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Written Question
Marriage: Coronavirus
Tuesday 13th October 2020

Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason (a) religious marriages and (b) humanist marriages are subject to different restrictions on the number of people allowed to attend under restrictions on meeting in groups of more than six people, announced on 9 September 2020.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

We understand the significance that weddings hold in people’s lives. By their nature, weddings are events that bring families and friends together, so to minimise risks around transmission, a maximum of 15 people can attend a wedding. Humanist weddings can also take place with a maximum of 15 people present.

Written Question
Baptism: Coronavirus
Tuesday 6th October 2020

Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what comparative assessment he has made of the effect of the the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 2) (England) (Amendment) (No. 5) Regulations 2020 on christenings and humanist naming ceremonies.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

The changes to the Regulations are to reduce social interaction of groups larger than six, in order to reduce transmission of COVID-19. The Regulations do not prevent life cycle events from taking place, but they are subject to the rule of six.

If a family chooses to have their life cycle event as a private ceremony, then the number of attendees must be capped at six people (unless everyone attending is from the same household or support bubble, where numbers may be higher). However, there are circumstances where life cycle events happen within the course of communal worship. In such circumstances, unless relevant exemptions apply, groups must not interact in a way which breaches the rule of six.

Where a life cycle event takes part within a communal worship service, attendees can only mingle with the groups of up to six people that they attend with and they will be subject to the restrictions and guidance for communal worship which can be found in the Guidance for the Safe Use of Places of Worship.

Written Question
Non-domestic Rates: Coronavirus
Tuesday 8th September 2020

Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Expanded Retail Discount 2020-21 applies to those businesses whose activities are split evenly between retail and other activities.

Answered by Simon Clarke

My Department published guidance on the expanded retail discount on 25 March 2020. The guidance states that eligible properties are those wholly or mainly used as shops, restaurants, cafes, drinking establishments, cinemas and live music venues; those used by visiting members of the public for assembly and leisure; or hotels, guest & boarding premises and self-catering accommodation. It is for local authorities to decide, having regard to the guidance, whether properties fall within these categories.

Written Question
Non-domestic Rates: Coronavirus
Tuesday 8th September 2020

Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has set out a proportion of a business’s activity that must be retail for it to qualify for the Expanded Retail Discount 2020-21.

Answered by Simon Clarke

My Department published guidance on the expanded retail discount on 25 March 2020. The guidance states that eligible properties are those wholly or mainly used as shops, restaurants, cafes, drinking establishments, cinemas and live music venues; those used by visiting members of the public for assembly and leisure; or hotels, guest & boarding premises and self-catering accommodation. It is for local authorities to decide, having regard to the guidance, whether properties fall within these categories.

Written Question
Green Belt: South East
Thursday 29th November 2018

Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to protect green spaces in the South East.

Answered by Kit Malthouse

The Government is committed to protecting our environment. As set out on the 25 Year Environment Plan, we are drawing up a national framework of green infrastructure standards, ensuring that new developments include accessible green spaces and that any area with little or no green space can be improved for the benefit of the community. We intend to publish the standards in 2019 and incorporate them into planning guidance so that councils can use them when making planning decisions across the country - including in the south east.

Our revised planning rule book sets out how new development should happen in right places across the country including in the south east, through:

  • making as much use as possible of suitable brownfield and under-used land;
  • optimising density of development, significantly raising minimum densities in town and city centres, and in other locations well served by public transport;
  • maintaining strong protection of the Green Belt;
  • making clear that existing open space, sports and recreational buildings and land should not be built on unless they are clearly shown to be surplus to requirements or their loss would be replaced by equivalent or better provision in a suitable location;
  • setting out that council’s planning policies should include sufficient provision for the conservation and enhancement of green spaces;
  • highlighting the importance of green space in encouraging healthy lifestyles; and
  • making provision for communities to identify and protect green areas of particular importance to them through the designation of land as Local Green Space through local and neighbourhood plans, which gives them a very high level of protection from redevelopment or inappropriate use.

