Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the whole life net carbon savings which will be forfeited as a result of removing the requirement for Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant applicants to comply with Energy Performance Certificate recommendations, in particular arising from (1) the need to specify an oversized heat pump if a home is not improved, and (2) the impact on the existing annual pipeline of grant applicants, many of whom would have proceeded to install in compliance with the old requirements.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Removing the insulation requirements from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme will reduce barriers to scheme participation and increase the number of property owners moving from polluting fossil fuel heating systems to low carbon heating systems.
Whilst we are empowering consumers to decide what is right for them, it remains government guidance that properties should be well insulated to save money on bills.
In addition, we will continue to mandate that installers on the scheme are MCS certified to ensure systems are appropriately designed and sized for the property and customers are provided with advice on bills.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish the evidence base used to underpin the decision, announced by Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in March in its Boiler Upgrade Scheme Consultation Response, that future grant applicants' compliance with Energy Performance Certificate recommendations will be optional.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government response to the consultation on amendments to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme sets out the responses received by industry stakeholders, including evidence to support the removal of the legal requirement to have no outstanding recommendations for cavity and loft insulation which was determined a barrier to access the scheme.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the number of low-rise homes in England clad in flammable Unplasticized Polyvinyl Chloride panels, (2) emerging acute fire risks, as evidenced by the fire at Moss Hall Grove in the London Borough of Barnet, and (3) the funding of appropriate remedial action.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
We are aware of the action being taken by Barnet Council and continue to engage closely with them on the steps they are taking, following the Moss Hall Grove fire in June 2023. The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is aware and is keeping the situation under review, in line with their duty under the Building Safety Act to keep the safety and standards of all buildings under review.
The department will continue to liaise with the BSR and Local Authorities as appropriate to determine whether further action is necessary.
Local authorities, including Barnet Council, are responsible for keeping the housing conditions in their area under review with a view to identifying any action that may need to be taken by them. Local authorities have a longstanding duty where they are building owners to manage building safety and performance risks of all kinds in their buildings, and should continue to do so in a proportionate, risk-based, and evidence-based manner.
Local authorities are also responsible for managing their own budgets and delivering on their responsibilities. This includes their duty as building owners to assess their buildings and keep them safe, and to take any enforcement action they deem necessary.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the number of building control officers fully accredited to deliver the new building safety regime when it comes into effect on 1 April, and (2) the capacity of such building control officers to fully enforce that regime across each relevant local authority from that date.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
I refer the noble Lord to the answer given to Question UIN 16272 on 5 March 2024.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made on the delivery of the banking hubs and delivery hubs recommended by Link for locations which have been identified as lacking in services, such as Marple in Greater Manchester; and what steps are they planning to ensure that delivery is accelerated.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Banking Hubs are a voluntary industry initiative, which enable customers of participating banks to access cash and banking services in shared facilities. To date, LINK has recommended over 100 Banking Hubs across the UK. Over 30 Banking Hubs have opened, with a further 70 expected to open by the end of the year. LINK has also recommended cash deposit services in another 90 communities, including Marple in Greater Manchester. While industry is responsible for delivering these services, the government is closely monitoring the rollout and hopes to see facilities open as soon as possible.
Separately, the government has legislated to protect access to cash specifically. The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 provides the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) with responsibility and powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities. Following the conclusion of its consultation on 8 February, the FCA expects to finalise its rules in Q3 2024.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which Government-funded construction projects had been awarded to Caledonian Modular prior to its collapse in March, including, for each project, the awarding department, the contract value, and the anticipated costs of remediation of defective work.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
The Cabinet Office does not centrally hold commercial information on Government-funded construction projects. Individual departments manage and procure their own contracts. The Cabinet Office can confirm that no contracts with Caledonian Modular were held with the Cabinet Office prior to its collapse in March 2022.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government which local authorities (1) made only bids to Levelling Up Fund Rounds 1 and 2 that were unsuccessful, and (2) made no bids to either round.
Answered by Baroness Penn
Over the lifetime of the Levelling Up Fund £4.8 billion has been invested into 271 projects across Great Britain.
For both rounds 1 and 2, all local authorities were eligible to bid for funding. We received 305 bids in round 1 of the Fund, and 529 in round 2. A list of successful bids has been published for each of the three rounds on gov.uk, as well as analysis on the geographic and thematic split of successful and unsuccessful bids in rounds 1 and 2.
Successful Round 1 bidders: Link
Successful Round 2 bidders: Link
Round’s 1 and 2 geographic and thematic analysis: Link
Further details of the objectives and decision-making process are set out in published methodology notes for each round.
Round 1 methodology note: Link
Round 2 methodology note: Link
Round 3 methodology note: Link
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the departmental budget for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero for the current financial year is allocated to supporting, promoting and delivering (1) energy demand reduction measures, and (2) zero and low carbon energy generation measures; and what changes in the departmental budget and headcount for those tasks are planned for the 2024–25 financial year.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government published how the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s current year budget has been allocated in the 2023-24 Main Estimate. The Government will publish the equivalent information for the 2024-25 financial year in the forthcoming 2024-25 Main Estimate. Departmental headcount figures are published each year in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that UK citizens taken prisoner while fighting in Ukraine are being treated in compliance with the provisions of the Geneva Convention.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
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 Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that construction product standards are upheld until the National Regulator for Construction Products is established; and what assessment they have made of progress in improving those standards in line with the recommendations of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
As of April 2021, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is responsible for the regulation of construction products. The regulator is undertaking enforcement activity under the current Construction Products Regulations 2013, funded by the department. In July 2022, the department further extended existing enforcement powers, enabling OPSS to act on behalf of the Secretary of State as the national enforcement authority, overseeing compliance where there are existing designated standards.
The department is also looking to lay future secondary legislation (to be made under the Building Safety Act 2022) which will give OPSS access to broader powers to intervene in the sector.
To examine how the system for testing the safety of construction should be strengthened, the department commissioned an independent review into weaknesses in the existing testing regime. This report has recently been published, and the department is working with the two regulators (OPSS and HSE) to take its recommendations forward.