Topical Questions 2024-09-02

2024-09-02

TAGS
Response quality

Questions & Answers

Q1 Direct Answer
Ayoub Khan Ind
Birmingham Perry Barr
Context
Following a fire incident in Dagenham, the question seeks information on government's response and actions.
If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities. The MP noted an appalling fire last week that affected residents in Dagenham and reminded of the importance of making buildings safe before the Grenfell inquiry report is released this week. She expressed thoughts with bereaved families, survivors, and the community of Grenfell.
I pay tribute to all those involved in supporting residents in Dagenham after the appalling fire last week—a sobering reminder of the importance of making buildings safe ahead of the Grenfell inquiry report this week. My thoughts are with the bereaved families, the survivors and the community of Grenfell affected during this very difficult week. As my hon. Friend the Minister for Building Safety said, we have published an update to the House on work to address building safety issues, which we will continue to take swift action to resolve.
Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q2 Partial Answer
Ayoub Khan Ind
Birmingham Perry Barr
Context
The MP raised concerns over Birmingham city council's plan to sell residential units at a loss, affecting around 25,000 families on the waiting list.
Birmingham's Labour-run council is on the verge of selling off some 700 residential units at a loss to the taxpayer of about £300 million. Will the Secretary of State intervene to allow the council to retain those properties for public ownership and for use by some of the 25,000 desperate families on the waiting list?
The hon. Member will know that Birmingham city council will not be making decisions over asset sales lightly. I know that it is working with commissioners to ensure that its financing decisions deliver value for money and that it can avoid fire sales, and I will work constructively with the council and commissioners as that work continues.
Assessment & feedback
The answer did not address whether the government would intervene directly.
Working Constructively
Response accuracy
Q3 Direct Answer
Terry Jermy Lab
South West Norfolk
Context
The MP highlighted the financial burden on King's Lynn and West Norfolk borough council from IDB levies, contributing 43% of its council tax income.
Levy funding for internal drainage boards is an increasing concern for many councils. In my constituency, King's Lynn and West Norfolk borough council now contributes the equivalent of 43% of its council tax income to fund IDB levies. Will the Secretary of State update Members on any progress determining a more sustainable funding solution for those levies and whether the one-off grant scheme to support councils might be repeated?
In the final 2024-25 local government finance settlement, a £3 million grant was announced to assist local authorities experiencing significant pressures on their internal drainage board levy. I am publishing today the allocations of funding for 15 local authorities, and I can confirm that King's Lynn and West Norfolk will receive an allocation of £254,000 from the levy. We are also working closely with our colleagues in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to explore options going forward for future allocations.
Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q4 Partial Answer
Kemi Badenoch Con
North West Essex
Context
The MP inquired about the government's plans regarding council tax increases and discounts.
It has been reported that the Secretary of State is being lobbied to increase council tax and remove discounts such as the single occupancy discount. Will she take this opportunity to reassure the House that the Government have no plans to increase council tax, as they assured us before the election?
Assessment & feedback
The answer was too brief to be a direct response.
One-Word Response
Response accuracy
Q5 Direct Answer
Chi Onwurah Lab
Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
Context
The MP highlighted a case of a constituent facing eviction and rent increase, leading to potential homelessness.
My constituent Tracy was recently issued with a section 21 notice to quit and, at the same time, a section 13 rent increase that she cannot afford. She fears being made homeless with her children, so she got in touch with Newcastle city council for a council property, but the wait is 27 weeks on average and often much longer. When will good tenants be protected from unfair evictions and extortionate rent increases?
I am deeply saddened to hear of the plight of Tracy and her children. Our renters' rights Bill will protect tenants from arbitrary eviction and empower them to challenge unreasonable within-tenancy rent rises. I can assure my hon. Friend that Tracy and others facing similar insecurity will not have long to wait for that Bill's introduction.
Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q6 Partial Answer
Helen Morgan Lib Dem
North Shropshire
Context
The MP questioned the government's plans to consider cost differences in delivering services in vast rural areas.
Residents in rural areas such as my constituency are seeing drastic cuts to local services despite their council tax having gone up this year. That is because councils are struggling to balance budgets. When the fair funding review takes place, will the Secretary of State commit to considering the cost of delivering services in vast rural areas, which is in excess of the same cost in urban areas?
We will absolutely ensure that the true cost of public service delivery is accounted for in different parts of the country and in different local authorities—that will be part of it. However, I say gently that although the Conservatives were the architects of austerity, the Liberal Democrats were definitely there sharpening the pencil.
Assessment & feedback
The answer included a criticism rather than directly addressing the service delivery cost question.
Sharpening The Pencil
Response accuracy
Q7 Direct Answer
Rachel Hopkins Lab
Luton South and South Bedfordshire
Context
The MP expressed support for making housing more affordable, questioning the government's plans regarding right to buy discounts.
