Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Independent - Salford)
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 (a) support and (b) promote the adoption of larger (i) changing room and (ii) toilet facilities on private business premises.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Regulation 24 in the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 states that where facilities are provided in the workplace to change clothing, that these facilities are easily accessible and of sufficient capacity. Additional guidance for changing facilities in specific settings is provided by Sport England (Accessible and inclusive sports facilities) and NHS England (Health Building Note 00-02: Sanitary spaces). To meet Part M (the access to and use of buildings) of the Building Regulations 2010, guidance on providing wheelchair-accessible changing and showering facilities is provided in Approved Document M, Volume 2.
Legislation was laid in Parliament in May 2024 to update the Building Regulations 2010 by setting out toilet requirements in new non-domestic buildings in England. These changes will come into force on 1 October 2024. This followed an extensive public consultation as well as commissioned research on the inclusive design of toilet facilities. The guidance (Approved Document T) accompanying the update to the regulations sets out the dimensions and layouts of toilet arrangements that are considered appropriate to meet a range of needs. Toilets for disabled people and Changing Places toilet guidance remains in Approved Document, Volume 2.
Both the department and the Building Safety Regulator are always open to feedback on how any regulations are operating in practice.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Independent - Salford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an estimate of the number of children unable to continue in their existing educational placements as a result of being housed out of area (a) for temporary accommodation and (b) after being homeless, in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Independent - Salford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential (a) costs and (b) merits of extending the statutory requirement for a Cladding External Wall System form to include all apartment block buildings below 11m in height.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The Cladding External Wall System form (EWS1) is not a statutory requirement or government process. It is an industry tool to inform mortgage valuation. RICS has issued guidance on the use and application of these forms, and a surveyor must justify any request for an EWS1 form.
The Fire Safety Act 2021 requires all multi-occupancy residential buildings, regardless of height, to have an up-to-date fire risk assessment that, where necessary, includes the external walls. A Fire Risk Assessment of External Walls (FRAEW) done to the PAS 9980 standard developed by the British Standards Institution is the appropriate way to assess that risk in the external wall system.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Independent - Salford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the impact of not extending the statutory requirement for a Cladding External Wall System form for properties in buildings below 11 meters on (a) property sales and (b) safety risk to residents.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The Cladding External Wall System form (EWS1) is not a statutory requirement or government process. It is an industry tool to inform mortgage valuation. RICS has issued guidance on the use and application of these forms, and a surveyor must justify any request for an EWS1 form.
The Fire Safety Act 2021 requires all multi-occupancy residential buildings, regardless of height, to have an up-to-date fire risk assessment that, where necessary, includes the external walls. A Fire Risk Assessment of External Walls (FRAEW) done to the PAS 9980 standard developed by the British Standards Institution is the appropriate way to assess that risk in the external wall system.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Independent - Salford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Answer of 26 October 2023 to Question 203866 on Letting Agents: Regulation, what his planned timescale is to respond to the recommendations from Lord Best's working group.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The Government continues to work with industry on improving best practice across the property agent sector.
The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill announced in the King’s Speech will make it easier for leaseholders to scrutinise costs and challenge the services provided by both freeholders and property managing agents. The Bill will also make it easier for leaseholders to take on management of their buildings themselves so that they can directly appoint or replace agents.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Independent - Salford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what progress his Department has made on implementing the reforms in the Regulation of Property Agents: Working Group Report published 18 July 2019.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government is considering the recommendations in the final report on the regulation of property agents from Lord Best's working group. We will continue to work with industry on improving best practice. Announcements will be set out in the usual way.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Independent - Salford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Answer of 22 July 2021 to Question 33338, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing alternative forms of council taxation.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The Local Government Finance Settlement determines annually the amount by which local authorities can raise their council tax without a referendum. The Department undertakes a Public Sector Equalities Duty assessment to accompany each settlement. To ensure greater fairness in the system, the council tax system is mitigated by a range of reliefs and exemptions. Decisions on the level of council tax are a matter for individual local authorities.
There are no current plans to change the system, or to undertake a revaluation of domestic properties.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Independent - Salford)
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 has undertaken an Equality Impact Assessment on the potential impact of council taxation on different households across England.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The Local Government Finance Settlement determines annually the amount by which local authorities can raise their council tax without a referendum. The Department undertakes a Public Sector Equalities Duty assessment to accompany each settlement. To ensure greater fairness in the system, the council tax system is mitigated by a range of reliefs and exemptions. Decisions on the level of council tax are a matter for individual local authorities.
There are no current plans to change the system, or to undertake a revaluation of domestic properties.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Independent - Salford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of updating the valuations upon which Council Tax bands are set.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The Local Government Finance Settlement determines annually the amount by which local authorities can raise their council tax without a referendum. The Department undertakes a Public Sector Equalities Duty assessment to accompany each settlement. To ensure greater fairness in the system, the council tax system is mitigated by a range of reliefs and exemptions. Decisions on the level of council tax are a matter for individual local authorities.
There are no current plans to change the system, or to undertake a revaluation of domestic properties.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Independent - Salford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the impact of council tax on households with high and low (a) incomes and (b) value properties.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The Local Government Finance Settlement determines annually the amount by which local authorities can raise their council tax without a referendum. The Department undertakes a Public Sector Equalities Duty assessment to accompany each settlement. To ensure greater fairness in the system, the council tax system is mitigated by a range of reliefs and exemptions. Decisions on the level of council tax are a matter for individual local authorities.
There are no current plans to change the system, or to undertake a revaluation of domestic properties.