Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to Answer of 28 May 2026 to Question 3072, what assessment he has made of the average distance homeless households are being placed from their home local authority area in temporary accommodation.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Legislation and statutory guidance is clear that local authorities should, wherever possible, 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). However, in some areas where there is a limited supply of suitable accommodation it is sometimes necessary to place households in temporary accommodation outside the local area. This should be as near as possible to the original placing local authority.
We have published 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 in the detailed local authority table (tables TA9 onwards) here.
The published data show the local authority where the household is owed a duty and the region where a local authority places a household. The Department does not collect more detailed information on out of area placements (for example, addresses) of temporary accommodation placements, and it is not possible to determine the exact, or average, distance of out-of-area placements.
Information on local authority spending is here, including the Revenue Outturn (RO4) return, which covers housing services and includes information on local authorities’ expenditure on homelessness activities. However, the Department does not collect information on the financial impact of out-of-area temporary accommodation placements.
The Department has committed to publish a Temporary Accommodation Toolkit which will cover a range of issues, including good practice on procurement to ensure an appropriate supply of suitable, local accommodation, and on mitigating negative impacts of out of area placements when they are unavoidable, including through appropriate notification and links to support.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to Answer of 28 May 2026 to Question 3072, what plans he has to include guidance on maximum recommended distances for out-of-area placements in the Temporary Accommodation Toolkit.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Legislation and statutory guidance is clear that local authorities should, wherever possible, 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). However, in some areas where there is a limited supply of suitable accommodation it is sometimes necessary to place households in temporary accommodation outside the local area. This should be as near as possible to the original placing local authority.
We have published 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 in the detailed local authority table (tables TA9 onwards) here.
The published data show the local authority where the household is owed a duty and the region where a local authority places a household. The Department does not collect more detailed information on out of area placements (for example, addresses) of temporary accommodation placements, and it is not possible to determine the exact, or average, distance of out-of-area placements.
Information on local authority spending is here, including the Revenue Outturn (RO4) return, which covers housing services and includes information on local authorities’ expenditure on homelessness activities. However, the Department does not collect information on the financial impact of out-of-area temporary accommodation placements.
The Department has committed to publish a Temporary Accommodation Toolkit which will cover a range of issues, including good practice on procurement to ensure an appropriate supply of suitable, local accommodation, and on mitigating negative impacts of out of area placements when they are unavoidable, including through appropriate notification and links to support.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the financial impact on local authorities relying on out-of-area temporary accommodation placements.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Legislation and statutory guidance is clear that local authorities should, wherever possible, 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). However, in some areas where there is a limited supply of suitable accommodation it is sometimes necessary to place households in temporary accommodation outside the local area. This should be as near as possible to the original placing local authority.
We have published 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 in the detailed local authority table (tables TA9 onwards) here.
The published data show the local authority where the household is owed a duty and the region where a local authority places a household. The Department does not collect more detailed information on out of area placements (for example, addresses) of temporary accommodation placements, and it is not possible to determine the exact, or average, distance of out-of-area placements.
Information on local authority spending is here, including the Revenue Outturn (RO4) return, which covers housing services and includes information on local authorities’ expenditure on homelessness activities. However, the Department does not collect information on the financial impact of out-of-area temporary accommodation placements.
The Department has committed to publish a Temporary Accommodation Toolkit which will cover a range of issues, including good practice on procurement to ensure an appropriate supply of suitable, local accommodation, and on mitigating negative impacts of out of area placements when they are unavoidable, including through appropriate notification and links to support.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Huge recruitment boost to tackle backlog in vital disability work scheme, published on 19 May 2026, what estimate he has made of the time required to eliminate the backlog of Access to Work applications.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As per the press release of 19 May 2026, the Department aims to clear the existing backlog by September 2027.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment he has made of the disparity between male and female suicide rates with other OECD countries.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Every suicide is a tragedy that has a devastating and enduring impact on families, friends, and communities. In England, data published by the Office for National Statistics shows that men were three times more likely to commit suicide than women in 2024.
