Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much funding from the Shared Prosperity Fund will be allocated to Northern Ireland in 2022-23.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
UK-wide funding for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will ramp up to at least match receipts from EU structural funds, which on average reached around £1.5 billion per year. Spending Review 2021 fulfils this commitment, with the announcement of over £2.6 billion for the UKSPF over the next three years, with funding reaching £1.5 billion in 2024-25.
The Government will publish further details on the Fund in due course.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the timeframe for all energy performance certificate data becoming fully available for Northern Irish (a) homes and (b) businesses.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Department has not made an estimate of the timeframe for all energy performance certificate data becoming fully available for Northern Irish (a) homes and (b) businesses. Energy Performance Certificates are a devolved matter in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
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 ensure that organisations do not experience a lag in funding between the European Social Fund ending and the Shared Prosperity Fund commencing.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund will help to level up and create opportunity across the UK in places most in need, such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities, and for people who face labour market barriers. We are working to ensure that there is a seamless transition from current EU structural funds to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The November 2020 Spending Review set out the main strategic elements of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in the Heads of Terms. We will ramp up funding so that total domestic UK-wide funding will at least match EU receipts reaching around £1.5 billion a year. In addition, the UK Government is providing additional funding in 2021/22 through the UK Community Renewal Fund to help local areas prepare for the launch of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the go live date is of the Shared Prosperity Fund.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund will help to level up and create opportunity across the UK in places most in need, such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities, and for people who face labour market barriers.
The Government will set out further details of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in a UK-wide investment framework published later this year and the profile will be confirmed at the next Spending Review.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that allocations of funding to Northern Ireland under the UK Shared Prosperity Fund take into account the level of other funding streams to that nation.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund will help to level up and create opportunity across the UK in places most in need, such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities, and for people who face labour market barriers.
We will ramp up funding so that total domestic UK-wide funding will at least match EU receipts reaching around £1.5 billion a year.
The Government will publish a UK-wide investment framework later this year and confirm the funding profile at the next Spending Review.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will provide details of how the devolved administrations will be represented in the governance structures for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will help to level up and create opportunity across the UK in places most in need, such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities, and for people who face labour market barriers.
It will operate UK-wide, using the new financial assistance powers in the UK Internal Market Act 2020. The Government intends to work with the devolved administrations to ensure this new power is used to best effect. We have demonstrated this commitment by confirming that the devolved administrations will have a place within the governance structures for the Fund.
The November 2020 Spending Review set out the main strategic elements of the UKSPF in the Heads of Terms. The Government will publish a UK-wide investment framework later this year and confirm funding profiles at the next Spending Review.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent progress has been made on the Shared Prosperity Fund in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will help to level up and create opportunity across the UK in places most in need, such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities, and for people who face labour market barriers.
It will operate UK-wide, using the new financial assistance powers in the UK Internal Market Act 2020.
The November 2020 Spending Review set out the main strategic elements of the UKSPF in the Heads of Terms. The Government will publish a UK-wide investment framework later this year and confirm the funding profile at the next Spending Review.
In addition, to help local areas prepare over 21/22 for the introduction of the UKSPF, we will provide £220 million additional UK funding through the UK Community Renewal Fund to support our communities to pilot programmes and new approaches.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish additional detailed information on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Government is committed to creating the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to succeed European structural funds and provide vital investment in local economies. The Fund will bind together the whole of the United Kingdom, tackling inequality and deprivation in each of our four nations.
We will set out further details on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund following the Spending Review.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance he is providing to (a) landlords and (b) letting agencies who rent private accommodation to students who will move out of term-time accommodation due to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
We have published guidance for landlords, tenants and local authorities in the context of coronavirus (COVID-19) which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-and-renting-guidance-for-landlords-tenants-and-local-authorities. Landlords or letting agencies who rent private accommodation to students must continue to comply with existing legislation including, in the case of some shared accommodation, specific Houses in Multiple Occupation licensing rules. (See here: https://www.gov.uk/house-in-multiple-occupation-licence.)
During this period, landlord, letting agency and tenant obligations have not changed and tenants remain liable for rent. Some universities and private accommodation providers have chosen to release students from their contracts early and not charge rent for students returning home. However, in the case of private landlords and letting agencies, the negotiation of rent waivers with student tenants is a matter between the parties concerned. We encourage landlords, letting agencies and tenants to adopt a pragmatic, common-sense approach to issues that may arise in the current circumstances.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support private renters that cannot pay their rent as a result of being unemployed or receiving Statutory Sick Pay or other social security benefits due to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
On 18 March, we announced a radical package of measures to protect renters and landlords affected by coronavirus. Emergency legislation has been brought forward as an urgent priority so that landlords will not be able to start proceedings to evict tenants for at least a three-month period. As a result of these measures, no renter in private or social accommodation needs to be concerned about the threat of eviction during this time.
Tenants will continue to be liable for their rent, and those tenants who can afford to pay should continue to do so. The Government also announced unprecedented measures to support workers to stay in work during this period by paying up to 80 per cent of their wages, increasing the amount available to welfare claimants and raising the Local Housing Allowance rate to the 30th percentile, supporting tenants who may have already been struggling with their rent. These significant financial measures will help to support tenants to continue to pay their living costs, including rental payments.