Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that families living in temporary accommodation have access to adequate cooking and laundry facilities; and whether she plans to issue updated statutory guidance or minimum standards on the provision of such facilities.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Chapter 17 of the Homelessness Code of Guidance includes information on the suitability of accommodation and makes clear that accommodation which may lack or require sharing of important amenities, such as cooking facilities, should be avoided wherever possible and is not suitable for families with children. You can access the Code of Guidance on gov.uk here.
Our Local Performance and Accountability Toolkit, which can be found here, states that temporary accommodation policies should include how the authority will ensure that families in temporary accommodation have access to key facilities, including cooking and laundry facilities, secure storage and Wi-Fi. Households may request a review if they consider their accommodation unsuitable and complain to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman or take legal action if they are dissatisfied with how their case has been handled.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to introduce a statutory inspection regime for temporary accommodation; and whether she will provide additional funding to local authorities to enable them to carry out inspections of temporary accommodation before first use and when new residents are placed.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Councils must ensure that temporary accommodation is suitable for the needs of the household and free from the most serious category 1 hazards. As we recently set out in our response to the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee which can be found here, inspections are an effective means of assuring the quality and suitability of temporary accommodation, and we encourage local authorities to inspect properties before use. Councils can use funding provided through the £2.7 billion Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant for inspections and improvement of temporary accommodation.
To strengthen protections, we plan on applying the new Decent Homes Standard across temporary accommodation wherever possible and are currently consulting on extending Awaab’s Law across temporary accommodation occupied under licence. We have also strengthened assurance at local level by requiring local authorities to set out in their action plans the steps they will take to ensure temporary accommodation is suitable.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that families with children placed in bed and breakfast temporary accommodation are not required to remain there for longer than the statutory six-week limit.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We are providing over £4 billion in funding for homelessness and rough sleeping services from 2026/27 to 2028/29, helping local areas deliver tailored solutions to tackle all forms of homelessness and give children the best start in life.
The Child Poverty Strategy and National Plan to End Homelessness published in 2025 committed to strengthen protections against poor temporary accommodation conditions, improving families’ experiences and ending B&B use for families by the end of this Parliament, except for very short-term emergencies. Since the peak at 30 June 2024, households with children in B&B have fallen by 67.9%, and those staying beyond six weeks by 75%.
The government has committed £30 million over three years through the Emergency Accommodation Reduction Programme to help local authorities facing the greatest pressures to reduce B&B use. A further £950 million for the fourth round of the Local Authority Housing Fund will help councils in England increase the supply of good quality temporary accommodation, reducing reliance on costly B&Bs and hotels.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of current planning policy in ensuring the provision of wheelchair-accessible housing, including step-free access, ground‑floor living space and wetroom facilities in new residential developments.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Requirements set out in the Building Regulations 2010 include Part M, ‘Access to and use of Buildings’. These requirements intend that new building work meets the needs of occupants with differing needs, including older or disabled people, and allow adaptation of the dwelling to meet changing needs over time.
Statutory guidance, called Approved Documents, offer guidance to developers about how to meet the legal requirements set out in the Building Regulations. M4(2) homes provide enhanced accessibility, requiring features such as a living area and step free access at entrance level. M4(3) homes meet or can be easily adapted to meet the needs of wheelchair users. The government has set out a clear position that at least 40% of housing on major development should be built to M4(2), or higher.
On 17 August 2026, the government published a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which can be found on gov.uk here, alongside the government response to the proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework here. The New NPPF includes requirements for authorities to deliver accessible housing. This means that development plans should set out the proportion of new homes that should be delivered to M4(2) and M4(3) accessibility standards, to meet or exceed identified need.
In the government response, we committed to providing further guidance to assist local authorities in assessing older and disabled people’s housing need, and will consider appropriate engagement to support this work.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that newly built accessible homes do not include steps, multi‑storey layouts, and unsuitable features that prevent independent living for full-time wheelchair users.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Requirements set out in the Building Regulations 2010 include Part M, ‘Access to and use of Buildings’. These requirements intend that new building work meets the needs of occupants with differing needs, including older or disabled people, and allow adaptation of the dwelling to meet changing needs over time.
Statutory guidance, called Approved Documents, offer guidance to developers about how to meet the legal requirements set out in the Building Regulations. M4(2) homes provide enhanced accessibility, requiring features such as a living area and step free access at entrance level. M4(3) homes meet or can be easily adapted to meet the needs of wheelchair users. The government has set out a clear position that at least 40% of housing on major development should be built to M4(2), or higher.
On 17 August 2026, the government published a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which can be found on gov.uk here, alongside the government response to the proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework here. The New NPPF includes requirements for authorities to deliver accessible housing. This means that development plans should set out the proportion of new homes that should be delivered to M4(2) and M4(3) accessibility standards, to meet or exceed identified need.
