Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve support housing-with-care for older people.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to enhancing provision and choice for older people in the housing market. The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to consider the recommendations from the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report.
Both departments are also working together on the development of the Government’s forthcoming long-term housing strategy.
More broadly, at the Spending Review, the Government announced £39 billion for a new Social and Affordable Homes Programme over ten years from 2026/27 to 2035/36. The programme has been designed to be flexible to support the greater diversity of supply needed in the housing market, including supported housing for older people.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of higher‑risk buildings remaining unregistered with the Building Safety Regulator on resident safety.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) investigates all matters relating to the registration status of higher risk buildings (HRBs) that are brought to its attention through residents’ complaints or by other enforcing authorities, including fire and rescue services, local authorities, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. All investigations and any subsequent enforcement actions are undertaken in accordance with the provisions of the Building Safety Act 2022.
In addition to responding to concerns that may be raised, the BSR’s Intelligence team proactively identifies and investigates potentially unregistered buildings.
Any HRB which is not registered with the BSR nevertheless must comply with the provisions of the Building Safety Act and, as of February 2024, the Principal Accountable Person for that building has a duty to properly assess and manage the safety risks associated with their building. Thus, non-registration does not, in itself, mean that a building is unsafe or is being inappropriately managed.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help identify the number of higher-risk buildings that have not yet been registered with the Building Safety Regulator.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) investigates all matters relating to the registration status of higher risk buildings (HRBs) that are brought to its attention through residents’ complaints or by other enforcing authorities, including fire and rescue services, local authorities, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. All investigations and any subsequent enforcement actions are undertaken in accordance with the provisions of the Building Safety Act 2022.
In addition to responding to concerns that may be raised, the BSR’s Intelligence team proactively identifies and investigates potentially unregistered buildings.
Any HRB which is not registered with the BSR nevertheless must comply with the provisions of the Building Safety Act and, as of February 2024, the Principal Accountable Person for that building has a duty to properly assess and manage the safety risks associated with their building. Thus, non-registration does not, in itself, mean that a building is unsafe or is being inappropriately managed.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 on court workloads relating to possession proceedings; and whether administrative or time-limited possession processes have been considered where landlords have complied fully with regulatory requirements.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
My Department continues to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure that the justice system is well prepared for the implementation of the Renters Right’s Act 2025, including the impact on the County Court. We will ensure that the County Court has the resources and capacity it need to handle the additional possession workload these reforms will generate. A core part of this work is the development of a brand new digital possession service.
In relation to administrative possession, the Government considers it important that a tenant has the opportunity to attend a possession hearing as this is vital for tenants’ access to justice, especially in the new tenancy system where landlords must always evidence that possession grounds have been met.
In relation to time limits, the Civil Procedure Rules have a target for all possession hearings to be listed within 8 weeks of issue. We believe this appropriate and balances the rights of the tenant and landlord.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether regional cost-of-living variations will be factored into proposed maintenance grant calculations.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government recognises the impact that cost-of-living pressures are having on students. This is why we are reintroducing means-tested maintenance grants from the 2028/29 academic year, providing students with up to £1,000 extra support each year, regardless of their location. We will also increase maintenance loans by 2.71% in 2026/27, bringing maximum amounts to £14,135 for students living away from home and studying in London, £10,830 for students living away from home and studying outside London and £9,118 for students living at home.
We are developing options to address regional disparities in entering higher education for disadvantaged students through a new Access and Participation Task and Finish Group, chaired by Professor Kathryn Mitchell, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Derby. We are also working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to encourage universities to collaborate with local authorities on strategic approaches to meeting student housing needs.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of (1) the annual cost to the economy of battery-related fires, and (2) how those costs are distributed between (a) local authorities, (b) emergency services, and (c) the waste and recycling sector.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services, with this data including the cause of the fire and the source of ignition. This data is published in a variety of publications, available here: Fire statistics - GOV.UK. This does not yet include data on the cost of battery-related fire incidents.
We will keep the contents of these publications under review, as part of the development of our recently rolled out Fire and Rescue Analysis Platform (FaRDaP).
Research into the economic and social cost of fire has previously been conducted, calculating the total annual economic and social cost of fires in England, which is available here: Economic and social cost of fire - GOV.UK. This analysis breaks down said costs by anticipation, consequence, and response, but does not specifically refer to the cost of battery-related fires.
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, what criteria his Department uses to decide whether to translate documents and communications into foreign languages.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The department provides published content in additional languages where appropriate and on a case-by-case basis.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government following the internal review of the upper limit for Disabled Facilities Grants.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In England, we continue to fund the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) which is delivered by local authorities. This grant helps eligible older and disabled people on low incomes to adapt their homes to make them safe and suitable for their needs.
The upper limit for DFG grant awards is currently set at £30,000, however local authorities have a high degree of flexibility to fund adaptations above this amount where they judge it is appropriate. Following an internal review of the upper limit, we have been working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on next steps and hope to provide an update in the spring.
We have recently announced an additional £50 million for the DFG in 2025/26. This could fund approximately 5,000 additional home adaptations supporting older and disabled people to live more independently in their homes, and brings the total DFG amount this year to £761 million.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take following the internal review of the upper limit for Disabled Facilities Grants; and what his planned timetable is for further action.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In England, we continue to fund the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) which is delivered by local authorities. This grant helps eligible older and disabled people on low incomes to adapt their homes to make them safe and suitable for their needs.
The upper limit for DFG grant awards is currently set at £30,000, however local authorities have a high degree of flexibility to fund adaptations above this amount where they judge it is appropriate. Following an internal review of the upper limit, we have been working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on next steps and hope to provide an update in the spring.
We have recently announced an additional £50 million for the DFG in 2025/26. This could fund approximately 5,000 additional home adaptations supporting older and disabled people to live more independently in their homes, and brings the total DFG amount this year to £761 million.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2026 to Question 105220 on MHCLG: Publicity, which suppliers his Department has used for publishing content in foreign languages in the last 12 months.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The department does not hold the information in the format requested.