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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent steps he has taken to ensure the adequacy support for the housing market in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Our priority remains to secure a negotiated agreement with the EU. It is however right for the government to prepare for every eventuality.

We are committed to delivering safe, secure and affordable housing to people across the country, and our exit from the EU will not change this. A key pillar of realising this commitment is our ambition to deliver 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s, which will address affordability challenges. The Department is continuing to work closely with industry and all levels of government to monitor and support the housing market.

We also made a number of announcements at the Spring Statement to continue to support the market, such as guaranteeing (through the Affordable Homes Guarantee Scheme) up to £3 billion of borrowing by housing associations in England, to support the delivery of around 30,000 affordable homes.

To further ensure a smooth transition, we have implemented legislation which will mean that on Day 1 after exit, the UK’s regulatory requirements on construction products will be the same as the EU’s requirements. In the event of a no-deal scenario, we will continue to recognise EU product requirements as valid for sale on the UK market for a time limited period after we leave the EU.