James Gray
Main Page: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)(13 years, 1 month ago)
Ministerial Corrections2. What plans he has to provide support through his Department’s housing policy to serving and former members of the armed forces.
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.
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?
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: