Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with (a) local authorities, (b) Health Boards, (c ) the local voluntary sector and (d) the Senedd on accommodating asylum seekers in Wales.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office has an established governance process with local authorities in Wales, as it does with other nations and local authorities in England, to drive delivery of our full dispersal plans.
The governance process includes a monthly meeting between the Home Office, our accommodation providers, Strategic Migration Partnerships and local authorities in Wales to drive collective delivery against this target. The focus of these discussions is to consider progress against the regional dispersal plan, opportunities and local housing market pressures.
The Standard Operating Procedure sets out that when a site is identified for use on the Asylum Support Contracts, the Deputy Director of Asylum Support will initially notify the Chief Executive of the relevant local authority and the Member of Parliament. This will notify the local authority that we have identified the site as a potential contingency site and that we will commence engagement with local authority officials, as well as Police and Health partners.
We are committed to work closely with all local authorities and stakeholders through Multi Agency Forum (MAF) meetings to address any concerns of the local community and reduce the impact on local services.
Furthermore, we recently met with Welsh counterparts such as Minister for Social Justice Jane Hutt MP on 30th March.
The latest Home Office figures show that Wales holds 2.6% of supported asylum seekers while Wales makes up 5.2% of the UK’s population. The current number of asylum seekers being accommodated in Wales is lower than it was in June 2020, despite the significant increase in asylum claims.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
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 end the use of Affordable Rent homes set at 80 per cent of market rates.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
We recognise the current context of higher interest rates and cost of living pressures is concerning for mortgage holders. Decisive action has been taken to support households across the UK through cost of living challenges, and the Government will continue to provide cost of living support in 2023-24, designed to target the most vulnerable households. That is why the new Mortgage Charter of June 2023 sets out commitments by the Government, lenders and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to support existing borrowers who are struggling with their mortgage payments.
We recognise the cost of living pressures that tenants are facing and that paying rent is likely to be the biggest monthly expense.
Affordable Rent was introduced in 2011 to make it possible to deliver a larger number of affordable homes for a given amount of public investment. This has helped to support the delivery of over 659,500 affordable homes since 2010. Of that total, more than 468,700 were homes for rent - and of these, more than 166,300 were Social Rent homes.
The Government is committed to delivering more Social Rent homes, and a large number of the homes to be delivered through our Affordable Homes Programme will be for Social Rent. In addition, we recently consulted on a proposal to amend national planning policy to make clear that local planning authorities should give greater importance in planning for Social Rent homes. We will publish a response to that consultation in due course.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department are taking to increase the availability of housing for low-income families in Greater London.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Delivering more affordable homes in London is a priority for the Government, which is why we have invested £4 billion of Affordable Homes Programme funding in the capital to help deliver them.
A significant proportion of these homes will be made available for Social Rent, directly helping low-income households who are unable to rent or buy at market rates.
The latest published statistics for housing delivery in London can be found here.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to increase the amount of the affordable housing programme dedicated to modern methods of construction.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) is committed to promoting Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), and provides incentives for the market to expand its use without compromising the number of homes we deliver.
In August 2021 we announced allocations for Strategic Partnerships worth £8.6 billion to deliver 119,000 affordable homes. Through these allocations we have achieved our target of 25% of delivery through MMC.
The Government is working with its delivery agencies to confirm the 2021 - 26 Programme's capacity to deliver as part of a review of programme commitments in light of economic challenges faced by providers. This is due to complete in Spring 2023.
There are no current plans to revise this target as part of the AHP 21-26.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what proportion of the affordable housing programme is allocated to modern methods of construction.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) is committed to promoting Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), and provides incentives for the market to expand its use without compromising the number of homes we deliver.
In August 2021 we announced allocations for Strategic Partnerships worth £8.6 billion to deliver 119,000 affordable homes. Through these allocations we have achieved our target of 25% of delivery through MMC.
The Government is working with its delivery agencies to confirm the 2021 - 26 Programme's capacity to deliver as part of a review of programme commitments in light of economic challenges faced by providers. This is due to complete in Spring 2023.
There are no current plans to revise this target as part of the AHP 21-26.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues about (a) increasing the supply of key worker housing and (b) the potential benefits of NHS accommodation for newly qualified staff.
Answered by Will Quince
We have regular cross-Government discussions on key worker accommodation. Local organisations are responsible for determining the appropriate use of National Health Service estate, including surplus land. Key worker accommodation may maximise the effectiveness of the current estate and we are working with NHS England to test delivery models. NHS staff also have access to the national First Homes scheme, established in 2021, which enables key workers to purchase homes at a discount to the market value on new housing sites, paid for by developer contributions.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to UNISON’s report entitled a decent place to live: Homes Fit for Key Workers, published in July 2021, what recent assessment he has made of the findings of that report.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
In terms of housing and social housing, the Government has a clear set of policies:
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps to help ensure that recipients of the European Social Fund in Northern Ireland continue to receive funding under the Shared Prosperity Fund after March 2023.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
The £2.6 billion UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will provide support for projects across Northern Ireland, focusing on people and skills, communities and place, and local business for the period 2022-23 to 2024-25. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is leading delivery of the UKSPF in Northern Ireland and is in the process of designing a Northern Ireland Investment Plan for UKSPF that sets out the specific interventions it will support, and how it will bring them to market. The Department is working closely with Northern Ireland partners through a Partnership Group comprising representatives from the voluntary and community sector, business, higher education and skills, and local authorities to develop this Plan.
As the Department considers how to deliver the UKSPF, it is considering the wider funding landscape, including activities funded via predecessor funds and other programmes, and the best way to deliver impactful funding that addresses the needs of Northern Ireland. Alongside this, the Department has held workshops and engaged with over 150 representatives of the voluntary and community sector, many of whom receive funding for projects currently, as well as business organisations and local councils across Northern Ireland.
The Department expects to conclude the plan shortly and will publish further information on funding opportunities in Northern Ireland later this year.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help ensure that key worker housing is available for (a) NHS and (b) social care workers.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We have regular discussions with NHS England on key worker accommodation. It is for local organisations to determine the best use of National Health Service estate, including surplus land. Key worker accommodation may be able to help maximise the effectiveness of the current estate and we are currently working with NHS England to test delivery models. NHS staff also have access to the national ‘First Homes’ scheme, established in 2021, that enables key workers to purchase homes at a discount to the market value on new housing sites, paid for out of developer contributions.
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 timescale is for the commencement of the People and Skills strand of the Shared Prosperity Fund in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
The £2.6 billion UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will support the UK Government's wider commitment to level up all parts of the UK by delivering on each of the Levelling Up objectives. Northern Ireland's allocation between 2022-23 and 2024-25 is £105 million of core UKSPF funding and £22 million for Multiply, the UK's adult numeracy programme.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities will pursue a varied approach to market in Northern Ireland. This could involve delivery at NI-scale, sub-regionally or locally, as well as commissioning or project competitions. The approach will be guided by the UKSPF Investment Plan for Northern Ireland. Further information on commissioning and project competitions will be published in due course.