Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

House Building

Monday 10 July 2023 · 15 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 6 Not answered 0

Key points

  • House building is a priority for the UK Government, with 10 billion in investment announced since the start of the Parliament to unlock over 1 million new homes.
  • The investment zone programme is underway, with a shortlist of eight places selected for investment, including potential support for Wolverhampton North East.
  • The Government is introducing measures to increase transparency about build-out and development proposals to address concerns raised by Members of Parliament.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Paul Holmes Con Hamble Valley
Housing
Context

The MP is concerned about steps taken to support house building.

Question

What steps are being taken by the Department to support house building?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

House building is a priority for this Government. We have announced £10 billion-worth of investment in the housing supply since the start of this Parliament, and ultimately, our interventions are due to unlock over 1 million new homes. We are also investing £11.5 billion in the latest affordable homes programme, to provide tens of thousands of new homes across the country.

Answered
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Q2 Jane Stevenson
Business & Trade
Context

The MP wants to pay tribute to Councillor Ian Brookfield and seeks support for an investment zone in Wolverhampton.

Question

Will the Minister support a campaign for an investment zone in Wolverhampton North East, stretching from Springfield brewery to the science park?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

I join my hon. Friend in paying tribute to Councillor Ian Brookfield. I thank my hon. Friend very much for her question. She is an absolutely superb advocate for her constituents and the city of Wolverhampton. The investment zone programme is under way, with a shortlist of eight places selected for inclusion; the west midlands is one of them. We are co-developing proposals, and we will look carefully at her proposal.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Not specifically committing to supporting an investment zone in Wolverhampton North East.

How: The Programme Is Under Way, We Will Look Carefully At The Proposal

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Q3 Maggie Throup Con
Housing
Context

The MP draws attention to a stalled housing development in her constituency and seeks further support.

Question

What further support is available to encourage the site owner to complete more than 100 homes planned for a site?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

I am concerned about the situation highlighted by my hon. Friend and would be pleased to discuss it with her in more detail if that is helpful. We are introducing a range of measures to increase transparency about build-out, ensuring development proposals get built.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Not providing specific support or actions beyond discussion and transparency measures.

How: We Will Discuss It With Her, Introducing Transparency Measures

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Q4 Jason McCartney Con
Housing Local Government
Context

The MP highlights a situation where local people are losing confidence in the use of developer contributions.

Question

Does the Minister agree that developer contributions should be spent on improving local infrastructure affected by major housing developments?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

My hon. Friend highlights a most unsatisfactory state of affairs from Labour-run Kirklees Council. We are introducing a new infrastructure levy that will bring much-needed transparency. Local authorities, including Kirklees, should be spending the money on the infrastructure needed for local people.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Not specifically committing to ensuring proper use of developer contributions.

How: We Are Introducing A New Levy, Local Authorities Should Spend It

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Q5 Kate Kniveton
NHS Housing
Context

The MP highlights issues with the provision of essential services and facilities in new housing developments.

Question

What is being done to ensure successful and timely integration of vital facilities such as play spaces and healthcare services in new housing developments?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

My hon. Friend highlights well on behalf of her constituents the need for the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill, which includes measures to tackle exactly these issues. It will introduce a new infrastructure levy to reform developer contributions, bringing certainty and transparency over the infrastructure needed.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Not providing specific updates or commitments on integration measures.

How: The Bill Includes Measures, Bringing Certainty And Transparency

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Q6 Peter Aldous Con
Housing Local Government
Context

The MP highlights the need for more resources in planning departments and social rental housing.

Question

What steps is the Minister taking to address capacity challenges in local planning authorities and increase the supply of social rented homes?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

My hon. Friend speaks with considerable expertise on these matters. We are developing a programme of support, working with partners across the planning sector, to put more skills and capacity into planning authorities. Our levelling up White Paper is committed to increasing the supply of social rented homes across the country.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Not providing specific steps or commitments on addressing challenges in local planning departments.

How: We Are Developing A Programme, Our White Paper Is Committed

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Q7 Paul Holmes Con Hamble Valley
Housing
Context

The MP highlights the removal of affordable housing obligations by Eastleigh Borough Council.

Question

Will my hon. Friend condemn the council's move and assure me that no Homes England money will be used to backfill the gap?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

I thank my hon. Friend for highlighting the reckless behaviour of his Liberal Democrat-run council. I completely agree that it is a disgraceful state of affairs. The council should be using that funding secured to deliver the affordable housing that residents need and deserve. As suggested, Homes England will definitely not be contributing to backfilling that need.

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Q8 Clive Betts Lab Sheffield South East
Housing
Context

According to the Department's figures, housing starts fell by 12% in the first three months of this year. This drop leaves only 37,000 housing starts, half the figure needed for a yearly target of 300,000 homes.

Question

I do not doubt the Minister's good intentions on house building, but does she accept that housing starts fell by 12% year on year in the first three months of this year? That is down to a figure of just more than 37,000 starts, which is half the figure needed to hit 300,000 homes a year. On that basis, does she conclude like me that not merely is her policy not succeeding in hitting the housing targets, but it is considerably contributing to their failure?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

The hon. Gentleman brings his considerable knowledge to this matter, but I will take no lectures from him and the Labour party on house building. This Government delivered 242,000 houses in 2019-20—that is the highest level for more than 30 years, including the entire time that the Labour party was in government.

Not addressed: The questioner's specific data on housing starts and target failures were not addressed directly; instead, a general statement about past achievements was made.

