Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to set a delivery target and an investment plan to support that target for social rent homes.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The government is committed to increasing the supply of social housing and has made £9 billion available through the Affordable Homes Programme to March 2022 to deliver approximately 250,000 new affordable homes for a wide range of tenures. This includes at least 12,500 homes for social rent to meet the needs of struggling families and those most at risk of homelessness in areas of the country where affordability is most pressured. This is the minimum number of social rent homes we expect to be delivered – the programme is flexible and the precise number will depend on the bids that are received for the funding.
We previously announced an additional £2 billion of long-term funding certainty for housing associations. This extra funding will deliver more affordable homes and stimulate the sector’s wider building ambitions, through strategic partnerships. On 27 June 2019, bidding was opened on £1 billion of this funding through Homes England. We are working closely with the Greater London Authority to open bidding on £1 billion for London as soon as possible. Our ten-year funding commitment through strategic partnerships marks the first time any government has invested such long-term funding in new homes through housing associations.
We have also removed the Housing Revenue Account borrowing caps for local authorities and have set out a long-term rent deal for councils and housing associations in England from 2020. Housing associations and local authorities now need to accelerate delivery and build more affordable homes.
Since 2010 there has been an increase in the number of homes for social rent by 79,000, in contrast to the decline between 1997 and 2010, whilst the Right to Buy for council tenants has been preserved.
Investment in social rent homes beyond the current programme will be decided as part of the forthcoming spending review.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps she has taken to ensure that ceramics companies in North Staffordshire are able to avoid delays in getting raw materials to factories and avoid incurring additional costs when exporting goods in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to hold a public inquiry into the police operation at Orgreave on 18 June 1984.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
There are no plans to review the Government’s decision of 31 October 2016 not to establish a public inquiry into the policing of the events at the Orgreave coking plant on 18 June 1984.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions she has had with feminine hygiene manufactures on the removal of plastics from all women’s sanitary products.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
On 16 April this year, the Government announced it will fully fund a scheme to provide access to free period products in schools and colleges in England. We are developing this scheme in conjunction with schools and 16-19 education providers to ensure it best meets the needs of all learners. We are committed to encouraging the use of sustainable products where possible and will work with stakeholders to explore whether this can be integrated into the scheme. In addition, in light of the period poverty initiative, NHS Supply Chain plans to widen the scope of the sanitary products available to the NHS. This will include focusing on providing more sustainable, non-plastic products such as menstrual cups and washable sanitary towels.
The Resources and Waste Strategy sets out the Government’s plans to reduce plastic pollution and to move towards a more circular economy. The strategy outlines the actions we will take to encourage producers to take more responsibility for the lifespan of their products and make sure these are more carefully designed with resource efficiency and waste prevention in mind. Our ambition is to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste throughout the lifetime of the 25 Year Environment Plan, and for the most problematic plastics we are going faster. We have already made good progress and will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and materials to take a systematic approach to reducing the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reviewing reduced VAT on heating fuels deriving from fossil fuels.
Answered by Simon Clarke
The Government has no plans to increase the rate of VAT on fuels used for household energy.
However, all taxes are kept under review and decisions on tax are considered as part of the normal fiscal policy making process.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support his Department is giving to West African countries that are victims of illegal fishing.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
DFID works closely with partner Governments to promote sustainable fishing practices, helping to reduce the impacts of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in West Africa and across the world.
As part of our commitment to protecting the global environment, the Government has provided £250 million in funding to the Global Environment Facility’s 7th replenishment (2018-2022), which helps strengthen the management of fisheries and marine-protected areas.
DFID provides a core contribution to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, which supports countries in sustainable fisheries management. Progress is set out in their flagship report ‘State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture’.
DFID is also supporting sustainable small-scale aquaculture through the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research, and our support has contributed to improving the fish-based livelihoods of 51,235 households and 72,264 people.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the share of the miners' pension scheme’s surplus that goes to former miners.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to ban the (a) production and (b) use of polystyrene plastic packaging in the UK.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of people prosecuted for illegal waste exports in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of obligating all retailers to ensure that the packaging of products sold can be recycled locally before stocking those products.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.