Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

New Build Homes: Construction Standards

Monday 2 September 2024 · 6 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ben Goldsborough questioned the Minister about the quality of new homes and the safety of high-rise buildings, expressing concern over developers' reluctance to make necessary improvements.
  • The Minister committed to improving the redress system to ensure new build homebuyers feel confident in the safety and quality of their homes.
  • Meg Hillier inquired about legislating for solar panels on new houses to address energy and climate crises, to which the Minister responded positively about integrating green issues into future home building programs.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Ben Goldsborough Lab South Norfolk
Housing
Context

The Building Safety Act requires building safety and standards to be reviewed regularly. Concerns about poor-quality construction have been raised, affecting residents' dreams of home ownership.

Question

Residents in both Hethersett and Loddon have fallen victim to new homes being built to poor standards, shattering their dreams of home ownership from day one. Does my hon. Friend agree that on our ambition to deliver 1.5 million new homes, they must be 1.5 million decently built new homes?

Answer from Rushanara Ali

As my hon. Friend says, this Government are committed to delivering 1.5 million quality homes over this Parliament to ensure that people have access to high-quality housing. New build homebuyers must feel confident that their new home is safe, and this Government are committed to improving redress for homebuyers when things go wrong.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer did not explicitly commit to ensuring all 1.5 million homes will be built to high standards; it merely stated commitment to quality without specifics on how this will be ensured.

How: Committed

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Q2 Ben Goldsborough Lab South Norfolk
Housing Environment
Context

Recent fires in east London have highlighted the issue of unsafe high-rise buildings. Many residents are still waiting for their buildings to be made safe.

Question

The hon. Lady will be well aware of the recent fires in east London and the fact that many high-rise buildings in this country are still not deemed safe because developers are refusing to do what they should. What action will she take to force developers to make buildings safe for residents?

Answer from Rushanara Ali

I know the hon. Gentleman did a great deal of work on this agenda in the last Parliament. This week, more than seven years after the Grenfell tragedy, the community will receive the public inquiry's final report, and I hope its findings will help to provide the truth that the bereaved and survivors deserve.

Not addressed: The question asked about specific actions against developers but was answered with general statements on the Grenfell tragedy.

How: Changed Subject

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Q3 Bob Blackman Con Harrow East
Housing Employment
Context

Residents in leasehold properties face problems due to lack of skilled workers in the construction industry, delaying remediation efforts.

Question

Hundreds of my constituents live in leasehold properties with problems. I should declare for the register that I live in a leasehold property, although my developer funded the full cost of cladding removal. There is still a very long wait for those who are not yet in the queue, and one brake on delivery is the lack of skilled people in the construction industry. What work is my hon. Friend doing with other Departments to make sure that we develop the skills we need?

Answer from Rushanara Ali

This is a very important area and we are absolutely committed to increasing the skills and competence within the sector. The Department and the Building Safety Regulator will support industry as they identify skills and capacity gaps, provide relevant training and set up accredited competence schemes.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer provided broad commitments but did not specify concrete actions or timelines for developing necessary skills.

How: Committed

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Q4 Meg Hillier Labour (Co-op) Hackney South and Shoreditch
Climate Energy
Context

The Government have ambitious house-building plans amidst energy and climate crises. There is a need to ensure all new houses are equipped with solar panels for power generation.

Question

Given the Government's ambitious house building plans, the energy crisis and the climate crisis, will the Minister bring forward legislation in the forthcoming planning and infrastructure Bill to ensure all new houses have solar panels on their roofs as standard, so they can generate their own power, and net zero building standards are brought forward as soon as possible?

Answer from Rushanara Ali

The Government have set out very ambitious plans on home building and on green issues. The future home building programme will address those issues; we look forward to working with colleagues on the issue.

Not addressed: The answer provided no specific commitments or actions regarding solar panels or net zero standards for new homes.

How: Committed

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Q5 Ellie Chowns Green North Herefordshire
Housing
Context

There is a need to bring accessibility standards up to M4(2) level immediately, as recommended by the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee.

Question

The last Government consulted at very great length about bringing accessibility standards for all new homes up to M4(2) level. The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee recommended that be done immediately, but the response we got was that more consultation was needed. Will the Minister assure us that the issue will now be dealt with as a matter of urgency?

Answer from Rushanara Ali

Today, in our written ministerial statement, we have set out a number of proposals. The points my hon. Friend makes about accessibility are extremely important. We will do further work, building on the statement published today.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer did not provide an urgent commitment; it promised to look into the issue but without a specific timeline or action plan.

How: Working With

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Q6 Clive Betts Lab Sheffield South East
Housing Local Government
Context

Residents want local councils to have the power to demand high-quality and supportive living conditions from developers.

Question

People in North Norfolk desperately want new homes for local people to be built. They know those homes need to be good-quality and support active lifestyles, but currently local councils lack the tougher powers they need to make those demands. Will the Minister tell me what she plans to do to give planners, such as those at North Norfolk district council, greater powers to demand more from developers?

Answer from Rushanara Ali

The national planning framework will set out further how we intend to provide key support to local authorities and to work closely with local authorities to ensure the issue is addressed.

Not addressed: The answer provided information on future processes but did not give specific powers or actions for councils.

How: Working With

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