Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of the Access to Work application process for people with (a) learning disabilities, (b) mental health conditions and (c) neurodivergent needs; and what steps his Department is taking to simplify the process.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As part of the application process for Access to Work, we encourage individuals to provide as much information about their circumstances as possible, to help us understand how best to offer support which is tailored to their needs.
There is a variety of accessible contact methods which customers can utilise when making applications. These include telephone, textphone, Video Relay Service and email as a reasonable adjustment. Where a customer would like to use email to contact the department as a reasonable adjustment, they should let the Access to Work team know so the Case Manager can follow the appropriate procedure to ensure we can try to accommodate the request. Details can be found at Access to Work: factsheet for customers - GOV.UK
We will be reviewing all aspects of the Scheme now that the consultation has closed.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, hat steps his Department is taking to ensure timely payments to Access to Work support providers.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are continuing to streamline delivery practices and have increased the number of staff processing claims. Since May 2024, 118 additional staff have been redeployed to support Access to Work. We also prioritise customers starting a job in four weeks. We are reviewing all aspects of Access to Work as we develop plans for reform following the conclusion of the consultation.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) consistency and (b) transparency in Access to Work funding decisions in different types of (i) disability and (ii) employment sectors.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
For the last year, we have worked to improve decision-making throughout the Scheme by ensuring that guidance is applied with greater consistency, helping to provide a fairer process.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
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 ensure that social housing meets (a) decent and (b) safe living standards.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 81035 on 20 October 2025.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
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 ensure that all disabled people in social housing have personal emergency evacuation plans.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We are committed to improving systems that enable fire safety and evacuation of disabled and vulnerable residents in all high-rise and higher-risk residential buildings. On 4 July, the government laid The Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 in Parliament, which will come into force on 6 April 2026.
Under the new regulations, residents with disabilities or impairments will be entitled to personal assessments designed to identify necessary equipment and adjustments that aid their fire safety and evacuation. Fire and Rescue Services will also receive information on vulnerable residents, where the individual resident agrees to the information being shared, in case they need to support their evacuation.
The government has committed funding this year to support social housing providers to deliver Residential PEEPs for their renters. Future years’ funding will be confirmed in due course.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
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 with (a) local councils and (b) housing associations to help tackle homelessness in Chelsea and Fulham constituency.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is committed to getting back on track to ending all forms of homelessness across the country. Our cross-Government homelessness strategy will set out the actions needed across central and local government and the homelessness sector to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.
The Government is supporting people at risk of and experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping across the country with more than £1 billion funding, a £316 million increase on last year. This includes £84 million new funding announced on 10 October 2025. Councils are able to use this funding to meet the needs of people in their area, and local authority allocations are published on gov.uk.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help support tenants with the cost of rent in the social housing sector.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There is support through the social security system for low-income households living in the social rented sector which is paid through either the housing element of Universal Credit or through Housing Benefit. The level of housing support received is based on the full eligible rent the tenant pays, unless the benefit cap or the removal of the spare room subsidy (RSRS) apply.
There is further support available for people entitled to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. They can apply to their local authority for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs).
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
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 ensure that (a) repairs in social housing are carried out (i) promptly and (ii) effectively and (b) sufficient (A) funding and (B) oversight of repairs are in place.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Alongside delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding a generation, the government is committed to driving a transformational and lasting change in the safety and quality of homes.
Social housing tenants deserve to live in safe and decent homes, to be treated with fairness and respect, and to have their problems quickly resolved.
All registered providers of social housing are required to meet 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 communicate this to tenants. The Regulator has a series of powers at its disposal when it identifies serious failings in the way a landlord is delivering the outcomes of their standards.
On 2 July 2025, we launched consultations on an updated and modernised Decent Homes Standard and on a new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard. These new standards would be binding on registered providers of social housing.
The government will bring Awaab’s Law into force for the social rented sector on 27 October. Awaab’s Law is vital legislation that will empower social tenants to hold their landlords to account using the full force of the law if they fail to investigate and fix hazards within their homes within set timescales. It will also allow tenants to access the Housing Ombudsman if their landlord does not adhere to strict timelines for action.
New requirements relating to electrical safety will also require social landlords to carry out electrical safety checks at least every five years, as well as mandatory appliance inspections on all electrical appliances that are provided by the landlord.
Registered providers rely on income from social housing rents in order to manage and maintain their homes to the required standards.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
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 reduce waiting lists for social housing.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July 2025 (HCWS771).
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
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 support councils to increase the supply of affordable housing in Chelsea and Fulham constituency.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Members to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July (HCWS771).