Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much (a) has been spent from and (b) remains in the Building Safety Fund as of 21 November 2024.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As of 31 October 2024 (note this is the department's last published data release) a total of £1.742 billion expenditure has been paid from the Building Safety Fund. The Government has committed £5.1 billion to fund the removal of unsafe cladding.

As of the 31 October 2024, out of a total of 810 eligible Building Safety Fund buildings, 352 (44%) have completed remediation, 166 buildings are on site (20%) are on site and 292 (36%) are yet to commence works.

The Government remains committed to increasing the overall pace of addressing life-safety fire risk defects to ensure that remediation works carried out through the BSF are completed as quickly as possible, whilst minimising the disruption and inconvenience caused by works for those living in affected high-rise buildings. People’s safety will remain paramount.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she expects building remediation works carried out through the Building Safety Fund to be completed.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As of 31 October 2024 (note this is the department's last published data release) a total of £1.742 billion expenditure has been paid from the Building Safety Fund. The Government has committed £5.1 billion to fund the removal of unsafe cladding.

As of the 31 October 2024, out of a total of 810 eligible Building Safety Fund buildings, 352 (44%) have completed remediation, 166 buildings are on site (20%) are on site and 292 (36%) are yet to commence works.

The Government remains committed to increasing the overall pace of addressing life-safety fire risk defects to ensure that remediation works carried out through the BSF are completed as quickly as possible, whilst minimising the disruption and inconvenience caused by works for those living in affected high-rise buildings. People’s safety will remain paramount.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of high rise buildings have sprinklers installed.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The department does not hold information on how many nor what proportion of high-rise buildings have sprinklers installed.

The Building Regulations set out the required performance of new building work. The Regulations are supported by statutory guidance in Approved Documents; Approved Document B ‘Fire Safety’ was updated in May 2020 so that blocks of flats with a top storey more than 11 metres above ground level should be fitted with a sprinkler system. Under Part 4 of the Building Safety Act 2022, accountable persons for higher-risk buildings are required to register the building with the Building Safety Regulator and provide Key Building Information covering all fire and smoke control equipment, including sprinklers. A designated Responsible Person is obliged, under The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, to ensure that existing residential buildings have appropriate fire safety measures.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions her Department has had with (a) cladding and (b) insulation manufacturers on financial contributions to building safety remediation works.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The department is clear that all those responsible for unsafe cladding being used on buildings should take responsibility for paying to remove it.

The Cabinet Office has written to organisations named in the Inquiry, who bear different levels of responsibility for the failings. For those found by the Inquiry to have been part of these horrific failings, this is the first step to stopping them being awarded government contracts.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of consumer protections for new build flats and houses.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government believes the mechanisms of redress for those buying new homes are inadequate. We are therefore working with the devolved governments to implement the statutory UK-wide New Homes Ombudsman (NHO) to investigate and resolve complaints, and will bring forward secondary legislation in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of waiting times for ADHD assessments in Halton.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There is, at present, no single, established dataset that can be used to monitor waiting times for the assessment and diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) nationally, or for individual organisations or geographies in England.  Although the data requested is not held centrally, it may be held locally by individual National Health Service trusts or commissioners.

We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England has established to look at ADHD service provision and its impact on patient experience. The taskforce is bringing together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the NHS, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD, including timely access to services and support.

Alongside the work of the taskforce, NHS England will continue to develop a national ADHD data improvement plan, carry out more detailed work to understand the provider and commissioning landscape, and capture examples from local health systems which are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services, to ensure best practice is captured and shared across the system.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of delays in ADHD assessments on children.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise the importance of early identification and timely diagnosis of neurodevelopmental conditions, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), so that an individual’s needs can be identified sooner, and so that appropriate health, social care, and education interventions, advice, and support can be offered.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available the appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including ADHD services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. This includes support for children and young people whilst waiting for an assessment.

We are supporting an independent cross-sector taskforce that NHS England has established to look at ADHD service provision and its impact on patient experience. The taskforce is bringing together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the National Health Service, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD, including timely access to services and support. The ADHD taskforce will also work closely with the Department for Education’s neurodivergence task and finish group.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help children with Down's syndrome attend mainstream schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

The department is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs, restoring parents’ trust that their child will get the support they need. This includes strengthening accountability for inclusivity, including through Ofsted, and encouraging schools to set up Resourced Provision or special educational needs units to increase capacity in mainstream schools.

