Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - 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 21 October (HL1340), what assessment they have made as to whether any residential leases contain terms which allow alterations to be made in support of energy efficiency improvements.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The terms of individual leases will vary. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government does not gather data on the number of residential leases that contain terms which allow for proposed alterations in support of energy efficiency improvements.
Leaseholders can take various actions to save energy in their home. They may however need to apply for permission from their landlord (and in some cases other leaseholders) should they wish to make certain alterations or improvements which could include structural alterations. This will depend upon whether the terms of the lease allow for the proposed works to be carried out.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure energy efficiency improvements can be undertaken in private blocks of flats that are subject to lease constraints.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government remains committed to meeting its net zero emissions targets by 2050 and recognises the important contribution that the energy efficiency of buildings has to make in meeting it.
Reforms in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 will make it easier and cheaper for more leaseholders to buy their freehold or take over the management of their building, if they wish to do so. This will provide them with greater control over their building to make alterations in support of energy efficiency improvements in accordance with the terms of the lease.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend that the "vision led approach" required by paragraph 112 of the draft National Planning Policy Framework should be based on any or all of (1) local transport plans, (2) local cycling and walking infrastructure plans, (3) rights of way improvement plans, and (4) bus service improvement plans.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As part of the consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), we are seeking views on new NPPF paragraph 112 a), which aims to set an expectation that local authorities adopt a vision-led approach to promoting sustainable transport when identifying sites in local plans and considering planning decisions.
The NPPF consultation will close on 24 September, and we will use the responses we receive to inform future steps. Details of the consultation and how to respond can be found at the following link.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government for what reason the second of the green belt purposes in paragraph 140 of the draft National Planning Policy Framework, "to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another", is not replicated in paragraph 155 regarding major development permitted through development management or on land which has been released from the green belt.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This Government recognises the important role the Green Belt plays in preventing urban sprawl and remains committed to its continued protection. The manifesto was clear that without changing its purpose or general extent, the government will take a more strategic approach to Green Belt release to build more homes in the right places.
The Government’s proposed reforms relating to the Green Belt, and approach to implementation, are set out in the consultation on our approach to revising the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system. This consultation began on Tuesday 30 July and closes on Tuesday 24 September.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to incorporate references to (1) solar gain and (2) solar shading, in their guidance on the retrofitting of older homes in order to mitigate the effects of overheating.
Answered by Baroness Penn
Part O of the Building Regulations was introduced in 2021 to reduce the risk of overheating in new residential buildings . Part O came into effect in June 2022. This means that new residential buildings must now be designed in such a way as to reduce overheating. This requirement is met by designing and constructing the building to limit unwanted solar gains in summer (including through shading) and by providing an adequate means of removing excess heat.
In existing residential buildings, insulation measures can help reduce risks of overheating, if correctly installed and with adequate ventilation. This is why all energy efficiency measures installed under current government funded schemes require installers to be Trustmark registered and measures must also be installed in accordance with the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2030 and PAS 2035 standards, protecting the consumer against poor workmanship. PAS 2035/2030 requires a whole house approach to home retrofit projects and ensures that the risks of unintended consequences, such as mould and condensation due to poor ventilation, are minimised.
We are also considering the issues surrounding overheating in homes created through a material change of use (i.e. homes created by converting another building type, such as an office block) and whether changes to the Building Regulations are appropriate. We intend to consult on our approach to overheating in these homes as part of our consultation on the Future Homes Standard.
Details of further work to determine risk and guide interventions related to overheating, including in existing homes, is set out in the Third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) report, published in July 2023.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to incorporate references to (1) solar gain and (2) solar shading, in the design requirements for new-build homes in order to mitigate the effects of overheating.
Answered by Baroness Penn
Part O of the Building Regulations was introduced in 2021 to reduce the risk of overheating in new residential buildings . Part O came into effect in June 2022. This means that new residential buildings must now be designed in such a way as to reduce overheating. This requirement is met by designing and constructing the building to limit unwanted solar gains in summer (including through shading) and by providing an adequate means of removing excess heat.
In existing residential buildings, insulation measures can help reduce risks of overheating, if correctly installed and with adequate ventilation. This is why all energy efficiency measures installed under current government funded schemes require installers to be Trustmark registered and measures must also be installed in accordance with the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2030 and PAS 2035 standards, protecting the consumer against poor workmanship. PAS 2035/2030 requires a whole house approach to home retrofit projects and ensures that the risks of unintended consequences, such as mould and condensation due to poor ventilation, are minimised.
We are also considering the issues surrounding overheating in homes created through a material change of use (i.e. homes created by converting another building type, such as an office block) and whether changes to the Building Regulations are appropriate. We intend to consult on our approach to overheating in these homes as part of our consultation on the Future Homes Standard.
Details of further work to determine risk and guide interventions related to overheating, including in existing homes, is set out in the Third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) report, published in July 2023.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will set out detailed plans for the (1) size, (2) geographical distribution, and (3) administrative implementation, of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Answered by Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist - Opposition Whip (Lords)
Government has committed to creating a UK Shared Prosperity Fund to succeed European structural funds and bind together the whole of the United Kingdom, tackling inequality and deprivation in each of our four nations. The 2019 Conservative Manifesto committed to targeting the UK Shared Prosperity Fund at the UK’s specific needs, and at a minimum match the size of European structural funds in each nation.
Final decisions on the design of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will be taken after a cross-Governmental Spending Review. In the meantime, we will continue to work closely with interested parties whilst developing the fund.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to change the annual indexing of park home pitch fees from the Retail Price Index to the Consumer Price Index.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)
The Government will introduce the primary legislation necessary to change the inflationary index that is used to review pitch fees for park homes from the Retail Price Index (RPI) to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as soon as parliamentary time allows
This commitment is part of a wider package of measures designed to improve protections for park home residents and increase professionalism in the sector.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to make it mandatory for new build residential, and commercial properties to be zero carbon; and if so, when.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Building Regulations already require very energy efficient new homes. The minimum energy performance standard for new homes has been increased by over 30 per cent since 2010.
The next steps for reviewing these requirements are set out in the Government's Clean Growth Strategy, which sets out our intention to consult on strengthening energy requirements where cost effective, affordable, safe and practical to do so.
The Prime Minister has set out the Government's ambition as part of a ‘Clean Growth Mission’ under the UK’s Industrial Strategy to halve the total use of energy in new homes compared to today’s standards for new build. This will consider what role energy performance requirements will have to support a wider approach alongside innovation including more efficient appliances, smart appliances, smart controls and modern methods of construction.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to reconsider their decision to withdraw financial support for the Cornish language, and if not, under what circumstances they next intend to do so.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
Cornwall Council has a core spending power of £1.7 billion over the next four years, from which they can allocate the necessary resources to sustain and grow the use of the Cornish Language, if that is what local people want to see.