Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what changes, if any, they are considering to the 'right to buy' discount scheme for tenants wishing to purchase their council house.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government believe it is right that those social tenants who have lived in their homes for many years retain the right to purchase their property at a reasonable discount. As such, we will not be ending the Right to Buy scheme.
We are, however, committed to better protecting our existing stock of social rented homes and are currently reviewing the increased right to buy discounts introduced in 2012. We will bring forward secondary legislation to implement changes in the Autumn.
We also intend to review Right to Buy more widely, including looking at eligibility criteria and protections for newly-built social housing. A consultation of these wider changes will be brought forward in the Autumn.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government why Northern Ireland was omitted from the Chancellor’s plan to create more freeports or ‘investment zones’ within the UK.
Answered by Baroness Penn
We continue discussions about how best to deliver the benefits associated with Freeports and Investment Zones in Northern Ireland. Any decision will be subject to the restoration of an Executive.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with councils across England about waiving or reducing car parking charges in the run up to Christmas in order to assist businesses in town centres.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government recognises the important link between parking provision and the vitality of our high streets and town centres. However, in line with the Government's position on localism, management of parking facilities is the responsibility of local authorities, and it is for them to determine what is appropriate in their own area, including setting of parking tariffs.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how the Building Safety Bill, announced by the Housing Secretary on 5 July will assist leaseholders facing bills for non-cladding defects in high rise flats.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The Building Safety Bill will ensure that those responsible for occupied higher-risk buildings will be required to actively manage building safety risks, evidencing this through the safety case regime overseen by the Building Safety Regulator. This will ensure major fire and structural hazards are effectively and proportionately managed, mitigated and remedied and that effective steps are taken, which take into account safety and cost.
The Bill contains measures to protect leaseholders by providing a legal requirement for building owners to explore alternative ways to meet the costs of remediation works before passing these onto leaseholders, along with evidence that this has been done.
We have been clear that building owners are responsible for ensuring the safety of their residents, that is why we are taking action to extend rights to redress where unacceptable defects have made a dwelling unfit to live in by making changes to the Defective Premises Act 1972. The changes we are making will enhance building owners’ ability to seek compensation for defective work carried out on their buildings.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect leaseholders from the costs of dangerous cladding.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
We have been clear that building owners and industry should make buildings safe without passing on costs to leaseholders – where they haven’t stepped up, we have stepped in. The Government has announced a globally unprecedented investment of over £5 billion in building safety and hundreds of thousands of leaseholders will be protected from the cost of remediating unsafe cladding from their homes. Lower-rise buildings between 11 and 18 metres will gain new protection from the costs of remediating dangerous cladding through a Government backed financing scheme. The Government is conscious of the need to make any financing scheme affordable for leaseholders. That is why we have said that the financing scheme will have a £50 a month cap. Now that the financing solution has been announced, we will publish more details on how it will work as soon as we are in a position to do so.