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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to disapply the local connection tests for veterans seeking social housing who left service over five years ago.

The Government recognises the special position of members of the Armed Forces and their families.

We have changed the law so that those serving in the Armed Forces as well as former Service personnel with urgent housing needs are always given 'additional preference' for social housing.

Statutory guidance is clear that members of the regular Armed Forces, their bereaved spouses and civil partners, and seriously injured reservists, must not be disqualified for an allocation of social housing because they lack a local connection to an area.

The guidance also makes it clear that local authorities are expected to disapply any local connection requirement from divorced or separated spouses or civil partners of Service personnel who are required to move out of accommodation provided by the Ministry of Defence.