department does not hold formal data on child mortality in temporary accommodation.
Asked by: Hannah Spencer (Green Party - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what comparative assessment he has made of homelessness assessment rates for (a) people aged 16-24 and (b) the general population since the introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government publishes data on local authority homelessness assessments, including the age of main applicants owed a duty. You can find this in table A6 of the latest homelessness statistics, published here.
Asked by: Hannah Spencer (Green Party - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish data on homelessness presentations to local authorities by age group.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government publishes data on local authority homelessness assessments, including the age of main applicants owed a duty. You can find this in table A6 of the latest homelessness statistics, published here.
Asked by: Hannah Spencer (Green Party - Gorton and Denton)
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 effectiveness of funding allocations in enabling young people presenting as homeless to receive an assessment and support where required.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Housing authorities have a duty to assess all eligible applicants and must work with them to develop a personalised housing plan to prevent or relieve their homelessness.
The government is providing £3.6 billion funding for homelessness services from 2026/27 to 2028/29, including more than £2.2 billion for local authorities to prevent and address homelessness and rough sleeping through the Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant. Councils can use this funding flexibly to meet the needs of people in their areas, including young people. You can find local authority level allocations on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made a qualitative assessment of the impact of the decision not to uprate Local Housing Allowance in 2026–27 on homelessness among households in receipt of Universal Credit where at least one individual is in work.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
At Autumn Budget 2025, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions reviewed Local Housing Allowance and decided to maintain rates at their current levels for 2026/27. Rent levels across Great Britain were considered alongside other factors, such as social security priorities and support currently available within the challenging fiscal context.
The causes of homelessness are multi-faceted and often complex; they interact dynamically making it difficult to isolate the relative importance of individual factors. DWP continues to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on homelessness. MHCLG published its National Plan to End Homelessness in December.
The new multi-year Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) gives councils more stable funding to support households in financial difficulty and to prevent crises before they occur. Renters facing a shortfall can apply for a CRF Housing Payment in England. Discretionary Housing Payments continue to be available in Wales.