§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps his Department is taking to improve the provision of adequate social housing for the elderly. [80945]
§ Mr. RaynsfordOur aim is to offer everyone the opportunity of a decent home and so promote social cohesion, well-being and self-dependence. The provision of good quality, efficiently managed social housing plays an important part in meeting that aim for older people and for other groups.
Over the life of this Parliament, we are making an additional £5 billion available for housing in England, fulfilling our manifesto commitment on the release of capital receipts from the sale of council housing. Most of these additional resources are being directed through local authorities, who need to develop housing strategies for meeting the needs of all groups in their area including older people and to make investment decisions based on robust local assessments of housing need.