Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that employers are aware of the Hong Kong BNO visa scheme.
Answered by Luke Hall
On 8 April, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government announced a new UK-wide Welcome Programme to support Hong Kong BN(O) status holders with a package worth £43.1 million.
MHCLG has been working across departments to discuss ways to ensure BN(O) status holders are able to access appropriate employment and business opportunities, including the recognition of qualifications. The Secretaries of State for MHCLG and BEIS have written a joint letter to all the Chief Executives of UK regulators and professional bodies, encouraging a unified way of assessing qualifications from BN(O) status holders in the UK.
There is also advice for employers on employing those on LOTR and the BN(O) route available on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employing-bno-citizens-in-the-uk)
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 28 June 2021 to Question 20548 on Counter-terrorism, for what reason his Department does not specifically engage communities to discuss their views on Prevent.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
I refer the Hon Member to my answer to Question UIN 20548 on 28 June 2021. Prevent is not within the policy remit of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what regular discussions his Department has with representatives of (a) local communities, (b) minority groups and (c) faith groups on the impact of the Prevent strategy.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
Prevent is about safeguarding vulnerable people and stopping them being exploited by terrorist recruiters. This work is led by the Home Office which facilitates a comprehensive programme of engagement events aimed at local communities around the country, which invites the public to learn more about Prevent and discuss their views. The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government engages communities on a range of topics but does not do so specifically to discuss Prevent.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including Luton in the Cambridge-Oxford Arc.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Luton is indeed part of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc. Luton’s strong automotive and engineering sectors, leading airport and links to the Central Area of the Arc make it a key part of Government’s plan to transform the Oxford-Cambridge Arc into one of the world’s premier economic growth corridors. The Government has been working closely with colleagues in Luton to shape the Spatial Framework as we plan for sustainable growth and levelling up in the Arc.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support local councils with adequate staffing resources to formulate bids to the Levelling Up Fund.
Answered by Luke Hall
The £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund will invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport, and investing in cultural and heritage assets.
The Fund will operate UK-wide, extending the benefits of funding for priority local infrastructure across all regions and nations.
The prospectus published at Budget provides guidance for local areas on how to submit bids for the first round of funding for projects starting in 2021-22. This includes guidance on the process for submitting bids, the types of projects eligible for funding, and how bids will be assessed.
Capacity funding will also be allocated to the local authorities measured as highest need in England, and all local authorities in Scotland and Wales to build a new relationship with the UK Government. This will support the relevant local authorities develop bids and ensure that investment is targeted where it is needed most.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local councils have adequate funding to sustain (a) leisure centres and (b) sports clubs through the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Luke Hall
At the Spending Review on 25 November the Chancellor announced estimated funding of around £3 billion of additional support for Covid-19 pressures next year. This takes the total support committed to councils in England to tackle the impacts of Covid-19 to over £10 billion.
In addition to this, the Government is providing a £100 million package to support the leisure sector in meeting the challenges brought about by the pandemic and local restrictions. This will be led by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and they will provide more details in due course.
We fully recognise that the facilities that will be supported by this funding will play a vital role in maintaining the health and wellbeing of the nation, and the contribution they play in building community cohesion and participation in sport.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to support charities and faith organisations who rely on donations from the public to pay for (a) charity work and (b) overheads of religious buildings, during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Luke Hall
Faith communities have a long history of service supporting many of the most vulnerable members of our society. The rapid response during the current pandemic has been no different. We value the work being done to support those in need.
We recognise that, like those in the private sector, charities and faith organisations are under significant strain as a result of COVID-19. Charities can access many of the support measures the Chancellor has announced for businesses, including deferring their VAT bills, paying no business rates on charity shops next year, and furloughing staff where possible with the Government paying 80 per cent of their wages. Further details can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/financial-support-for-businesses-during-coronavirus-covid-19
On 8 April the Chancellor outlined a £750 million package of support for frontline charities across the UK responding to the Covid-19 crisis. We are continuing to engage with cross government colleagues on the details of this funding package and more details will be released in the coming days.
We will continue to engage with the sector to maintain a complete picture of the impact of coronavirus to better understand how we can support them to respond to the pressures they may be facing.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to allocate additional funding to areas with the highest levels of homelessness.
Answered by Luke Hall
In 2020/2021 we are providing £437 million to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. This marks a £69 million increase in funding from the previous year. Funding given to local authorities seeks to address local homelessness and rough sleeping variation and is allocated according to demand in their area.
Examples of targeting funding in accordance with levels of homelessness for 2020/21 is evidenced through our three main funding streams:
We are also funding:
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support he is providing to (a) homeless children and (b) children in temporary accommodation.
Answered by Luke Hall
The use of temporary accommodation means people are getting help and ensures no family is without a roof over their head.
Any accommodation secured by a local authority for a homeless household must meet the standards in ‘The homelessness code of guidance,’ which sets out in detail what the authority must take into account when considering the accommodation’s suitability for a homeless household.
The code of guidance can be accessed here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homelessness-code-of-guidance-for-local-authorities.
Reducing the number of households in temporary accommodation is a priority for this Government and we have allocated over £1.2 billion over the last three years to tackle all forms of homelessness. This includes:
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many homeless children there are in (a) Bedfordshire and (b) Luton; and what funding is available to tackle homelessness for families with children.
Answered by Luke Hall
Figures as of 30 June 2019 for numbers of children in temporary accommodation by local authority are available in table TA1 in the Detailed Local Authority tables: April to June 2019, link below. In December 2019 we announced the allocation of £263 million in funding for 2020/21 to local authorities designed to support them to deliver services to tackle homelessness. The purpose of this funding is to give local authorities more control and flexibility in managing homelessness pressures and supporting those who at risk of homelessness, including providing them with temporary accommodation.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness