Oral Answers to Questions

Virendra Sharma Excerpts

Monday 17th October 2016 Commons Chamber

[Jess Phillips (Birmingham, Yardley) (Lab)]

19. What progress his Department is making on its proposal for a new supported accommodation funding model.

[Mr Virendra Sharma (Ealing, Southall) (Lab)]

25. What plans his Department has to help ensure long-term, sustainable and predictable funding for the supported housing sector.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Welfare Delivery (Caroline Nokes)]

The Secretary of State announced in a written ministerial statement on 15 September 2016 that we will be deferring the application of local housing allowance rates for supported housing until 2019-20. At that point, we will bring in a new funding model.

--- Later in debate ---

[Caroline Nokes]

I commend the hon. Lady for the sterling work she has done on refuges. What we know is that there is a massive variety of types of providers of supported housing, and it is critical that in the consultation process we find a solution that works for all of them.

[Mr Sharma]

How many supported housing starts have been stalled by the Secretary of State’s decision to delay a framework for supported housing?

[Caroline Nokes]

What is critical is that we get the solution right, which is why we are bringing forward the consultation and why we deferred the local housing allowance cap for supported housing until 2019-20.