Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to make planning permission for a new Chinese embassy dependent upon the government of China making a full disclosure of products entering the UK that contain cotton which is grown in Xinjiang.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
An appointed Inspector will hold a public inquiry which will hear a range of evidence for and against the proposals, after which a decision will be made by MHCLG ministers. As this case will come before ministers in MHCLG to determine, it would not be appropriate to comment further. Decisions on planning applications are based on material planning considerations.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - 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 31 July (HL90), whether the Minister's secretary received a response to their letter from the Health and Safety Executive.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I would like to thank my Noble Lord for following up on the response I gave on the 31st July. My office has written to the Health and Safety Executive and I am awaiting a response.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have received advice regarding the prevention of broken protective earthed neutral conductors in the electrical systems of tower blocks and other sensitive buildings.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I am aware of my Noble Friend's long-standing interest in electrical safety in tower blocks and sensitive buildings. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) keeps evidence that emerges from the electrical incidents database and its engagement with stakeholders, under review. My secretary will write to HSE officials and ask whether they might meet with you, so that you can explain the issue.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the numbers of (1) private, and (2) social housing buildings above 11 metres which are fitted with equipment to prevent voltage surges.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
I refer the Noble Member to the response provided to UIN HL8412 on 26 June 2023.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is any evidence of voltage surges causing damage to domestic appliances in Grenfell Tower in the days prior to the fire on 14 June 2017.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The issue of electrical surges was considered in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 1 report, which focused on the causes of the fire. There were longstanding concerns raised by residents about electrical “surges” affecting appliances within the Tower. As stated in the report, RINA Consulting (RINA) were retained by the Metropolitan Police to assess the electrical supply and distribution infrastructure. RINA found no damage or significant degradation (other than that caused by the fire) nor any major defects in the electrical supply system. RINA found no evidence to suggest that the electrical infrastructure of the Tower was in any way responsible for the fire.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on (1) local government finances in England, and (2) the equality of taxation of council tax bands in England being based on property valuations from April 1991.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government has no plans to reform the council tax system in this Parliament. A council tax revaluation would be expensive to undertake and could result in increases in bills for many households as well as disrupting the operation of the local government funding system. Council Tax levels are set by local authorities who are required to put in place council tax reduction schemes to help those in financial hardship. When setting out the resources available to local authorities, the annual Local Government Finance Settlement takes account of their differing abilities to generate income through council tax.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers from Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 26 June (HL8412, HL8413 and HL8414), when they expect the Building Safety Regulator will undertake the cost benefit analysis of making regular inspections and testing of electrical installations in relevant buildings.
Answered by Baroness Penn
Under Section 21 of the Building Safety Act, the Building Safety Regulator must carry out a cost-benefit analysis of making regular inspections of, and testing and reporting on, the condition of electrical installations in relevant buildings. This report will be provided by 1 October 2026. The Regulator remains on track for completing this activity within the agreed timeframe.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have received any representations from interested parties regarding restrictions for making submissions to the review into the number of prisoners who died on Alderney during the Nazi occupation, and what steps the review has taken to obtain relevant material from such parties.
Answered by Baroness Penn
The UK’s Post Holocaust Issues Envoy, Lord Eric Pickles announced the review into the number of prisoners who died on Alderney during the Nazi occupation on July 27, 2023. He has appointed a team of eleven independent, experienced, and internationally recognised experts led by Dr Paul Sanders the renowned French academic. The review is also receiving expert assistance from the Archives at Yad Vashem, the world’s preeminent Holocaust Centre. Lord Pickles has publicly encouraged all interested parties to put forward their evidence and has met with several groups and individuals who have expressed their interest in the review.
The department works closely with the Channel Islands on Holocaust issues.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether, for electrical testing in tower blocks where cladding needs to be replaced, they plan to institute a testing regime whereby an electrical engineer, rather than a competency body, is named and assessed as competent to supervise such work.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
All buildings should meet existing safety standards.
We do not hold records of voltage surges or numbers of extra electrical safety checks for these buildings. The Building Safety Regulator will be undertaking a cost benefit analysis of making regular inspections and testing of electrical installations in relevant buildings.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether extra electrical safety checks have been carried out in residential tower blocks where cladding needs to be replaced.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
All buildings should meet existing safety standards.
We do not hold records of voltage surges or numbers of extra electrical safety checks for these buildings. The Building Safety Regulator will be undertaking a cost benefit analysis of making regular inspections and testing of electrical installations in relevant buildings.