As shown in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) report Society at a Glance 2024, all OECD countries show a higher rate of deaths by suicide in men than women. We have not made direct comparisons between countries because international comparisons should be interpreted with caution due to international differences in death certification, reporting systems, data systems, and under-reporting due to stigma. The OECD report is available at the following link:
That is why we are committed to delivering the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England. The strategy highlights a set of priority groups for tailored and targeted support, including middle-aged men, and identifies key risk factors with strong links to suicide, such as financial difficulty, substance misuse, social isolation, harmful gambling, domestic abuse, and physical illness that can affect men and women differently. Through the Men’s Health Strategy, we will deliver a Suicide Prevention Pathfinders Programme for middle-aged men, a neighbourhood-based programme focused on improving outcomes, investing up to £3.6 million over three years for middle-aged men in areas where they are at greatest risk of taking their own lives.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Huge recruitment boost to tackle backlog in vital disability work scheme, published on 19 May 2026, what preventative steps his Department is taking to avoid future backlogs in the Access to Work scheme.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement made of 19 May, to increase the efficiency and reduce waiting times for the scheme we will recruit an additional 480 case staff to process the higher volume of applications. When recruitment is complete, we will have more than twice as many staff working on Access to Work as in March 2024. The recruitment process has already begun, and new case managers will receive extensive training to handle complex applications with confidence. This will ensure disabled people, and people with health conditions can receive timely support to secure and sustain employment.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Huge recruitment boost to tackle backlog in vital disability work scheme, published on 19 May 2026, what analysis he has undertaken of the causes of the increase in Access to Work claims since 2018-19.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department has not undertaken analysis to identify the causes of the increase in Access to Work claims since 2018/19. We have committed to recruiting and training an additional 360 case managers, and 120 case workers to process the higher volume of applications, that is a 72.5% increase to the existing 658 staff already working on Access to Work. Recruitment has already begun, and new case managers will receive extensive training to handle complex applications with confidence.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what analysis he has carried out on factors contributing to disparities in suicide rates in males and females.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Every suicide is a tragedy that has a devastating and enduring impact on families, friends, and communities. In England, data published by the Office for National Statistics shows that men were three times more likely to commit suicide than women in 2024.
As shown in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) report Society at a Glance 2024, all OECD countries show a higher rate of deaths by suicide in men than women. We have not made direct comparisons between countries because international comparisons should be interpreted with caution due to international differences in death certification, reporting systems, data systems, and under-reporting due to stigma. The OECD report is available at the following link:
That is why we are committed to delivering the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England. The strategy highlights a set of priority groups for tailored and targeted support, including middle-aged men, and identifies key risk factors with strong links to suicide, such as financial difficulty, substance misuse, social isolation, harmful gambling, domestic abuse, and physical illness that can affect men and women differently. Through the Men’s Health Strategy, we will deliver a Suicide Prevention Pathfinders Programme for middle-aged men, a neighbourhood-based programme focused on improving outcomes, investing up to £3.6 million over three years for middle-aged men in areas where they are at greatest risk of taking their own lives.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to HM Treasury’s press release entitled Fairer taxes for high value homes, published on 20 May 2026, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed reforms on pensioners living in high value properties with low disposable incomes.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The High Value Council Tax Surcharge applies to less than 1% of properties across England. To support those who may struggle to pay, including pensioners on low disposable incomes, the Government proposes that those with household incomes below £35,000 or savings of less than £16,000 will be able to defer, alongside people who meet certain disability criteria. We welcome views on this as part of the High Value Council Tax Surcharge consultation High Value Council Tax Surcharge - GOV.UK
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to HM Treasury’s press release entitled Fairer taxes for high value homes, published on 20 May 2026, what safeguards she will put in place to ensure accurate valuation of properties..
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Valuation Office will undertake a targeted valuation exercise to identify properties within scope of the High Value Council Tax Surcharge. Professional valuers will use the best available information, drawing on a range of data sources and applying industry‑standard valuation techniques to ensure that assessments are as accurate as possible.