Written questions by Babarinde.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of houses in disrepair on national housing stock levels.

My Department monitors the condition of homes through the English Housing Survey. This provides an assessment of disrepair across the national housing stock and helps inform our understanding of its impact on overall housing supply.In addition, my Department has published its response to the consultation on a new Decent Homes Standard for all rented housing, accompanied by an impact assessment setting out the potential effects of the proposed housing quality regulations on housing supply. It can be found on gov.uk here.

Whether her Department provides guidance to local authorities on ensuring that children and young people moving into temporary accommodation are supported to make necessary changes to personal information and continue to access education.

Schools and colleges in England must follow the ‘Keeping children safe in education’ 2025 statutory guidance when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure that all children of compulsory school age in their area are receiving suitable education. To support this duty, every local authority must have a Fair Access Protocol in place to ensure that vulnerable children, including those who are homeless, can be secured a school place as quickly as possible where they fail to secure one through the usual admissions processes.The government has also tabled an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to introduce a new duty on local housing authorities to notify educational institutions, GP practices and health visiting services when a child is placed in temporary accommodation. Guidance will be provided for local authority housing officers and the public bodies receiving notifications.

Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to review the model for out of area placements.

Councils should, wherever possible, seek to 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). The National Plan to End Homelessness sets out the government’s intention to engage with councils to address poor practice – to clarify what is suitable and make expectations on sending and receiving councils clear. Authorities receiving out of area placements must be notified in accordance with the law – this should involve engagement with the receiving authority to minimise disruption to health services, education and vital support networks. This work will form part of the action plan to deliver the Plan. We have published new 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 on gov.uk here.

Food and Rural Affairs, what data she holds on (a) which animals are currently affected by the current legal noise level of fireworks and (b) how are they affected.

The Department does not hold data on which animals are affected by the current legal noise level of fireworks or how they are affected. However, the Government is continuing to engage with animal welfare stakeholders, businesses, consumer groups and charities on the impacts of fireworks, to inform any future action. On 20 January, Baroness Hayman of Ullock, the Minister responsible for animal welfare, met with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Business and Trade, Minister Kate Dearden (Halifax) who is responsible for Employment Rights and Consumer Protection, to discuss lowering the decibel level of fireworks.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the turnaround time for repairs in social housing managed by local authorities.

All registered providers of social housing are required to deliver the outcomes of the regulatory standards set by the independent Regulator of Social Housing. This includes providing an effective, efficient, and timely repairs service for the homes and communal areas they are responsible for, including setting timescales for completion, and communicating these to tenants.The government has introduced additional safety legislation to protect tenants from health and safety hazards through the introduction of Awaab's Law which came into force for damp, mould, and all emergency hazards on 27 October 2025.On the 28 January the government also announced further measures to support local authorities in building and maintaining safe and decent social and affordable homes, including a new, modernised Decent Homes Standard. Details can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS1283).Finally, my Department launched a call for evidence with the Ministry of Justice on 4 December to hear from tenants, landlords, legal professionals and claims management companies about their experiences of housing disrepair claims. It can be found on gov.uk here. The exercise will allow us to gather further evidence on how the current process works, including the roles of companies and solicitors in these cases. We want to understand what doesn't work or is unclear so that we can make sure the process is as effective as possible. The call for evidence will be open for 12 weeks and close on 12 February 2026.

Whether his Department has made an estimate of how many claimants have incurred overpayments as a result of moving into or between temporary accommodation.

We cannot provide any figures for this request as DWP does not record “moving into/ between temporary accommodation” as an overpayment reason. Further information on published statistics for overpayments can be found here:Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2024 to 2025 estimates - GOV.UK

Whether the NHS works with local authorities to ensure that people moving into temporary accommodation are supported to make necessary changes to personal information and continue to access relevant health services.

The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 introduced a duty on specified public authorities to refer service users who they think may be homeless or threatened with homelessness to local authority homelessness/housing options teams. The specified public bodies include hospitals, emergency departments, and social services. As part of the recently published cross-Government strategy, A National Plan to End Homelessness, the Government is committing to a new Duty to Collaborate as well. This aims to strengthen and improve co-operation, early identification, and information sharing between health, housing, and social care services. Further information on A National Plan to End Homelessness is avaiable at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-national-plan-to-end-homelessness Integrated care boards are expected to work in partnership with local authorities and housing services to support continuity of care for people whose housing circumstances change, including those moving into temporary accommodation. The 2025 10-Year Health Plan sets out how the Single Patient Record will support more consistent capture of social risk factors such as housing status, enabling care to be better coordinated across organisations when personal details or accommodation changes.

Communities and Local Government, how many out of area placements there are in (a) Eastbourne, (b) East Sussex, (c) the South East and (d) England.

Councils should, wherever possible, seek to 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). The National Plan to End Homelessness sets out the government’s intention to engage with councils to address poor practice – to clarify what is suitable and make expectations on sending and receiving councils clear. Authorities receiving out of area placements must be notified in accordance with the law – this should involve engagement with the receiving authority to minimise disruption to health services, education and vital support networks. This work will form part of the action plan to deliver the Plan. We have published new 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 on gov.uk here.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Local Housing Allowance freeze on homelessness.