In September 2017, the Government created the ‘Parks Action Group’ comprising of experts from across the parks, heritage and the leisure sector and invested £500,000 to support the development of initiatives to identify solutions for safeguarding our parks and green spaces, to ensure they have long and sustainable futures.

The group has been working collaboratively across key priorities – including assessing quality standards and sharing good practice. We are currently developing a programme of work aimed at transforming the way in which green spaces are developed, managed and sustained.

We expect to announce our progress on this in early 2019.

Written Question
Religious Hatred
Wednesday 21st January 2015

Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent steps the Government has taken to tackle Islamophobia.

Answered by Stephen Williams

This Government has done more than any other to tackle anti-Muslim hatred which includes:

  • setting up the first ever cross-government working group on anti-Muslim Hatred;
  • provided start-up funding to the Tell MAMA initiative to record incidents and support victims of anti-Muslim hatred;
  • establishing a UK Srebrenica Memorial Day which recognises the fatal consequences of hatred and division;
  • running social media workshops to build the capacity of community organisations to use social media effectively;
  • holding 8 integration roadshows with communities to find out what more Government can do to integrate communities and tackle anti-Muslim hatred;
  • following the attacks in Paris, the my rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State (Eric Pickles) and my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, the Noble Lord Ahmad wrote on 16 January to mosques across England reassuring them of Government help if they experience anti-Muslim hatred;
  • the Department has also assured faith and community leaders of its support to their commendable efforts to foster mutual understanding and shared respect and is also in close contact with the Police who are reassuring communities and providing protective security advice and guidance.
Written Question
Non-domestic Rates: Kent
Wednesday 7th January 2015

Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of small firms and shops in (a) Kent, (b) Medway and (c) Gillingham and Rainham constituency which may have potentially reduced business rates.

Answered by Kris Hopkins

The Chancellor announced at the 2014 Autumn Statement an extra £650 million of support for 2015-16 bills, bringing the total support of 2013 and 2014 Autumn Statement polices to £1.4 billion. This help includes:

  • doubling small business rate relief for a further year. In England, this means an estimated 385,000 properties will pay no rates at all, while a further 190,000 properties will benefit from tapered relief.
  • a 2% cap on the increase of the small business rates multiplier. This is a continuation of the 2% cap introduced in 2014-15 as part of Autumn Statement 2013 measures;
  • increasing the temporary £1,000 discount for shops, pubs and restaurants with rateable values below £50,000 to £1,500 for 2015-16, benefitting an estimated 300,000 properties in England;
  • extending the existing transitional relief scheme for two years for properties with a rateable value up to and including £50,000.

These policies are in addition to previous Autumn Statement measures that continue into 2015-16, including:

  • a 50 per cent discount for 18 months to new occupants of vacant shops;
  • allowing businesses to keep their small business rate relief for a year where they take on an additional property;
  • business rates relief for empty new builds; and
  • allowing businesses to pay their business rate bills over 12 months, in order to assist with their cash flow.

Central Government also now funds 50% of any local discount granted.

The Department does not collect data on a constituency basis, but Gillingham and Rainham constituency lies entirely within the Medway Borough Council boundary. Table 1 shows the number of properties in 2014-15 within the Medway Borough Council boundary that have benefitted from business rates measures extended in this year’s Autumn Statement. Table 2 presents the same information but for Kent County Council, while Table 3 provides a breakdown of the business rates measures by the thirteen local authorities that lie within the Kent County Council boundary.

Written Question
Young Offenders
Thursday 18th December 2014

Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the contribution of Youth Hubs and charities to the reduction of young offending rates.

Answered by Stephen Williams

The Department for Communities and Local Government is not responsible for monitoring or assessment of levels of youth offending.

Written Question
Community Relations
Monday 8th September 2014

Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help encourage integration in local communities.

Answered by Stephen Williams

We are supporting a wide range of exemplar projects to break down barriers, encourage local action, promote British values and create the society everyone can participate in. This includes projects to help people remember the personal contribution made by their relatives and communities in the Great War.