High-quality teaching is central to ensuring that all pupils, including those with Down’s Syndrome or other types of SEND, are given the best possible opportunity to achieve. The department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers over the course of this parliament. To support all teachers, the department is implementing a range of teacher training reforms to ensure teachers have the skills to support all pupils to succeed, including those with SEND.

On 1 September 2024, the government introduced a new mandatory leadership level qualification for special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs). The qualification will play a key role in improving outcomes for pupils with SEND, including Down’s Syndrome, by ensuring SENCOs consistently receive high-quality, evidence-based training on how best to support children with SEND.

This government is also providing almost £1 billion more for high needs budgets in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with SEND.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support teachers of pupils with Down's syndrome in mainstream schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

The department is committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs, restoring parents’ trust that their child will get the support they need. This includes strengthening accountability for inclusivity, including through Ofsted, and encouraging schools to set up Resourced Provision or special educational needs units to increase capacity in mainstream schools.

High-quality teaching is central to ensuring that all pupils, including those with Down’s Syndrome or other types of SEND, are given the best possible opportunity to achieve. The department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers over the course of this parliament. To support all teachers, the department is implementing a range of teacher training reforms to ensure teachers have the skills to support all pupils to succeed, including those with SEND.

On 1 September 2024, the government introduced a new mandatory leadership level qualification for special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs). The qualification will play a key role in improving outcomes for pupils with SEND, including Down’s Syndrome, by ensuring SENCOs consistently receive high-quality, evidence-based training on how best to support children with SEND.

This government is also providing almost £1 billion more for high needs budgets in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with SEND.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the uptake of Pension Credit since the Winter Fuel Allowance reforms became live (a) nationally, (b) in the North West and (c) in Runcorn and Helsby constituency.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The latest available take-up estimates for Income-related benefits is available on Gov.uk: Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up - GOV.UK and covers the financial year 2022/2023.

Data on how many Pension Credit applications made between 1 April 2024 and 22 September 2024 was recently published on gov.uk, Weekly Pension Credit claims received from 1 April 2024 to 22 September 2024 - GOV.UK.

On 28 October 2024, The Department announced updated Pension Credit applications and award statistics will be published on 28 November 2024. This publication will provide application volumes up to 17 November 2024.

Please note, we do not currently hold this information at Regional or Constituency level.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support people in receipt of Local Housing Allowance with housing costs.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In April 2024, Local Housing Allowance (LHA) increased to the 30^th percentile of local market rents for one year at a cost of £7bn over 5 years.

For those in receipt of LHA who need further support with housing costs, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities. DHPs can be paid to those entitled to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit and can be used to support with a rent deposit, rent in advance, a shortfall in rent, and other associated costs with housing need such as moving costs.

We also appreciate the importance of increasing availability of affordable housing. The Government will publish a Long-Term Housing Strategy in the Spring which will set out a plan to reform the housing market so that it works better for communities, to build 1.5m high-quality homes, and delivers the biggest increase in affordable housing for a generation.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of leasehold fees on the (a) mental health and (b) finances of leaseholders.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government recognises that far too many leaseholders are struggling with punitive and escalating ground rents; unjustified permissions and administration fees; unreasonable or extortionate charges; and onerous conditions imposed with little or no consultation.

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244), we have a clear plan to implement those reforms to the leasehold system already in statute and to progress the wider set of reforms necessary to finally bring the feudal leasehold system to an end.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will publish a timetable for (a) the consultation period and (b) the publication date for the cross-government strategy on homelessness; and what steps she will take to ensure it involves people with lived experience,

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Deputy Prime Minister is leading cross-government work to deliver the long-term solutions we need to get us back on track to ending all forms of homelessness. This includes chairing a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, bringing together ministers from across government to develop a long-term strategy.

We have also established an Expert Group to bring together representatives from across the homelessness and rough sleeping sector, local and combined authorities and wider experts to help Government understand what is working well nationally and locally and where improvements are needed.

We will engage with those with lived experience through a lived experience forum to ensure their voices are reflected in the homelessness strategy.

We expect to publish the strategy following the conclusion of Phase 2 of the Spending Review in late spring.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to support veterans in Runcorn and Helsby constituency.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

This is a Government of service that will always stand up for those who serve our country, no matter which community they are based in. I am working across government and with civil society to ensure veterans, including those in Runcorn and Helsby, and throughout the North West of England, get access to the health, housing, employment and other support they need.

A range of support is in place for veterans. In England Op RESTORE provides specialist care to veterans who have physical health problems, and Op COURAGE, a mental health specialist service helps veterans and their families.

Housing support is available across the United Kingdom via Op FORTITUDE, a single referral pathway to connect veterans with help and support. This system provides housing guidance and assistance to veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness. As of 24 November 2024, over 2,850 referrals have been made and nearly 816 veterans have been supported into housing.

The Prime Minister announced the continuation of funding for the cross-UK Reducing Veterans Homelessness Programme and Op FORTITUDE. This is in addition to his commitment earlier in the year that veterans will be exempt from local connection and residency tests when applying for social housing in England.

Veterans can also access a range of tailored employment support, including the Career Transition Partnership, which is the initial point of provision for those leaving military service in search of new job opportunities.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the number of pregnant dogs illegally smuggled into the UK in the last three years.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

By its very nature, robust data on the full extent of illegal pet smuggling is not readily available. Therefore, the number of pregnant dogs illegally smuggled into the UK is difficult to quantify accurately.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to (a) support and (b) reduce the number of young people aged 16 - 20 not in employment, education or training.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The ‘Get Britain Working’ White Paper sets out this government’s plan to Get Britain Working and includes a new Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Education led Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21.

Our approach to the Youth Guarantee is to help all young people earn or learn. We will work in partnership with organisations at the national and local level to offer exciting and engaging opportunities to young people. This could include apprenticeships, work experience, training courses or employability programmes.

We will act to prevent young people losing touch with education or employment before the age of 18, with a guaranteed place in education and training for all 16 and 17-year-olds, an expansion of work experience and careers advice, action to tackle school attendance, and steps to improve access to mental health services for young people.

Work is underway on the design and delivery of the new Youth Guarantee. Starting in spring 2025, eight mayoral authorities in England will pilot the Youth Guarantee trailblazers.

The Youth Guarantee will work alongside and complement the services offered to young people through a more seamless offer that provides young people a clear pathway to transition from education into employment.

Young people will continue to have access to the current core national offer and entitlements for employment support for people aged 16-24. This includes a mix of national and localised initiatives and provisions designed to improve skills, employability, and access to job opportunities.

Key elements include: the DWP Youth Offer, Apprenticeships, Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes, the National Careers Service, Skills Bootcamps, and the Flexible Support Fund.

Opportunities for all young people will be expanded by transforming the Apprenticeship Levy into a more flexible Growth and Skills Levy. As a first step, we will create new foundation and shorter apprenticeship opportunities for young people in key sectors.

These programs collectively provide young people with pathways to employment, focusing on addressing local labour market needs and individual barriers to work.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2024 to Question 7943 on State Retirement Pensions: Women, what her planned timeframe is for considering the views that have been expressed.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

We have made it clear that we are actively considering this complex matter and aim to resolve it as soon as possible.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to prevent (a) freeholders and (b) managing agents from levying (i) high and (ii) non-transparent service charges on leaseholders.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of a ten year housing strategy.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 30 July 2024 (HCWS48), where the Deputy Prime Minister announced that we will publish a long-term housing strategy.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will remove the requirement for waking watches to be in place before funding is granted for the installation of a common fire alarm system in buildings where there is a simultaneous evacuation policy.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Waking Watch Replacement Fund (WWRF) covers the costs of installing a common fire alarm to replace expensive waking watch measures in all eligible residential buildings. A waking watch must be in place for a building to be eligible for funding. The eligibility criteria for the WWRF reflects how fire safety risks should be managed by the Responsible Person as part of their duties under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and in accordance with sector led guidance published by the National Fire Chiefs Council. SEG_-_4th_Edition_-_FINAL_17082022.pdf

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of appointing a homelessness champion to lead cross-departmental work on homelessness.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government recognises that homelessness levels are far too high, and this can have a devastating impact on those affected. We will look at these issues carefully, including issues around hidden homelessness, to make sure we put in place services that meet people’s needs.

The Deputy Prime Minister is leading cross-government work to deliver the long-term solutions we need to get us back on track to ending all forms of homelessness. This includes chairing a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, bringing together ministers from across government to develop a long-term strategy. We have also established an Expert Group to bring together representatives from across the homelessness and rough sleeping sector, local and combined authorities and wider experts. We have no plans to appoint an external champion.

We recognise England is in an acute housing crisis and there is insufficient social housing to meet demand. This Government will deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation, and has already set out a number of steps: Housing targets increased to get Britain building again - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Local authorities have the freedom to manage their own social housing waiting lists, so they can decide who should qualify for social housing in their area and develop solutions that make best use of the social housing stock.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her timetable is for implementing a devolution deal for Cheshire and Warrington.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Minister for Local Government and English Devolution met with Leaders from Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, and Warrington Councils on 3 September to discuss next steps for devolution in the area.

The government will continue to work closely with the area to agree a way forward to deliver an ambitious devolution agreement for Cheshire and Warrington.

This government believes that the benefits of devolution are best achieved through the establishment of combined authorities supported by a mayor with a strategic role across a wider geography, working closely with council leaders.

The English Devolution White Paper will set an ambitious new framework for English devolution, moving power out of Westminster and back to those who know their areas best.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of a default nationwide Housing First model.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The previous government commissioned an evaluation of the Housing First pilots that were launched in 2018 in the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region. All six reports have now been published, with the final report published in October 2024, and can be found here.

This Government is currently developing a new cross government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to get us back on track to ending homelessness once and for all.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what (a) capital and (b) revenue funding her Department provides for local authority leisure centres.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government encourages local leaders to prioritise access to sport and physical activity wherever possible. Local Authorities are responsible for decisions regarding sport and leisure provision in their area. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not provide capital or revenue funding for local authority leisure centres.

This Government recognises that grassroots facilities are at the heart of communities up and down the country and is acting to support more people to get active wherever they live through the delivery of the £123 million Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme in 2024/25.

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 14 October 2024 to Question 6436 on Housing: Construction, whether her Department is (a) monitoring and (b) reporting on the number of residential buildings requiring fire safety remediation that were built with (i) timber-frame and (ii) other modern methods of construction.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The department reports on the remediation progress of 11m+ residential buildings with unsafe external wall systems but does not routinely collect data on the structural archetypes of those buildings.

The Building Safety Regulator is responsible for monitoring risk in the built environment and advising government on any action required, in line with their duty under the Building Safety Act to keep the safety and standards of buildings under review.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of improving bus services on social isolation.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The government knows a modern transport network is vital to preventing social isolation and providing access to services. That is why the government has committed to improving bus services to ensure they meet the needs of the communities who rely on them. As announced in the King’s Speech, the government will introduce the Buses Bill to put the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England.

In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an estimate of (a) the average mileage of buses and (b) bus passenger numbers in the last (i) 12 months, (ii) two years, (iii) five years and (iv) 10 years.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The number of vehicle miles and passenger journeys on local bus services is available in the Annual Bus Statistics. In the table below we have calculated the average annual vehicle miles and passenger journeys on local bus services in England for the past year, past two year, past five year and past ten year periods, where the past year is the year ending March 2024.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the number of people living in leasehold properties with un-remediated fire safety issues.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government has committed to review how to better protect leaseholders from costs and take steps to accelerate the pace of remediation across the country. We will complete an assessment of any changes proposed on the market for leasehold properties and wider economic impacts, as was undertaken for previous reforms such as the Building Safety Act and Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act.

The department is monitoring an estimated 260,000 dwellings with unsafe cladding in occupied residential buildings 11m+ tall in the private and social housing sectors. Of these an estimated 89,000 dwellings are in buildings that have completed remediation, and an estimated 55,000 additional dwellings are in buildings that have started remediation. An estimated 116,000 dwellings are in buildings that have not started remediation.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Report: Phase 2 report, published on 4 September 2024, if she will take steps to ensure that fire safety is prioritised in all (a) housing and (b) planning policy.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government’s priority remains ensuring that residents living in buildings with unsafe cladding are safe in their homes, now and in the future. We are committed to the highest levels of building safety, and the safety and standards of construction are kept under review. There have been important reforms since 2017 but there is more to do.

Government has an obligation to carefully consider the findings and recommendations from the Grenfell Inquiry Report. A full response to the report recommendations will be made within 6 months.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure local government settlements take due account of levels of social deprivation.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is taking immediate action to begin addressing the significant challenges facing local government by ensuring that funding goes to the places that need it most in 2025-26.

We are directing funding towards areas with greater need and demand for services (we have used deprivation as a proxy for this), and less ability to raise income locally, through the new £600 million Recovery Grant.

This will start to correct the unfairness of the current system by putting councils in the areas with greater need and demand for services on a more stable footing. This grant marks the first meaningful step towards preparing for reform that has been taken in over a decade.

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 18 September 2024 to Question 5131 on Buildings: Insulation, how buildings are selected for Departmental visits; what support is provided to residents following those visits; and how long resident engagement continues for after those visits.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government is committed to understanding the experiences of residents to ensure that those affected are at the heart of the building safety agenda, and necessary steps are taken to mitigate the impact of remediation. Government officials have been conducting regular building visits to engage with residents and better understand their experiences.

The selection has been based on buildings within the Building Safety Fund that are at various stages of remediation: pre-remediation, during remediation and post-remediation. They are geographically spread throughout England so that a comprehensive understanding of resident experience of remediation is gathered. The intention is to extend this program of visits to other remediation programs.

Residents are supported throughout the visits to identify a suitable pathway for resolving remediation issues. Any issues raised are reviewed with the relevant delivery partners (GLA/Homes England), and progress is regularly monitored internally. Specific themes that are raised are escalated within the department.

The department offers various opportunities for residents to engage, including resident forums and our newly launched online feedback form, allowing residents to share their experiences and the impact remediation has on their lives.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the (a) resources and (b) powers of the Building Safety Regulator to complete remediation of high rise buildings in England promptly.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has powers set out within the Building Safety Act 2022 to facilitate building safety in higher-risk buildings (7 storeys or 18m+) as the government authority on building safety and standards. Since March 2024, all higher-risk buildings require a safety case report setting out how a building's safety risks are managed, which helps to identify remediation work that needs to be undertaken. If the BSR is satisfied that the risks are being managed to the defined standards, they will issue a Building Assessment Certificate (BAC). There is regular, established governance in place to ensure BSR is discharging its duties and MHCLG continue to review such arrangements to ensure they are fit for purpose.

MHCLG continue to assess BSR funding through the ongoing Spending Review, to ensure that the most significant changes to building safety in a generation can be delivered on the ground.

Accelerating the pace of remediation remains a key priority for this government. The department has developed new Remediation Enforcement Guidance for Regulators, due to be published in the coming weeks. The purpose of this guidance is to support and empower regulators, including the BSR, to carry out more regulatory work and to ensure that building owners fulfil their duties to fix their unsafe buildings.

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 13 September 2024 to Question 4416 on High Rise Flats: Insulation, how many additional buildings have registered with the Cladding Safety Scheme as a result of the use of (a) specialist data sources and (b) AI technology tools this year.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Homes England is currently prioritising a review of Ordnance Survey data to help identify residential buildings over 11m in need of remediation. Records are checked by Homes England for height eligibility and the potential presence of unsafe cladding. When a building is identified as potentially being eligible for the Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS), Homes England writes to the responsible entity inviting them to apply.

Since starting this work in August this year, over 29,000 records have been examined. This has resulted in the owners of 976 buildings being invited to apply for the CSS.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential flood risks to (a) Runcorn and Helsby constituency and (b) the North West.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Flood and coastal risk management investment takes place where the risk is highest, wherever it is across the country.

The Environment Agency (EA) publishes the National Flood Risk Assessment (NaFRA), an assessment of flood risk from rivers and the sea for all areas of England and Wales, produced using local data and expertise. It shows the probability of flooding from rivers and the sea, considering flood defences and the condition they are in. This information is presented in flood risk likelihood categories.

The northwest of England (the Environment Agency areas of Cumbria and Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire) benefited from £97 million of investment between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024 from the current Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) programme, resulting in 3270 properties being better protected from the risk of flooding.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Government will set a timeline for introducing central electronic registers for all public bodies; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of making these registers public.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The most recent Public Bodies Directory, which contains the details of every administratively classified arms length body, can be found on gov.uk. An updated version will be published in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce the time taken for patients to be fitted with prosthetics.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to putting patients first. This means making sure that patients are seen on time, and ensuring that people have the best possible experience during their care, including patients awaiting a prosthetic fitting.

Following amputation, patients are referred to their local prosthetic centre for a limb fitting assessment and ongoing care. As part of the patients' assessment, a clinical judgement will be made to ensure the wound is healed in advance of a prosthetic limb being fitted. This timescale varies depending on individual patient clinical circumstances.

Once a patient is assessed as clinically ready for a prosthesis, they should be scanned or cast within two weeks, and receive their socket and prosthesis within four weeks from the date of the scan or casting. The national service specification has recently been reviewed, and the updated version is expected to be published in 2025. This is expected to include metrics which can be used to monitor the quality of care, such as the time between the date of the scan or casting and the patients receiving their socket and prosthesis.

The majority of prosthetics will be fitted in outpatient settings, and the vast majority of elective care takes place in an outpatient setting, so it is a top priority to ensure that those services are delivered efficiently, in a timely way, and that they prioritise patient experience. To tackle waiting lists, we will also deliver an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments per week during our first year in Government as a first step in our commitment to ensuring that patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks. We will be supporting National Health Service trusts to deliver these through innovation, sharing best practice to increase productivity and efficiency, and ensuring the best value is delivered.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to improve conflicts of interest management across the public sector.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

We are committed to restoring public confidence in government and ensuring that all those in public service are held to the highest standards.

We will consider carefully the National Audit Office’s recommendations in its recent report ‘Managing Conflicts of Interest’.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with (a) mayors and (b) local authorities in the level of support provided to local government help tackle (i) rough sleeping and (ii) other homelessness in the Autumn Budget 2024.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We are already taking the first steps to get back on track to ending homelessness. As announced at the Budget, funding for homelessness services is increasing next year by £233 million compared to this year (2024/25). This increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping. This brings total spend to nearly £1 billion in 25/26.

We have established an Expert Group to bring together representatives from across the homelessness and rough sleeping sector, local and combined authorities and wider experts to help Government understand what is working well nationally and locally and where improvements are needed, and engages regularly with mayors and councils.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the National Audit Office's report entitled Dangerous cladding: the government’s remediation portfolio, published on 4 November 2024.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My officials and I have carefully considered the National Audit Office’s recommendations and expect to come before the Public Accounts Committee next year.

The Deputy Prime Minister will also set out shortly, further steps on remediation, as promised by the Prime Minister on 4th September 2024, following publication of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry final report.

Buildings insurance premiums remain high for many leaseholders in buildings with fire safety issues, who have been paying too much for too long.

The Fire Safety Reinsurance Facility, led by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and reinsurance broker McGill and Partners, launched in April 2024. The Facility aims to increase capacity in the market and may reduce high premiums for some of the most affected multi-occupancy buildings with fire safety issues.

The Government has been monitoring the use and impact of the Facility and will provide an update in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the objectives are for the Recovery Strategy Unit; and how many live cases is it processing.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In April 2022, the Building Safety Act was passed, providing a range of new powers to hold to account those responsible for unsafe buildings. The Recovery Strategy Unit uses those new powers to:

a) expose and pursue the most egregious actors, to ensure that organisations and individuals are held to account for their building safety failings;

b) promote wider behaviour change across the sector; and

c) test legislation in practice so learning can be fed back into the process.

We have successfully obtained 10 Remediation Orders against two freeholders, Grey GR Ltd and Wallace Estates Ltd, ensuring that they remediate their homes within committed timescales. The department is now pursuing legal action to secure Remediation Contribution Orders for 12 buildings from Yianis Group, Urban Splash, and Hollybrook, aiming to recover approximately £72 million, which would otherwise fall on taxpayers or leaseholders.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent progress her Department has made on implementing the recommendations in the phase (a) one and (b) two reports of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government has overseen progress against Phase 1 and has committed to publishing regular progress updates on the relevant section of gov.uk, with a final update due to be published in the new year. Of the Inquiry’s 46 Phase 1 recommendations, all but one have now been considered and addressed, with the final fire and rescue service recommendation due to be addressed by the end of the year.

On phase 2, it is of course important that government carefully considers the Inquiry’s findings and recommendations in full. The Prime Minister has indicated that the government will respond to the inquiry’s recommendations within six months, and update Parliament annually on progress against every commitment made.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the National Audit Office's report entitled Dangerous cladding: the government’s remediation portfolio, published on 4 November 2024; and whether she plans to take steps to tackle high insurance premiums on flats affected by building safety defects.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My officials and I have carefully considered the National Audit Office’s recommendations and expect to come before the Public Accounts Committee next year.

