Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many staff are directly supporting intergovernmental relations; in which departments they are based; and in which locations in each part of the UK they are based.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) is a cross-government priority, involving officials in all Government Departments. There is a dedicated team in the Cabinet Office, based across the UK, focusing on IGR specifically and supporting the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in his role as Minister for Intergovernmental Relations.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why they have appointed a Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities as Minister for Intergovernmental Relations; and what assessment they have made of whether the two roles can be performed by a single individual.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The role of Minister for Intergovernmental Relations is a continuation of my Rt. Hon. friend’s role as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office. The creation of this ministerial responsibility alongside his role as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities demonstrates the importance that this Government places on working effectively with the devolved administrations to deliver for citizens in every part of the UK.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many homeless people there were in England in (1) 1990, (2) 2000, (3) 2010, and (4) 2020.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Levels of homelessness in England can be best estimated by looking at the number of households in temporary accommodation at the end of each year.
There is no data before 1998. The number of households in temporary accommodation in Q4 1998 was 53,790. In Q4 2000 it was 73,080, in Q4 2010 it was 48,010 and Q4 2020 is provisionally 95,370.
We are putting in place an unprecedented level of support to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over 2021/22, over £750 million. This includes the £310 million Homelessness Prevention Grant, giving local authorities more control and flexibility in managing homelessness pressures and supporting those who at risk of homelessness.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much has so far been spent of the £16 million to support the modernisation of local authorities' cyber security systems, as announced in the Spending Review 2020 on 15 December 2020.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The £16 million to support the modernisation of local authorities' cyber security systems, as announced in the Spending Review 2020, has been made available for spend in this financial year commencing April 2021. Our work in this financial year has only just begun, and therefore there has not been significant expenditure to date.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they collect data regarding individuals who are homeless; and whether any personal data of homeless individuals is collected without their consent.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Local authorities have responsibilities to offer homelessness assistance under statutory homelessness legislation and send case level data to MHCLG, for households that apply for statutory homelessness support. This data includes information on the circumstances and needs of households and the support they receive through the system. This includes some personal data.
The personal data will only be shared with MHCLG where local authorities are satisfied they have the lawful basis to do so and householders have been informed and/or appropriate consent has been obtained.