Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to (a) support minority-owned construction firms and builders gain equitable access to housing sector (i) opportunities, (ii) funding and (iii) contracts and (b) promote diversity in the industry in (A) Leicester East constituency and (B) England.

Small and medium sized housebuilders, including those that are minority owned, are essential to meeting the government’s housing ambitions and supporting local economies. The government recently announced a £700m extension to the Home Building Fund which provides financial support to SMEs who would otherwise struggle to access funding. In addition, small and medium-sized housebuilders can access lower-cost lending through the ENABLE Build scheme which was allocated an additional £1 billion guarantees capacity at the Budget on 30 October 2024.

My Department is working with DfE and the CITB to explore how we might support diversity, including ethnic diversity, in the construction workforce.