The Government have my full support in making housing more affordable for my constituents and those across the UK, and creating more social rented housing will be important in that. Will the Minister update the House on the Government's plans to protect existing council stock by reviewing the increased right to buy discounts introduced in 2012?
The Government have started to review the increased right to buy discounts introduced in 2012, as we promised to do in our manifesto. We will lay secondary legislation in the autumn and consult on wider reforms. We recognise the importance of right to buy as a route to home ownership for tenants, but we must, as my hon. Friend makes clear, protect our existing stock and boost the supply of new social rented homes.
Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q8 Partial Answer
Monica Harding Lib Dem
Esher and Walton
Context
The MP asked about the protection of green belts from development pressures.
Managing the need to build new homes and to protect our valuable green spaces will always be a tricky balancing act. Will the Government put in the national planning policy framework anything that will protect the concept of the green belt in areas such as Esher and Walton, and will the Secretary of State meet me to discuss it?
The Government have made it clear in that very consultation that we do not intend to change the general purpose or extent of the green belt. We are committed to making changes to ensure that we are releasing the right parts of the green belt to meet housing need. The hon. Lady is more than welcome to submit her own views as part of that consultation.
Assessment & feedback
The answer did not commit directly to putting measures in the national planning policy framework.
Submit Own Views
Response accuracy
Q9 Direct Answer
Liz Twist Lab
Blaydon and Consett
Context
The MP expressed concern about the safety of buildings, particularly residential social care homes.
Among the many people who are concerned about the safety of buildings—understandably, given recent events—are those who work or live in residential social care homes. Does today's announcement include higher safety standards, including sprinkler systems in such homes?
I completely agree with my hon. Friend that we should ensure that the most vulnerable in society are protected. That is why the Government have today announced an amendment to the statutory fire safety guidance to make provision for sprinkler systems in all new care homes.
Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q10 Partial Answer
Gideon Amos Lib Dem
Taunton and Wellington
Context
Over 10,000 people in Taunton and Wellington are on the housing waiting list. Local councils struggle with low interest rate borrowing.
I am concerned about over 10,000 people on the housing waiting list in Taunton and Wellington facing desperate conditions. Will you allow councils to borrow at low interest rates for building council houses as Somerset is pioneering?
We understand the pressure on housing revenue accounts and are reviewing our position. Further announcements will be made in due course.
Assessment & feedback
Under Review
Response accuracy
Q11 Direct Answer
Chris Webb Lab
Blackpool South
Context
Blackpool's Waterloo Road and Bond Street are declining. The Deputy Prime Minister visited Blackpool during the election campaign.
Blackpool's Waterloo Road and Bond Street were once thriving local tourist hotspots, but have declined visibly. Will she work with me to ensure their successful regeneration?
We are working in partnership with Blackpool for significant investment and will continue to unlock potential, delivering better-quality housing and a stronger local economy.
Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q12 Partial Answer
Peter Bedford Con
Mid Leicestershire
Context
Residents in Glenfield village are concerned about plans to site 400 houses, seven Traveller pitches and a waste-processing centre.
Will the Secretary of State join me in calling on Leicester city council to review its plan for 400 homes and other developments near Glenfield village?
We will not interfere with local council decisions. However, we emphasize the importance of having an up-to-date local plan to shape development.
Assessment & feedback
Discretion Of Local Councils
Response accuracy
Q13 Partial Answer
Beccy Cooper Lab
Worthing West
Context
Worthing West is nearly fully developed, with residents concerned about preserving urban green spaces.
How are we balancing the provision of urban green spaces with our need for housing to ensure thriving communities?
The Government are committed to protecting and providing development that supports local green spaces while addressing housing needs.
Assessment & feedback
No Specifics
Response accuracy
Q14 Partial Answer
Andrew Rosindell Con
Romford
Context
Residents in Romford are upset about Mayor Khan's high-rise block plans.
Does she agree that the London Borough of Havering is Essex despite being part of Greater London?
As a Mancunian, I do not think I am in any place to tell Londoners what is in Essex and what is not.
Assessment & feedback
Personal Insult
Response accuracy
Q15 Partial Answer
Kevin Bonavia Lab
Stevenage
Context
Conservative cuts have held back Stevenage. The Government's devolution agenda aims to rebuild and improve local services.
Can the Secretary of State provide an update on consultations with Hertfordshire county council and borough/district authorities?
We are reviewing current consultations and devolution agreements, and I am happy to meet my hon. Friend outside this Chamber to discuss further.
Assessment & feedback
Meetings
Response accuracy
Q16 Direct Answer
Kit Malthouse Con
North West Hampshire
Context
Rural communities produce neighbourhood plans to guide development.
Will the Minister confirm that rural community neighbourhood plans will be respected for their lifespan, notwithstanding new local planning authority housing targets?
