To ask the Minister for Communities whether he has plans to increase protections for those living in park homes in the remainder of the 2022-2027 mandate.

I can confirm that my Department has indicated within the DfC legislative programme that it is seeking to amend Part 1 of the Schedule to the Caravans Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 to align residential pitch fee percentage increases/decreases with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rather than the Retail Price Index (RPI).

The amendment is being sought due to CPI being classified by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) as a more appropriate measure of inflation than RPI. That will bring this jurisdiction in line the Mobile Homes (Pitch Fees) Act which received Royal Assent on 2 May 2023 which applies to England and Wales. Scotland is currently in the process of seeking a similar amendment by way of the Housing (Scotland) Bill.

Whether or not such an amendment is possible here within this mandate depends on whether a suitable legislative vehicle can be secured.