Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the projected total spend of the Green Homes Grant fund for the current financial year.
Answered by Lord Callanan
As of 8th February, 22,165 vouchers have already been issued with more being issued each day.
The value of these vouchers is currently £94.1 million.
Official scheme statistics will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Green Home Grant vouchers have been issued to date in each Local Enterprise Partnership area.
Answered by Lord Callanan
As of 11 February, 22,953 vouchers have been issued under the scheme. These, given by region, are as follows (reporting 2.55pm, 11th February 2021):
The overall number of vouchers issued (22,953) and the sum of the total number of vouchers by region above (22,913) differ by 40 vouchers. This is because these vouchers do not list an English region on their application.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of Green Home Grant vouchers that will be issued in the next financial year; and how will any applications over the total budget be assessed and dealt with.
Answered by Lord Callanan
As of 8th February, 22,165 vouchers have already been issued with more being issued each day.
Applications will continue to be processed by the scheme administrator in line with the rules of the scheme. Official scheme statistics will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Green Homes Grant vouchers have been (1) submitted to ICF for payment, and (2) paid out by ICF to contractors presenting vouchers, in each month since September 2020.
Answered by Lord Callanan
Official scheme statistics will be published in due course. BEIS will continue to monitor application data as the scheme progresses.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the contractual maximum period for honouring vouchers tendered to ICF by contractors under the Green Homes Grant scheme; what proportion of payments have exceeded that period since September 2020; and what steps they are taking to accelerate such payments to contractors who have completed eligible works.
Answered by Lord Callanan
ICF will honour vouchers in line with the Green Home Grant Scheme terms and conditions.
The payment process is a four-step process that requires: the customer to confirm the work has been completed, the installer to record the work on the TrustMark database, the scheme administrator to check the conditions of the voucher issued have been met, and then the scheme administrator to make the payment. The scheme administrator check is to ensure consumer protection and value for money, including undertaking fraud checks.
The scheme administrator aims to pay as soon as possible after this process is complete. We are working with consumers and installers to ensure they are clear on the information and checks required, so that vouchers can be paid as quickly as possible. The scheme administrator is prioritising the payment of the vouchers as a matter of urgency. Official scheme statistics will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the insurance industry about flexibility in the provision of Employer Liability Insurance for businesses in the (1) hospitality, (2) adult, and (3) retail, sectors, to support such businesses to reopen when the restrictions in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic are lifted.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The Government recognises the essential role of the insurance industry in providing the cover businesses need to operate. We are working closely with the insurers, the trade bodies and regulators to understand what more the industry can do to help individuals and businesses as the economy reopens, and to monitor the availability of cover and the impact this is having on the sector.
As measures to control the virus change, it is right that government support should also evolve. Because of this, we continue to take a flexible approach and keep all impacts and policies under review.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the underwriting of insurance costs of care homes to businesses in the (1) hospitality, (2) adult, and (3) retail, sector to support the reopening of such businesses once restrictions in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic are lifted.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The Government recognises the essential role of the insurance industry in providing the cover businesses need to operate. We are working closely with the insurers, the trade bodies and regulators to understand what more the industry can do to help individuals and businesses as the economy reopens, and to monitor the availability of cover and the impact this is having on the sector.
As measures to control the virus change, it is right that government support should also evolve. Because of this, we continue to take a flexible approach and keep all impacts and policies under review.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many neighbourhood plans are now in force; and where there are neighbourhood plans, how many additional homes in aggregate have been granted approval compared to the pre-existing local and district plans.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
While we do not formally monitor the production of neighbourhood plans, our records suggest that over 1000 neighbourhood plans have been adopted (made) since 2011. We do not hold data on how many additional homes in aggregate have been granted approval compared to current local plans. A recent study by the University of Reading of 141 neighbourhood plans found that they allocated 18,000 additional homes above those already allocated in adopted or emerging local plans and on sites with planning permission.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that local communities retain the ability to establish a new neighbourhood plan in accordance with the principles established in the Localism Act 2011.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The white paper “Planning for the Future” sets out a package of proposals to secure better outcomes in terms of land for homes, beauty, and environmental quality, as well as processes which give greater certainty and speed for communities, councils and developers. The Government remains committed to neighbourhood planning, and the white paper sets out our intention to retain neighbourhood plans as part of the planning system. The consultation on these proposals is now closed and we will be using the feedback we have received to develop future neighbourhood planning policy.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their White Paper Planning for the Future: planning changes in England in 2020 and future reforms, published on 6 August 2020, what plans they have to safeguard the existing rights of neighbourhood plans to determine land use within their area.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The white paper “Planning for the Future” sets out a package of proposals to secure better outcomes in terms of land for homes, beauty, and environmental quality, as well as processes which give greater certainty and speed for communities, councils and developers. The Government remains committed to neighbourhood planning, and the white paper sets out our intention to retain neighbourhood plans as part of the planning system. The consultation on these proposals is now closed and we will be using the feedback we have received to develop future neighbourhood planning policy.