Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral contribution of 2 September 2024 by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Official Report, Column 3, if she will publish a timetable for implementing high street rental auctions.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Government is committed to supporting high streets and town centres, empowering communities and tackling the problem of persistent vacancy. Owing to the complex and technical nature of the policy, secondary legislation is required to implement High Street Rental Auctions. We are working through the legislative process and will confirm the commencement date in due course.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to change the local government funding formula in the upcoming Local Government Finance Settlement; and whether she plans to consult on (a) technical changes and (b) data sources before publication.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Future local authority funding decisions will be a matter for the next Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement in which we are engaged. The department will work with local government leaders to ensure they are better able to fulfil their statutory duties.
We want to hear from councils about the financial challenges they are facing and we are committed to stabilising the local government finance landscape in this Parliament.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to redistribute assets and wealth between different (a) local authorities, (b) communities and (c) local government through the Local Government Finance Settlement.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Future local authority funding decisions will be a matter for the next Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement in which we are engaged. The department will work with local government leaders to ensure they are better able to fulfil their statutory duties.
We want to hear from councils about the financial challenges they are facing and we are committed to stabilising the local government finance landscape in this Parliament.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Local Government Finance Settlement will contain measures to reform adult social care funding.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We recognise the financial pressures that local authorities face and remain committed to supporting local government to deliver improved outcomes for local people through the adult social care system. We are committed to delivering a multiyear settlement in this Parliament giving certainty on allocations going forward to create a more sustainable, simplified adult social care funding system. Our Government’s manifesto set out our intention for a programme of reform to create a National Care Service. The National Care Service will deliver consistent and high quality care across the country, which will be locally delivered, supporting people to live independently for as long as possible. We will engage with local government as we develop this programme of reform.
Future local authority funding decisions will be a matter for the next Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement in which we are engaged. The department will work with local government leaders to ensure they are better able to fulfil their statutory duties.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department has taken to facilitate (a) restaurants and (b) pubs to offer outdoor smoking facilities since 2010.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The provision of outdoor smoking facilities on the premises of an individual business is currently a matter for the business itself. However, where a business has a pavement license allowing it to have seating on the public highway, the national 'smoke free seating condition' must be followed. This requires the licence holder to make reasonable provision for seating where smoking is not permitted, so that where space is provided for smokers, customers will also have the option of sitting in a non-smoking area.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has carried out impact assessments of the Government’s plans to ban (a) smoking and (b) vaping (i) in pub gardens, (ii) at outdoor restaurant tables, (iii) at outdoor shisha bar seating and (iv) in outdoor nightclubs.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government will soon introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill into Parliament, which stands to be the most significant public health intervention in a generation, and will put us on track to a smoke-free United Kingdom.
The Government supports measures that will create a smoke-free environment, helping to reduce 80,000 preventable deaths, reduce the burden on the National Health Service, and reduce the burden on the taxpayer. Any proposed extension of smoke-free legislation is subject to the approval of Parliament, as well as a full public consultation and further engagement with relevant organisations.
An impact assessment will be published on the new bill after it has been introduced, and further impact assessments will be published on new regulations when they are laid in Parliament. More details will be set out soon.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of banning smoking and vaping outside pubs, restaurants and nightclubs on the (a) night-time economy and (b) viability of local high streets.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government will soon introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill into Parliament, which stands to be the most significant public health intervention in a generation, and will put us on track to a smoke-free United Kingdom.
The Government supports measures that will create a smoke-free environment, helping to reduce 80,000 preventable deaths, reduce the burden on the National Health Service, and reduce the burden on the taxpayer. Any proposed extension of smoke-free legislation is subject to the approval of Parliament, as well as a full public consultation and further engagement with relevant organisations.
An impact assessment will be published on the new bill after it has been introduced, and further impact assessments will be published on new regulations when they are laid in Parliament. More details will be set out soon.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to consult on banning smoking and vaping outside pubs, nightclubs and restaurants; and whether he has a planned timetable for the proposed ban.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government will soon introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill into Parliament, which stands to be the most significant public health intervention in a generation, and will put us on track to a smoke-free United Kingdom.
The Government supports measures that will create a smoke-free environment, helping to reduce 80,000 preventable deaths, reduce the burden on the National Health Service, and reduce the burden on the taxpayer. Any proposed extension of smoke-free legislation is subject to the approval of Parliament, as well as a full public consultation and further engagement with relevant organisations.
An impact assessment will be published on the new bill after it has been introduced, and further impact assessments will be published on new regulations when they are laid in Parliament. More details will be set out soon.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has carried out an impact assessment of the Government’s plans to ban (a) smoking and (b) vaping across university campuses.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government will soon introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill into Parliament, which stands to be the most significant public health intervention in a generation, and will put us on track to a smoke-free United Kingdom.
The Government supports measures that will create a smoke-free environment, helping to reduce 80,000 preventable deaths, reduce the burden on the National Health Service, and reduce the burden on the taxpayer. Any proposed extension of smoke-free legislation is subject to the approval of Parliament, as well as a full public consultation and further engagement with relevant organisations.
An impact assessment will be published on the new bill after it has been introduced, and further impact assessments will be published on new regulations when they are laid in Parliament. More details will be set out soon.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Government's proposals to ban outdoor smoking and vaping in and by pubs on the number of pub closures.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government will soon introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill into Parliament, which stands to be the most significant public health intervention in a generation, and will put us on track to a smoke-free United Kingdom.
The Government supports measures that will create a smoke-free environment, helping to reduce 80,000 preventable deaths, reduce the burden on the National Health Service, and reduce the burden on the taxpayer. Any proposed extension of smoke-free legislation is subject to the approval of Parliament, as well as a full public consultation and further engagement with relevant organisations.
An impact assessment will be published on the new bill after it has been introduced, and further impact assessments will be published on new regulations when they are laid in Parliament. More details will be set out soon.