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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department plans to take together with the Department for Health and Social Care to engage across Government for the purposes of increasing housing-with-care provision for older people as set out in the Government's adult social care reform white paper.

Both this department and the Department of Health and Social Care are committed to further improving the diversity of housing options available to older people. We believe that offering older people a better choice of accommodation to suit their changing needs can help them to live independently and feel more connected to their communities.

Boosting the supply of a range of specialist housing for older people will be key to achieving this aim. We already work closely with the Department of Health and Social Care to provide capital funding to incentivise their supply.

As set out in the Department of Health and Social Care’s recent white paper, People at the Heart of Care , a new £300 million investment will embed the strategic commitment to connect housing with health and care in all local places and drive the stock of new supported housing

Our National Planning Policy Framework already states that local authorities should assess the types of specialist housing needed for older people in their areas, and this should be reflected in their local planning policies. 

We will continue to work closely with colleagues across government and with a range of stakeholders to look at how we can further support the growth of a thriving older people’s housing sector. This includes considering the merits of different engagement and delivery models including proposals from the sector for a cross-Government taskforce.