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Rented Housing

It has been a fascinating debate. I may as well say at the outset that the chances of me answering the plethora of questions that have been aired in 15 minutes are not high, although I will certainly do my best to deal with the main issues: the subject, the Select Committee's excellent report—which, like everyone else who has spoken, I commend—and the general discussions that we have had and will have about the overall issue of housing supply. The Chair of the Select Committee, in giving her masterly summary of the report's key points and picking out some of the issues that interested her, reminded us all forcefully of the key importance of the subject. As I said, I will say something about the key points of this debate rather than dealing with all the detail of the specific issues raised. Hon. Members will be aware that we have already taken forward many of the recommendations made in the report. I will endeavour to update the Committee on that and on what progress has been made, but it is worth first making a point that I believe was made by the Committee Chair at the outset and was touched on but not dwelt on during our exchanges. It is not in dispute that in the public mind, and perhaps particularly in media commentary, renting a home is often seen in this country mainly as a stepping stone to home ownership. For many people, that is undoubtedly true and may remain so. However, I completely accept and have always held the view that rented housing also plays a much wider role in our society than that common assumption acknowledges. A huge variety of people, from those starting out in their careers to retirees and wealthy professionals to those on housing benefit, all gain—in their different circumstances, and perhaps for different reasons—from the greater flexibility and choice that can be found in rented housing, including in the private rented sector. Social rented housing also plays an invaluable role for those who need greater security or stability than can be found in the private rented sector but who cannot sustain private home ownership. My hon. Friends the Members for Islington, South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry) and for Islington, North (Jeremy Corbyn) both made powerful points about that in the context of constituencies such as their own. Many people cannot sustain private home ownership and are unlikely to be able to do so for some considerable time to come, if ever. Because of the many benefits and the wide variety of people that it supports, rented housing must not been seen as second best. The Committee report made that point and dwelt on it, which is welcome. It is good that it has come through clearly and that it is common ground in this debate that all who rent their homes, whether in the public or the private sector, ought to get the best possible quality and service. The Government and the Select Committee are in complete agreement. The Committee's wide range of recommendations fall broadly into three categories: that we should increase the supply of both private and publicly rented homes—most of today's exchanges have dwelt on that—that we should improve the quality of homes in the private sector and that we should improve the quality and service available in social housing. I shall take each of those broad themes of the report in that order. Last year, we committed to the biggest home-building programme for many years, perhaps for decades, whose ambition was 3 million new homes by 2020, with a particular focus on affordable and social housing. As has been said, over the next three years, we will invest more than £8 billion in the programme. I have not had any specific discussions with the new chair and CEO of the HCA, to whom the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) referred, not least because the HCA will not be set up until 1 December. I was interested to hear what he said. From the little that I have heard, I would be surprised if it were true. I do not know Sir Bob Kerslake very well, although I know that is not necessarily the case for other Members on the Committee, but from my relatively brief acquaintance with him, I do not get the impression that he is a man easily confused, especially by worries about the amount of money available to him and how to use it. I look forward to hearing from Sir Bob Kerslake whether that is indeed how he feels.