Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to regulate (a) ground rent and (b) service charges on residential buildings.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government will act quickly to provide homeowners with greater rights, powers, and protections over their homes by implementing the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, including those designed to increase service charge transparency.
Over the course of this Parliament, the Government will further reform the leasehold system. We will enact the remaining Law Commission recommendations relating to enfranchisement and the Right to Manage, tackle unregulated and unaffordable ground rents, reinvigorate commonhold through a comprehensive new legal framework, and ban the sale of new leasehold flats so commonhold becomes the default tenure.
The Government has made clear it intends to publish draft legislation on leasehold and commonhold reform in this session so that it may be subject to broad consultation and additional parliamentary scrutiny.
We will announce further details in due course.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
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 publish a timeline for enacting the Law Commission’s recommendations on enfranchisement, commonhold and the right to manage.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government will act quickly to provide homeowners with greater rights, powers, and protections over their homes by implementing the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, including those designed to increase service charge transparency.
Over the course of this Parliament, the Government will further reform the leasehold system. We will enact the remaining Law Commission recommendations relating to enfranchisement and the Right to Manage, tackle unregulated and unaffordable ground rents, reinvigorate commonhold through a comprehensive new legal framework, and ban the sale of new leasehold flats so commonhold becomes the default tenure.
The Government has made clear it intends to publish draft legislation on leasehold and commonhold reform in this session so that it may be subject to broad consultation and additional parliamentary scrutiny.
We will announce further details in due course.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her planned timescales are for banning new leasehold flats and ensuring that commonhold is the default tenure.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is committed to bringing the feudal leasehold system to an end.
As part of that commitment, we intend to reinvigorate commonhold through a comprehensive new legal framework and ban the sale of new leasehold flats so commonhold becomes the default tenure.
As set out in the King’s Speech, draft legislation will be published on leasehold and commonhold reform during this session.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 29 February 2024 to Question 15306, which organisations (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have met on reforms to the leasehold system; and whether any of those organisations made representations to his Department requesting that the leasehold system be maintained.
Answered by Lee Rowley
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 15306 on 29 February 2024.
In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what organisations have made representations to his Department requesting that the leasehold system is maintained.
Answered by Lee Rowley
Ministers and officials meet regularly with, and have received correspondence from, a range of stakeholders with different perspectives on Government’s reforms to the leasehold system.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his oral evidence to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee on 22 March 2023, HC 1213, what his estimated timescale is for the appointment of the independent partner who will review the operation of the voter ID scheme; and if he will publish the selection criteria for that appointment.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 180947 on 20 April 2023.
Regarding the review of the introduction of voter identification, I refer to the answer I gave to Question UIN 162192 on 14 March 2023.
It is for Returning Officers and Presiding Officers to ensure that suitable arrangements are in place for checking the identity of disabled and immunocompromised people who are vulnerable to COVID-19. This may include checking identification outside the polling place where appropriate.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his oral evidence to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee on 22 March 2023, HC 1213, when he expects the review of the operation of the voter ID scheme to begin.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 180947 on 20 April 2023.
Regarding the review of the introduction of voter identification, I refer to the answer I gave to Question UIN 162192 on 14 March 2023.
It is for Returning Officers and Presiding Officers to ensure that suitable arrangements are in place for checking the identity of disabled and immunocompromised people who are vulnerable to COVID-19. This may include checking identification outside the polling place where appropriate.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department has taken to provide targeted support to black and minority ethnic voters on new voter ID requirements.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 180947 on 20 April 2023.
Regarding the review of the introduction of voter identification, I refer to the answer I gave to Question UIN 162192 on 14 March 2023.
It is for Returning Officers and Presiding Officers to ensure that suitable arrangements are in place for checking the identity of disabled and immunocompromised people who are vulnerable to COVID-19. This may include checking identification outside the polling place where appropriate.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of voter ID policies on black and minority ethnic voters.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 180947 on 20 April 2023.
Regarding the review of the introduction of voter identification, I refer to the answer I gave to Question UIN 162192 on 14 March 2023.
It is for Returning Officers and Presiding Officers to ensure that suitable arrangements are in place for checking the identity of disabled and immunocompromised people who are vulnerable to COVID-19. This may include checking identification outside the polling place where appropriate.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March to Question 171447 on Voter Authority Certificates: Ethnic Groups, if he will make a statement on collecting data on the declared ethnicity of applicants for Voter Authority Certificates.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
As noted in the response referenced in the question, data on the declared ethnicity of applicants for Voter Authority Certificates is not held centrally.
Research commissioned by the Cabinet Office shows that people in an ethnic minority group were more likely to hold photographic identification than individuals from the White group (99% vs. 98%).