Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to test residents living in sheltered accommodation for covid-19.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Testing is a vital part of the United Kingdom’s response and millions of people from across the UK are now eligible to receive a test if they need one.
The Government’s overall ambition is to ensure that everyone who needs a test can get one. We will continue to be guided by the science and regularly review eligibility for testing.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people that died of covid-19 in hospital were living in sheltered care before admission to hospital.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 29 April 2020 the Government introduced a new method of reporting daily COVID-19 deaths so that it now includes reporting of deaths in all settings. More information can be found at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/daily-death-reporting-now-includes-all-positive-covid-19-deaths
The number of people who have died in hospital as a result of COVID-19 and who were admitted from care homes, domiciliary care in the community or who were living in sheltered care before admission, is not currently available or published in the format requested.
Public Health England publishes the hospital admission rate for England in the national COVID-19 surveillance reports. However, this does not include information on which settings people have been admitted from. The surveillance reports are available to view at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-covid-19-surveillance-reports
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support or funding they are giving to support sheltered-housing providers, including information, training, personal protective equipment and other provision to ensure the safety of staff and residents, particularly those who have difficulty understanding or complying with the Government’s COVID-19 advice and associated regulations; and whether they are considering introducing further measures in relation to supported-housing providers to address the COVID-19 epidemic.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The Government deeply values and applauds the hard work of supported and sheltered housing providers and workers in supporting vulnerable people across the country during this pandemic.
The Government has published guidance issued by Public Health England on working practices in supported living during the pandemic. This can be found (attached) at the following link:
We have also given councils an additional £3.2 billion of funding so they can continue to provide essential services and support vulnerable people.
We have extended testing to all front line essential workers which includes those working in supported, extra-care, sheltered and retirement housing, and we have provided additional supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) to Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) for local distribution to a broad range of essential front line workers.
For those supported and retirement housing residents who may be shielding, the Government is helping shielding individuals who request our support with free deliveries of weekly parcels of food and household essentials, help with delivery of medicines, and help with social contact and basic needs.
My Department continues to engage regularly with sector stakeholders.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress have they made in including in the figure of deaths due to COVID-19 announced each day those who have passed away in (1) all types care homes, (2) sheltered housing, and (3) private family homes.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government is committed to providing a full and transparent picture of COVID-19-related deaths, while avoiding double counting or publishing statistically misleading information. We publish daily figures on confirmed COVID-19 deaths in hospital, which provide the most up-to-date data on a consistent basis as the vast majority of serious cases and fatalities of the virus will occur in hospital settings.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is also publishing data on deaths registered each week, which includes deaths outside hospital settings. From 28 April 2020, the ONS will publish counts of deaths involving COVID-19 in care homes, based on reporting from care home operators to the Care Quality Commission.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide additional funding to charities that provide care for the homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The £750 million funding package announced on 8 April will support front line charities providing vital services and helping vulnerable people affected by Covid-19.
DCMS has been supporting the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government alongside the hotel sector, to provide an offer of accommodation for rough sleepers that will allow them to socially distance. A centrally-coordinated process across government has been set up for block booking hotels.
More than 5,400?rough?sleepers?– over 90% of those on the streets?at the beginning of the crisis?known to local authorities have now been made offers of safe accommodation – ensuring some of the most vulnerable in society are protected from the pandemic.
We will continue to work with external partners to support the homeless during the pandemic. For example we have established a connection between Unilever and NHS England, through which Unilever have already offered 30,000 units of toothpaste and deodorant for homeless people being sheltered.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government's policy is that staff providing extra care or warden services in supported and sheltered housing schemes operated by Registered Social Landlords are key workers; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
Government published guidance on GOV.UK on 19 March setting out how the children of those whose work is critical to the COVID-19 response and cannot be safely cared for at home will be prioritised for education provision.
Protecting vulnerable tenants and ensuring that residents of supported and sheltered housing schemes are safe is critical at this time.
The guidance is clear that if workers think they fall within the critical categories it describes, they should confirm with their employer that, based on their business continuity arrangements, their specific role is necessary for the continuation of this essential public service.
Asked by: Baroness Thomas of Winchester (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why there is no mention of accessible and adaptable homes in the report by the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission Living with beauty: health, well-being and sustainable growth, published on 30 January.
Answered by Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist
The independent ‘Building Better, Building Beautiful’ Commission was established in December 2018 to advise the Government on how to improve the design quality of new build homes and neighbourhoods. Its report was published on 30 January 2020. The Government welcomes the report and will provide a response in due course.
Building Regulations include optional technical standards for accessible and adaptable homes and wheelchair accessible homes. The requirements in the regulations are supported by statutory guidance. Government will consult shortly on accessibility of new homes. The consultation will consider making higher accessibility standards mandatory, recognising the importance of suitable homes for the elderly and disabled
The National Design Guide states that well-designed homes and places should be accessible to all, support the health and well being of their users and be adaptable to their changing needs over time. We have delivered over 34,000 new units of supported and sheltered housing since 2011 for older, disabled and other vulnerable people. The Government funding for the disabled facilities grant (DFG) has more than doubled since 2015, rising from £220 million in 2015-16 to £505 million in 2019-20.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2020, to Question 3225 on Care Homes: Insulation, when his Department plans to issue a formal consultation on banning combustible materials on care homes and sheltered housing below 11 metres in height.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Department is seeking views on the ban of the use of combustible materials in and on external walls of buildings, including building types covered and the height threshold. The consultation closes 13 April 2020 and is available at :
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will increase funding to create additional capacity in local authority supported housing facilities for elderly people.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Government values the vital role that supported and sheltered housing plays in the lives of many older people with support needs across the country. We are committed to ensuring that we have a sustainable supported housing sector and to boosting supply. We have abolished the Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap to support councils to deliver more council housing to address local need and circumstances, including supported and sheltered housing. We are also reviewing local housing support services across England to get a better understanding of how housing and support services are working together.
Asked by: Sarah Jones (Labour - Croydon Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to extend the ban on combustible materials on tower blocks to (a) hospitals, (b) care homes, (c) sheltered housing and (d) other high-risk buildings.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 291436 on 26 September 2019.
For ease of reference my earlier response read: On 29 November 2018, the Government introduced a ban of combustible materials in the external wall of buildings including blocks of flats, student accommodation and care homes more than 18 metres in height. The ban requires that all materials which become part of an external wall or specified attachment achieve European Class A2-s1, d0 or Class A1, other than those covered by exemptions.
As stated in the explanatory memorandum the Department intends to review the ban annually through monitoring arrangements and advice from bodies such as Building Regulations Advisory Committee for England. This will include considering the scope of the ban.