Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the joint briefing from Shelter and Women’s Aid on the benefit cap and domestic abuse published in May 2021.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
No assessment has been made.
We provide a tailored service that recognises those with complex needs and ensures provision of appropriate support. This might include pausing job search requirements, initiating alternative payment arrangements or deferring repayments.
Claimants who are temporarily absent from home due to fear of violence can receive the housing element of Universal Credit, and/or Housing Benefit, for both the home that has been left and any new home for up to a year. Housing support for specified accommodation, including refuges, is excluded from the benefit cap calculation as is any Housing Benefit paid to a Universal Credit claimant.
Departmental training and awareness is now better than it ever has been, allowing Jobcentre staff to proactively identify, support and signpost victims of abuse.
Discretionary Housing Payments are available for households that need additional financial support to meet housing costs. While the allocation of this funding is at Local Authority discretion, we have strengthened the associated Guidance Manual to ensure that individuals or families fleeing domestic abuse are considered a priority group for DHP support.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what consultation took place with domestic abuse refuge providers before reforms were made to the Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Mandatory Conditions of Licences) (England) Regulations 2018.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
Under House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) legislation, rooms in licensable HMOs that are under 6.51 square metres cannot be used as sleeping accommodation by one person. Local housing authorities have discretion to consider local circumstances and require higher standards within HMO licence conditions, but must not set lower standards.
The purpose of this legislation is to reduce overcrowding in HMOs. The Government consulted extensively on the changes to HMO licensing at the time and there was broad support for the extension of scope of mandatory HMO licensing.
The Department does not hold information on the number of domestic abuse safe accommodation providers, including refuges, that own their own property.
My Department is working with local authorities to raise standards across the private rented sector, to protect vulnerable tenants, including those living in HMOs.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether local authorities can exercise discretion with regards to the maximum number of persons who are permitted to reside in rooms within refuge accommodation licensed as a House of Multiple Accommodation.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
Under House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) legislation, rooms in licensable HMOs that are under 6.51 square metres cannot be used as sleeping accommodation by one person. Local housing authorities have discretion to consider local circumstances and require higher standards within HMO licence conditions, but must not set lower standards.
The purpose of this legislation is to reduce overcrowding in HMOs. The Government consulted extensively on the changes to HMO licensing at the time and there was broad support for the extension of scope of mandatory HMO licensing.
The Department does not hold information on the number of domestic abuse safe accommodation providers, including refuges, that own their own property.
My Department is working with local authorities to raise standards across the private rented sector, to protect vulnerable tenants, including those living in HMOs.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of refuge providers in England own their own property; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the licensing regime on those providers.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
Under House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) legislation, rooms in licensable HMOs that are under 6.51 square metres cannot be used as sleeping accommodation by one person. Local housing authorities have discretion to consider local circumstances and require higher standards within HMO licence conditions, but must not set lower standards.
The purpose of this legislation is to reduce overcrowding in HMOs. The Government consulted extensively on the changes to HMO licensing at the time and there was broad support for the extension of scope of mandatory HMO licensing.
The Department does not hold information on the number of domestic abuse safe accommodation providers, including refuges, that own their own property.
My Department is working with local authorities to raise standards across the private rented sector, to protect vulnerable tenants, including those living in HMOs.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on domestic abuse refuge providers that own their property and are licensed as Houses of Multiple Occupation of the Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Mandatory Conditions of Licences) (England) Regulations 2018.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
Under House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) legislation, rooms in licensable HMOs that are under 6.51 square metres cannot be used as sleeping accommodation by one person. Local housing authorities have discretion to consider local circumstances and require higher standards within HMO licence conditions, but must not set lower standards.
The purpose of this legislation is to reduce overcrowding in HMOs. The Government consulted extensively on the changes to HMO licensing at the time and there was broad support for the extension of scope of mandatory HMO licensing.
The Department does not hold information on the number of domestic abuse safe accommodation providers, including refuges, that own their own property.
My Department is working with local authorities to raise standards across the private rented sector, to protect vulnerable tenants, including those living in HMOs.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the (a) benefit cap and (b) two child limit on people fleeing domestic abuse.
