Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Barwell and John Bercow

Monday 27th February 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Ministers have no responsibility for the whereabouts of Liberal Democrat Members—or those of any other party, for that matter. However, the hon. Gentleman has made his point in his own way, with force and alacrity.

[Gavin Barwell]

Thank you, Mr Speaker. All I can say is, “Thank goodness for that!”

On housing supply, we are measuring the total size of the housing stock, and local authorities are being asked to plan for not only the necessary number of homes but, as was clear in the discussion we had earlier, the right mix of homes for the changing demography of their area.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Barwell and John Bercow

Monday 16th January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Gavin Barwell]

I would be delighted. I have attended a meeting of the all-party parliamentary group for the private rented sector, which my hon. Friend also chairs; he is a busy man. He is quite right to say that, as we address the fundamental challenge of getting the country to build the homes we desperately need, we must not lose sight of quality as well as quantity.

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Member for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport (Oliver Colvile) is very busy. He has many commitments and an extremely full diary. I do not think that anybody doubted the point.

[Ms Karen Buck (Westminster North) (Lab)]

Is Westminster City Council right to expect other local authorities across the south-east and as far as the midlands to take on the responsibility of housing as well as providing education and social care for London’s people in housing need?

Neighbourhood Planning Bill

Debate between Lord Barwell and John Bercow

3rd reading: House of Commons & Legislative Grand Committee: House of Commons & Report stage: House of Commons
Tuesday 13th December 2016 Commons Chamber

[The Minister for Housing and Planning (Gavin Barwell)]

I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.

[Mr Speaker]

With this it will be convenient to discuss the following:

New clause 3—Review of compulsory purchase—

“Before exercising his powers under section 35(1) the Secretary of State must carry out a review of the entire compulsory purchase order process.”

This amendment ensures that there is clarity on appeal routes, pre-completion and pre-occupation conditions.

New clause 12—Rates of interest and advance payments—

“Within 14 days of the Neighbourhood Planning Bill receiving Royal Assent the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and the Chancellor of the Exchequer must bring forward outstanding regulations relating to Clauses 192 to 198 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 and Clauses 19 to 21 and 33 to 35 of the Neighbourhood Planning Bill.”

The Housing and Planning Act includes measures requiring further regulations in order to come into force. This new clause requires that, once the Neighbourhood Planning Bill receives Royal Assent, these regulations should be brought into force to ensure that all farmers, business owners and landowners benefit from the Government’s commitment to improve interest rates on late payments as soon as possible.

Amendment 26, in clause 15, page 14, line 12, leave out

“as well as, or instead of, compulsory acquisition”

and insert

“or compulsory acquisition, but not both”.

This amendment would ensure that where an acquiring authority seeks temporary possession rights it cannot at the same time also seek permanent possession rights. It would not stop the acquiring authority at a later date seeking permanent acquisition rights via a fresh compulsory purchase order should it be required to complete the project.

Government amendment 21.

Amendment 27, page 25, line 36, leave out clause 28.

This would remove changes which would prevent landowners who have land compulsorily purchased for a particular purpose seeking additional compensation should the land end up being used for a different purpose. It ensures that, where the original calculation of compensation that was paid did not take into account the possibility of the development that the land is now being used for, the claimant receives the correct level of compensation.

[Gavin Barwell]

Government new clause 6 deals with the ability to claim compensation for temporary severance when a material detriment claim has been referred to the upper tribunal. This will arise when the acquiring authority has taken possession of the part of a claimant’s land that it wants before the tribunal has determined the claim, and the tribunal then decides that it must take more of the claimant’s land. The tribunal will be able to award compensation for any loss suffered by the claimant as a result of the temporary severance of their land while the matter is being determined.

A provision to ensure that the compensation is claimable is already contained in paragraph 28(5) of schedule 2A to the Compulsory Purchase Act 1965 when the acquiring authority is proceeding by notice to treat and notice of entry. The Housing and Planning Act 2016 should have included an equivalent provision in schedule A1 to the Compulsory Purchase (Vesting Declarations) Act 1981, but that was not spotted at the time, so new clause 6 fills the gap.

