Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the proportion of revenue spent which has been generated by the Residential Property Developer Tax.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Residential Property Developer Tax has raised £157 million in 2022-23 and £103 million in 2023-24. Revenue raised from the tax goes into the UK Consolidated Fund, which contributes to the government’s ambitious Building Safety Package aiming to bring an end to unsafe cladding, provide reassurance to homeowners and support confidence in the housing market. Spend on interventions in 22/23 alone was £713 million [22/23 trust statement] with the accelerated pace of remediation being a key government priority.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much has been paid by (a) Kingspan and (b) all cladding manufacturers towards remediation of eligible buildings under the Developer Remediation Contract where their products have been used on eligible buildings.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Developer Remediation Contract requires developers to take responsibility for fixing or paying to fix buildings which they developed. The Ministry will shortly begin issuing payment demands to developers - who are contractually required to pay back monies spent on their buildings by government funds - after which, we expect developers to begin repayments. The value of debt that we will pursue with developers is reported in our Trust Statement, for our latest reported accounts in 2022/23 this is £417 million.
The Developer Remediation Contract is a contract between eligible developers and government. It does not apply to product manufacturers.
Other industry actors will also be held to account for their role in constructing unsafe buildings. We are reviewing the Grenfell Inquiry report and have written to all organisations (including manufacturers) found by the Inquiry to have been part of the failings, as the first step to stopping them being awarded government contracts. The Building Safety Act created avenues for parties to pursue a range of responsible parties for compensation. We will bring forward further reforms to the construction products regime in due course.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the amount that has been reimbursed to the Building Safety Fund from signatories to the Developer Remediation Contract.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Developer Remediation Contract requires developers to take responsibility for fixing or paying to fix buildings which they developed. The Ministry will shortly begin issuing payment demands to developers - who are contractually required to pay back monies spent on their buildings by government funds - after which, we expect developers to begin repayments. The value of debt that we will pursue with developers is reported in our Trust Statement, for our latest reported accounts in 2022/23 this is £417 million.
The Developer Remediation Contract is a contract between eligible developers and government. It does not apply to product manufacturers.
Other industry actors will also be held to account for their role in constructing unsafe buildings. We are reviewing the Grenfell Inquiry report and have written to all organisations (including manufacturers) found by the Inquiry to have been part of the failings, as the first step to stopping them being awarded government contracts. The Building Safety Act created avenues for parties to pursue a range of responsible parties for compensation. We will bring forward further reforms to the construction products regime in due course.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the number of additional homes that will be provided by the MADE Partnership.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
It is estimated that the MADE Partnership will bring forward in excess of 5650 homes by acting as master developer to unlock large, complex residential sites that have stalled due to lack of market capability, coordination capacity, patient capital and resource.
The Levelling Up Home Building Fund, from which the MADE partnership investment was made, operates based on continuous market engagement and therefore its investments are not subject to procurement.
Homes England is always looking to invest with partners whose ambition and activities align. Homes England encourages interested groups to apply for funding and details of its investment offer and contact details can be found on their website.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether other lenders and housebuilders will be able to access equity investment from Homes England in similar arrangements to the MADE partnership.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
It is estimated that the MADE Partnership will bring forward in excess of 5650 homes by acting as master developer to unlock large, complex residential sites that have stalled due to lack of market capability, coordination capacity, patient capital and resource.
The Levelling Up Home Building Fund, from which the MADE partnership investment was made, operates based on continuous market engagement and therefore its investments are not subject to procurement.
Homes England is always looking to invest with partners whose ambition and activities align. Homes England encourages interested groups to apply for funding and details of its investment offer and contact details can be found on their website.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what public procurement process was followed by Homes England when establishing the MADE Partnership.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
It is estimated that the MADE Partnership will bring forward in excess of 5650 homes by acting as master developer to unlock large, complex residential sites that have stalled due to lack of market capability, coordination capacity, patient capital and resource.
The Levelling Up Home Building Fund, from which the MADE partnership investment was made, operates based on continuous market engagement and therefore its investments are not subject to procurement.
Homes England is always looking to invest with partners whose ambition and activities align. Homes England encourages interested groups to apply for funding and details of its investment offer and contact details can be found on their website.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to help strengthen alternative grounds for landlords to regain possession of properties once no-fault eviction notices are abolished.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Renters (Reform) Bill, introduced into Parliament on 17 May 2023, will deliver a fairer, more secure, and higher quality private rented sector for both tenants and landlords.
Good landlords play a vital role in providing homes for millions of people across the country. While we will deliver the manifesto commitment to end Section 21 'no fault' evictions, we will introduce comprehensive, fair and efficient grounds for possession to ensure landlords have confidence they can regain possession when it is reasonable.
We will reform possession grounds to expedite landlords' ability to evict those who disrupt neighbourhoods through anti-social behaviour and introduce a new ground for persistent rent arrears. We will also ensure landlords are able to sell or move back into their property if needed.
These improvements strike the right balance between ensuring landlords can gain possession of their property when it is right for them to do so, and improving security for tenants.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to provide residents with increased powers over planning decisions in their communities.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
Further to the Secretary of State’s statement, UIN HCWS415, of 06 December 2022, our reforms to the planning system will enhance the opportunities for community involvement, ensuring development is brought forward in a way that works best for local people. We will improve the process for producing plans so that it is simpler, faster and easier for communities to engage with. There will be clear opportunities to get involved at key stages in the process, made easier by plans themselves being shorter with more accessible documents.
In addition, we are seeking new powers to introduce 'neighbourhood priorities statements'. These will provide communities with a way to determine priorities for their area and formally input into the local plan. We are also seeking new powers to introduce a new 'street votes' system. This will allow residents to propose development, such as extensions to existing homes, on their street and vote on whether it should be given planning permission.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to take steps to tackle the levels of (a) borrowing and (b) capital risk at Eastleigh Borough Council.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
The Government announced that it is legislating to provide appropriate powers to address instances of excessive risk from local authority borrowing and investment. The Department regularly engages with local authorities about their financial management and related policies. As part of engagement with the sector on the new capital measures, we are engaging with a small number of local authorities, including Eastleigh Borough Council, who may be most affected. My department will continue to work with them to understand their plans for reducing their levels of risk ahead of the legislative measures coming into effect, and we expect Eastleigh Borough Council and similar local authorities to engage with us throughout this process.