Asked by: Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the announcement by the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust and King's Health Partners that they intend to create a new clinical academic facility for cardiovascular and respiratory services, whether they intend to review the proposal from NHS England to close the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust's congenital heart disease services.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
At its public meeting on 30 November 2017 and following its review of and public consultation on Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) services in England, the NHS England Board agreed to note the outline proposal presented by the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust for how full compliance against the standards might be achieved; to confirm that NHS England should work with the Royal Brompton and other potential partners on the full range of options for delivering a solution that could deliver full compliance with the standards and ensure the sustainability of other connected services; and to continue to commission level 1 CHD services from the Trust, conditional on the Trust demonstrating sufficient progress within required timescales.
The commissioning of CHD services in England is a matter for NHS England. The Government will continue to hold NHS England to account as it takes forward the recommendations of its review.
Asked by: Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to review the maximum payment that can currently be made under the Funeral Payment scheme.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payments scheme comprises of two elements. The first element covers the ‘necessary’ costs of arranging a funeral, which include costs of a burial or cremation including the purchase of a grave. It also meets the cost of any medical references or the removal of active implanted medical devices for cremations, reasonable costs if a body has to be moved for more than fifty miles and travel costs for the applicant to arrange and attend the funeral. These costs are paid in full and there is no maximum contribution.
The second element covers all other costs, which are subject to a maximum of £700. We have no plans at this time to review this component of the scheme.
Asked by: Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 14 September (HL1596), how many London boroughs have sought consent from the Secretary of State to remove the freedom to short-term let for 90 nights from a property; and whether they have any plans to publicise this procedure to London boroughs.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
We have no plans to set up or consult on a local authority register in respect of short term holiday letting eligibility or tenants. One borough sought consent from the Secretary of State to direct that the right to short-term let without planning permission for up to 90 nights in a year should not apply to particular residential properties. The planning practice guidance sets out the criteria the Secretary of State will apply in considering whether to give consent. [The guidance can be found at paragraph: 111 reference ID: 13-111-20160519]
Asked by: Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 14 September (HL1597) that no consultations have been carried out, what plans they have to consult local authorities on a register of short-term holiday let tenants.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
We have no plans to set up or consult on a local authority register in respect of short term holiday letting eligibility or tenants. One borough sought consent from the Secretary of State to direct that the right to short-term let without planning permission for up to 90 nights in a year should not apply to particular residential properties. The planning practice guidance sets out the criteria the Secretary of State will apply in considering whether to give consent. [The guidance can be found at paragraph: 111 reference ID: 13-111-20160519]
Asked by: Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 14 September (HL1598), whether they will consider setting up a system under which local authorities would, for a registration fee, have the right to confirm that a holiday let is legally in accordance with the terms of the letter’s mortgage or tenancy agreement.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
We have no plans to set up or consult on a local authority register in respect of short term holiday letting eligibility or tenants. One borough sought consent from the Secretary of State to direct that the right to short-term let without planning permission for up to 90 nights in a year should not apply to particular residential properties. The planning practice guidance sets out the criteria the Secretary of State will apply in considering whether to give consent. [The guidance can be found at paragraph: 111 reference ID: 13-111-20160519]
Asked by: Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the research by the Kensington Society which found that there were some 70,000 short-term lets available in London on 2 June 2016 alone, what is their assessment of the impact of the growth in the number of London properties used for short-term holiday lets on the availability of long-term housing in London.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Government supports the shared economy, and although it does not hold specific information on short-term holiday lets, it does monitor broader trends in private rented housing through the English Housing Survey. It is right that Londoners should have similar rights as elsewhere in England and be free to sublet their homes where their tenancy, contract or mortgage allows. We condemn, however, the abuse of planning laws, and those in breach face a fine of up to £20,000.
Asked by: Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the need for a registration process of short-term holiday let tenants; and whether they have consulted local councils on this issue.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
There has been no assessment of, or consultation on, a register of short term holiday let tenants.
Asked by: Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are aware of the difficulties experienced by London borough councils in the enforcement of the 90 days a year limit for homeowners' short-term letting of their property.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
Where there are concerns about serious abuse of the 90 night limit a London Borough can seek a consent from the Secretary of State for the authority to make a direction to remove the freedom to short term let for 90 nights from that property. The criteria for assessing a request for consent are set out in the Department's planning practice guidance.
Asked by: Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the incidence of abuse and violence conducted by occupants of short-term holiday lets on neighbouring long-term residents; and what evidence they have for that assessment.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Government has not made an assessment. Agencies have strong powers for tackling anti-social behaviour through the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act, requiring landlords to deal with nuisance.
Residents affected can request from their Local Authority an Anti-Social Behaviour Case Review - also called Community Trigger – in which they can insist on a multi-agency review of their case if they have reported the problem three times in the past six months and yet the problem has not yet been resolved
Any incidence of abuse or violence should be reported to the police. The police and local authorities have a significant range of powers and we expect these to be used, putting the needs of victims at the heart of their response, promptly and proportionately.
Asked by: Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to take action to ensure that short-term holiday letting agents conduct checks on the rights of tenants to sub-let their properties.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
Whether a property is sublet in a manner which is contrary to the terms of a lease is a matter to be resolved between the leaseholder and the freeholder. Where there are disputes, the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) can adjudicate.