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Written Question
Parking: Private Sector
Thursday 15th December 2022

Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with local authorities on tackling the misuse of private car parking facilities.

Answered by Dehenna Davison

Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published regularly.


Written Question
Coal: Cumbria
Friday 2nd December 2022

Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has conducted an environmental impact assessment on the potential opening of new coal coking mines in Cumbria.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

I refer the Hon. Member to my answer to Question UIN 73894 on 2 November 2022.


Written Question
Right to Buy Scheme
Thursday 1st December 2022

Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department have taken steps to make options available for council tenants to buy their homes using mortgages which comply with Islamic law.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

The legislation governing the Right to Buy scheme requires direct transfer of ownership from the seller to the buyer (the tenant). Any transfer made to a third party is not compatible with the scheme, including Islamic mortgages that operate on this basis.


Written Question
Right to Buy Scheme
Thursday 1st December 2022

Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to roll out a takaful-based funding structure for mortgages for right to buy tenants.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

The legislation governing the Right to Buy scheme requires direct transfer of ownership from the seller to the buyer (the tenant). Any transfer made to a third party is not compatible with the scheme, including Islamic mortgages that operate on this basis.


Written Question
Temporary Accommodation: Standards
Wednesday 21st September 2022

Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people are quickly moved out of temporary accommodation; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that these properties (a) are pest-free and (b) provide a safe environment for residents.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide temporary accommodation for households owed the main homelessness duty until suitable long-term accommodation can be offered to them. They must ensure temporary accommodation is suitable in relation to the applicant and to all members of their household who normally reside with them, or who might reasonably be expected to reside with them, and there is a right of appeal.

Housing authorities should, as a minimum, ensure that all temporary accommodation is free of Category 1 hazards as identified by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). We have given local authorities very strong powers to take enforcement action when they identify seriously hazardous conditions, including the power to issue heavy fines. Consideration of whether accommodation is suitable will require an assessment of all aspects of the accommodation in the light of the relevant needs, requirements and circumstances of the homeless person and their household.


Written Question
Levelling Up Fund: Greater London
Monday 4th July 2022

Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will take steps to ensure that deprived areas of London are able to receive funding through the Levelling Up Fund.

Answered by Neil O'Brien

The second round of the Fund will continue to use the Index of Priority Places to target funding at areas across the UK which are most in need.

In the first round of the Fund, six successful projects were funded in London, and were allocated a total of £65 million. We will welcome bids from eligible applicants across the UK including London boroughs with remaining bid allocations in the second round of the Fund.


Written Question
First Time Buyers: Stamp Duty Land Tax
Friday 10th December 2021

Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps the Government will take to help first time buyers following the end of the stamp duty holiday.

Answered by Christopher Pincher

The Government is committed to helping make homeownership a reality, and operates a range of relevant schemes which make home ownership more affordable. For example, our new First Homes programme offers discounts of at least 30% to first time buyers and our Help to Buy scheme and Shared Ownership also offer routes into home ownership.

In 2017, the Government permanently increased the price at which a property becomes liable to Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) to £300,000 for first time buyers. Over 90% of first-time buyers who pay SDLT will benefit and over 70% of first-time buyers will pay no SDLT.


Written Question
Affordable Housing: Construction
Tuesday 26th October 2021

Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans he has to work with local authorities to increase the rate of building affordable social homes.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

The Government is committed to increasing the supply of affordable housing, and has taken a number of steps to support councils to deliver new homes. In March 2021 we announced a package of reforms to give councils more freedom in how they can spend the money they receive from Right to Buy sales on replacement homes, including homes for social rent. In May 2021, Homes England launched its Local Government Capacity Centre to provide councils with practical support to build their development skills and capacity.

This is on top of the removal of Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap in 2018, enabling local authorities greater flexibility to borrow for building. To further support the delivery of new homes we are investing over £12 billion in affordable housing over 5 years, the largest investment in affordable housing in a decade. This includes the new £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme. Councils are eligible for funding through the Affordable Home Programme and we want to see local authorities playing a key role in the delivery of this Programme, using it and the range of tools available to deliver a new generation of council housing.


Written Question
Housing: Ilford
Tuesday 26th October 2021

Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what support the Government is giving to local authorities to urgently house the most vulnerable, in the context of the average waiting time for homeless applicants in Ilford wanting a two-bedroom house being eight years and eight months.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

Between 2010 and 2020 the social housing waiting list fell from 1.74 million households to 1.15 million households. The waiting lists are falling because the Government has given councils the flexibility to manage them, and we have taken action to build more homes.

Temporary accommodation is an important way of ensuring no family is without a roof over their head. The Homelessness Reduction Act is also helping more people get help earlier, particularly single households who often would not have received help in the past and would have been at risk of sleeping on our streets. This year the Government is spending over £750 million to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.

The Government is committed to increasing the supply of affordable housing and are investing over £12 billion in affordable housing over 5 years, the largest investment in affordable housing in a decade. This includes the new £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme, which will provide up to 180,000 new homes across the country, should economic conditions allow.


Written Question
Religious Buildings: Coronavirus
Thursday 22nd April 2021

Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to publish further guidance on the full reopening of places of worship during the covid-19 outbreak.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

Faith communities across the country have steadfastly observed nationwide restrictions and we are immensely grateful for their support and cooperation. I am pleased that, in large part because of the outstanding work of faith leaders and the efforts of their communities to observe guidance and keep people safe, places of worship have been able to remain open - including for communal worship - during recent restrictions.

The Guidance for the Safe Use of Places of Worship was updated on 12 April to reflect measures to ease restrictions from Step 2 of the Roadmap. We will keep the guidance updated as decisions on further Steps in the Roadmap are taken, and continue to support faith communities to understand and implement guidance to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.