The Government do not intend to require amendments to neighbourhood plans. Communities can choose whether to review or update them.
Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q17 Partial Answer
Melanie Onn Lab
Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes
Context
Local authorities worked up proposals for devolution plans that did not go ahead before the last election.
Can you provide a timeframe for discussions about devolution plans, which my constituents are keen to move forward with?
We recognise local authorities' work and are currently reviewing proposals at pace. Clarity will be provided as soon as possible.
Assessment & feedback
At Pace
Response accuracy
Q18 Direct Answer
Munira Wilson Lib Dem
Twickenham
Context
Local authorities want to remove hope value for house building purposes, but not for playing fields.
Will the Secretary of State look at rules around local authority compulsory purchase orders for playing fields as sites like Udney park lie derelict?
We will welcome views on playing fields. We have discretionary power to disapply section 17 of the Land Compensation Act for hope value, and further steps are outlined in our manifesto.
Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q19 Partial Answer
Anna Dixon Lab
Shipley
Context
Local councils competed for pots of money, and Bingley pool was due to receive a levelling-up award. Funds are vital for regeneration.
The last Government made local councils compete for pots of money. Bingley pool in my constituency was due to receive a levelling-up award. Those funds are vital for the regeneration of our towns. Can my hon. Friend update the House on the review of those awards, and on the timescale for informing communities such as mine, who have been let down by the Conservatives' unfunded promises, of the results?
I share my hon. Friend's anger that promises that did not have a strong financial backing were made to communities—promises that the Government are having to work their way through. As I said, we want to move away from the broken competitive model, but we know that promises have been made, and we are working on them. Hon. Members will hear further answers from us before the Budget on 30 October.
Assessment & feedback
Specific timescale for informing communities about results was not provided
We Are Working On It
Response accuracy
Q20 Partial Answer
Roger Gale Con
Herne Bay and Sandwich
Context
The national planning policy framework militates against building on agricultural land, which is essential for food production.
The national planning policy framework clearly militates against building on agricultural land. Notwithstanding the Minister's desire not to interfere in local democracy, will he write to the leader of Thanet district council to remind him that agricultural land is the stuff that we grow food on, and cannot be for housing if we are to remain sustainable?
We are maintaining the existing strong protection for the best and most versatile agricultural land that is most important for food production. The line that we are removing from the NPPF was added in December 2023, and does not provide clear and meaningful guidance to authorities about what they should do, in addition to having that strong protection in place.
Assessment & feedback
Specifically addressing writing a letter was avoided
Maintaining Existing Protections
Response accuracy
Q21 Partial Answer
Joe Powell Lab
Kensington and Bayswater
Context
The phase 2 report of the Grenfell inquiry will be published, and four outstanding recommendations from phase 1 include personalized emergency evacuation plans for disabled people.
On Wednesday, the phase 2 report of the Grenfell inquiry will be published, and I am sure that the whole House will join me in remembering the 72 residents who lost their lives in an entirely preventable tragedy over seven years ago. Four recommendations for central Government are still outstanding from the phase 1 report, including personalised emergency evacuation plans for disabled people. Will the Secretary of State update us on the progress in implementing the phase 1 recommendations in full?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right: this week will be very difficult for the community around Grenfell, including the survivors and those who lost loved ones. He is also right to say that there are outstanding measures from phase 1. The Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the hon. Member for Bethnal Green and Stepney (Rushanara Ali), made a written ministerial statement today that will hopefully show where the Government intend to go, but there is a lot that needs to be done.
Assessment & feedback
Providing a timeline or specific actions for implementing recommendations was avoided
There Are Outstanding Measures From Phase 1
Response accuracy
Q22 Partial Answer
Graham Stuart Con
Beverley and Holderness
Context
The question is about the importance of maintaining the single-person council tax discount for pensioners.
I congratulate the Secretary of State on her dancing skills, her appointment and her outstanding answer to the question from the shadow Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for North West Essex (Mrs Badenoch), on council tax, which I will pursue. Can she assure the House and guarantee that she will not remove the single person discount, which is so important to pensioners who are already losing out because of the absence of the winter fuel allowance? That would put gladness into the heart of elderly people across the country who live on small incomes.
I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his comments on my dance moves; that opinion is subjective, like beauty, of course. On a serious note, I find it astonishing that Conservative Members, after running down the economy in the way that they did, and after the Chancellor has had to come to the House and talk about the billion-pound black hole, are now trying to claim that this Government are about raising taxes. This Government are about making sure that working people are better off, and we intend to do that.
Assessment & feedback
Guaranteeing or assuring the maintenance of single-person discount was completely avoided
Running Down The Economy Billion-Pound Black Hole
Response accuracy
Q23 Partial Answer
Rachael Maskell Lab Co-op
York Central
Context
Winter fuel payments are no longer available for older people not entitled to pension credit, leading to the need to extend emergency grants and warm spaces.