Government amendment 21 is a consequential amendment to the definition of “acquiring authority” in section 172 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 on the power to enter land to survey it in connection with an acquisition proposal. The amendment aligns the definition of “acquiring authority” with that in clause 14, so that the power to enter and survey land can be used in connection with any proposal to take temporary possession of land under that clause. The new definition still works for authorities intending to acquire the land permanently. I commend the amendment to the House.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Barwell and John Bercow

Monday 28th November 2016 Commons Chamber

[Gavin Barwell]

Neighbourhood plans are a vital part of an area’s development plan. Where a local authority does not have a five-year land supply in place, my hon. Friend is quite right that that is an alternative consideration. With the White Paper, we want to consider how we can change policy so that the people who work hard to produce such plans have more confidence that they will have an effect on all applications.

[Mr Speaker]

I gently remind right hon. and hon. Members that they should not leave the Chamber until all the exchanges on the question to which they have contributed have been concluded. One fellow has just beetled out of the Chamber having popped his question, taking precisely zilch interest in anybody else’s. I am sure that the discourtesy was inadvertent, but it is in breach of a long-standing convention of this House, of which all Members ought to be aware. Modesty and kindness forbid me to mention the name of the offending individual on this occasion.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Gentleman can now breathe.

[Gavin Barwell]

It certainly would be good to see longer tenancies in the private rented sector, but in terms of regulating to force all private landlords to let for longer periods and to introduce rent controls, we have only to look at the record in our own country and around the world to see what the result of such policies would be: a smaller private rented sector, which would make our housing problems worse.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Barwell and John Bercow

Monday 24th October 2016 Commons Chamber

[Gavin Barwell]

My hon. Friend is a former Housing Minister. I am happy to do as he suggests and perhaps to talk to him offline about that. [Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I think the Minister meant outside the Chamber.

[Liz McInnes (Heywood and Middleton) (Lab)]

7. What steps he is taking to ensure that the planning system encourages the building of more affordable homes to rent or buy.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Barwell and John Bercow

Monday 18th July 2016 Commons Chamber

[Gavin Barwell]

I thank my hon. Friend for his kind words and wish his new Whip the best of luck.

If he looks through the national planning policy framework, he will see a clear description of what development is appropriate on the green belt, and a strong presumption that inappropriate development is harmful and should not be approved except in very special circumstances.

[Mr Speaker]

The Whip will certainly need to be a natural optimist.

Leveson Inquiry

Debate between Lord Barwell and John Bercow

Wednesday 25th April 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I was just waiting to see what part of the question engaged the responsibility of the Secretary of State, but I am afraid the answer was none of it.

[Gavin Barwell (Croydon Central) (Con)]

I have a high regard for the work that the Secretary of State has done, particularly in relation to the Olympics, which are coming to our great city in a few weeks. On the specific issue of the statement that he has given, can he tell the House when he hopes to give evidence to the Leveson inquiry? It is in his interest and in the interest of us all that we hear his full evidence as soon as possible.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Barwell and John Bercow

Monday 12th December 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The House must come to order to hear Mr Gavin Barwell.

[Gavin Barwell (Croydon Central) (Con)]

T8. Despite the tough settlement for the Metropolitan police, our borough commander in Croydon has found the resources for a dedicated team to tackle gangs. Given that gang members played a key role in the riots in Croydon on 8 August, can my right hon. Friend confirm that Croydon is one of the 22 areas to which she referred that will benefit from Government funding?

NHS Future Forum

Debate between Lord Barwell and John Bercow

Tuesday 14th June 2011 Commons Chamber

[Gavin Barwell (Croydon Central) (Con)]

I welcome the revised proposals, in particular the focus on competition not as an end in itself but on informed—[Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I apologise for having to interrupt the hon. Gentleman. Whatever feelings the hon. Member for Blyth Valley (Mr Campbell) entertains in relation to the Liberal Democrats, who seem unlikely to feature on his Christmas card list, I urge him to exercise what modicum of self-restraint he can muster in the circumstances.

[Gavin Barwell]

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

I welcome the focus not on competition as an end in itself, but on informed patient choice to improve patient care. Can my right hon. Friend confirm that, unlike the Opposition, the Government believe that NHS patients in my constituency deserve the best that the public, private and voluntary sectors can offer them?