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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will instruct the Homes and Communities Agency regulator to investigate concerns raised by Tower Hamlets Council on tenants of Old Ford Housing Association suffering serious detriment as a result of Circle Housing Group's failure properly to manage its gas repairs contract with Kier Group during the winter of 2015-16.

The Social Housing Regulator is statutorily independent, the Secretary of State cannot, therefore, intervene in this matter.

The Social Housing regulator is aware of the issue and as is normal practice is working closely with Circle as it continues to recover its repair service. The Regulator currently has sufficient assurance of Circle’s intention to address the issues and its progress in doing so, such that the Regulator considers it does not need to apply enforcement powers at this point. The Regulator will of course continue to examine any new information.