Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Topical Questions

Monday 24 February 2020 · 8 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 8 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Andy Carter asked the Secretary of State to agree that private sector building owners should act more quickly to remediate dangerous aluminium composite material cladding on their buildings. The Secretary of State concurred, stating that the progress by building owners has been unacceptably slow.
  • John Healey questioned the Secretary of State about the mental and financial burden faced by hundreds of thousands of people living in homes with unsafe cladding, noting past promises that have not been fulfilled. The Secretary of State responded by highlighting the 600 million scheme for both social and private sector blocks and the planned fire safety Bill.
  • David Linden inquired about the timeline for the introduction of the shared prosperity fund to provide clarity and certainty to communities, especially in Scotland, which previously benefited from EU funding.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Andy Carter QT1
Housing
Context

The question pertains to the urgent need for private sector building owners to address dangerous aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding on their buildings.

Question

Does my right hon. Friend agree that private sector building owners need to act more quickly to remediate dangerous aluminium composite material cladding on their buildings?

Answer from Robert Jenrick

I agree entirely with my hon. Friend on that. Work by building owners in the private sector to ensure the safety of residents living in tower blocks has been unacceptably slow, and I have been consistently clear with them that there is no excuse for their lack of progress. Today I am publishing a list of building owners who do not yet have a clear plan in place to remediate all their buildings. I will not hesitate in future to name others if they fail to demonstrate progress.

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Q2 John Healey Lab Warrington West
Housing Environment
Context

The question addresses the Secretary of State's failure to meet his promise regarding the removal of dangerous cladding from social sector blocks.

Question

It is good to see the Secretary of State still in his place after the Cabinet reshuffle. He is serious about the job, and he certainly has a serious job to do, given that hundreds of thousands of people are living with the mental and financial burden of having unsafe cladding on their home, nearly three years after the terrible Grenfell Tower fire.

Answer from Robert Jenrick

We have taken decisive action to address the challenge of ACM cladding; we banned combustible cladding on buildings, and we have also brought forward the £600 million scheme, for both the social sector and the private sector. I am frustrated that some, particularly in the private sector but also in the social sector, have taken so long to do this.

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Q3 John Healey Lab Warrington West
Housing Environment
Context

The question concerns the Secretary of State's response to Labour's plan for legislation compelling private block owners to remediate dangerous cladding.

Question

We have heard this before, and frustration and exhortation simply are not sufficient. Social sector blocks are just the tip of the iceberg, and the Secretary of State still has not got a grip on those. Four months ago, he promised action against private block owners who are not removing unsafe Grenfell-style ACM cladding, but his own departmental figures show that 43 block owners—one in four—do not even have a plan in place.

Answer from Robert Jenrick

The right hon. Gentleman is behind the curve on this one; he is behind the action we are taking as a Government. We have already said that we are going to bring forward the fire safety Bill, which was in the Queen's Speech and which will give fire and rescue services the powers that he wishes—I hope that means he will be supporting that Bill when it comes forward in the coming months.

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Q4 Alex Cunningham Lab Stockton North
Parliamentary Procedure
Context

The question seeks details about the timeline for the introduction of the shared prosperity fund to replace EU funding.

Question

When?

Answer from Robert Jenrick

We will be doing that, as we have already said, before the summer recess.

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Q5 David Linden SNP Glasgow East
Scotland Brexit
Context

The question addresses the delay in the consultation on the shared prosperity fund and seeks clarity on its release.

Question

On infrastructure and community projects all across Scotland there are EU flags that proudly show where European funding has benefited those organisations. Now that Scotland has been dragged out of the EU against our will, we will no longer benefit from that funding.

Answer from Robert Jenrick

There was meant to be a consultation on it in 2018 but that did not materialise, so will the Secretary of State update the House on when the shared prosperity fund will come forward, to give clarity and certainty to communities?

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Q6 Richard Holden Con North West Durham
Economy Transport Local Government
Context

Four communities in County Durham benefited from the high streets fund, but none of them were supported by Labour-run Durham County Council.

Question

Will my hon. Friend investigate the possibility of reopening the fund so that Consett and the three-town area of Tow Law, Crook and Willington can access that vital source of funding?

Answer from Simon Clarke (Minister of State for Health and Social Care)

I thank my hon. Friend for his question; it is great to have an MP for North West Durham who is committed to fighting hard for his community rather than grandstanding. Our £1 billion future high streets fund is key to levelling up the economy of all parts of the country. There will be a second phase of the fund and we will bring forward further details in due course.

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Q7 Craig Whittaker Con Calder Valley
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The area has faced severe flooding over the past seven and a half years.

Question

After our third one-in-100-years flood in Calder Valley, can my right hon. Friend confirm whether the match funding for charity foundations is included as it was last time, and will it be available to South Yorkshire before Christmas?

Answer from Robert Jenrick (The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government)

May I praise my hon. Friend for the hard work that he has done on behalf of his communities who have faced severe flooding over the past two weeks? We have worked together and brought forward a significant financial package that is comparable to that provided in 2015. I do not believe that anyone has yet approached the Government to ask for match funding for a charity foundation, as happened in 2015, but I would be happy to consider that if it was suggested.

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Q8 Luke Hall Con Wycombe
Social Care
Context

UK government commitment to invest in social care, aiming for cross-party consensus on long-term plan.

Question

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that, on top of putting £1 billion a year into social care, we will be bringing forward that long-term plan this year. We of course look forward to those discussions in the weeks and months ahead. I very much hope that a true cross-party consensus can be reached, because we need to resolve this so that everyone has the dignity and security they deserve.

Answer from The Prime Minister

We of course look forward to those discussions in the weeks and months ahead. I very much hope that a true cross-party consensus can be reached, because we need to resolve this so that everyone has the dignity and security they deserve.

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