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

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made since the announcement in July 2022 that they intended to raise the regulatory baseline for the accessibility of all new homes to the M4(2) accessible and adaptable standard.

The Government has set out its intention to mandate higher accessibility standards for all new homes by raising the minimum standard in Building Regulations in England in due course. The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that local planning authorities should assess the housing needs for different groups, including people with disabilities, and reflect these in their policies and decisions. Guidance was introduced in June 2019 to help councils implement this policy. The Framework encourages planning policies that make use of the Government’s optional technical standards for accessible and adaptable housing, including M4(3) compliant homes, which can be provided where local plans have identified and evidenced a need for wheelchair-user dwellings.