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum housing support for tenants in the private rented sector. Households in similar circumstances living in the same area are entitled to the same maximum rent allowance, regardless of the contractual rent paid. LHA rates are not intended to cover all rents in all areas. LHA rates are reviewed annually at Autumn Budget. The Secretary of State confirmed in his Written Ministerial Statement that LHA rates would be maintained at their current 2024/25 levels for 2026/27.Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament The impact on private renters was considered alongside factors such as rent levels across Great Britain, the fiscal context and welfare priorities including the decision to remove the two-child limit which will bring 450,000 children out of poverty. Information on the number of households in receipt of LHA and those in shortfall (i.e. where contractual rent costs exceed LHA), is available on Stat-Xplore (https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/). Monthly Universal Credit statistics showing the number of households in receipt of LHA and those in shortfall are published in the Households on Universal Credit dataset, and the Housing Benefit – Data from April 2018 dataset, and are currently available to August 2025. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest, and if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide. Renters facing a shortfall in meeting their housing costs can apply for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) from local authorities. From April 2026 DHPs for England will be incorporated into the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF). However, DWP would also point out that the causes of homelessness are multi-faceted and interact dynamically making it very difficult to isolate the relative importance of individual factors. We work closely with other departments, including MHCLG, to ensure the impacts of LHA on homelessness are considered.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of households affected by the Local Housing Allowance freeze since its introduction.

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum housing support for tenants in the private rented sector. Households in similar circumstances living in the same area are entitled to the same maximum rent allowance, regardless of the contractual rent paid. LHA rates are not intended to cover all rents in all areas. LHA rates are reviewed annually at Autumn Budget. The Secretary of State confirmed in his Written Ministerial Statement that LHA rates would be maintained at their current 2024/25 levels for 2026/27.Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament The impact on private renters was considered alongside factors such as rent levels across Great Britain, the fiscal context and welfare priorities including the decision to remove the two-child limit which will bring 450,000 children out of poverty. Information on the number of households in receipt of LHA and those in shortfall (i.e. where contractual rent costs exceed LHA), is available on Stat-Xplore (https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/). Monthly Universal Credit statistics showing the number of households in receipt of LHA and those in shortfall are published in the Households on Universal Credit dataset, and the Housing Benefit – Data from April 2018 dataset, and are currently available to August 2025. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest, and if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide. Renters facing a shortfall in meeting their housing costs can apply for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) from local authorities. From April 2026 DHPs for England will be incorporated into the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF). However, DWP would also point out that the causes of homelessness are multi-faceted and interact dynamically making it very difficult to isolate the relative importance of individual factors. We work closely with other departments, including MHCLG, to ensure the impacts of LHA on homelessness are considered.

What steps his Department is taking to review the current freeze on Local Housing Allowance rates.

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum housing support for tenants in the private rented sector. Households in similar circumstances living in the same area are entitled to the same maximum rent allowance, regardless of the contractual rent paid. LHA rates are not intended to cover all rents in all areas. LHA rates are reviewed annually at Autumn Budget. The Secretary of State confirmed in his Written Ministerial Statement that LHA rates would be maintained at their current 2024/25 levels for 2026/27.Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament The impact on private renters was considered alongside factors such as rent levels across Great Britain, the fiscal context and welfare priorities including the decision to remove the two-child limit which will bring 450,000 children out of poverty. Information on the number of households in receipt of LHA and those in shortfall (i.e. where contractual rent costs exceed LHA), is available on Stat-Xplore (https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/). Monthly Universal Credit statistics showing the number of households in receipt of LHA and those in shortfall are published in the Households on Universal Credit dataset, and the Housing Benefit – Data from April 2018 dataset, and are currently available to August 2025. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest, and if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide. Renters facing a shortfall in meeting their housing costs can apply for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) from local authorities. From April 2026 DHPs for England will be incorporated into the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF). However, DWP would also point out that the causes of homelessness are multi-faceted and interact dynamically making it very difficult to isolate the relative importance of individual factors. We work closely with other departments, including MHCLG, to ensure the impacts of LHA on homelessness are considered.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to help ensure homeless people who are displaced can return to their local authority for support.

Councils should, wherever possible, seek to 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). The National Plan to End Homelessness sets out the government’s intention to engage with councils to address poor practice – to clarify what is suitable and make expectations on sending and receiving councils clear. Authorities receiving out of area placements must be notified in accordance with the law – this should involve engagement with the receiving authority to minimise disruption to health services, education and vital support networks. This work will form part of the action plan to deliver the Plan. We have published new 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 on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, what additional funding and resources he plans to allocate to local authorities to aid housing repairs.