How: Taking Lectures, Comparing With Previous Governments

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Q9 Emma Hardy Lab Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice
Climate Environment
Context

The average cost of repairing a home from flood damage has been £60,000 in the past six years. One in four homes is at risk of flooding according to Aviva.

Question

We do not just need to build affordable homes; we also need to build high-quality homes that are fit for the future and climate-resilient. In the past six years, the average cost of repairing a home from flood damage has been £60,000 a property, and Aviva calculates that one in four homes is now at risk of flooding. Will the Government ensure that their proposed national planning policy framework will finally prevent unprotected homes from being built in flood risk areas?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

The hon. Lady raises an important issue. The consultation on the NPPF has been well subscribed. We are analysing the responses now, but I am sure we will be able to say more in due course.

Not addressed: The specific question about flood risk was not directly answered; instead, a statement about ongoing analysis and future updates was made.

How: Analysis Of Responses, Future Updates

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Q10 Tim Farron Lib Dem Westmorland and Lonsdale
Housing
Context

Average house prices in Westmorland and Lonsdale are 12 times average household incomes.

Question

In Westmorland and Lonsdale, average house prices are 12 times average household incomes. The danger we have is that when we see houses developed, we are meeting demand, but not need. Should the Government not give us far greater planning controls, so that we can ensure that we do not see 100 homes built that are a waste of bricks going into the second home market? Instead, we should ensure that they are affordable homes, socially rented for local families.

Answer from Rachel Maclean

Local authorities have a huge amount of freedom. They have been given the tools by the Government through legislation, through developer contribution powers and through Homes England grants to deliver affordable homes. The hon. Member will also know about the wider work we are doing on second homes to enable local authorities to raise council tax.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask was not directly addressed; instead, the answer discussed general tools given to local authorities and existing efforts on second homes.

How: Local Authority Freedom, Developer Contribution Powers

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Q11 Rachael Maskell Labour (Co-op) York Central
NHS Housing
Context

The Government are notoriously bad at disposing of public land, such as with NHS Property Services and Ministry of Defence land.

Question

The Government are notoriously bad at disposing of public land—I need only look at NHS Property Services and the seven-year wait on the Bootham Park hospital site, and at Ministry of Defence land—so will the Minister look at how that can be co-ordinated and handed over to Homes England so that we can get building the housing that is desperately needed in places such as York?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

The hon. Lady will be pleased to hear that this is a priority for us. I take issue slightly with her comment that we have a poor record of disposing of public land. Often, that public land is needed by hospitals and the MOD.

Not addressed: The questioner's specific request was not addressed; instead, the answer disputed the premise about the disposal record and highlighted hospital and MOD needs.

How: Disputing Poor Disposal Record, Hospital And Mod Land Needs

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Q12 Peter Grant SNP
Housing Scotland
Context

The SNP has been in government since 2007, during which time new council and social-rented houses have been built at nine times the rate of any Government covering England.

Question

Among the SNP failures that the Secretary of State chose not to mention is the fact that, since the SNP came to government in 2007, we have been building new council and social-rented houses at nine times the rate of any Government covering England. Does the Minister accept that if successive Labour and Tory Governments had followed the SNP's example in Scotland, the housing crisis in England would be far less than it currently is?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

No.

Not addressed: The question about housing rates was not addressed; instead, a simple denial without further explanation was given.

How: Denial

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Q13 Jim Shannon DUP Strangford
Northern Ireland
Context

The population of Northern Ireland has risen by about 100,000 to 1.9 million.

Question

I thank the Minister very much for her responses. One of the key issues is for urgent planning decisions to be made. The Minister has a keen interest in Northern Ireland, where the population has risen by about 100,000 up to 1.9 million. One thing that needs to be done is on infrastructure decisions, which need to be made here nationally, not regionally. What discussions has she had with the Northern Ireland Assembly to ensure that those decisions can be made to the benefit of all of us in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

I thank the hon. Gentleman so much. He is an active participant in all the debates we have on these issues. I continue to work closely with him and his colleagues in Northern Ireland, because we can work together and learn lessons from each other.

Not addressed: The specific question about infrastructure decisions was not addressed; instead, general praise and ongoing collaboration were discussed.

How: Praise For Active Participation, Working Closely

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Q14 Lisa Nandy Lab Wigan
Housing
Context

The Government's Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill has measures to block new homes from being built.

Question

Do the Government realise how absurd all of this sounds? Their own flagship Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill, which is currently making its way through the House of Lords, has measures in it to block new homes from being built, and yet the Minister stands here berating councils for getting in the way. All of this is happening because Conservative Back Benchers have more control of housing policy than their Government.

Answer from Rachel Maclean

I do not quite know how to give that a serious response. I have just set out in huge detail all the work backed by public funding—taxpayers' money—going into delivering the houses that people need up and down the country.

Not addressed: The specific question about absurd policies was not addressed; instead, a statement on detailed government work with taxpayers' money was made.

How: Lack Of Serious Response

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Q15 Lisa Nandy Lab Wigan
Housing
Context

The Government have had 17 housing Ministers and three planning overhauls, yet house building is at its lowest level for a generation.

Question

It is literally in the Government's own Bill—they are trying to block new houses from being built. They have had 17 housing Ministers and three planning overhauls, and house building is at its lowest level for a generation.

Answer from Rachel Maclean

That was a flight of fantasy with several hundred questions. I am happy to engage with the hon. Lady on the detail of the clauses in the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill, but I am proud of the Government's record in bringing forward levelling-up across the whole country, with house building backed by billions of pounds of public funding and taxpayers' money.

Not addressed: The specific question was not addressed; instead, a general statement about detailed clauses and past achievements was made.

How: Fantasy, Proud Record

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