Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Answer of 26 October 2023 to Question 204013 on Land Registry, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of using blockchain technology when digitising the land registry.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
HM Land Registry’s (HMLR’s) Digital Street research and development programme carried out a successful research piece and prototype into Blockchain technologies in 2020 and a summary of the research work can be found here.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of using blockchain technology in digitising the land registry.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government strongly believes that there are significant opportunities from digitising HM Land Registry (HMLR) and making more information freely-available. HMLR is also committed to promoting digital innovation in the property market. In recent years, it has introduced digital tools relating to electronic signatures and a standard for digital identity solutions. HMLR is working collaboratively with stakeholders in the conveyancing sector and is considering a range of technologies to contribute to a truly digital, automated conveyancing process.
Government’s Roadmap to a Digital Future includes digital transformation in Government by “automating manual processes”. Almost 90% of HMLR’s applications are received via digital application routes and the majority of HMLR’s services are already automated. HMLR continues to increase automation to drive greater efficiency and deliver maximum value for the taxpayer, and to increase the proportion of end-to-end digital processes.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of digitising the Land Registry.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government strongly believes that there are significant opportunities from digitising HM Land Registry (HMLR) and making more information freely-available. HMLR is also committed to promoting digital innovation in the property market. In recent years, it has introduced digital tools relating to electronic signatures and a standard for digital identity solutions. HMLR is working collaboratively with stakeholders in the conveyancing sector and is considering a range of technologies to contribute to a truly digital, automated conveyancing process.
Government’s Roadmap to a Digital Future includes digital transformation in Government by “automating manual processes”. Almost 90% of HMLR’s applications are received via digital application routes and the majority of HMLR’s services are already automated. HMLR continues to increase automation to drive greater efficiency and deliver maximum value for the taxpayer, and to increase the proportion of end-to-end digital processes.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department plans to take to monitor the success of schemes supported by the UK Community Ownership Fund.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
There are regular monitoring points throughout projects’ lifetime.
To assess whether the Community Ownership Fund is delivering its four strategic objectives, we will undertake high-quality, robust evaluations.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has plans to review the criteria for bids to the Levelling Up Fund.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund will invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport and investing in cultural and heritage assets. We will open round 2 in Spring 2022 and will share further details in due course.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to bring forward proposals to amend the Party Wall Act 1996.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
To ensure safe and high-quality buildings, it is important that anyone involved in a project throughout a building's lifecycle is competent to do their job properly and in compliance with the Building Regulations. The Government is working with industry to develop the professional standards of competence of those working across the built environment and enforcing a stringent new regulatory regime for high-rise residential and other in scope buildings for the Building Safety Regulator.
The Party Wall Act provides a framework for preventing and resolving disputes in relation to party walls, boundary walls and excavations near buildings. The Act is separate from obtaining planning permission or building regulations approval. At present, there are no plans to amend the Act.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
What recent assessment he has made of the opportunities to bid for levelling up funding.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Levelling up all four nations of our United Kingdom remains at the centre of this Government’s mission – and in particular my Department as MHCLG becomes a UK-wide Department again. Our £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund will invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. And only a fortnight ago I was delighted to visit Wales and hear from local leaders about their exciting ambitions for their local areas, and take in the sites including Treorchy High Street – the current reigning Great British High Streets Champion.