Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much and what proportion of levelling up funding allocated to Northern Ireland has been for projects within Strangford constituency.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The UK Government is investing over £15 billion in a suite of complementary Levelling Up projects to help grow the economy, create jobs, improve transport, provide skills training and support local businesses.
Overall, Northern Ireland has received around £435 million in Levelling Up funding and Strangford constituency has benefited from this funding, through a range of funds. In addition, a number of DLUHC funds are being made available to the Northern Ireland Executive as part of the financial package, further increasing the spending power available to the Executive and allowing it to invest against its own priorities. The full list of the UK Government funds which are being made available to the Executive is at gov.uk.
Strangford constituency benefits from a share of UKSPF funding of around £104 million for Northern Ireland.
In addition, Northern Ireland has benefited from £150 million funding through the Levelling Up Fund, which includes £3.2 million for Ards and North Down Borough Council’s pedestrian and cycle Green-ways and £5.1 million towards Ulster Rugby’s Club Capital Improvement Project, as well as £30 million set aside from Round 3 towards the financial package for the restored executive.
The Community Renewal Fund has provided £12 million in funding to Northern Ireland, which includes projects within the Council areas in the Strangford constituency and projects Northern Ireland wide worth £6.75 million, where the benefits will be felt in Strangford constituency.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the number of low-rise homes in England clad in flammable Unplasticized Polyvinyl Chloride panels, (2) emerging acute fire risks, as evidenced by the fire at Moss Hall Grove in the London Borough of Barnet, and (3) the funding of appropriate remedial action.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
We are aware of the action being taken by Barnet Council and continue to engage closely with them on the steps they are taking, following the Moss Hall Grove fire in June 2023. The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is aware and is keeping the situation under review, in line with their duty under the Building Safety Act to keep the safety and standards of all buildings under review.
The department will continue to liaise with the BSR and Local Authorities as appropriate to determine whether further action is necessary.
Local authorities, including Barnet Council, are responsible for keeping the housing conditions in their area under review with a view to identifying any action that may need to be taken by them. Local authorities have a longstanding duty where they are building owners to manage building safety and performance risks of all kinds in their buildings, and should continue to do so in a proportionate, risk-based, and evidence-based manner.
Local authorities are also responsible for managing their own budgets and delivering on their responsibilities. This includes their duty as building owners to assess their buildings and keep them safe, and to take any enforcement action they deem necessary.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the feasibility of arrangements to fund the (a) training and (b) qualifications of London council staff under the Regulator for Social Housing's new regulatory regime through council Housing Revenue Accounts.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The department has noted the analysis by Savill’s and has regular engagement with councils, including in London.
The department does not economically regulate local authority registered providers’ HRA finances but does work with local authorities and representative bodies to examine the problems that are common to all landlords, and to gain intelligence from practitioners on measures that have been taken locally, and how these might be adapted to the wider environment. Nonetheless, it is for councils to meet their statutory responsibilities to keep their homes to a safe, decent standard. The revised consumer standards and changes to the role of the Regulator of Social Housing will help to ensure that happens. Local authorities have wide discretion on how to prioritise their spending within the HRA to meet their statutory and other commitments.
The regulatory changes which come into effect on 1 April have been assessed to be affordable to the sector. Impact assessments were published for the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, the publication of the revised consumer standards, and for the ongoing consultation on competence and conduct requirements. All future regulatory changes, including to the Decent Homes Standard, will also be subject to consultation and impact assessment.
The impact assessment for the revised consumer standards can be found here: Annex 5: Regulatory impact assessment, and the draft impact assessment for competence and conduct requirements is available here: Annex C: Impact assessment.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to the (a) role of the Regulator of Social Housing and (b) Decent Homes Standard on London council Housing Revenue Accounts.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The department has noted the analysis by Savill’s and has regular engagement with councils, including in London.
The department does not economically regulate local authority registered providers’ HRA finances but does work with local authorities and representative bodies to examine the problems that are common to all landlords, and to gain intelligence from practitioners on measures that have been taken locally, and how these might be adapted to the wider environment. Nonetheless, it is for councils to meet their statutory responsibilities to keep their homes to a safe, decent standard. The revised consumer standards and changes to the role of the Regulator of Social Housing will help to ensure that happens. Local authorities have wide discretion on how to prioritise their spending within the HRA to meet their statutory and other commitments.
The regulatory changes which come into effect on 1 April have been assessed to be affordable to the sector. Impact assessments were published for the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, the publication of the revised consumer standards, and for the ongoing consultation on competence and conduct requirements. All future regulatory changes, including to the Decent Homes Standard, will also be subject to consultation and impact assessment.
The impact assessment for the revised consumer standards can be found here: Annex 5: Regulatory impact assessment, and the draft impact assessment for competence and conduct requirements is available here: Annex C: Impact assessment.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his plans are for determining the membership of the east-west business council.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Since the Council was announced in the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper, UK Government officials have been engaging with The Executive Office to establish the first meeting of the Council. The Secretary of State will be setting out further details about the Council soon.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West and Royton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many homes have been built in Oldham in the last year.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The department’s most comprehensive measure of housing supply is our annual release entitled ‘Housing supply: net additional dwellings, England’. This includes estimates of new homes added in each local authority, but does not show figures at the constituency level.
You can find data for Oldham Council here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-net-supply-of-housing.
Asked by: Antony Higginbotham (Conservative - Burnley)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what (a) funding and (b) other support his Department has provided to Burnley Borough Council to tackle (i) homelessness and (ii) rough sleeping since December 2019.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government is supporting local authorities to reduce homelessness and rough sleeping through, for example, the Homelessness Prevention Grant (HPG) and the Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI). Allocations of Government funding are published on gov.uk.
DLUHC’s dedicated team of homelessness and rough sleeping advisers also work regularly with local authorities to provide expert support in tackling homelessness and rough sleeping in their area.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2024 to Question 11923 on Levelling Up Fund: Tamworth Borough Council, if any officials from his Department were involved in the drafting of the press release relating to this visit entitled Levelling Up Minister visits Tamworth to mark High Street development progress with Eddie Hughes MP.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 16976 on 7 March 2024.
I wish to be clear with the Hon Member once more. My visit to Tamworth was a political visit. It was arranged through political channels.
I notified the Hon Member ahead of visiting her constituency as per parliamentary protocols.
Furthermore, she should note that the cost of answering a written ministerial question has previously been estimated to be in region of £150. I have so far answered multiple questions on this subject.
To put it in perspective, the train ticket I purchased to visit Tamworth (at no cost to the taxpayer) cost £5.60.
If the honourable lady would like to meet me to discuss any of these matters further, at a far cheaper cost to the taxpayer, I am happy to facilitate such a meeting.
But I would prefer to discuss how this Government can level up all parts of this great country, including of course Tamworth.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate his Department has made of the number of residential properties constructed in South Holland and the Deepings constituency since 2015.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The department’s most comprehensive measure of housing supply is our annual release entitled ‘Housing supply: net additional dwellings, England’. This includes estimates of new homes added in each local authority, but does not show figures at the constituency level. You can find data for South Holland District Council here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-net-supply-of-housing.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likely effect on economic growth and productivity of (1) revaluing council tax bands by reference to current market rates, and (2) abolishing stamp duty in favour of a reformed housing taxation arrangement.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government has no current plans to revalue council tax bands by reference to current market rates or to abolish Stamp Duty Land Tax in favour of a reformed housing taxation arrangement. The government continues to keep all tax policy under review.