Tuesday, 17 April 2012

Housing: Armed Forces – Parliamentary Written Answer

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he has taken to support former members of the armed forces to secure social housing.
Grant Shapps: I am determined to help current and former members of the armed forces gain the housing they deserve. Last year I held a housing summit, as part of the military covenant, to discuss how we could ensure that housing was a priority for people who returned from active service for this country.  We are currently consulting on plans to change the law, by regulation, so that former personnel with urgent housing needs are always given high priority on waiting lists, and that personnel who move from base to base do not lose their qualification rights.  We are also consulting on new statutory social allocations guidance for local councils, setting out how their allocation schemes can give priority to current or ex-service personnel, including through the use of local preference criteria and local lettings policies. We aim to lay the secondary legislation as early as possible after the consultation period has closed.

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