Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what progress his Department has made on developing plans for implementation of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act since 29 August 2023.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government remains committed to implementing the important reforms in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 (the Act). These reforms will improve the quality of supported housing, protecting residents and getting better value for money for the taxpayer through Housing Benefit spend. It is important that we get the detail of how these reforms might be implemented right, to avoid any unintended consequences.
The first step towards implementation is a consultation on the proposed measures in the Act, including the National Supported Housing Standards and the supported housing licensing regime in England. The Government will consult on the measures as soon as possible.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department plans to commence the consultation process on the implementation of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government remains committed to implementing the important reforms in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 (the Act). These reforms will improve the quality of supported housing, protecting residents and getting better value for money for the taxpayer through Housing Benefit spend. It is important that we get the detail of how these reforms might be implemented right, to avoid any unintended consequences.
The first step towards implementation is a consultation on the proposed measures in the Act, including the National Supported Housing Standards and the supported housing licensing regime in England. The Government will consult on the measures as soon as possible.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of publishing guidance for leaseholders on how they can access the dispute resolution process under the Developer Self Remediation Terms.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
If a dispute arises and leaseholders are unable to make contact with their developer, they should follow the published guidance in the Developer remediation contract: resident factsheet - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has provided specific guidance to Right to Manage directors on their responsibilities under the developer remediation contract.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
If a dispute arises and leaseholders are unable to make contact with their developer, they should follow the published guidance in the Developer remediation contract: resident factsheet - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what criteria a company must meet in order to be included on the Homes England Fire Risk Assessor Panel and authorised to carry out FRAEWs for buildings in the Cladding Safety Scheme.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
To join the Fire Risk Assessor Panel firms must sign a participation agreement which sets out the terms for the panel and eligibility criteria. Along with agreeing to follow Homes England processes set out in the scheme guidance and use the correct scheme documents, firms must have:
Membership is renewed annually with firms having to provide evidence of their PII insurance and self-certification of qualifications and experience of firm assessors. The use of PAS 9980 and proportionality is assured by sample audit.
Since the scheme went live, four firms have left the panel through their own accord. Two pulled out due to resourcing issues and their inability to commit to meeting service level agreements and two others left due to them not receiving any business from being on the panel.
To date, Homes England have not had to remove any firms due to performance however Homes England can exercise this option should they need to.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether any companies have been removed from the Homes England Fire Risk Assessor Panel for the Cladding Safety Scheme.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
To join the Fire Risk Assessor Panel firms must sign a participation agreement which sets out the terms for the panel and eligibility criteria. Along with agreeing to follow Homes England processes set out in the scheme guidance and use the correct scheme documents, firms must have:
Membership is renewed annually with firms having to provide evidence of their PII insurance and self-certification of qualifications and experience of firm assessors. The use of PAS 9980 and proportionality is assured by sample audit.
Since the scheme went live, four firms have left the panel through their own accord. Two pulled out due to resourcing issues and their inability to commit to meeting service level agreements and two others left due to them not receiving any business from being on the panel.
To date, Homes England have not had to remove any firms due to performance however Homes England can exercise this option should they need to.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the impact of his Department's funding for Pub Is The Hub on local communities.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government recognises the important role of support organisations such as Pub is The Hub in helping local communities create and maintain vital community assets. Pub is The Hub has received funding from the department previously and their work demonstrates the wider role which pubs can play in running local services, nurturing community relationships, and helping communities to thrive socially and economically.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what data his Department holds on the number of buildings expected to have remediation paid for by a building owner that meets (a) the Developer Test (b) the Contribution Condition as of 15 April 2024.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Data on Building Safety Remediation progress is published on gov.uk.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of Stewart Milne Homes Northwest England (Developments) entering administration on building safety remediation in England.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
If the Hon Gentleman has specific concerns, we would be happy to receive them.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department has taken to reduce the costs of fraud in his Department in the last three financial years.
Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government is determined to uncover fraud in the public sector and is proud of its record.
As part of this, the Government established the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In 22/23 the PSFA set a target of delivering £180 million of savings to the taxpayer. In fact the PSFA far surpassed this within the first 12 months by preventing and recovering £311 million. As it enters its second year, the PSFA has a target of achieving £185 million of savings for the taxpayer.
The Government has also announced an additional £34 million to deploy cutting edge tools and Artificial Intelligence tools to help combat fraud across the public sector, saving £100 million for the public purse. This is in addition to existing partnerships between PSFA and the tech sector.