Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Robert Courts and Lord Barwell

Monday 27th February 2017 Commons Chamber

[Gavin Barwell]

The White Paper is very clear on this point—we absolutely want councils to get back into the business of building homes. There is a huge need for more housing and the more people who are involved in the building of homes the happier the Government will be.

[Robert Courts (Witney) (Con)]

7. What plans he has to encourage new methods of building in the construction industry.

[The Minister for Housing and Planning (Gavin Barwell)]

Our recent housing White Paper sets out measures to increase the use of modern methods of construction in housebuilding. The key is to provide a pipeline of work to encourage suppliers to invest in new plant. We will do that through our accelerated construction and home building fund, and through the growing build-to-rent and custom build markets.

[Robert Courts]

Does the Minister not agree that custom built homes, which can often be built more quickly and cheaply, and often to a higher standard than other types of housing, have a real part to play in solving housing supply issues?

[Gavin Barwell]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Not only can homes be built more quickly and with a better environmental performance, which means that they are cheaper for people to live in when they move there but, in terms of the real skills challenge we face if we are going to build many more homes, that is a way of getting new people involved in the building of homes.