Oral Answers to Questions

Liz Twist Excerpts

Monday 28th October 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Minister for Housing and Planning (Matthew Pennycook)]

As the shadow Minister will know from our exchanges in the Renters’ Rights Bill Committee, the Government have absolutely no plans to introduce rent controls in any form.

[Liz Twist (Blaydon and Consett) (Lab)]

T9.   Consett, Blaydon and other towns across the north-east are keen to play their part in growing our local economies, and one of the things that growth comes from is making work pay. In the first 100 days of a Labour Government, the Secretary of State has delivered the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation. Can she update the House on her work in supporting the new deal for working people?

[Angela Rayner]

The new deal for working people is contained in the Employment Rights Bill, which had its Second Reading last week. We will continue to push forward other measures that do not require legislation, but what we hope to see is a new culture between business, trade unions and local communities to ensure that work really does pay.

Oral Answers to Questions

Liz Twist Excerpts

Monday 2nd September 2024 Commons Chamber

[Matthew Pennycook]

The Government have made it clear in that very consultation that we do not intend to change the general purpose or extent of the green belt. We are committed to making changes to ensure that we are releasing the right parts of the green belt to meet housing need. The hon. Lady is more than welcome to submit her own views as part of that consultation.

[Liz Twist (Blaydon and Consett) (Lab)]

Among the many people who are concerned about the safety of buildings—understandably, given recent events—are those who work or live in residential social care homes. Does today’s announcement include higher safety standards, including sprinkler systems in such homes?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Rushanara Ali)]

I completely agree with my hon. Friend that we should ensure that the most vulnerable in society are protected. That is why the Government have today announced an amendment to the statutory fire safety guidance to make provision for sprinkler systems in all new care homes.

Building Homes

Liz Twist Excerpts

Tuesday 30th July 2024 Commons Chamber

[Angela Rayner]

I say to the hon. Gentleman that the number of houses in cities will increase. The new method that we will be using is based on the stock and its affordability, so I ask him to look at the consultation. We will be honest: if there is a particular shortage—many areas have a particular shortage—we have to build homes. We stood on an election manifesto to do that. I do not know whether the hon. Gentleman’s local authority has local plans, but we will engage with it. We do not have the homes that we desperately need. I say to the hon. Gentleman that he should engage with his local authority, get the local plans in place, and work with us to build the houses that his constituents desperately need.

[Liz Twist (Blaydon and Consett) (Lab)]

I thank the Secretary of State for her statement. I particularly welcome the acknowledgment that where there are new developments on green-belt land, it is necessary to have the facilities that go with them. What steps will she take to ensure that local communities can hold developers to account for the protection of our habitat and open spaces when they come forward with plans?

[Angela Rayner]

I thank my hon. Friend for her question. Labour has a “brownfield first” policy, and there are very strict golden rules on the release of grey-belt land. We will support local authorities to make sure that they get the best from section 106 notices and that the golden rules apply. The proposals that we have put in the NPPF will strengthen the release of land, which has been done in a haphazard way in the past. We will also see the affordable homes that people desperately need in their areas, including homes for social rent.