Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November to Question 93503 on Government Departments: Devolution, whether the Concordat on Statistics between the UK Government and devolved Administrations covers the sharing of details of the recipients of DWP benefits with the Welsh Government and Welsh Local Authorities.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Concordat on Statistics sets out a framework for statistical co-operation between the UK Government and devolved administrations in relation to the production of statistics for and within the UK, statistical standards and the statistics profession.
The Department for Work and Pensions engages with Welsh Government and Welsh local authorities on statistical data sharing initiatives where there is a legal power to do so and the appropriate data sharing governance (agreements) have been put in place.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has had with the devolved Administrations on data sharing arrangements between government Departments and those administrations.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government aims to improve data sharing and comparability of data across different parts of the United Kingdom and therefore works closely with the UK Statistics Authority to promote efficient data sharing arrangements, in line with the Concordat on Statistics. The Concordat, which was signed in 2016 and refreshed in October 2021 sets out a framework for statistical co-operation between the UK Government and devolved administrations. The UK Statistics Authority regularly meets with the devolved administrations to uphold the Concordat, working together to improve data linking and sharing.
UK Government Departments and devolved administrations also engage on the National Data Strategy, which sets out our ambitions to transform the way data is collected, managed, used and shared across government and across the UK.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on potential merits of enabling English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish citizens to record their nationality as such when registering to vote.
Answered by Paul Scully
Eligibility to register to vote in most elections in the UK rests on several criteria, including nationality. As British nationality encapsulates all four nations in the UK there is no specific need to record further information for the purposes of electoral registration. As such, no discussions on this subject have taken place.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what representations he has received from the Welsh Government on reforming Energy Performance Certificates.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
We have not received representations from the Welsh Government on reforming Energy Performance Certificates at this time, although officials in my Department have engaged with officials from the Wales government in terms of identifying how we might make useful future amendments to the Regulations.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of strengthening consumer protections for the owners of new build properties.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Government is committed to strengthening consumer protection for the owners of new build homes. The Government is bringing forward provision for a New Homes Ombudsman scheme in the Building Safety Bill, which will improve homebuyer protection and redress. The Bill includes provision to require developers to become members of the ombudsman scheme, which will provide dispute resolution to homebuyers with complaints about their developer, and for a developers' code of practice about the standards of conduct and standards or quality of work expected of members of the scheme.
Housing is a devolved matter and the provisions are for England. We are in discussions with the devolved administrations about the New Homes Ombudsman provisions, and they are considering how this policy might be taken forward in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the delivery date for the first round of the (a) Levelling Up Fund and (b) Community Renewal Fund.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
In the first round of the Levelling Up Fund, we will prioritise projects which are able to demonstrate investment or begin delivery on the ground in the 2021-22 financial year. We would expect all funding provided from the Fund to be spent by 31 March 2024, and, exceptionally, into 2024-25 for larger schemes.
I understand that lead local authorities and applicants are eager to hear investment decisions and begin delivery of UK Community Renewal Fund projects. We have received a fantastic response to the launch of the Community Renewal Fund, along with the Levelling Up Fund. Given the significant level of interest, officials are continuing to assess Community Renewal Fund bids in line with the published assessment process.
Officials will shortly provide further guidance to enable lead local authorities to plan for the delivery phase of the Community Renewal Fund. This guidance will include confirmation of the timeline for project delivery, grant funding agreements and publication of the monitoring and evaluation framework. This combined with direct local support provided by the Cities and Local Growth Unit, will I hope alleviate any challenges faced by successful projects.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received from the Welsh Government following the determination of priority places under the Community Renewal Fund.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The UK Government is providing an additional £220 million funding through the UK Community Renewal Fund to help local areas prepare for the launch of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2022. The UK Government regularly engages with a wide range of stakeholders as part of its ongoing work, including with our counterparts in the Welsh Government.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
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 Welsh Government on the determination of priority places under the Community Renewal Fund.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The UK Government is providing an additional £220 million funding through the UK Community Renewal Fund to help local areas prepare for the launch of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2022. The UK Government regularly engages with a wide range of stakeholders as part of its ongoing work, including with our counterparts in the Welsh Government.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
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 Covid-19 Response, Spring 2021 roadmap, published on 22 February 2021, when Welsh language chapels in England will be able to host gatherings for the singing of hymns, cymanfa ganu.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
Places of Worship have remained open for communal worship throughout the current Covid-19 restrictions. Singing during this period has been limited to one person, exceptionally three to minimise the risks around aerosol transmission of the virus. From 29 March this guidance will be amended to allow larger numbers to perform, though numbers should still be limited to the minimum necessary and the principles of safe singing must be observed. There are currently no plans to allow communal singing to resume before Step 4 of the roadmap, which would be no earlier than 21 June.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
With reference to the Spending Review 2020, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
At Spending Review, the Government confirmed we will publish a UK-wide investment framework in 2021 for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and will confirm spending profiles at the next Spending Review.
Ahead of this, Government has made clear that it intends to continue to work in partnership with the devolved administrations and local communities. We have demonstrated this commitment by confirming that devolved administrations will have a place within the governance structures for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.