Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Healey and Helen Goodman

Monday 22nd July 2019 Commons Chamber

[John Healey (Wentworth and Dearne) (Lab)]

This session may be the swan song of the Secretary of State and his team. We certainly hope not, and we wish them all well in the Tory turmoil to come.

[Helen Goodman]

But not too well.

[John Healey]

Indeed.

The CMA’s inquiry is certainly welcome, but it is action by Ministers that homebuyers ripped off in the leasehold system need most. The Secretary of State’s predecessor said in 2017 that the Government would stop new leasehold houses, but nearly 3,500 were sold last year. The Secretary of State himself said a year ago that he would end the use of Help to Buy for new leasehold houses, but he had to admit to me afterwards that that will not happen until 2021.

As the Secretary of State reflects on his time in this job, will he concede that any Government action has been too slow and too weak and has totally overlooked the needs of current leaseholders locked into unfair contracts?

Housing

Debate between John Healey and Helen Goodman

Tuesday 15th December 2015 Commons Chamber

[John Healey]

The hon. Lady raises an interesting point. If she looks at the Homes and Communities Agency data, they will confirm—as my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield South East (Mr Betts), a member of the Select Committee, said at DCLG questions yesterday—that more than eight in 10 of the social homes and council homes built under the hon. Lady’s Government over the last five years were started and funded under the Labour programme.

[Helen Goodman (Bishop Auckland) (Lab)]

Before my right hon. Friend moves on from the point about speculation, is he aware that the largest amount of foreign money coming into the London property market is from Russia and the average price Russians pay is £6.3 million?

[John Healey]

That detail had escaped me, but I am very grateful to my hon. Friend for mentioning it.