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 promote Housing First as an effective response to rough sleeping.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Housing First is an important intervention which evidence has shown can transform the lives of people with complex needs. We are funding Housing First and other forms of housing-led accommodation in 2025/26 through our £255.5 million Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant, which goes to local authorities.

From 2026/27-2028/29 we are providing over £2.2 billion through the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping portion of the Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant. Local authorities have the flexibility to commission the services that meet the needs of people in their local communities. For people with complex needs Housing First can be a very effective model, alongside other housing-led models.

The government has published an evaluation of Housing First and a toolkit to support local authorities who want to commission the intervention on gov.uk here.

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 ensure that local councils provide homelessness assistance to children to prevent them being forced to sleep rough.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I wrote to council leaders and chief executives on Wednesday 25 February setting out local authorities’ legal duties to homeless families with children under the Housing Act 1996 and Children Act 1989. This letter made it clear that a child should never be sleeping rough. A household with a child has priority need for the purposes of the Housing Act 1996. Eligible homeless households with children must be accommodated under section 188, and in some circumstances under section 190(2) or 193 of the Act.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled A National Plan to End Homelessness, published on 11 December 2025, what assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of adding homelessness prevention targets for (a) the Home Office (b) the Department for Work and Pensions.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The National Plan to End Homelessness announces a long-term ambition that no one should leave a public institution into homelessness. This parliament we will take the first steps towards this through joint cross-government targets to reduce the number of people leaving institutions into homelessness.

The Home Office have committed to strengthen data sharing processes with councils for 100% of newly granted refugees at risk of homelessness within two days of an asylum discontinuation of support notification. This supports early intervention by enabling councils to commence homelessness assessments.

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 potential impact of the freeze in Local Housing Allowance on levels of rough sleeping and homelessness in England.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The causes of rough sleeping and homelessness are multifaceted and are driven by a range of factors, both personal and structural.

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates are annually reviewed, usually in the Autumn. At Autumn budget 2025, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions reviewed LHA and announced that rates would be maintained at their current levels for 2026/27. Rent levels across Great Britian were considered alongside other factors such as the challenging fiscal context and welfare priorities, including the removal of the two-child limit which will bring 450,000 children out of poverty.

DWP worked closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the National Plan to End Homelessness, which is driving sustainable change and addressing the root causes of homelessness and we continue working together with MHCLG and HMT to keep LHA rates under review.

Renters facing a shortfall in meeting their housing costs can apply for discretionary housing support from local authorities.

Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules (No. 2)

New US sanctions on Cuba

Found: Alberto Costa (Conservative, South Leicestershire) (Chair) (added 11 Sep 2024) 25 of 26 (96.2%) Paula Barker