Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which universities (a) Philip Augar and (b) members of the associated panel visited during the Post-18 review of education and funding.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
I refer the hon. Member for the City of Durham to the answer I gave on 26 June 2019 to Question 267762.
Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will change the measure of disadvantage used in the Student Premium to capture individual-level socio-economic disadvantage as recommended in the May 2019 Post-18 education and funding review: independent panel report.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The government will consider the Post-18 Education and Funding Review recommendations carefully and will conclude the review at the Spending Review. The government has not yet taken decisions with regards to the recommendations put forward. Access and successful participation remain a priority for this government and is enshrined in the Higher Education (HE) and Research Act (2017). Everyone with the ability to succeed in HE should have the opportunity, regardless of their background or where they grew up.
Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has plans to review the Licensing Act 2003 in relation to the (a) granting and (b) approval of Temporary Events Notices.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
As with all authorisations under the Licensing Act 2003, the system of Tem-porary Event Notices (TENs) is designed to provide necessary safeguards, while retaining flexibility for users such as businesses and community groups and balancing their interests with those of local citizens and others.
The Government has no plans to change the current system but keeps the Licensing Act 2003 under review.
Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will guarantee that UK Research and Innovation will sign the terms of grants of researchers who have submitted successful bids for European Research Council advanced grants in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal before the advanced grant process has been completed.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The Government underwrite guarantee will cover funding for all successful UK bids to Horizon 2020 that are submitted before exit, even if they are notified of success after exit. This includes the 47 successful UK bids to the ERC Advanced Grant 2018 call which form part of the €540m funding recently announced by the European Commission for cutting edge research.
The UKRI portal was announced in the Horizon 2020 Technical Notice and is part of our plans to underwrite funding for UK Horizon 2020 beneficiaries in the event of ‘no deal’. In this scenario, UK beneficiaries who have registered on the UKRI portal will receive detailed information about how the guarantee will be delivered and the next steps that they need to take.
If the underwrite does need to come into effect, our delivery partner, UKRI, is ready to deliver and has planned to make the process as simple and effective as possible for UK beneficiaries.
Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 20 February 2019 to Question 220835 on Housing: Construction, when his Department will be setting out space standards for new homes.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Nationally Described Space Standard for new homes has been in place since 2015. The Government will be considering the Nationally Described Space Standard as part of its programme to review planning practice guidance and building regulations guidance.
Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government has taken to ensure the latest cohort of successful European Research Council Advanced Grant applicants are aware of the underwrite that exists should the UK leave the EU without a deal before the conditions of their grants have been finalised.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The Government underwrite guarantee will cover funding for all successful UK bids to Horizon 2020 that are submitted before exit, even if they are notified of success after exit. This includes the 47 successful UK bids to the ERC Advanced Grant 2018 call which form part of the €540m funding recently announced by the European Commission for cutting edge research.
The UKRI portal was announced in the Horizon 2020 Technical Notice and is part of our plans to underwrite funding for UK Horizon 2020 beneficiaries in the event of ‘no deal’. In this scenario, UK beneficiaries who have registered on the UKRI portal will receive detailed information about how the guarantee will be delivered and the next steps that they need to take.
Since the announcement of the underwrite guarantee in 2016, the Government has consistently reiterated our commitment to deliver it, should it be required. Methods used include Ministerial statements in Parliament, digital engagement by both BEIS and our delivery partner UKRI, and direct engagement with business and stakeholder groups.
Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2019 to Question 220837 on Local Plans, whether his Department has no plans to set a deadline for local authorities to have a local plan.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 22 February 2019 to Question UIN 220837.
Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2019 to Question 220834, what progress his Department has made since 2017 in increasing transparency on who owns land privately held and the options held over it.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The total amount of freehold land registered with HM Land Registry continues to increase at an average rate of 0.1 per cent a month, and now stands at 86.5 per cent (87.4 per cent in England and 80.6 per cent in Wales). HM Land Registry receives, on average, around 400 registrations of land each day which extends the Land Register.
Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2019 to Question 220826 on Housing: Construction, whether his Department has made an estimate of the amount of Section 106 funding lost to local authorities when new homes are created under permitted development rather than through granted planning permission.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
We are clear that permitted development rights for the change of use to residential are making an important contribution to housing delivery, with over 46,000 homes to rent or buy delivered under the rights in the three years to March 2018. Where additional floor space is created through exercise of the permitted development rights, community infrastructure levy is payable where an authority has a charging schedule in place.
Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2019 to Question 220840 on Housing: Construction, whether his Department has made no assessment of the suitability of the location of housing created under permitted development.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Data is collected on how many homes are created under permitted development rights for change of use in each local authority. This does not include information on their location within the authority area. The National Planning Policy Framework recognises that local planning authorities can tailor planning controls to local circumstance, and make an Article 4 direction to remove a permitted development right where it is necessary to protect the amenity or well-being of the area.