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Written Question
Homelessness: Young People
Thursday 25th January 2024

Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans his Department has to tackle youth homelessness.

Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 9917 on 24 January 2024.


Written Question
Community Assets
Tuesday 23rd May 2023

Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department plans to publish the Strategy for Community Spaces and Relationships.

Answered by Dehenna Davison

We want to consult and work with local communities and stakeholders to understand how community spaces and relationship could be strengthened. This work will begin in due course.


Written Question
Private Rented Housing: Pets
Monday 24th April 2023

Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Department's White Paper entitled A Fairer Private Rented Sector, published in March 2023, whether his Department plans to issue guidance to landlords on when they can reasonably withhold consent for pets.

Answered by Rachel Maclean

Further to my answer to Question UIN 136842 on 9 February 2023, the Government will publish guidance for tenants and landlords in the private rented sector (PRS) on what would constitute an unreasonable refusal of a pet before the new rules come into effect.

The new legal 'right to request a pet' will apply to the PRS. Many social landlords set out their pet policies in their tenancy agreements and allow tenants to keep pets where it is appropriate to do so, provided they are well looked after and do not adversely affect the lives of neighbours and those living nearby.

In the Social Housing White Paper we encourage all social landlords to adopt similar policies.


Written Question
Social Rented Housing: Pets
Monday 24th April 2023

Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)

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 representatives of the social housing sector on pet-friendly tenancies.

Answered by Rachel Maclean

Further to my answer to Question UIN 136842 on 9 February 2023, the Government will publish guidance for tenants and landlords in the private rented sector (PRS) on what would constitute an unreasonable refusal of a pet before the new rules come into effect.

The new legal 'right to request a pet' will apply to the PRS. Many social landlords set out their pet policies in their tenancy agreements and allow tenants to keep pets where it is appropriate to do so, provided they are well looked after and do not adversely affect the lives of neighbours and those living nearby.

In the Social Housing White Paper we encourage all social landlords to adopt similar policies.


Written Question
Private Rented Housing: Pets
Monday 24th April 2023

Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the Renters Reform Bill will include a ban on no pet clauses.

Answered by Rachel Maclean

Further to my answer to Question UIN 136842 on 9 February 2023, the Government will publish guidance for tenants and landlords in the private rented sector (PRS) on what would constitute an unreasonable refusal of a pet before the new rules come into effect.

The new legal 'right to request a pet' will apply to the PRS. Many social landlords set out their pet policies in their tenancy agreements and allow tenants to keep pets where it is appropriate to do so, provided they are well looked after and do not adversely affect the lives of neighbours and those living nearby.

In the Social Housing White Paper we encourage all social landlords to adopt similar policies.


Written Question
Housing: Biodiversity
Monday 30th January 2023

Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing (a) swift blocks and (b) other biodiversity measures for new homes as part of his proposals for reform of the planning system.

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

The National Planning Policy Framework currently sets out that planning policies and decisions should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment, by minimising impact on biodiversity and providing biodiversity net gains. The Environment Act 2021 introduced new requirements for most developments to provide a biodiversity net gain compared to the sites pre-development state.

Planning conditions or obligations can, in appropriate circumstances, be used to require that a planning permission provides for works that will measurably increase biodiversity. Local authorities can prioritise specific species such as swifts.

We are currently consulting on going further in our consultation on the future of national planning policy. Specifically we are seeking views on how we can strengthen policy and associated national design guidance to promote small-scale changes that can enhance biodiversity and support wildlife recovery. We would welcome responses to this consultation.


Written Question
Exercise
Monday 16th January 2023

Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what support he is providing to local planning authorities to help them facilitate increased levels of physical activity among people in their areas.

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

The Government recognises through our National Planning Policy Framework that access to a network of high-quality open spaces and opportunities for sport and physical activity is important for the health and well-being of communities.

The Framework is clear that local planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for open space, sport and recreation facilities and opportunities for new provision. Local planning authorities through their local plans should then seek to accommodate this.

Ultimately local authorities are responsible for this provision in their area, and they are best placed to know what their communities need.


Written Question
Leasehold: Ground Rent
Thursday 23rd June 2022

Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to ensure that the second package of leasehold reforms on ground rent will be introduced in the 2022-23 Parliament.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

The Government is committed to creating a fair and just housing system that works for everyone. This includes our comprehensive programme of reform to improve fairness and transparency in the leasehold market. We will bring forward the second part of our leasehold reforms in the next session of this Parliament.


Written Question
Mathematics: Education
Thursday 25th November 2021

Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether training providers will be invited to bid to deliver the (a) in-person and (b) at-work elements of the Multiply scheme announced in the Autumn Budget 2021; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Neil O'Brien

Sitting at the heart of UK Shared Prosperity Fund’s skills offer, with £560 million allocated over the Spending Review (SR) period, Multiply is the government’s new programme for improving adult numeracy, including:

  • £430 million across the SR (£130 million in 2022-23, £150 million in 2023-24, £150 million in 2024-25) allocated directly to local areas to deliver local numeracy interventions.
  • £129 million across the SR (£49 million in 2022-23, £40 million in 2023-24, and £40 million in 2024-25) will deliver a new digital platform and a programme of Randomised Control Trials to improve evidence and evaluation in the field.

Multiply builds on existing entitlements for funding for maths qualifications up to Level 2 (GCSE) in the Adult Education Budget. Funding will enable delivery of more flexible courses that fit around adult’s lives and meet their needs, reaching more people across the UK.

The Government will publish further details on the fund in due course.


Written Question
Multiply Programme
Thursday 25th November 2021

Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether upper-tier local authorities will be consulted on the delivery of the Multiply scheme announced in the Autumn Budget 2021; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Neil O'Brien

The first priority for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will be a locally delivered new adult numeracy programme, Multiply, to help hundreds of thousands of adults improve their maths, as well as a wider range of local priority programmes. The Government will continue to engage stakeholders as we develop the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. We will publish further details on the fund in due course.