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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to bring forward proposals to end the use of Section 21 eviction notices in the context of increases in housing costs in the private rented sector.

The Government remains committed to delivering a better deal for renters and abolishing Section 21 evictions. We want to improve security for tenants in the rental sector and empower them to hold their landlord to account.

We will publish a landmark White Paper this spring. The White Paper will provide further detail on repealing Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988, improving security for tenants by putting an end to evictions where the landlord doesn’t have to provide a reason. We will bring forward legislation in due course and when parliamentary time allows.

The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living. These are global challenges, but the government has taken action to support families worth over £22 billion in 2022-23 to help. As announced in the Spring Statement, the Government is continuing to provide targeted cost of living support for households most in need. From April, we are providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials through the Household Support Fund, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1 billion. The funding is primarily being used to support households with the cost of essentials, although councils have flexibility to best address local needs