Given that winter fuel payments will no longer be there for older people who are not entitled to pension credit, what steps has the Secretary of State taken to extend the household support fund, so that local authorities can provide emergency grants, as well as warm spaces?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right about people on pension credit and, in particular, about the household support fund. It is incredibly important, first, that the many people who are entitled to those benefits but are not claiming them do so, and secondly, that the household support fund and the work that we can do to support people is well known. We work with local authorities, which administer the fund, to make sure that the money is given to the people who need it the most. We inherited very difficult circumstances because of the previous Conservative Government. The Chancellor has set out how we can expand the fund to help people who desperately need it.
Assessment & feedback
Specific steps taken by the Secretary of State were not detailed
We Inherited Difficult Circumstances
Response accuracy
Q24 Direct Answer
Rebecca Smith Con
South West Devon
Context
Devonport dockyard needs more housing in the city centre for its future refitting of Royal Navy submarines.
Devonport dockyard in Plymouth has a strong future proudly refitting the Royal Navy's submarines. However, for that to happen, the city needs, among other things, more housing. The location for this housing is there, in the city centre, but it will require a national effort to deliver it. Will the Minister meet a cross-party delegation from Plymouth to take forward these vital plans?
I am well aware of the case that the hon. Lady cites and of that city centre location, and I am more than happy to meet that delegation.
Assessment & feedback
null
Response accuracy
Q25 Partial Answer
Shaun Davies Lab
Telford
Context
Council leaders across political persuasions need more money for local government and a commitment to reform the system.
I know from my time as chair of the Local Government Association that all council leaders, regardless of political persuasion, need more money for local government, but that there is also a commitment from the sector to reforming the sector. Will the Minister confirm his willingness to work with council leaders, regardless of political persuasion, to reform the system, and also to take a look at population under-counting, which is costing my council millions of pounds each year?
I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for the work he did in local government, and as chair of the LGA, to make sure that the sector spoke with one voice and worked in collaboration with Government to try to get a better outcome for local councils. This Government will continue in that spirit.
Assessment & feedback
Concrete actions or timeline on reforming the system were not provided
Pay Tribute
Response accuracy
Q26 Partial Answer
Paul Holmes Con
Hamble Valley
Context
Eastleigh borough council, controlled by the Liberal Democrats, faces a best value notice due to £700 million in unsustainable debt. Further audits reveal ongoing borrowing.
The Minister for Local Government may be aware that Eastleigh borough council is subject to a best value notice, due to its unsustainable £700 million of debt. More audits have been undertaken that show that more borrowing is taking place, so will he meet me to discuss this risk to my constituents and their taxpayers' money?
I am very happy to have a meeting, probably next week, on that issue.
Assessment & feedback
The specific ask for a detailed discussion on risks was not addressed; the minister only offered a vague commitment to meet.
Response accuracy
Q27 Partial Answer
Claire Hazelgrove Lab
Filton and Bradley Stoke
Context
As the housing crisis has worsened, houses in multiple occupation have become more common in areas like Filton, Stoke Park, and Stoke Gifford. This trend impacts local infrastructure and public services.
With more people living in HMOs than originally planned for by local infrastructure, there is an impact on public services and community character. Will the Minister meet me to discuss how HMO regulations might be included as Government reshapes planning framework?
I thank my hon. Friend for her question, and I am more than happy to meet her to discuss those issues.
Assessment & feedback
The specific ask for including HMOs appropriately in the planning framework was not addressed; instead, a vague commitment to meet was given.
Response accuracy
Q28 Partial Answer
Max Wilkinson Lib Dem
Cheltenham
Context
Gloucestershire, including Cheltenham, has coterminous boundaries for various public services. There is concern that these may be altered in future devolution deals.
Will the Secretary of State or another Minister confirm that Gloucestershire will not be grouped with other areas to the north or south as part of a future devolution deal?
Within the first couple of days of this Government, the Deputy Prime Minister wrote to local authority leaders inviting them for discussions on devolution agreements. One of the founding principles is, of course, geography that makes sense—and having coterminous boundaries for public services and the rest does make sense.
Assessment & feedback
The specific ask regarding Gloucestershire's future in any devolution deal was not directly answered; instead, general principles were stated without concrete commitments.
Response accuracy
Q29 Direct Answer
Peter Dowd Lab
Bootle
Context
At recent elections, veterans who tried to prove their identity with a veterans' ID card were turned away.
Veterans who brought along their veterans' ID card to prove their identity were turned away. Will the Minister guarantee that this will change?
I am grateful for that very important question. Veterans were turned away at the recent elections. We have committed to changing that, and we will introduce the necessary regulations in due course.
Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy