Ministerial Corrections

Wednesday 13th July 2011 Ministerial Corrections

Wednesday 13 July 2011

Housing (Armed Forces Personnel)

Wednesday 13th July 2011 Ministerial Corrections

The following are the answers given by the Minister for Housing and Local Government, the right hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps), to questions from the hon. Member for North Wiltshire (Mr Gray) during Communities and Local Government Question Time on 20 June 2011.

[Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire) (Con)]

2. What plans he has to provide support through his Department’s housing policy to serving and former members of the armed forces.

[The Minister for Housing and Local Government (Grant Shapps)]

I am absolutely determined to ensure that serving and former serving personnel from the armed forces are treated properly when it comes to housing on their return.

[Mr Gray]

Serving men and women form a disproportionately large part of those who are homeless or rough sleepers. I therefore very much welcome the Government’s notification that they are a priority group under the Firstbuy scheme. However, many of them cannot afford to buy a house at all. Will the Minister now consider whether he can bring pressure to bear on local authorities, so that serving men and women are also designated as a priority for local authority housing?

[Grant Shapps]

I do not just want to remove the housing disadvantage for those who have served in the military; I want to put them at a positive advantage. That is why we have announced today that they will receive that priority in the Firstbuy scheme. I can also tell my hon. Friend that they will be a priority in the social housing allocation list. Also, if I may correct one point, the new figures for rough sleepers out today from CHAIN—the Combined Homeless and Information Network—show that just 2% of those who have served previously in the military are on the streets.

[Official Report, 20 June 2011, Vol. 530, c. 3-4.]

Letter of correction from Mr Grant Shapps:

An error has been identified in an oral answer given on 20 June 2011. The correct answer to the follow-up question should have been:

[Grant Shapps]

I do not just want to remove the housing disadvantage for those who have served in the military; I want to put them at a positive advantage. That is why we have announced today that they will receive that priority in the Firstbuy scheme. I can also tell my hon. Friend that they will be a priority in the social housing allocation list. Also, if I may correct one point, the new figures for rough sleepers out today from CHAIN—the Combined Homeless and Information Network—show that just 3% of UK people on the streets have served previously in the military.

Social Housing (England)

Wednesday 13th July 2011 Ministerial Corrections

The following is an extract from the response given by the Minister for Housing and Local Government, the right hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps), to speeches from the hon. Member for Stafford (Jeremy Lefroy) and the hon. Member for Manchester, Withington (Mr Leech) during the Westminster Hall Debate on Social Housing (England) on 28 June 2011.

[Grant Shapps]

The issue of under-occupancy and empty homes was raised. I passionately believe in trying to solve the equation of 430,000 people under-occupying while nearly 250,000 are overcrowded. I have provided some money, time and resources in order for the Chartered Institute of Housing to assist with that issue.

[Official Report, 28 June 2011, Vol. 530, c. 216WH.]

Letter of correction from Grant Shapps:

An error has been identified in the oral answer given on 28 June 2011. The figures given on under-occupancy and overcrowding in the response were incorrect.

The correct response should have been:

[Grant Shapps]

The issue of under-occupancy and empty homes was raised. I passionately believe in trying to solve the equation of just over 420,000 households under-occupying while over 270,000 are overcrowded. I have provided some money, time and resources in order for the Chartered Institute of Housing to assist with that issue.