Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of cold and damp housing conditions on health outcomes.

Living in a home that is cold or damp can directly impact occupants’ physical and mental health, creating or exacerbating health issues across the life course. The Government is committed to a preventative approach to the public’s health. Improving housing standards and addressing hazards such as cold and damp is a key part of this.

The UK Health Security Agency publishes the Adverse Weather and Health Plan for England, which sets out a framework for action to protect the population from harm to their health from adverse weather, including excess cold, and outlines the health risks of cold homes.