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Written Question
Carers
Thursday 14th March 2024

Asked by: Ben Everitt (Conservative - Milton Keynes North)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2024 to Question 13186 on Carers, whether the training and information that will be accessible via the supplier Kinship’s website performs the function of a portal.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Milton Keynes North, to the answer of 12 February 2024 to Question 13186.


Written Question
Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Asked by: Ben Everitt (Conservative - Milton Keynes North)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what statutory powers the DVLA has to remove untaxed vehicles parked on residential streets.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Section 29 of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 makes it an offence to use or keep an unlicensed vehicle on the public road. Where such an offence has been committed, Schedule 2A of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994, as well as the Vehicle Excise Duty (Immobilisation, Removal and Disposal of Vehicles) Regulations 1997, provide the statutory powers to immobilise and remove vehicles.


Written Question
Carers
Monday 12th February 2024

Asked by: Ben Everitt (Conservative - Milton Keynes North)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the policy paper entitled Championing kinship care: national kinship care strategy, published on 15 December 2023, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating a portal to (a) centralise guidance and (b) help support (i) kinship carers and (ii) schools.

Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department’s national kinship strategy, Championing Kinship Care, which was published in December 2023, has allocated £20 million in the next financial year to prioritise kinship care.

One of the commitments in Championing Kinship Care is to deliver a package of training and support that all kinship carers across England can access from this spring.

All training and information will be accessible via the supplier Kinship’s website, and the department currently has no plans to assess the merits of a centralised portal.


Written Question
Business Premises: Change of Use
Friday 1st December 2023

Asked by: Ben Everitt (Conservative - Milton Keynes North)

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 is taking to ensure that commercial premises that are converted to residential use provide an adequate level of (a) affordable housing and (b) homes for social rent.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

Commercial premises can be converted to residential use under permitted development rights. Under current guidance, contributions for affordable housing should not be sought for permitted development.

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 (the 2023 Act) introduces powers to create a new Infrastructure Levy which will reform the existing system of developer contributions in England. It will be possible for the Levy to capture land value uplift associated with permitted development, subject to provision that is made in regulations. Under our current proposals, the Infrastructure Levy will capture value uplift associated with the change of use of commercial buildings to residential use, whilst recognising the need to preserve the viability of brownfield development schemes. We are currently analysing responses to our recent technical consultation which sought views on this proposed approach.

If the Levy is charged on development it can be used to fund social housing within the meaning of Part 2 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008, and any other description of housing that Infrastructure Levy regulations may specify. This is set out in new section 204A(4) (in Schedule12 of the 2023 Act). This includes Social Rent homes and Affordable Rent homes.

Following the conclusion of the first two rounds of the Local Authority Housing Fund in 2024, an evaluation will be conducted which will include an assessment on the delivery routes that participating local authorities have taken.


Written Question
Exports: Morocco
Friday 1st December 2023

Asked by: Ben Everitt (Conservative - Milton Keynes North)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to help support UK businesses to export to Morocco.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is committed to supporting UK businesses to export to Morocco. The UK-Morocco Association Agreement, which entered into force in January 2021, facilitates our trading relationship. Bilateral trade was worth £3.4 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q2 2023, up £661 million in current prices on the same period the previous year.

In February 2023, the 2nd Association Council was held where Ministers discussed commercial opportunities and collaboration to increase bilateral trade and investment. DBT continues to provide export support to companies through a network of trade advisers, sector specialists, Export Support Service, Export Academy, International Markets network as well as through UK Export Finance, where £4.5bn of credit is available for Morocco.


Written Question
Business Premises: Change of Use
Friday 1st December 2023

Asked by: Ben Everitt (Conservative - Milton Keynes North)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Local Authority Housing Fund on the number of (a) commercial buildings that have been converted to residential use and (b) long-term empty homes that have been converted to affordable housing.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

Commercial premises can be converted to residential use under permitted development rights. Under current guidance, contributions for affordable housing should not be sought for permitted development.

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 (the 2023 Act) introduces powers to create a new Infrastructure Levy which will reform the existing system of developer contributions in England. It will be possible for the Levy to capture land value uplift associated with permitted development, subject to provision that is made in regulations. Under our current proposals, the Infrastructure Levy will capture value uplift associated with the change of use of commercial buildings to residential use, whilst recognising the need to preserve the viability of brownfield development schemes. We are currently analysing responses to our recent technical consultation which sought views on this proposed approach.

If the Levy is charged on development it can be used to fund social housing within the meaning of Part 2 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008, and any other description of housing that Infrastructure Levy regulations may specify. This is set out in new section 204A(4) (in Schedule12 of the 2023 Act). This includes Social Rent homes and Affordable Rent homes.

Following the conclusion of the first two rounds of the Local Authority Housing Fund in 2024, an evaluation will be conducted which will include an assessment on the delivery routes that participating local authorities have taken.


Written Question
Overseas Investment: Morocco
Thursday 30th November 2023

Asked by: Ben Everitt (Conservative - Milton Keynes North)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to help support UK businesses to invest in Morocco.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department for Business and Trade supports UK businesses looking to invest in Morocco by offering advice on the market and communicating opportunities which may be of interest to UK business. In 2021, the outward stock of foreign direct investment from the UK in Morocco was £904 million.

At the UK-African Investment Summit on 23-24 April 2024, the UK will showcase investment and commercial opportunities in Morocco.


Written Question
Empty Property
Tuesday 28th November 2023

Asked by: Ben Everitt (Conservative - Milton Keynes North)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to (a) collect and (b) publish data on the number of commercial properties in England that have been vacant for two years or more; and if he will bring forward legislation to require local authorities to report on the number of non-residential buildings they own that have been vacant for two years or more.

Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

It is for local authorities to decide how to monitor local vacancy rates.


Written Question
Overseas Trade: Morocco
Wednesday 22nd November 2023

Asked by: Ben Everitt (Conservative - Milton Keynes North)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to encourage bilateral trade between the UK and Morocco.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department for Business and Trade regularly engages businesses and the Moroccan government to promote and support bilateral trade and green investment. The UK-Morocco Association Agreement, which entered into force in 2021, facilitates this trading relationship.

Bilateral trade between the United Kingdom and Morocco was worth £3.4 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q2 2023, up £661 million in current prices on the same period the previous year.

In February 2023, the 2nd Association Council was held, when Ministers discussed how best to increase bilateral trade and investment.


Written Question
Delivery Services: Robots
Thursday 16th November 2023

Asked by: Ben Everitt (Conservative - Milton Keynes North)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress his Department has made on the research that it has funded into the (a) operation and (b) regulation of autonomous pavement robots; what the timetable is for the conclusion of this research; and whether he plans to publish the findings of any research that has already been concluded.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Research to further our understanding of the impacts of self-driving technology in “autonomous pavement robots”, is planned to be undertaken in the next 12 months, and is expected to last 6 to 9 months. The results are due to be published in line with the government research protocols, particularly those relating to commercial confidentiality.