Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what planning protections are in place to prevent inappropriate road developments in areas of outstanding natural beauty.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government recognises that it is important to strike a balance between enabling development and growth whilst continuing to protect and enhance the natural environment. The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that when producing plans and development proposals, the environmental impacts of traffic and transport infrastructure, including road developments, should be identified, assessed and taken into account. This should include taking appropriate opportunities to avoid and mitigate any adverse effects.
The Framework also sets out that great weight should be given to conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty in National Parks, the Broads and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which have the highest status of protection in relation to these issues.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to increase local authority funding for substance misuse services as a result of changes in the cost of prescribing buprenorphine.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
The Department of Health and Social Care has provided £16 billion to local authorities over five years for public health services, including for alcohol and drug treatment, and there are currently no plans to increase this funding further.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the financial effect on substance misuse services of the changes in the cost of prescribing buprenorphine.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
The Secretary of State has not met the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to discuss the prescribing of buprenorphine. Funding to local authorities for public health is provided by the Department of Health and Social Care.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to introduce penalties for local planning authorities that fail to introduce a five-year land supply.
Answered by Dominic Raab
In order to build the homes this country needs it is vital that local authorities produce a plan, in consultation with their local communities, for the homes that are needed in their area.
The National Planning Policy Framework introduced the presumption in favour of sustainable development, which applies where a local authority cannot demonstrate a five year land supply. This has been effective in bringing forward more land for housing but has been a blunt tool.
The Housing White Paper included proposals to continue this policy while offering more certainty to those authorities who are identifying enough land for housing. Subject to consultation, this will be taken forward through the revised National Planning Policy Framework, which will be published for consultation before Easter.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 18 April 2017 to Question 69471, what plans he has to facilitate the merger of Waveney and Suffolk Coastal district councils to form a new East Suffolk Authority.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
If having considered all relevant information and representations, as explained in the answer of 18 April 2017, we reach a final decision in favour of the merger, we will seek Parliamentary approval to the necessary secondary legislation to effect that merger. If Parliament approves the legislation, it will be for the councils concerned to implement the merger. We intend to work with any councils implementing mergers.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to facilitate the merger of Waveney and Suffolk Coastal District Councils to form a new East Suffolk Authority.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
We have received a proposal for a merger from Suffolk Coastal and Waveney district councils, which the Secretary of State will carefully consider together with any representations and supporting evidence before reaching an initial decision as to how he is minded to proceed. He intends to announce this initial decision as soon as practicable, after which there will be a reasonable period for those interested to submit representations, which the Secretary of State will carefully consider before reaching any final decision.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to mitigate the effect of increases in business rates on rural business in the tourism and hospitality industry.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
The Government has put in place a £3.6 billion package of transitional relief to help businesses facing an increase following revaluation. The Budget on 8 March included a further package to support business. £110 million will be available to assist rate payers, including eligible rural businesses losing rural rate relief as a result of revaluation. In addition, the Government is making available a £300 million discretionary relief fund over the next four years to enable local authorities to help individual businesses that are having difficulties paying increased rates bills.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to provide financial assistance to support rural community pubs.
Answered by Andrew Percy
We are providing £1.85 million towards the £3.62 million 'More Than a Pub' Community Pub Business Support Programme which will, over 2016/17 and 2017/18, help local communities to acquire their local pubs. The programme offers wrap-round support including specialist advice, grants and loans.
From 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2016 we provided Pub is The Hub with £270,000 to deliver 80 diversification projects and 100 new community-focussed services and facilities for rural pubs, and from 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2015 provided Plunkett Foundation with £80,000 to support communities to own their local pubs.
This is in addition to wider Government measures supporting pubs including the freeze in beer duty at Budget 2016, which followed cuts in the previous three Budgets, and the scrapping of the beer duty escalator.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2015 to Question 19268, what (a) financial penalties and (b) other mechanisms are available to ensure that all private rented properties have an energy efficiency certificate.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
It is the duty of every local weights and measures authority to enforce the requirements of the Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012, as amended.
The attached table summarises the penalties that may be imposed by the enforcement authority or its authorised officer for breaches of the regulations regarding Energy Performance Certificates through serving a penalty charge notice. These are the financial penalties that are available to ensure that all private rented properties, both domestic and non-domestic, have an energy efficiency certificate.
Private sector landlords cannot serve a section 21 eviction notice on their tenant in respect of a property that was rented out since 1 October 2015 if they failed to provide their tenant with an Energy Performance Certificate at the start of the tenancy.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to require social landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their housing stock.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Department for Communities and Local Government does not provide any specific guidance to private registered providers of social housing on energy efficiency of social housing stock. I would expect private registered providers to look at all opportunities for efficiencies.