Select committee: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 9
Third Report - Exempt Accommodation
Published 27 Oct 2022
Paragraph 58
Addressed to Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee Exempt Accommodation All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The patchwork regulation of exempt accommodation has too many holes. We recognise that the exempt accommodation sector is complex with different types of providers, therefore requiring the involvement of multiple regulators. But some providers do not fall under the remit of any regulator, and no regulator has complete oversight of the different elements of exempt accommodation. Later in this report we recommend that all providers be registered, which would mean their oversight of economic and consumer standards was undertaken by the Regulator of Social Housing. We are particularly concerned about the fact that the “care, support, or supervision” element is unregulated except in the specific and limited circumstances where it falls within the Care Quality Commission’s remit. We welcome the Government’s commitment to exploring the regulatory regime to identify whether there are any gaps—but evidence to us expressed total unanimity as to the fact that gaps exist.
From: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, Third Report - Exempt Accommodation (HC 21), paragraph 58, 27 October 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 27 June 2023 (deadline 27 December 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government says it "strongly welcome[s]" the Committee's recommendations and is supporting the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Bill, which it believes, "subject to Royal Assent", will address many of the issues raised.
- On national standards and licensing, the government says it will "formally consult" with the sector to develop the licensing scheme and national standards for support "as soon as possible after Royal Assent".
- On mandatory registration of all providers with the Regulator of Social Housing, it gives its reasons, including the risk of reclassification of the sector as public, and considers the Bill's measures "better placed" to provide oversight.
- On rent caps, it says it "cannot effectively determine a standardised rent cap at this point", citing the complexity and range of housing models in the sector.
- On data, it says research on the size, cost and demand of the sector will be published "by the end of 2023".