Asked by: Alistair Burt (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure new build homes are built according to electrical and fire safety requirements.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The primary responsibility for compliance with the Building Regulations, including fire and electrical safety, rests with the person carrying out the building work. This is the builder or developer. Most building work is subject to building control either by the local authority or a private approved inspector, on a spot-check basis. It is the responsibility of the building control body to take all reasonable steps to assess compliance. However, responsibility for compliance remains with the builder or developer
On 5 July 2019, the government published a clarified version of Approved Document B (the approved document to the building regulations on fire safety) that aims to improve usability and reduce the risk of misinterpretation by those carrying out and inspecting building work.
We recently consulted on how we propose to take forward legislative reform for building and fire safety in higher-risk residential buildings implementing recommendations made by Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review. We committed in the Queen's Speech to bring forward legislative reform.
Asked by: Alistair Burt (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to ensure developers comply with fire and electrical safety requirements for new build homes.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The primary responsibility for compliance with the Building Regulations, including fire and electrical safety, rests with the person carrying out the building work. This is the builder or developer. Most building work is subject to building control either by the local authority or a private approved inspector, on a spot-check basis. It is the responsibility of the building control body to take all reasonable steps to assess compliance. However, responsibility for compliance remains with the builder or developer
On 5 July 2019, the government published a clarified version of Approved Document B (the approved document to the building regulations on fire safety) that aims to improve usability and reduce the risk of misinterpretation by those carrying out and inspecting building work.
We recently consulted on how we propose to take forward legislative reform for building and fire safety in higher-risk residential buildings implementing recommendations made by Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review. We committed in the Queen's Speech to bring forward legislative reform.
Asked by: Alistair Burt (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of recent changes to the calculation of housing need on local authorities that are awaiting the adoption of their local plan.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
We are committed to a plan-led system that delivers the homes this country needs, while protecting our precious environment. Up-to-date plans provide a sound basis for assessing land supply, and it is only where plans have become out-of-date that our standard method for assessing housing need is used instead. What this means in practice will depend on the amount of land with permission in each area, the protections that apply and the stage an emerging plan has reached, and so there is no national estimate of the impact. The National Planning Policy Framework protects emerging plans in certain circumstances, even in the absence of a five-year land supply, where a development would significantly undermine the plan.
Asked by: Alistair Burt (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities are without a five year housing land supply as a result of the decision to apply the new method of calculating housing need while awaiting the adoption of local plans.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
We are committed to a plan-led system that delivers the homes this country needs, while protecting our precious environment. Up-to-date plans provide a sound basis for assessing land supply, and it is only where plans have become out-of-date that our standard method for assessing housing need is used instead. What this means in practice will depend on the amount of land with permission in each area, the protections that apply and the stage an emerging plan has reached, and so there is no national estimate of the impact. The National Planning Policy Framework protects emerging plans in certain circumstances, even in the absence of a five-year land supply, where a development would significantly undermine the plan.
Asked by: Alistair Burt (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities in England have 90 per cent of a deliverable five year housing land supply as required by the National Planning Policy Framework.
Answered by Lord Barwell
The National Planning Policy Framework requires local planning authorities to identify a supply of deliverable sites sufficient to provide five years' worth of housing against their housing requirements. We do not hold information centrally on how many authorities have a deliverable five-year housing land supply because the position changes frequently, as it is subject to market conditions.
The Housing White Paper includes a proposal to offer greater certainty to local planning authorities, developers and communities by enabling authorities to consult with key stakeholders and agree their housing land supply with the Planning Inspectorate. This would then be fixed for a one-year period.
Asked by: Alistair Burt (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities in England have a deliverable five year housing land supply as required by the National Planning Policy Framework.
Answered by Lord Barwell
The National Planning Policy Framework requires local planning authorities to identify a supply of deliverable sites sufficient to provide five years' worth of housing against their housing requirements. We do not hold information centrally on how many authorities have a deliverable five-year housing land supply because the position changes frequently, as it is subject to market conditions.
The Housing White Paper includes a proposal to offer greater certainty to local planning authorities, developers and communities by enabling authorities to consult with key stakeholders and agree their housing land supply with the Planning Inspectorate. This would then be fixed for a one-year period.
Asked by: Alistair Burt (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the effect of the Government's proposal to allow local government to retain 100 per cent of the business rates they raise locally on Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire local authority budgets.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
By the end of the Parliament, local government will retain 100% of taxes raised locally, giving councils control of additional £12.5 billion of business rates to spend on local services. In order to ensure that the reforms are fiscally neutral, these new powers will come with additional responsibilities, as well as phasing out some grants from Whitehall. This move towards self-sufficiency and away from dependence on central government is something councils have long campaigned for. In addition, the Government is undertaking a Fair Funding Review of councils’ relative needs and resources. The Review will set the funding baselines local authorities will receive under the 100% Business Rates Retention system.
Last week, we introduced the Local Government Finance Bill that will establish the framework for the reformed system. All relevant documents can be found here: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2016-17/localgovernmentfinance.html. We will continue to work closely with local government during the passage of the legislation, to shape the detail of the reforms.
Asked by: Alistair Burt (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many serving firefighters have served in that capacity for over 40 years.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
This information is not held centrally.
Asked by: Alistair Burt (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress his Department has made in discussion with the Honours and Decorations Committee and the Cabinet Office on introducing a further medal or bar to the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal for firefighters that far exceed 20 years' service.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The viability of awarding firefighters for service beyond the existing 20 years is currently being investigated by my Department. There are processes which need to be followed prior to discussion with the Honours and Decorations Committee taking place but officials are progressing the issue and will be in touch with the Committee in due course.
The number of medals awarded to firefighters in each of the last five year are as follows:
2010 - 1,737
2011 - 1,465
2012 - 1,011
2013 - 1,246
2014 - 1,147
These figures do not include Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales
Asked by: Alistair Burt (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many firefighters have been awarded a Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in each of the last five years.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The viability of awarding firefighters for service beyond the existing 20 years is currently being investigated by my Department. There are processes which need to be followed prior to discussion with the Honours and Decorations Committee taking place but officials are progressing the issue and will be in touch with the Committee in due course.
The number of medals awarded to firefighters in each of the last five year are as follows:
2010 - 1,737
2011 - 1,465
2012 - 1,011
2013 - 1,246
2014 - 1,147
These figures do not include Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales