Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps to ensure that EWS1 certificates are only issued by qualified (a) chartered or (b) incorporated engineers.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The External Wall System Review form (EWS1) is not a statutory requirement or Government process and we have agreed with the industry that this should be minimised.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) have issued guidance on its use and application, including on the relevant expertise and qualification of the signatories of EWS1 forms. RICS are clear that anyone instructing an EWS1 must be satisfied that the signatory meets the requirements in their guidance.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
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 15 January 2024 to Question 8376 on Council Tax: Asylum, if he will take steps to ensure that (a) refugees and (b) asylum seekers who do not hold a Homes for Ukraine immigration permission are disregarded when determining whether a discount should be applied to the council tax for their accommodation.
Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The council tax disregard is one part of a bespoke package of support for those arriving on the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, and their sponsors, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Government does not plan to extend the council tax disregard to refugees or asylum seekers who do not hold a Homes for Ukraine immigration permission living in England.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to amend the Council Tax (Additional Provisions for Discount Disregards) Regulations 1992 so that (a) refugees and (b) asylum seekers being voluntarily housed by a person living alone are disregarded for the Council Tax single person discount.
Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
People in England who hold a Homes for Ukraine immigration permission are disregarded when determining whether a discount should be applied to the council tax for their accommodation.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead of 20 April 2023, 13 May and 28 June 2023, reference MP79450.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
A response was issued to my Rt. Hon. Friend on 4 May. A copy of the response has been resent.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to reply to correspondence of 19 October 2022 from the Rt hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead on significant rent increases on Shared Ownership Properties due to the rise in inflation rates, case reference MP77691IU.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
I apologise for the delay in responding to my Rt. Hon. Friend's correspondence. The department attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence from Honourable Members. A response was issued on 24 February 2023.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of leaseholders appointing a Building Safety Director when they live in high rise blocks with voluntary Resident Management Companies.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Building Safety Act 2022 provides that resident-led companies will have the option to appoint a person with the relevant professional expertise to their board, to support them in meeting their building safety duties. The consultation on the secondary legislation relating to the building safety director proposals is open until 7 February 2023 and we will consider all responses prior to finalising the policy.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
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 effectiveness of local authorities allocating funding to waking watches in tower blocks.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Waking Watch Relief Fund was launched in January 2021 and the Waking Watch Replacement Fund was launched in January 2022. The funds covered the cost of installing a fire alarm to replace waking watch measures in buildings where a waking watch was in place and where those costs were being passed on to leaseholders.
As of 30 November 2022, 237 applications across both funds have been approved which will enable Waking Watch measures to be replaced with an alarm system in 368 buildings. Of the 368 buildings approved for funding, 314 have completed alarm installations.
The department publishes a monthly data release which includes information on the Waking Watch Relief and Replacement Funds which can be found here.
We continue to monitor the use of waking watches and welcome comments and feedback on the properties with experience of them.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which local authorities do not have a housing plan in place.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) states that local plans should provide a framework for addressing housing needs, as well as other economic, social and environmental priorities.
As of 30 September 2021, 23 local planning authorities (7%) do not have an adopted local plan (under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004). Most are at an advanced stage of preparing plans:12 have submitted their plan for examination in public; and a further 2 have had their plans found sound following examination and expected to adopt shortly. The authorities that have no plan in place are:
Amber Valley
Ashfield
Basildon
Brentwood
Bury
Calderdale
Castle Point
Eastleigh
Epping Forest
Liverpool
Medway
North East Derbyshire
North Hertfordshire
Northumberland
Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation
Salford
St Albans
Tameside
Uttlesford
Welwyn Hatfield
Windsor and Maidenhead
Wirral
York
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will provide (a) details and (b) the number of local plans that have been halted by the Planning Inspectorate in each year since 2010.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Since 2011, 55 local plan Development Plan Documents (DPDs) have been withdrawn by the local authority, or been found unsound or legally non-compliant by an Inspector, following:
A breakdown by year is provided below:
Year | Number of local plan DPDs |
2011 | 6 |
2012 | 4 |
2013 | 15 |
2014 | 12 |
2015 | 8 |
2016 | 0 |
2017 | 2 |
2018 | 1 |
2019 | 0 |
2020 | 6 |
2021 (up to 31 October) | 1 |
Total | 55 |
This constitutes 9% of all DPDs examined during this period, with 639 DPDs (91%) found sound subject to modifications.
Most of the plans withdrawn or found unsound or legally non-compliant, 45 out of the 55, were examined during the period 2011-2016. The reduction in the last 5 years has resulted from a letter from the then Secretary of State in 2015, asking that Inspectors work pragmatically with LPAs to find plans sound.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what weight is given to Ministerial statements on housing growth by the Planning Inspectorate at local plan inquiries; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Local Plans are assessed to determine whether they are sound. Plans are sound if they are: positively prepared, justified, effective and consistent with national policy - enabling the delivery of sustainable development in accordance with the policies in the National Planning Policy Framework and other statements of national planning policy (including those announced via Ministerial Statement), where relevant.