Answered by Will Quince
DWP is committed to supporting all our claimants, including the most vulnerable in society. This includes those who are, or have been, victims of domestic abuse.
The benefit cap and the two-child limit policies help to restore fairness between those receiving working age benefits and taxpayers in employment. However, important mitigations are in place to support the most vulnerable.
We provide a tailored service that recognises those with complex needs and ensures provision of appropriate support. This might include pausing job search requirements, initiating alternative payment arrangements or deferring repayments. In addition, claimants that are temporarily absent from home due to fear of violence can receive the housing element of Universal Credit, and/or Housing Benefit, for both the home that has been left and any new home for up to a year. Housing support for specified accommodation, including refuges, is excluded from the benefit cap calculation as is any Housing Benefit paid to a Universal Credit claimant.
Departmental training and awareness is now better than it ever has been, allowing Jobcentre staff to proactively identify, support and signpost victims of abuse.
Discretionary Housing Payments are available for households that need additional financial support to meet housing costs. While the allocation of this funding is at Local Authority discretion, we have strengthened the associated Guidance Manual to ensure that individuals or families fleeing domestic abuse are considered a priority group for DHP support.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many supported accommodation providers are housing victims of domestic violence.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
There is national data on the number of bed spaces for victims of domestic abuse: as of May 2020 providers registered with Women’s Aid were providing 3,935 bed spaces.
Domestic abuse refuges are classed as supported exempt accommodation. As the commissioning and funding of all supported housing, and responsibility for administering Housing Benefit claims is devolved to local authorities, my Department does not hold data centrally on the number of providers or units for all supported exempt accommodation.
The supported housing pilots include funding for five local authorities to determine need and supply within their areas, including an overview of the types of supported housing and the client groups they are providing for. Birmingham is one of the funded areas who will be producing this strategic need and supply assessment.
We are working closely with local authorities, Women’s Aid and Imkaan on the issue of supported accommodation housing victims of domestic abuse.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many victims of domestic abuse are living in exempt accommodation in (a) England and (b) Birmingham as at 25 January 2021.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
There is national data on the number of bed spaces for victims of domestic abuse: as of May 2020 providers registered with Women’s Aid were providing 3,935 bed spaces.
Domestic abuse refuges are classed as supported exempt accommodation. As the commissioning and funding of all supported housing, and responsibility for administering Housing Benefit claims is devolved to local authorities, my Department does not hold data centrally on the number of providers or units for all supported exempt accommodation.
The supported housing pilots include funding for five local authorities to determine need and supply within their areas, including an overview of the types of supported housing and the client groups they are providing for. Birmingham is one of the funded areas who will be producing this strategic need and supply assessment.
We are working closely with local authorities, Women’s Aid and Imkaan on the issue of supported accommodation housing victims of domestic abuse.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that domestic abuse victims can access safe refuges.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
We know that refuges provide critical safe accommodation for victims and their children. To ensure these services remain open, operating and able to support more victims, between June and September 2020 we provided £10 million direct to safe accommodation charities as emergency Covid-19 funding. We have since extended the flexibility to spend the funds to cover the Winter period.
We have also provided guidance for organisations to operate safely, made free PPE available to refuges and, made it clear that victims and their children, under the current national restrictions, can leave home to escape domestic abuse and access safety.
We are pressing ahead with a new legal duty on local authorities to provide support for victims of domestic abuse and their children within safe accommodation in the Domestic Abuse Bill.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support domestic abuse refuge services.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
This Government continues to support the provision of safe accommodation with support to ensure those fleeing from abuse have somewhere safe to go.
Since 2014 we have invested £80 million in safe accommodation services, including refuges to support victims of domestic abuse. This includes a £10 million COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund for safe accommodation charities, supporting a significant number of organisations to keep services running. In addition, we have secured free PPE for domestic abuse refuges.
Following the outcome of Spending Review, £125 million funding will be allocated to local authorities for the new duty to provide support within safe accommodation, including refuges, for 2021-22.