Clause 54 - Tests as to suitability for multiple occupation
Housing Bill
3:30 pm
Mr Matthew Green (Shadow Minister, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Local Government & the Regions; Ludlow, Liberal Democrat)
Three amendments in the group stand in my name and those of my hon. Friends. Although I have considerable sympathy with amendment No. 270, I have none for amendment No. 269, which would, as I understand it, limit the prescribed standards to those relating only to health and safety. The difficulty is that some of the issues related to suitability do not necessarily come under those two headings, or it is difficult to prove that they do so.
My amendments Nos. 257, 258 and 259 are essentially one amendment. All deal with overcrowding, which has been touched on before.
Many people—including some Conservative Members—have spoken about overcrowding and its associated problems. These problems relate not only to safety or health, but to the educational attainment of young children, people's ability to put in a good day's work if they have not slept all night, and similar issues.
I hope that the Government might be moved to realise that they have an opportunity to make an impact on overcrowding. Including the number, type and quality of bedrooms and sleeping areas in the standards that can be prescribed would ensure that when an HMO is licensed, it cannot subsequently be overcrowded. I would have thought the Minister would want to make sure of that, but as things stand there is nothing to stop an HMO being licensed and for conditions then to become overcrowded. Then, we would have to revisit the 1935 legislation that there have been so many calls to adjust.