Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what measures his Department will take to protect National Park landscapes where permitted development rights for mobile telecommunications masts are granted.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
On 10 July, the Government’s Productivity Plan set out its ambitions for mobile connectivity in England and launched the Call for Evidence. We sought views from communities, mobile network operators, local authorities and others on the ability of the planning system to deliver and support mobile connectivity in all areas of England, including technical and operational factors, which may be limiting deployment.
We are considering the evidence submitted and will announce the outcome of the planning review in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the planning system in the delivery of mobile telecommunications infrastructure in National Parks; and how he reached that assessment.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
On 10 July, the Government’s Productivity Plan set out its ambitions for mobile connectivity in England and launched the Call for Evidence. We sought views from communities, mobile network operators, local authorities and others on the ability of the planning system to deliver and support mobile connectivity in all areas of England, including technical and operational factors, which may be limiting deployment.
We are considering the evidence submitted and will announce the outcome of the planning review in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of (a) the planning system, (b) technical factors and (c) operational factors on delays to the expansion of mobile telecommunications coverage in National Parks; and how he reached that assessment.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
On 10 July, the Government’s Productivity Plan set out its ambitions for mobile connectivity in England and launched the Call for Evidence. We sought views from communities, mobile network operators, local authorities and others on the ability of the planning system to deliver and support mobile connectivity in all areas of England, including technical and operational factors, which may be limiting deployment.
We are considering the evidence submitted and will announce the outcome of the planning review in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what measures his Department will take to protect National Park landscapes where permitted development rights for mobile telecommunications masts are granted.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
On 10 July, the Government’s Productivity Plan set out its ambitions for mobile connectivity in England and launched the Call for Evidence. We sought views from communities, mobile network operators, local authorities and others on the ability of the planning system to deliver and support mobile connectivity in all areas of England, including technical and operational factors, which may be limiting deployment.
We are considering the evidence submitted and will announce the outcome of the planning review in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish the revised commutation factors for the firefighters pension scheme.
Answered by Mark Francois
The Government accepts in full the Pension Ombudsman’s recent determination regarding commutation factors used to calculate lump sum payments for certain firefighters and police officers. It also recognises that there are other individuals who are affected by the principles set out in this determination, and is working with pension administrators to identify these and ensure that appropriate payments are made as quickly as possible. The Government Actuary’s Department is preparing detailed guidance for administrators to aid them in calculating the amounts owed. They intend to issue this guidance, as well as tables of revised commutation factors, to administrators in the near future. At this point, they will also be made available online.
Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the average cost to the public purse of a request for him to call in a planning application in each of the last five years.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Very few planning applications are called in each year - an average of only 8 cases in each of the last five years. In all these cases the parties who take part in the planning inquiry are expected to meet their own costs in preparing and presenting evidence. The cost to the public purse is therefore limited. It varies considerably between cases, depending on factors including the complexity of each project and the length of the planning inquiry, and whether there is any litigation following the issue of a decision.
Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, in how many local authority areas park home site owners have breached their site licences more than three times in the last two years.
Answered by Stephen Williams
The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold details of the number of local authority areas where site owners have breached their site licences, or details of the number of local authorities taking proceedings against site owners, or the number of local authorities who have revoked the licences of park home site owners who have breached their site licences.
This Government is determined to improve life for park home residents and we have already given residents important new rights to improve their lives and protect them from rogue site owners.
We know that a source of real anxiety for residents is the poor state of some sites and the lack of routine maintenance and repairs. That is why this Government has given local authorities, for the first time, powers to issue compliance notices requiring a site owner to carry out any necessary work to the site to comply with their licence obligations. If the site owner fails to comply, the local authority will be able to prosecute them and if convicted they will face an unlimited fine. The local authority may then enter the site and do the necessary works. In an emergency, a local authority may also enter a site and do the works if it considers there is an imminent risk to the health and safety of residents. The authority will in any of these cases be able to recover all its enforcement costs directly from the site owner. We have published guidance for local authorities on how to use their new powers to best effect.
We have also given local authorities powers to refuse to grant a new application or transfer of a site licence. We have issued guidance which sets out the matters an authority can take into account when considering an application including the funding and management arrangements in place for managing the site and complying with the licence.
Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities are taking proceedings against park home site owners who have breached their site licences more than three times in the last two years.
Answered by Stephen Williams
The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold details of the number of local authority areas where site owners have breached their site licences, or details of the number of local authorities taking proceedings against site owners, or the number of local authorities who have revoked the licences of park home site owners who have breached their site licences.
This Government is determined to improve life for park home residents and we have already given residents important new rights to improve their lives and protect them from rogue site owners.
We know that a source of real anxiety for residents is the poor state of some sites and the lack of routine maintenance and repairs. That is why this Government has given local authorities, for the first time, powers to issue compliance notices requiring a site owner to carry out any necessary work to the site to comply with their licence obligations. If the site owner fails to comply, the local authority will be able to prosecute them and if convicted they will face an unlimited fine. The local authority may then enter the site and do the necessary works. In an emergency, a local authority may also enter a site and do the works if it considers there is an imminent risk to the health and safety of residents. The authority will in any of these cases be able to recover all its enforcement costs directly from the site owner. We have published guidance for local authorities on how to use their new powers to best effect.
We have also given local authorities powers to refuse to grant a new application or transfer of a site licence. We have issued guidance which sets out the matters an authority can take into account when considering an application including the funding and management arrangements in place for managing the site and complying with the licence.
Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities have revoked the licences of park home site owners who have breached their site licences more than three times in the last two years.
Answered by Stephen Williams
The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold details of the number of local authority areas where site owners have breached their site licences, or details of the number of local authorities taking proceedings against site owners, or the number of local authorities who have revoked the licences of park home site owners who have breached their site licences.
This Government is determined to improve life for park home residents and we have already given residents important new rights to improve their lives and protect them from rogue site owners.
We know that a source of real anxiety for residents is the poor state of some sites and the lack of routine maintenance and repairs. That is why this Government has given local authorities, for the first time, powers to issue compliance notices requiring a site owner to carry out any necessary work to the site to comply with their licence obligations. If the site owner fails to comply, the local authority will be able to prosecute them and if convicted they will face an unlimited fine. The local authority may then enter the site and do the necessary works. In an emergency, a local authority may also enter a site and do the works if it considers there is an imminent risk to the health and safety of residents. The authority will in any of these cases be able to recover all its enforcement costs directly from the site owner. We have published guidance for local authorities on how to use their new powers to best effect.
We have also given local authorities powers to refuse to grant a new application or transfer of a site licence. We have issued guidance which sets out the matters an authority can take into account when considering an application including the funding and management arrangements in place for managing the site and complying with the licence.
Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the definition his Department uses for 'place of worship' is for the purpose of exemption from Energy Performance Certificates.
Answered by Stephen Williams
DCLG does not define the term, "buildings used as places of worship" but allows it to take its common sense meaning.
However, those responsible for such buildings may wish to seek advice from their local weights and measures authority to ensure that they, as the relevant enforcement body, share the view that the building in question is exempt from the requirement to have an Energy Performance Certificate on sale or rent.