Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding he has allocated to civil society and campaigning bodies in each of the last three years.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
Civil Society forms an essential part of our communities up and down the country. It includes large, national charities, social enterprises, volunteers and small grassroots organisations but what joins them all is the idea of creating social value to help build a better society.
Government funding to civil society is ring-fenced for particular projects or programmes. Grant agreement terms and conditions prohibit grant funding being used for paid for lobbying and political campaigning
Each of the Department’s (MHCLG/DCLG) published Annual Report and Financial Accounts lists the charitable bodies and the amounts (Section 70 payments) that were funded by the Department. The Department does not record whether the body is a ‘campaigning body’. All grant payments over £25,000 are published as part of the Government Transparency routine.
Our published Annual Report and Financial Accounts (and lists the charitable body payments) can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dclg-annual-reports-and-accounts.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he will take to reduce the number of out-of-area placements in permitted development rights buildings in Harlow.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government is clear that as far as possible local authorities should avoid placing households outside of their borough. However, where there is a limited supply of suitable accommodation, on occasion, it is necessary to place households outside of the local area. This should always be a last resort. Where it does happen, the council should place the household as near as possible to the original local authority. They also have a legal duty to notify the receiving local authority of any households placed into their area.
Collaboration between local authorities is key. The Government welcomes the initiative taken by the Local Government Association to bring together local authorities from London and around the country to try to address concerns about unsuitable out of area placements, including the use of blocks converted under permitted development rights.
I also recognise the particular challenges that London boroughs face in securing suitable temporary accommodation, which can affect surrounding areas such as Harlow. To tackle these issues, we have invested £37.8 million into a partnership of local authorities across London who have set up Capital Letters – a not-for-profit company which will support councils to reduce the use of expensive nightly-paid temporary accommodation and help to ensure properties are allocated more locally than they are currently. In total, in 2020/2021 the Government is providing £437 million to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. This marks a £69 million increase in funding from the previous year.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
What recent representations he has received on the effect of the out-of-area placement of families by borough councils on receiving local authorities.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
I have received representation on this matter from a number of local authorities, including that of my Hon Friend, during my recent visit to Harlow. I was also delighted to meet Streets2Homes, a local homelessness organisation, and hear about the excellent work they are doing on homelessness and rough sleeping.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what learning and development support the House of Commons offers to apprentices.
Answered by Tom Brake
The Learning and Development team offer apprentices support with all their training throughout their apprenticeships, including matching the apprentices with a team buddy who can support them during their apprenticeship. We look to match internal training available to modules of their apprenticeship, so they can take part in additional sessions to enrich the apprenticeship learning. We have also run mock interviews to prepare them for their next career steps.
All apprentices are offered career coaching with one of the House’s coaches. Part of their coaching includes helping them to prepare for applying for jobs. They are also offered the opportunity to participate in mock interviews, and ‘how to get that job’ training sessions.
In 2018, The House ran a joint tender with the House of Lords and Parliamentary Digital Service to procure new apprenticeship training providers. These appointed providers were tested extensively to ensure their provision was of the highest quality. We monitor our providers and provide regular feedback informally as well as at formal quarterly feedback meetings. We take the quality of the training for apprenticeship very seriously and our appointed providers are very experienced in apprenticeship delivery, prior to the introduction of the Levy and since then.
Since the appointment of new training providers in September 2018, the House of Commons has expanded its offering of two apprenticeship courses to fourteen, with further plans to extend the offering across more levels and specialisms over the course of 2019.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what marketing is being carried out to encourage people to become apprentices in the House of Commons.
Answered by Tom Brake
Staff from the House Service work closely with the providers and the House of Commons recruitment team to ensure vacancies are published to as broad an audience as possible. Staff are also working alongside Amazing Apprenticeships who work with over 3,500 schools and colleges nationally to reach those who may not instantly think the House of Commons is for them, by creating a short film which will tour schools in time for National Apprenticeship Week this year.
Staff will be attending a recruitment fair in Newham during National Apprenticeship Week and, with Newham College, staff are attending local jobs fairs aimed at 16–24 year olds over the coming months.
In addition, the House of Commons’ first apprentice ambassador will be speaking at school events across London, talking about her experience as an apprentice at the House of Commons and her career with us since. A House representative will also be speaking at an event for teachers and careers advisors to engage them with the work of Parliament and the opportunities for their students.
We also hold a biannual recruitment fair which gives us an opportunity to speak to visitors about the House of Commons apprenticeships as well as the wider roles available.
The House of Commons is working closely with the House of Lords, the Parliamentary Digital Service and our providers to share learning and where possible work together on outreach.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether estate agents are required to disclose the criminal convictions of a previous occupant of a property to a potential new occupant.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team have published guidance in this area. It would depend on the type, seriousness and age of the convictions. The estate agent would need to determine whether the conviction would have a material impact on the purchaser's future in the property. For example, would they have paid the asking price, or bought the property in the first place had they known.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much has been spent on regeneration of town centres in England since 2010; and in which such towns.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
This Government is committed to supporting the regeneration of our town centres.
We have confirmed the permanent doubling of Small Business Rate Relief, meaning that 600,000 small businesses now pay no business rates at all; we launched the High Street Pledge and a digital high street pilot scheme; and we are celebrating our high streets and town centres through the hugely successful Great British High Street Awards.
Since 2010, we have given over £18 million to towns – funding and upskilling local teams of people through the Town Team Programme, boosting struggling town centres with the High Streets Innovation Fund and launching successful initiatives such as “Love Your Local Market”.
Town centres have also benefited from funding that we have made available for local economic development, including the Coastal Communities Fund, which has invested over £132 million in 131 coastal projects across England since 2012. The Government has awarded £9.1 billion to Local Enterprise Partnerships in Growth Deals since 2014.
The Government is committed to communities establishing Business Improvement Districts and the positive impact they have on their local areas, including town centres.
We are working with Local Enterprise Partnerships to strengthen their role in town centres and coastal communities, and collaborating with the Local Government Association to assist local authorities in supporting their town centres.
Further information on the town centres supported may be found at - https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/high-streets-and-town-centres
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much has been spent on regeneration of town centres in England since 2010; and in which such towns.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
This Government is committed to supporting the regeneration of our town centres.
We have confirmed the permanent doubling of Small Business Rate Relief, meaning that 600,000 small businesses now pay no business rates at all; we launched the High Street Pledge and a digital high street pilot scheme; and we are celebrating our high streets and town centres through the hugely successful Great British High Street Awards.
Since 2010, we have given over £18 million to towns – funding and upskilling local teams of people through the Town Team Programme, boosting struggling town centres with the High Streets Innovation Fund and launching successful initiatives such as “Love Your Local Market”.
Town centres have also benefited from funding that we have made available for local economic development, including the Coastal Communities Fund, which has invested over £132 million in 131 coastal projects across England since 2012. The Government has awarded £9.1 billion to Local Enterprise Partnerships in Growth Deals since 2014.
The Government is committed to communities establishing Business Improvement Districts and the positive impact they have on their local areas, including town centres.
We are working with Local Enterprise Partnerships to strengthen their role in town centres and coastal communities, and collaborating with the Local Government Association to assist local authorities in supporting their town centres.
Further information on the town centres supported may be found at - https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/high-streets-and-town-centres
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to encourage the building of affordable housing; and how many affordable homes have been built in Essex since 2010.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Almost 217,000 affordable homes have been delivered in England since April 2010. Our Affordable Homes Programme is on track to deliver 170,000 new affordable homes between 2011 and 2015, with £19.5 billion of public and private funding. Over 144,000 homes have already been delivered
This Government has demonstrated its continued commitment to the building of affordable housing. The Government’s National Infrastructure Plan announced an extension of affordable housing capital investment to 2018-19 and 2019-20, of £1.9 billion to ensure that an average 55,000 new affordable homes a year continue to be delivered. This will bring the delivery total to 275,000 across 2015-20. This means over the next Parliament we will build more new affordable homes than during any equivalent period in the last twenty years.
Statistics on additional affordable housing, including both newly built housing and acquisitions, provided in each local authority area in England are published in the Department’s live tables 1006, 1006a, 1007 and 1008, which are available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply
A table giving figures, by local authority, for affordable housing delivery in England between April 2010 and September 2014 is attached.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of completed new houses were built on brownfield land in the latest period for which figures are available.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The proportion of new dwellings in England built on previously-developed land can be found in Table P211 of the Live Tables on Land Use Change Statistics, which is available from:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-land-use-change-statistics