Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department publishes for (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations on providing a safe means of exit for disabled residents in the event of an emergency.

In 2010 the Department funded the Local Government Association to develop guidance on fire safety in purpose built blocks flats, which includes specific advice on ensuring the safety of disabled people and means of escape in the event of a fire. This was published in 2011 and is available at: https://www.local.gov.uk/fire-safety-purpose-built-flats.

Approved Document B (Fire Safety) provides guidance on securing reasonable standards of health and safety of persons in and about buildings. This is intended to include all people including people with disabilities. However, as set out paragraph 0.19 this also recognises that the needs of some disabled people will need to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The Government is committed to helping older and disabled people to live independently and safely at home. The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is a means-tested grant which can contribute towards meeting the cost of adapting an older or disabled person’s property, including to improve access (for example, through widening doorframes). Since 2012-13 the Government has invested over £1.6 billion into the DFG, providing around 250,000 adaptations. The grant is £431 million this year, rising to £468m next year, and will be over £500 million by 2020.