Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many and what proportion of second homes in England are used as holiday homes or weekend homes, in each Council Tax Band.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department does not collect information on the use of second homes that are liable for council tax. However, Table 2 from the 2021 Council Taxbase statistical release provides the number of second homes that are liable for council tax by council tax band. The release can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/council-taxbase-2021-in-england .
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information he holds on the use of Project Bank Accounts by (a) his Department, (b) Government agencies his Department has responsibility for and (c) non-departmental bodies his Department has responsibility for.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
Project Bank Accounts (PBAs) are just one way that government departments support fair payment as part of the Government's Prompt Payment Code.
We do not hold data on PBAs if we have assessed it is not practical, efficient and cost effective to use them on our current construction projects.
Along with all government departments, and as set out in the Construction Playbook, we have committed to use PBAs on our construction projects unless there are compelling reasons not to.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of (a) private (b) social renters in rent arrears during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Data from the English Housing Survey (EHS) Household Resilience Study for June-July 2020 details rental arrears during the pandemic. It says that 7% of private rented households and 11% of social rented households were in rent arrears in June/July. The English Housing Survey Headline Report 2019-20 details rent arrears in the year before pandemic, finding that 3% of private renters and 11% of social renters were in arrears at time of survey.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of (i) private and (ii) social renters who are at risk of eviction in 2021 as a result of rent arrears accrued during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Data from the English Housing Survey (EHS) Household Resilience Study for June-July 2020 shows that 7% of private rented households and 11% of social rented households were in rent arrears in June/July. The Department does not hold data to estimate the number or proportion of renters who are at risk of eviction in 2021 as a result of those arrears.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the provision of public health grants for 2021-22.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Department of Health and Social Care distributes the public health grant annually to local authorities in England. MHCLG Ministers and officials regularly engage with counterparts in DHSC, Treasury and local authorities on matters relating to local authorities’ finances.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people with dementia claimed the severe mental impairment council tax discount in (a) 2018, (b) 2017, (c) 2016, (d) 2015 and (e) 2014.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
We do not collect information on the number of people claiming discounts. However, the number of dwellings benefiting from council tax exemptions under Class U (‘persons with a severe mental impairment’) between 2009 to 2018 are set out in table 5 of the publication: ‘Council Taxbase in England’.
This can be found at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/758952/Table_5_2018_rev.xlsx
The number of people with dementia claiming the exemption is not available since the information collected is not broken down by impairment.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people claimed the severe mental impairment council tax discount in (a) 2018, (b) 2017, (c) 2016, (d) 2015 and (e) 2014.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
We do not collect information on the number of people claiming discounts. However, the number of dwellings benefiting from council tax exemptions under Class U (‘persons with a severe mental impairment’) between 2009 to 2018 are set out in table 5 of the publication: ‘Council Taxbase in England’.
This can be found at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/758952/Table_5_2018_rev.xlsx
The number of people with dementia claiming the exemption is not available since the information collected is not broken down by impairment.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Government response to the Disqualification criteria for councillors and mayors consultation, published in October 2018, when he plans to bring forward legislation to ensure that a person subject to (a) an anti-social behaviour injunction, (b) a Criminal Behaviour Order, (c) a Sexual Risk Order or (d) who is on the Sex Offenders’ Register will be disqualified from standing for elected office.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
The Government is currently seeking a suitable legislative opportunity to amend the disqualification criteria for councillors and mayors.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to respond to the letters of 20 October and 30 November 2016 and the email of 12 January 2017 from the hon. Member for Oldham East and Saddleworth on sitting councillors and child sex offences.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
A response was sent to the hon Member for Oldham East and Saddleworth today.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the implications for his policies are of the effect of the Localism Act 2011 on the discretion of parish councils and local authorities in disqualifying councillors convicted of child sex offences whose punishment is lower than the three month suspended or custodial sentence threshold for disqualification.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
Further to my answer to the hon Member on 29 February (PQ28306), our review of the legislation on the disqualification of local authority members, legislation in the Local Government Act 1972, will consider whether the provisions of the Localism Act 2011 have any implications for any new legislative rules on disqualification.