In the government response, we committed to providing further guidance to assist local authorities in assessing older and disabled people’s housing need, and will consider appropriate engagement to support this work.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to introduce mandatory accessibility standards in the Building Regulations and National Planning Policy Framework to require a proportion of new-build homes to be designed to Category M4(3) (wheelchair-user dwellings) as standard.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Requirements set out in the Building Regulations 2010 include Part M, ‘Access to and use of Buildings’. These requirements intend that new building work meets the needs of occupants with differing needs, including older or disabled people, and allow adaptation of the dwelling to meet changing needs over time.
Statutory guidance, called Approved Documents, offer guidance to developers about how to meet the legal requirements set out in the Building Regulations. M4(2) homes provide enhanced accessibility, requiring features such as a living area and step free access at entrance level. M4(3) homes meet or can be easily adapted to meet the needs of wheelchair users. The government has set out a clear position that at least 40% of housing on major development should be built to M4(2), or higher.
On 17 August 2026, the government published a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which can be found on gov.uk here, alongside the government response to the proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework here. The New NPPF includes requirements for authorities to deliver accessible housing. This means that development plans should set out the proportion of new homes that should be delivered to M4(2) and M4(3) accessibility standards, to meet or exceed identified need.
In the government response, we committed to providing further guidance to assist local authorities in assessing older and disabled people’s housing need, and will consider appropriate engagement to support this work.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will meet with disability charities, including the MS Society, Parkinson’s UK and the Spinal Injuries Association, to discuss potential reforms to ensure that accessible housing becomes standard provision within the housing market.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Requirements set out in the Building Regulations 2010 include Part M, ‘Access to and use of Buildings’. These requirements intend that new building work meets the needs of occupants with differing needs, including older or disabled people, and allow adaptation of the dwelling to meet changing needs over time.
Statutory guidance, called Approved Documents, offer guidance to developers about how to meet the legal requirements set out in the Building Regulations. M4(2) homes provide enhanced accessibility, requiring features such as a living area and step free access at entrance level. M4(3) homes meet or can be easily adapted to meet the needs of wheelchair users. The government has set out a clear position that at least 40% of housing on major development should be built to M4(2), or higher.
On 17 August 2026, the government published a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which can be found on gov.uk here, alongside the government response to the proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework here. The New NPPF includes requirements for authorities to deliver accessible housing. This means that development plans should set out the proportion of new homes that should be delivered to M4(2) and M4(3) accessibility standards, to meet or exceed identified need.
In the government response, we committed to providing further guidance to assist local authorities in assessing older and disabled people’s housing need, and will consider appropriate engagement to support this work.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will review the accessibility requirements placed on developers of holiday accommodation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Requirements set out in the Building Regulations 2010 include Part M, ‘Access to and use of Buildings’. These requirements intend that new building work meets the needs of occupants with differing needs, including older or disabled people, and allow adaptation of the dwelling to meet changing needs over time.
Statutory guidance, called Approved Documents, offer guidance to developers about how to meet the legal requirements set out in the Building Regulations. M4(2) homes provide enhanced accessibility, requiring features such as a living area and step free access at entrance level. M4(3) homes meet or can be easily adapted to meet the needs of wheelchair users. The government has set out a clear position that at least 40% of housing on major development should be built to M4(2), or higher.
On 17 August 2026, the government published a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which can be found on gov.uk here, alongside the government response to the proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework here. The New NPPF includes requirements for authorities to deliver accessible housing. This means that development plans should set out the proportion of new homes that should be delivered to M4(2) and M4(3) accessibility standards, to meet or exceed identified need.
In the government response, we committed to providing further guidance to assist local authorities in assessing older and disabled people’s housing need, and will consider appropriate engagement to support this work.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of police powers and guidance to identify and intervene against individuals who send unsolicited sexually explicit communications causing alarm or distress, where the evidential threshold for prosecution is not met.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
This Government is committed to strengthening the police response to non-contact sexual offences, including the sending of unsolicited sexually explicit communications.
Police have a range of powers and tools available to identify, manage and disrupt individuals who pose a risk of sexual harm, including the use of civil protective orders, such as Sexual Risk Orders.
Sexual Risk Orders are available, on application by the police to the court, to manage individuals who pose a risk of sexual harm in the UK or abroad, including where they have not been convicted of an offence.
Courts can impose tailored prohibitions and requirements, including restrictions on online activities where the statutory test is met and such measures are necessary to protect the public from sexual harm. Breach of a Sexual Risk Order is a criminal offence punishable by up to five years' imprisonment.
We have supported the establishment of the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection, to continually improve policing standards and ensure there is full use of every tool available to the police to identify, pursue, disrupt and manage perpetrators.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimates her Department has made of the proportion of the 1.5 million homes target that could be delivered on brownfield land.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 18620 on 23 July 2026.