The Deputy Prime Minister will also set out shortly, further steps on remediation, as promised by the Prime Minister on 4th September 2024, following publication of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry final report.

Buildings insurance premiums remain high for many leaseholders in buildings with fire safety issues, who have been paying too much for too long.

The Fire Safety Reinsurance Facility, led by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and reinsurance broker McGill and Partners, launched in April 2024. The Facility aims to increase capacity in the market and may reduce high premiums for some of the most affected multi-occupancy buildings with fire safety issues.

The Government has been monitoring the use and impact of the Facility and will provide an update in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department collects once building safety enforcement action has been taken by local regulators; and if she will make an estimate of the number of buildings where (a) residents have been subsequently decanted from their homes and (b) a waking watch has been subsequently installed at leaseholders' cost in the last 12 months.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Decants arise in one of two ways – either in a planned way as part of a schedule of works or as an emergency situation due to emerging safety concerns. Not all decants are reported to the department, particularly if they are planned. Emergency decants are a local operational matter led either by the entity responsible for the building or local regulators. Where emergency decants are reported to the department we work with local regulators and responsible entities to ensure residents are placed at the centre of decision making by all parties. In the past 12 months’ six emergency decants have been reported to the department, three of which took place as a result of enforcement action. The department also works collaboratively with local regulators and other parties to prevent decants from taking place and in the past 12 months this work has allowed over 1500 households to remain in their homes safely.

When local authorities take enforcement action against a mid or high-rise residential building the department asks the local authority to voluntarily upload details to a designated data platform. Local authorities share details of buildings subject to enforcement under powers within the 2004 Housing Act, including inspections, information gathering notices and statutory notices requiring action (such as improvement and prohibition notices). Local authorities can also share data pertaining to remediation orders and remediation contribution orders under the Building Safety Act 2022. We publish enforcement information as part of the monthly remediation data release here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/building-safety-remediation.

The department does not collect comprehensive data on the number of buildings requiring a waking watch due to enforcement for building safety failures, nor where the costs of the waking watch fall as a result of enforcement action taken by local regulators.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department collects on the number of buildings where residents have been decanted due to building safety concerns.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Decants arise in one of two ways – either in a planned way as part of a schedule of works or as an emergency situation due to emerging safety concerns. Not all decants are reported to the department, particularly if they are planned. Emergency decants are a local operational matter led either by the entity responsible for the building or local regulators. Where emergency decants are reported to the department we work with local regulators and responsible entities to ensure residents are placed at the centre of decision making by all parties. In the past 12 months’ six emergency decants have been reported to the department, three of which took place as a result of enforcement action. The department also works collaboratively with local regulators and other parties to prevent decants from taking place and in the past 12 months this work has allowed over 1500 households to remain in their homes safely.

When local authorities take enforcement action against a mid or high-rise residential building the department asks the local authority to voluntarily upload details to a designated data platform. Local authorities share details of buildings subject to enforcement under powers within the 2004 Housing Act, including inspections, information gathering notices and statutory notices requiring action (such as improvement and prohibition notices). Local authorities can also share data pertaining to remediation orders and remediation contribution orders under the Building Safety Act 2022. We publish enforcement information as part of the monthly remediation data release here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/building-safety-remediation.

The department does not collect comprehensive data on the number of buildings requiring a waking watch due to enforcement for building safety failures, nor where the costs of the waking watch fall as a result of enforcement action taken by local regulators.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Local Government Pension Scheme in supporting local and regional economic growth.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The LGPS already invests approximately 30% of its assets in the UK, as part of its duty to invest to pay pensions. The government believes that the LGPS can make a distinctive contribution to local and regional economic growth building on its local role and networks, through increasing its long-term investment in local communities. We are currently consulting on proposals, including requiring LGPS funds to set a target for local investment and to work with Mayoral Combined Authorities and equivalent bodies to identify suitable local investment opportunities.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help support rural households to receive broadband connections in Runcorn and Helsby constituency.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

According to the independent website ThinkBroadband.com, over 98% of premises in the Runcorn and Helsby constituency have access to superfast broadband speeds (>=30 Mbps) and over 92% can access a gigabit-capable (>1000 Mbps) connection.