All registered providers of social housing are required to deliver the outcomes of the regulatory standards set by the independent Regulator of Social Housing. This includes providing an effective, efficient, and timely repairs service for the homes and communal areas they are responsible for, including setting timescales for completion, and communicating these to tenants.The government has introduced additional safety legislation to protect tenants from health and safety hazards through the introduction of Awaab's Law which came into force for damp, mould, and all emergency hazards on 27 October 2025.On the 28 January the government also announced further measures to support local authorities in building and maintaining safe and decent social and affordable homes, including a new, modernised Decent Homes Standard. Details can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS1283).Finally, my Department launched a call for evidence with the Ministry of Justice on 4 December to hear from tenants, landlords, legal professionals and claims management companies about their experiences of housing disrepair claims. It can be found on gov.uk here. The exercise will allow us to gather further evidence on how the current process works, including the roles of companies and solicitors in these cases. We want to understand what doesn't work or is unclear so that we can make sure the process is as effective as possible. The call for evidence will be open for 12 weeks and close on 12 February 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Out of Area housing placements on the receiving local authority.

Councils should, wherever possible, seek to 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). The National Plan to End Homelessness sets out the government’s intention to engage with councils to address poor practice – to clarify what is suitable and make expectations on sending and receiving councils clear. Authorities receiving out of area placements must be notified in accordance with the law – this should involve engagement with the receiving authority to minimise disruption to health services, education and vital support networks. This work will form part of the action plan to deliver the Plan. We have published new 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 on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, what the average turnaround time is for urgent and non-urgent repairs in social housing; and whether targets have been set for improvement.

All registered providers of social housing are required to deliver the outcomes of the regulatory standards set by the independent Regulator of Social Housing. This includes providing an effective, efficient, and timely repairs service for the homes and communal areas they are responsible for, including setting timescales for completion, and communicating these to tenants.The government has introduced additional safety legislation to protect tenants from health and safety hazards through the introduction of Awaab's Law which came into force for damp, mould, and all emergency hazards on 27 October 2025.On the 28 January the government also announced further measures to support local authorities in building and maintaining safe and decent social and affordable homes, including a new, modernised Decent Homes Standard. Details can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS1283).Finally, my Department launched a call for evidence with the Ministry of Justice on 4 December to hear from tenants, landlords, legal professionals and claims management companies about their experiences of housing disrepair claims. It can be found on gov.uk here. The exercise will allow us to gather further evidence on how the current process works, including the roles of companies and solicitors in these cases. We want to understand what doesn't work or is unclear so that we can make sure the process is as effective as possible. The call for evidence will be open for 12 weeks and close on 12 February 2026.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Bonfire Societies and their organised events on the economy in Sussex.

While DCMS recognises the value of the Bonfire Societies and their organised events to their community, no formal assessment has been made on their potential impact on the economy in Sussex. However, DCMS acknowledges that such events act as drivers of regional tourism, drawing visitors from across the country outside the peak summer season.We would encourage the Sussex Bonfire community to engage with our work on living heritage. As part of the implementation of the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Government is working with the Devolved Governments to create an inventory of Living Heritage (or Intangible Cultural Heritage) in the UK. We would welcome a submission from Bonfire communities to the inventories via the website: https://livingheritage.unesco.org.uk/

Whether his Department is taking steps with local authorities to help ensure that when vulnerable claimants move into temporary accommodation they are supported to make the necessary changes to their claims.

The Department works closely with local authorities, who are responsible for administering Housing Benefit for people living in temporary accommodation. Housing Benefit covers housing costs in temporary accommodation, while Universal Credit supports daily living costs. When a claimant moves into temporary accommodation, they or their appointee must report any change of circumstances through their Universal Credit account. Local authorities cannot do this on a claimant’s behalf. Jobcentre staff in England support customers at risk of homelessness through the statutory Duty to Refer, offering a referral to a local authority for housing support.

Whether his Department is notified that a claimant has been moved in to out of area temporary accommodation.

The Department works closely with local authorities, who are responsible for administering Housing Benefit for people living in temporary accommodation. Housing Benefit covers housing costs in temporary accommodation, while Universal Credit supports daily living costs. When a claimant moves into temporary accommodation, they or their appointee must report any change of circumstances through their Universal Credit account. Local authorities cannot do this on a claimant’s behalf. Jobcentre staff in England support customers at risk of homelessness through the statutory Duty to Refer, offering a referral to a local authority for housing support.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Housing Revenue Account freeze on local authority finances.

There has been no freeze on the Housing Revenue Account since the social housing rent reduction policy between 2016 and 2020.For steps the government is taking to support the sustainability of the Housing Revenue Account, I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July (HCWS771).The government has today announced further measures to support local authorities to build more social and affordable homes, including confirmation of our approach to Social Rent convergence. Details can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS1283).

Communities and Local Government, what (a) flexibility and (b) borrowing support is available to local authorities to increase affordable housing supply.

For information on the flexibilities available to local authorities to increase social and affordable housing supply, I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July (HCWS771), and the Social and Affordable Homes Programme policy statement published on 7 November, which can be found on gov.uk here.The government has today announced further measures to support local authorities to build more social and affordable homes, including confirmation of our approach to Social Rent convergence. Details can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS1283).