Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2024 to Question 18555 on Asylum: Hotels, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect on the (a) first time buyer and (b) private rental market of housing asylum seekers in rented accommodation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is determined to address the dire inheritance left by its predecessor and restore order to the asylum and immigration systems, delivering lower net migration.
The Home Office has a set of Asylum Accommodation Plans which set out the approach to the procurement and occupancy of Dispersal Accommodation across the UK. They help ensure the Home Office continues to meet its statutory responsibilities to support asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute, while also carefully considering the impact on local areas.
The plans are underpinned by an indexing tool which provides a flexible, transparent evidence-base for the dispersal of the national asylum-seeking population to ensure equity remains at the core.
The factors affecting supply and demand in the private rented sector are complex and difficult to disentangle. As well as demographic change, they include house prices, rent levels, taxation policy, interest rates, and the movement of tenants into homeownership and social rented housing. It is not possible to isolate the specific impact of each of these factors.
The most sustainable long-term method to improve housing affordability and help people into homeownership is to increase the supply of housing. That is why we have committed to deliver 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament as part of our Plan for Change.
The Renters’ Rights Bill will overhaul the experience of private renting in England, providing greater security and stability for tenants.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to review the policy paper entitled Airports National Policy Statement, published on 5 June 2018.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As required by the Planning Act 2008, the Secretary of State will review the Airports National Policy Statement when she considers it appropriate to do so.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to review the air traffic movement cap at Heathrow.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Any proposal for change to the existing planning cap on air traffic movements at Heathrow airport would need to form part of a relevant planning application.
There is currently no live Development Consent Order application from Heathrow Airport.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of expanding Heathrow Airport on the economy.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There is currently no live Development Consent Order application from Heathrow Airport.
The Government would carefully consider any planning application in line with the relevant planning processes.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to provide additional funding to improve public transport networks to Heathrow Airport.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
DfT expects airports, including Heathrow, to work closely with local stakeholders and Government to develop and update their masterplans and surface access strategies every five years.
Improvements to surface access to airports are generally funded by the airports themselves.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate she has made of the number of people impacted by increased noise pollution from proposed expansion at Heathrow.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There is currently no live Development Consent Order from Heathrow Airport.
The Government would carefully consider any application for expansion at Heathrow Airport in line with the relevant planning processes.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has received representations from the Great Britain-China Centre on the new proposed Chinese Embassy in London.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has not received representations from Great Britain-China Centre regarding the Chinese Embassy's planning application. It is not for the FCDO to receive "representations" on this matter. Any representations should have been provided to Tower Hamlets Council or, post call-in, to the planning inspectorate.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether (a) her Department and (b) its agencies has made representations to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the proposed Chinese Embassy at the Royal Mint site in London.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Royal Mint site near the Tower of London was sold by the Crown Estate in 2010 and, as such, there is no residual financial interest to the Exchequer from The Crown Estate.
HM Treasury has not made specific representations to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the proposed Chinese Embassy at the Royal Mint site in London. Information relating to HMT agencies is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answers of 19 December 2024 to Question 20231 and HL3240, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of involvement of the United Front Work Department in the planning process for the called-in Chinese Embassy planning application.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
An appointed Inspector will hold a public inquiry which will hear a range of evidence for and against the proposals, after which a decision will be made by MHCLG ministers. As this case will come before ministers in MHCLG to determine, it would not be appropriate to comment further. Decisions on planning applications are based on material planning considerations.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government has a residual financial interest in the Royal Mint site near the Tower of London.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Royal Mint site near the Tower of London was sold by the Crown Estate in 2010 and, as such, there is no residual financial interest to the Exchequer from The Crown Estate.
HM Treasury has not made specific representations to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the proposed Chinese Embassy at the Royal Mint site in London. Information relating to HMT agencies is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.