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Written Question
Cultural Heritage: Environment Protection
Monday 12th February 2024

Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)

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 ensuring greater protection to landscapes with a distinct literary (a) heritage and (b) value in planning policy.

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

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out that planning policies and decisions should recognise the character and beauty of the countryside, and local authorities are expected to protect heritage assets which can include landscape and setting of listed buildings.

Substantial harm to, or loss of, the significance of designated heritage assets of the highest significance – including World Heritage Sites – should be wholly exceptional. A notable example of protected landscape is the Lake District, inscribed as a World Heritage Site for its rich cultural landscape in recognition of its importance to Wordsworth.


Written Question
Constituencies
Wednesday 13th December 2023

Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, for what reason the draft Order giving effect to the new parliamentary constituency boundaries was not submitted to the Privy Council within four months.

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

I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 754 on 13 November 2023.


Written Question
Regional Planning and Development: Wales
Tuesday 17th October 2023

Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)

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 implications for his policies of the recommendations set out in the Welsh Parliament Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee's report entitled Post-EU regional development funding, published in September 2023.

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

Transparency information on meetings with the devolved administrations, which cover a range of issues, is published as part of the Intergovernmental relations quarterly reports. These are available here.

Whilst DLUHC ministers are formally accountable to UK Parliament, we have engaged with the Senedd's scrutiny of the Government's vision for Levelling Up in Wales, including by responding formally to recommendations made by the Finance Committee in October 2022.

My department is considering the most recent recommendations made by the Senedd's Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs committee and will respond in due course.

To support local authorities in developing proposals for the Levelling Up Fund, my department provided every local authority in Wales with a £125,000 capacity funding payment.

The vast majority of Levelling Up funding in Wales has been distributed via an allocative model, including the £585 million of investment to Wales via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

In the Secretary of State's speech to the Local Government Association conference in July 2023, where he announced the Government's funding simplification plan, he explained that we will change how government provides local growth funding to local authorities. From next year, all departments will need to consider whether they can use existing funds to deliver new money, or can use an allocation methodology to distribute it rather than launching another new competition.


Written Question
Levelling Up Fund: Wales
Tuesday 17th October 2023

Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)

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 impact of the bidding process for levelling up funding on local authority resources in Wales.

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

Transparency information on meetings with the devolved administrations, which cover a range of issues, is published as part of the Intergovernmental relations quarterly reports. These are available here.

Whilst DLUHC ministers are formally accountable to UK Parliament, we have engaged with the Senedd's scrutiny of the Government's vision for Levelling Up in Wales, including by responding formally to recommendations made by the Finance Committee in October 2022.

My department is considering the most recent recommendations made by the Senedd's Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs committee and will respond in due course.

To support local authorities in developing proposals for the Levelling Up Fund, my department provided every local authority in Wales with a £125,000 capacity funding payment.

The vast majority of Levelling Up funding in Wales has been distributed via an allocative model, including the £585 million of investment to Wales via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

In the Secretary of State's speech to the Local Government Association conference in July 2023, where he announced the Government's funding simplification plan, he explained that we will change how government provides local growth funding to local authorities. From next year, all departments will need to consider whether they can use existing funds to deliver new money, or can use an allocation methodology to distribute it rather than launching another new competition.


Written Question
Regional Planning and Development: Wales
Tuesday 17th October 2023

Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Welsh Government on the distribution of (a) the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and (b) levelling-up funds to promote regional development in Wales.

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

Transparency information on meetings with the devolved administrations, which cover a range of issues, is published as part of the Intergovernmental relations quarterly reports. These are available here.

Whilst DLUHC ministers are formally accountable to UK Parliament, we have engaged with the Senedd's scrutiny of the Government's vision for Levelling Up in Wales, including by responding formally to recommendations made by the Finance Committee in October 2022.

My department is considering the most recent recommendations made by the Senedd's Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs committee and will respond in due course.

To support local authorities in developing proposals for the Levelling Up Fund, my department provided every local authority in Wales with a £125,000 capacity funding payment.

The vast majority of Levelling Up funding in Wales has been distributed via an allocative model, including the £585 million of investment to Wales via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

In the Secretary of State's speech to the Local Government Association conference in July 2023, where he announced the Government's funding simplification plan, he explained that we will change how government provides local growth funding to local authorities. From next year, all departments will need to consider whether they can use existing funds to deliver new money, or can use an allocation methodology to distribute it rather than launching another new competition.


Written Question
Parking: Fines
Monday 3rd July 2023

Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2023 to Question 155257 on Parking: Fines, what his Department's planned timescales are for the completion of the impact assessment and consultation.

Answered by Dehenna Davison

Announcements will be made in the usual way.


Written Question
Housing: Construction
Tuesday 27th June 2023

Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) adopting a transitional approach to implementing its Future Homes Standard and (b) allowing developments that receive planning permission by 2025 to build under earlier standards.

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

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 180076 on 24 April 2023.


Written Question
Housing: Construction
Tuesday 27th June 2023

Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Future Homes Standard; and what his planned timeline is for implementing that Standard on new house build completions from 2025.

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

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 180076 on 24 April 2023.


Written Question
Housing: Construction
Tuesday 27th June 2023

Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department expects to publish the (a) technical consultation and (b) draft impact assessment for the Future Homes Standard.

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

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 180076 on 24 April 2023.


Written Question
Public Bodies: Wales
Tuesday 27th June 2023

Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)

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 effect of the provisions in the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill on (a) the Welsh Government, (b) Welsh Government funded public bodies and (c) Welsh local authorities and their freedom to not procure goods originating from Israeli settlements deemed to be illegal under international law.

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

The bill is designed to implement the Government’s manifesto commitment to "ban public bodies from imposing their own direct or indirect boycotts, disinvestment or sanctions campaigns against foreign countries”. As such, and to ensure a consistent foreign policy approach across the UK, the Bill applies to public bodies across the whole of the UK and therefore the Welsh Government, Welsh public bodies, and Welsh local authorities will be subject to the ban. Accordingly, we are seeking a legislative consent motion to apply the ban to Ministers of the Welsh Government.

The Government’s position on the settlements in the ‘Occupied Palestinian Territories’ and indeed the Middle East Peace Process more generally is unchanged.