§ Jon TrickettTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the impact of measures in the Housing Bill on promoting safety of the student population. [147457]
§ Keith HillNo formal assessment has been made as to how the proposals in the Housing Bill will impact on the safety of students. However, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister believes proposals will bring real benefits to students.
The Bill includes measures to license Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), including shared student houses. Local authorities are required to licence HMOs of three or more storeys which are occupied by five or more persons. In addition they will have discretionary powers to license other categories HMOs where there are problems for which licensing is appropriate. The exercise of those powers will be subject to effective local consultation and to approval by the appropriate minister.
§ Jon TrickettTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of houses in multiple occupation which are likely to be licensed under measures in the Housing Bill. [147459]
§ Keith HillThe Government are proposing to introduce mandatory licensing for highest risk Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects this to cover properties 775W of three storeys or more and five people or more. It is estimated that about 120,000 houses in multiple occupation are expected to be licensed under this proposal. This estimate, however, does not include properties that could be required to be licensed where a local authority seeks to use in its area the discretionary power that the Bill provides to extend the scope of HMO licensing to HMOs not subject to the national mandatory licensing.