PRIVATE SHELTERED HOUSING FOR OLDER PEOPLE

Early day motion 771, tabled 30 January 2002 by Edward O'Hara (Labour). Signed by 53 members.

That this House recognises that sheltered housing is an increasingly popular choice of accommodation for older people because it recognises the interrelationship between their needs for housing, social services and health care; congratulates the Centre for Policy on Ageing for its report 'Owning Independence in Retirement' which usefully reviews the role and benefits of sheltered housing for older people; notes the increasing majority of older people who are owner occupiers, often living alone, with increasing purchasing power; further notes however that of the one in 10 of older people living in the community who now live in sheltered housing only one in seven lives in private sheltered housing; estimates that therefore there is a large unmet demand from older owner occupiers who wish to move into sheltered housing but also to retain their independence and owner status; regards this not only as an inefficient use of the overall housing stock but also as a deficit of provision for the welfare needs of a significant portion of older people; and calls upon the Government and local planning authorities to respond to this welfare deficit by planning for greater provision of private sheltered housing for older people.

Signatures by party: Labour 34, Liberal Democrat 8, Conservative 6, UUP 3, Labour/Co-operative 1, Plaid Cymru 1.