Member

On Amendment 72 from the noble Baroness, Lady Jones of Moulsecoomb—I was delighted to hear about the accessibility of the commercial development in Yeovil; that is great news—the Government recognise that it is not always as easy as it should be for disabled tenants to get their home adaptations, but the approach taken by the amendment, in defining “minor” in relation to cost alone, does not account for other key factors relevant to whether disability adaptations can be made. As I mentioned in Committee, these important factors include the need to obtain consent from relevant third parties, building regulation requirements and consideration of how the property might be returned to its original condition, as mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord Jamieson, and such issues will generally depend on the features of an individual property. These fundamental challenges to defining minor adaptations will inevitably lead to ambiguity and confusion that could risk making things worse for both tenants and landlords.