§ Lord Dubsasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their policy on housing for disabled persons who are ineligible for social housing. [HL2708]
§ The Minister of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Lord Rooker)The Government recognise the importance of providing appropriate housing for people with disabilities. That is why we are taking action in a variety of ways to increase the supply of accessible housing.
71WAAll newly built homes are required to comply with Part M of the building regulations. These provisions are expected to enable occupants to cope better with reducing mobility and to live longer in their own homes.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister also announced earlier this year that we will carry out a further review of Part M, with the aim of incorporating lifetime home standards for accessibility into the building regulations.
Our reform of the planning system is also seeking to address issues of access and inclusion. The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill includes requirements for access statements to be drawn up to support planning applications in appropriate circumstances. Also, the Bill introduces a statutory requirement for those responsible for preparing regional spatial strategies and local development documents in England to undertake these functions with the objective of contributing to the achievement of sustainable development. Our consultation draft of planning policy statement 1 (PPS1) makes it crystal clear that development plans should contain clear and comprehensive inclusive access policies.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not only taking action to improve accessibility in relation to new developments. We have also substantially increased government resources available to fund adaptations to the existing housing stock to meet the needs of disabled people.
The disabled facilities grants programme provides funding for local authorities to help disabled homeowners and tenants to pay for essential adaptations to their homes. Since 1997, government funding for disabled facilities grants has nearly doubled, rising to £100 million a year. This year, over 33,000 homes will be adapted to meet the needs of disabled people through the programme—a 50 per cent increase on 1997–98.