To extend gigabit-capable coverage further, Freedom Fibre is delivering a £43 million contract under Project Gigabit to bring fast, reliable broadband to premises across Cheshire, including in Runcorn and Helsby, that would otherwise miss out.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a new protocol to ensure that (a) local authorities and (b) public bodies inform children who have recently been bereaved about the (i) local, (ii) national and (iii) online support services available to them.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This government is committed to improving the support available to all children and young people, including those struggling with bereavement. This is why we are prioritising improving mental health support for all children and young people, which includes providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school. In addition, the department provides a list of resources for schools on supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing, which may include supporting children dealing with loss and bereavement.

As I set out at a Westminster Hall Debate on childhood bereavement on 2 December, the cross-government bereavement working group, chaired within the Department of Health and Social Care, will continue to look at options for improving support for bereaved children and young people across government, including the potential to improve data collection.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of children living in temporary accommodation.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local authorities in England report the numbers of households in temporary accommodation and this data is published each quarter as part of the Homelessness Case Level Information Collection (H-CLIC). The most recent figures for April - June 2024 showed that on 30 June 2024, 78,420 households with children were in temporary accommodation, which includes 159,380 children. The figures for April – June 2024, including regional breakdowns, are available here (see tab TA1): Statutory homelessness in England: April to June 2024 - GOV.UK.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to tackle rural homelessness.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Homelessness levels are far too high. This Government recognises the devastating impact this can have on those affected. We are already taking the first steps to get back on track to ending homelessness. As announced at the Budget, funding for homelessness services is increasing next year by £233 million compared to this year (2024/25) and brings total spend to nearly £1 billion in 2025/26. Allocations for individual local authorities in England will be set out later in December, which will include Slough, West Dorset, the Thames Valley region and wider rural communities.

The Deputy Prime Minister is leading cross-government work to tackle the underlying causes of homelessness and deliver long-term solutions to end all forms of homelessness, including rural and child homelessness. This includes chairing a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, bringing together ministers from across Government to develop a long-term homelessness strategy.

We have also established an Expert Group to bring together representatives from across the homelessness and rough sleeping sector, local and combined authorities and wider experts. The role of this expert group is to provide knowledge, analysis and challenge to help Government understand what is working well nationally and locally and where improvements are needed.

The department also has a lived experience forum to ensure the voices of those with lived experience of homelessness are reflected in the homelessness strategy.

More widely, we are taking action to tackle the root causes of homelessness by delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and building 1.5 million new homes over the next parliament.

The Government is also abolishing Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, preventing private renters being exploited and discriminated against, and empowering people to challenge unreasonable rent increases.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to tackle the underlying causes of homelessness.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Homelessness levels are far too high. This Government recognises the devastating impact this can have on those affected. We are already taking the first steps to get back on track to ending homelessness. As announced at the Budget, funding for homelessness services is increasing next year by £233 million compared to this year (2024/25) and brings total spend to nearly £1 billion in 2025/26. Allocations for individual local authorities in England will be set out later in December, which will include Slough, West Dorset, the Thames Valley region and wider rural communities.

The Deputy Prime Minister is leading cross-government work to tackle the underlying causes of homelessness and deliver long-term solutions to end all forms of homelessness, including rural and child homelessness. This includes chairing a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, bringing together ministers from across Government to develop a long-term homelessness strategy.

We have also established an Expert Group to bring together representatives from across the homelessness and rough sleeping sector, local and combined authorities and wider experts. The role of this expert group is to provide knowledge, analysis and challenge to help Government understand what is working well nationally and locally and where improvements are needed.

The department also has a lived experience forum to ensure the voices of those with lived experience of homelessness are reflected in the homelessness strategy.

More widely, we are taking action to tackle the root causes of homelessness by delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and building 1.5 million new homes over the next parliament.

The Government is also abolishing Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, preventing private renters being exploited and discriminated against, and empowering people to challenge unreasonable rent increases.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take additional fiscal steps after the Autumn Budget 2024 to help deliver more homes for social rent before the end of this Parliament.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

At the multi-year Spending Review next year, the government will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme.

Found: Tuesday 11 September 2024 Members present Lucy Powell, in the Chair Mike Amesbury Mr Alex Barros

Found: Current membership Florence Eshalomi (Labour; Vauxhall and Camberwell Green) (Chair) Mike Amesbury (Independent