Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when monies will be released to successful bidders for the Community Ownership Fund.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I can confirm that monies are being released to those successful Community Ownership Fund projects that have been announced. Officials will be in touch with projects to ensure that they receive the funding as quickly as possible.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to review the effectiveness of the administration of postal votes during the General Election on 4 July 2024.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Electoral Commission will publish a report on the administration of the General Election held on 4 July later this year, and the Government will give careful consideration to any findings or recommendations made in the report in relation to the current arrangements for postal voting.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to maintain funding from the UK Share Prosperity Fund for projects in Northern Ireland after the funding period ends in March 2025.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My officials are in regular communication with our key stakeholders in Northern Ireland on this issue, as well as with the officials from the Northern Ireland Executive and our UKSPF Partnership Group. We will continue to work closely with our key stakeholders and will use their feedback as we determine our approach going forward.
Decisions regarding funding beyond March 2025 are a matter for the next Spending Review.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much and what proportion of levelling up funding allocated to Northern Ireland has been for projects in Belfast South constituency.
Answered by Jacob Young
Levelling Up funding is not allocated by constituency. In total, Northern Ireland has received £435 million of levelling up funding since 2019. I was delighted to visit the Innovation Factory in Belfast recently and see how the UK Shared Prosperity Fund is benefiting Northern Ireland through projects like Go Succeed.
South Belfast constituency benefits from a share of around £104 million of UKSPF funding for Northern Ireland. This includes, for example, £240,367 for installation of a new path and community garden in the Botanic Gardens.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to replace the Shared Prosperity Fund when that fund comes to an end in March 2025.
Answered by Jacob Young
I have received no formal representations from recipients of UK Shared Prosperity Fund monies in Northern Ireland to date. However, I recognise that UKSPF plays a significant role in supporting important provision across Northern Ireland, and in the normal course of business, my officials are regularly engaging with project deliverers and partners on this issue.
As with all Government funding, decisions regarding the future of UKSPF after the end of the current programme in March 2025 are a matter of the next spending review, so we are currently unable to outline specific plans at this stage. We recognise the need for those delivering UKSPF to have certainty as to its future and are committed to setting out further detail in due course.
My officials are regularly engaging with project leads and partners on this issue.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to maintain funding for projects funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Northern Ireland after March 2025.
Answered by Jacob Young
Funding for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is confirmed for this Spending Review period, until the end of March 2025. As with all government funding, decisions regarding the future of UKSPF are a matter for the next Spending Review.
We nevertheless appreciate the case for certainty. We are committed to setting out further detail at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to establish a consultation on the requirement for guarantors in the private housing rental sector.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government is reforming the private rented sector to make it fairer for tenants and will bring forward legislation as soon as possible.
We strongly encourage landlords and letting agents to assess the suitability of potential and existing tenants on an individual basis.
We recognise that securing a guarantor can be difficult for some tenants. In these cases, local councils may offer guarantee schemes to help people on low incomes or at risk of homelessness. Further advice is available from local council housing teams, Shelter and other specialist advisers.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing funding for Women's Group Projects in Northern Ireland who were unsuccessful bids for the Shared Prosperity Fund.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
My department is committed to addressing economic inactivity in Northern Ireland through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and recognises the particular needs of women in this regard. All funded projects will support economically inactive women.
A number of organisations that have a strong focus on supporting women have been successful either as a lead bidder or a project partner. These include: Women's TEC, Women's Resource Development Agency, Women's Aid, First Steps Women's Centre, Women in Business, Northern Ireland Rural Women's Network, Atlas Women's Centre, Ballybeen Women's Centre, Falls Women's Centre, Footprints Women's Centre, Greenway Women's Centre, Shankill Women's Centre and Windsor Women's Centre.
No further UKSPF funding is expected to be available for unsuccessful bidders.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will publish a list of all projects that applied to Round Two of the Levelling Up Fund.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
I refer the Hon. Member to my answer to Question UIN 129836 on 26 January 2023.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Passivhaus homes on levels of (a) fuel poverty and (b) carbon emissions.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The Government has already committed to introducing a new design standard for the UK, the Future Homes Standard which we intend to consult upon in 2023. Homes built under this standard are intended to see improvements in efficiency and performance compared to most current housing stock which should, in addition, produce cost savings for owners and tenants.