Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 6 August (HL248), what percentage of the 1.5 million homes that the Government is committed to delivering in this Parliament will be social homes.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has committed to delivering 1.5 million homes this Parliament, delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housing in a generation. We are proposing reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework that are designed to support the delivery of affordable housing, including ensuring that councils can prioritise the types of affordable homes their communities need. We have given councils greater flexibility to use their Right to Buy receipts to deliver replacement affordable housing (these flexibilities will be in place for an initial 24 months, subject to review). Further details will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of the target for building new homes over the next five years will be for social housing.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has committed to delivering 1.5 million homes in this Parliament, delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housing in a generation. We will work with councils and housing associations to build capacity and ensure we build the homes people need.
We will also introduce ‘golden rules’ in relation to grey and Green Belt release, to ensure development benefits communities and nature, including targeting the delivery of 50 per cent affordable housing on these sites.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the impact on the housing market of net migration reaching 745,000 in 2022.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Net migration inevitably has an impact on demand for housing. That is why this Government continues to act to control migration and stop illegal migration.
The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 has started delivering a major overhaul of our immigration and asylum system, laying the foundations for further immigration and asylum reform.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish the evidence to support the statement by the Minister for Housing and Planning in an interview with Inside Housing in July that “we’ve got record numbers of social rent homes that have been built”.
Answered by Baroness Swinburne
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to review the practice of planning authorities in granting or denying permission for insulation and installation of heat pumps in listed buildings.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Opposition Whip (Lords)
As set out in the British Energy Security Strategy published last year, the Government has undertaken a review of the practical planning barriers that households can face when installing energy efficiency and low carbon heating measures such as heat pumps, including in conservation areas and listed buildings. An announcement on the outcome of the review will be made shortly.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of UK homes have an energy efficiency performance rating of (1) A, or (2) B.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The energy efficiency of housing in the UK is reported separately by each Administration. In 2020-21 2.9% of the English housing stock had an energy efficiency rating of A or B. In 2019 4% of the Scottish housing stock had an energy efficiency rating of A or B.
The proportion of housing in Wales and Northern Ireland with an energy efficiency rating of A or B is not reported.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the annual spend of local authorities in England is devoted to funding social care.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The Revenue Outturn statistics for 2020-21 published (attached) on 27 January 2022 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2020-to-2021-final-outturn, show that expenditure by local authorities on social care was £31.6 billion. This includes expenditure that has been funded by NHS transfers to local government, notably £2.4 billion from the Better Care Fund. This is equivalent to 28% of the sum of total revenue expenditure and Better Care Fund transfers in 2020-21.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 16 June (HL706), what plans they have to review whether strategic assets of wide economic value are best owned by local authorities.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Under the current system of local government finance, local authorities are free to determine their own capital strategies to deliver local services, on the principle that they are best placed to make the decisions needed to support their local communities and to ensure local accountability.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made a recent estimate of the number of homeless people sleeping outside without tents or other cover; and what plans they have to eliminate such homelessness.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
Tackling homelessness is a complex issue with no single solution, and whilst we do not collect data specifically on the number of people who are rough sleeping without tents or other cover, we are determined to help the most vulnerable in society.
That is why we are providing £1 billion up to 2020 to reduce all forms of homelessness and rough sleeping, and introducing the most ambitious legislative reform in decades through the Homelessness Reduction Act to ensure people get support sooner.
We are providing £28 million to pilot a Housing First approach in three major regions of England. The pilots will support some of the most entrenched rough sleepers off the streets and help them to end their homelessness. The recently established Rough Sleeping and Homelessness Reduction Taskforce will first deliver a cross - Government strategy to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and eliminate it altogether by 2027. However, it will also drive action to reduce wider homelessness and will have within its remit issues such as prevention and affordability.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 12 December (HL3815), whether they have any plans to raise the performance threshold for local authorities to determine planning applications within the statutory timescale (1) above the 60 per cent threshold for major applications, and (2) above the 70 per cent threshold for non-major applications.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The performance thresholds for the designation regime are set out in a Criteria Document, which can be viewed (attached) here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/571144/Improving_Planning_Performance_-_Criteria_for_Designation__revised_2016_.pdf
We are ensuring that the criteria set out in this document continue to be relevant and are delivering positive outcomes from local planning authorities. Any further changes to the criteria would be published by the Secretary of State for consultation and laid before both houses of Parliament for scrutiny.