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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will commission research on the potential (a) social, (b) economic and (c) environmental merits of introducing targeted Government funding to (i) reduce the number of long-term empty homes, (ii) meet national net zero objectives and (iii) increase the supply of social housing.

The Government has a range of policy and funding commitments across social housing, net zero and long-term empty homes. Details of these are available on gov.uk and include the £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme and the recently expanded Affordable Homes Guarantee Scheme 2020. The Department’s empty homes policy. I also refer the Hon Member to answer given to Question UIN 197506 on 12 September 2023.

On net zero, the Government has implemented a number of measures to meet its net zero objectives for housing, including the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. Details of the Future Homes Standard consultation, closing on 27 March 2024, can be found at the following link.