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Written Question
Local Government: Judicial Review
Tuesday 12th December 2023

Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in relation to duties imposed on local authorities by the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill for which there is an enforcement authority, whether there are any other instances in statute in which persons are able to make applications for judicial review of the local authority, rather than the enforcement authority.

Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)

It is expected that the enforcement regime will act as the main deterrent to breaches of the ban. However, where the public body in question would be amenable to judicial review in relation to the decision, the Bill is clear that judicial review is still available to any persons, irrespective of the other enforcement provisions in the Bill. This is in line with the normal principle that the exercise of public functions should be subject to judicial review.


Written Question
Pension Funds: Regulation
Tuesday 5th December 2023

Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in relation to clause 12(2) of the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill, what decisions about the management of an asset of a pension fund are not covered by decisions about the acquisition, retention or disposal of an asset of a pension fund.

Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)

The Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill only applies in relation to Local Government Pension Scheme funds when scheme managers are making an investment decision. Scheme managers are defined by statute and are predominately local authorities. A fund investment decision is defined in the Bill as a decision about the acquisition, management, retention, or disposal of an asset. Clause 1 does not apply to any decision that is not made by a scheme manager, nor any decision that falls outside of this definition.


Written Question
Levelling Up Fund: Northern Ireland
Tuesday 5th December 2023

Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions and consultations they held with political parties, district councils and civic society in Northern Ireland in advance of their decision to refuse to allocate levelling up monies to the region in their latest funding announcement on 21 November.

Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)

In the context of the growing pressure on Northern Irish budgets it is right that the United Kingdom Government should consider its approach to funding available for Northern Ireland in the round. £30 million has been reserved for Northern Ireland from Round 3 of the Levelling Up Fund. As part of our commitment to levelling up, we want to work with a restored Executive to find the best approach to supporting people in Northern Ireland, taking account of current budget pressures.

DLUHC wrote to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee and the Northern Ireland Civil Service directly to let them know of our approach to Northern Ireland for Round 3 of the Levelling Up Fund. All Northern Ireland MPs were notified by a letter from Minister Young and DLUHC officials contacted relevant Northern Irish stakeholders on the day of the announcement.


Written Question
UK Shared Prosperity Fund
Wednesday 29th March 2023

Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the termination of the European Social Fund on 31 March, when funding will be made available from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to social economy projects throughout the UK.

Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

The economic inactivity competition closed on 27 January 2023, and we received a strong and positive response from organisations across Northern Ireland seeking to deliver economic inactivity and Multiply support. Project assessment has now concluded and we are working with a view to taking final selection decisions as quickly as possible.

We recognise the need for this important funding to be in place promptly as the European Social Fund support draws to a close in Northern Ireland at the end of this month.


Written Question
UK Shared Prosperity Fund
Monday 11th July 2022

Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money they have allocated to the UK Prosperity Fund in each of the financial years from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2024.

Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund ramps up from £400 million in 2022/23, to £700 million in 2023/24 until it reaches £1.5 billion a year in 2024/25.

The UKSPF allocations published (attched) at : https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus/ukspf-allocations.


Written Question
UK Shared Prosperity Fund
Monday 11th July 2022

Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implementation programme for the UK Prosperity Fund.

Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford

Local government has been given responsibility for delivering the Fund, recognising that those closest to local people and businesses understand the needs and unique characteristics of their own areas better than central government.

In Northern Ireland, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities will manage delivery at Northern Ireland scale, recognising the distinct and different role local authorities play there.


Written Question
UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Devolution
Monday 11th July 2022

Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the UK Prosperity Fund will be allocated to (1) England, and (2) the devolved administrations.

Answered by Lord Greenhalgh

England will receive £1.5 billion, Scotland £212 million, Wales £585 million and Northern Ireland £127 million from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund across the years 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25.


Written Question
UK Shared Prosperity Fund
Thursday 7th July 2022

Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty's Government when the UK Prosperity Fund will be implemented.

Answered by Lord Greenhalgh

The Fund was launched on 13 April 2022 and will run until March 2025. We intend the first payments to places to take place in the Autumn.


Written Question
Floods: Finance
Tuesday 14th December 2021

Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have held at Cabinet level about the adequacy of emergency funding available to support communities affected by flooding.

Answered by Lord Greenhalgh

In the event of a major flood emergency in England the Secretary of State will liaise with Cabinet colleagues in relevant Departments, including Defra, BEIS and Treasury, to consider activation of i) the Bellwin Scheme, which can be used to provide funding to local authorities to cover the costs of immediate flood response work and ii) the Flood Recovery Framework which provides funding towards the costs of flood recovery for businesses and households.

These schemes are well-established mechanisms which can provide timely and effective support to help communities to recover.


Written Question
Housing: Standards
Monday 29th November 2021

Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding by the Building Research Establishment report The Cost of Poor Housing in England, published 11 November, that "it is costing the NHS some £1.4 billion per year to treat those people who are affected by poor housing".

Answered by Lord Greenhalgh

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone has a safe home and welcomes this updated research from the Building Research Establishment into the fiscal cost of poor-quality housing. As part of its ongoing work to ensure the quality of housing, the Government is currently reviewing the Decent Homes Standard and Housing Health and Safety Rating System.