---

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

Answer

Mrs. Calton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans there are to review housing policy to meet the needs of disabled children. [96313] Mr. McNulty: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has already introduced a number of policies which will help to meet the needs of disabled children. On 10 February I announced a substantial increase in next year's budget for Disabled Facilities Grant to £99 million, an increase of £11 million over this year. Jointly with the Department of Health, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister also issued new draft guidance on how a housing adaptations service for disabled people can be more effectively delivered by local authorities. Under the Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order 2002 local authorities now have a new discretionary power which will enable financial assistance to be given to help a disabled person purchase another home, where this is more cost- effective than adapting the existing home. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister also has a target to ensure that by 2010 all houses in the social sector are of a decent standard and to increase the proportion of vulnerable households in the private sector who live in decent housing.`Vulnerable' has been defined to include families with disabled children. Recent changes to building regulations mean that new houses must now be designed to manage more easily the needs of a family which includes a disabled person. The Supporting People programme, which goes live on 1 April 2003, will also help to ensure that the housing related support needs of households with disabled children are appropriately met.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

96313; 399 c836W;399 c834W

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Disability Children Housing

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk