Topical Questions 2021-06-14
2021-06-14
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Direct Answer
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Context
Robert Jenrick was asked about his department's activities and responsibilities.
If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities. May I also offer my condolences to those involved in Grenfell four years ago—an event that we will never forget?
One of the greatest divides in our country is between homeowners and non-homeowners. I was delighted to see the first site of the First Homes scheme providing homes at a 30% discount in Bolsover. Further sites worth over £700 million have been announced. Today marks four years since Grenfell Tower fire; we are determined to address failings through a new building safety Bill.
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Q2
Partial Answer
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The Government provided £700 million extra funding to local authorities for supporting rough sleepers. The questioner asks about the Everyone In strategy and repeal of the Vagrancy Act.
May I also offer my condolences to those involved in Grenfell four years ago—an event that we will never forget? Now we must learn from what was done with the Everyone In strategy, especially in terms of mental health and addiction issues. Does he agree that it is time to replace the Vagrancy Act?
Councils have reduced rough sleepers significantly with £700 million in extra funding. We must build on this progress across Government, considering homelessness as both a housing and health issue.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not directly answer whether it is time to replace the Vagrancy Act
Does Not Commit To Replacing The Vagrancy Act
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Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
The Conservative Government announced two independent advisers on Islamophobia in July 2019 but has not published their work or terms of reference.
Can the Secretary of State tell us who both independent advisers are, publish their terms of reference as well as the work they have carried out? Does this show negligence towards tackling Islamophobia across the UK?
Professor Swaran Singh conducted an independent review of the Conservative party. The Government accepted all recommendations in full, but did not directly address the specific ask about publishing terms or names.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not provide the names and work of the independent advisers on Islamophobia
Deflects Criticism Onto Labour Party
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Q4
Direct Answer
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Second homes have pushed prices beyond what local people can afford, prompting a question on how to help young people get on the housing ladder.
What more can be done to help young people get on the housing ladder in Cornwall without concreting over scenic home areas?
The First Homes scheme offers 30% discounts for local residents to help them get on the housing ladder. I encourage constituents to look at ownyourhome.gov.uk.
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Q5
Direct Answer
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The questioner asks about establishing a community wealth fund to convert dormant assets into long-term investment for disadvantaged communities.
Will the Secretary of State meet the co-chairs of the all-party parliamentary group for “left behind” neighbourhoods to discuss how we can take forward proposals from the Community Wealth Fund Alliance and establish a community wealth fund?
I would be happy to meet to discuss the community ownership fund, which allows community groups to bid for match funding to buy local assets. We have also announced the right to regenerate, enabling bids for public sector assets.
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Q6
Partial Answer
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Context
Rushcliffe faces housing pressures due to the current planning system. Labour-run Nottingham City Council has pushed thousands of houses from brownfield sites onto greenfield sites in Rushcliffe.
Rushcliffe has been let down by the current planning system. Can my right hon. Friend confirm that his reforms will put protecting our countryside at the heart of our planning system and abolish measures such as the duty to co-operate, which has previously enabled councils such as Labour-run Nottingham City Council to push thousands of houses from brownfield sites in the city where they are sorely needed on to Rushcliffe's greenfield sites in the countryside?
My hon. Friend raises an important point. We want to see cities such as Nottingham have the investment they deserve to build more homes and to tackle the issues they face. We see having good-quality housing stock in cities such as Nottingham as a crucial part of levelling up and spreading prosperity. That is one of the reasons why we changed the local housing need formula to place a much greater emphasis on smaller cities such as Nottingham.
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Assessment & feedback
Abolishing measures like the duty to co-operate, focusing instead on investment in cities and changing the local housing need formula
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Q7
Partial Answer
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Delays in processing applications to the building safety fund have led to soaring insurance costs for eligible developments in Greenwich and Woolwich.
As a result of delays in processing applications to the building safety fund, increasing numbers of eligible developments in my constituency are finding themselves subject to soaring building insurance renewal costs. Will the Government finally accept that they need to step in and resolve this problem with the industry as a matter of urgency?
As a matter of fact, for ACM buildings within Greenwich and Woolwich, of the 23 that have registered, 21 have completed remediation, one building has been removed and one building has started work. For buildings with applications to the building safety fund, of the 94 registrations made, 31 have been confirmed as eligible, 27 have been assessed and 12 have been withdrawn. So great progress is being made. I am working with the insurance industry, and we should ensure that it brings forward market proposals, not simply have the Exchequer step in and subsidise it.
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Assessment & feedback
Immediate government intervention to resolve insurance costs issue
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Q8
Direct Answer
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Context
Some local authorities are buying land with a view to developing it, which raises concerns about conflicts of interest when they apply for planning permission on their own land.
Some local authorities are treading a fine line between being a planning authority and being a property developer. My local authority, South Cambridgeshire District Council, is buying land with a view to developing it. Whatever the other arguments about that, it raises a fundamental potential conflict of interest in that the local authority has to apply to itself for planning permission—something that is causing great concern among residents. Will my right hon. Friend consider whether there is a need to tighten the examination of this conflict of interest when a local authority applies to itself for planning permission on its own land?
I am sure my hon. Friend will agree that there are occasions when a local authority may need to apply for permission to build on council-owned land—for example, a new school—but he is right that there needs to be a robust set of safeguards in place, because these applications do generate a great deal of interest and an appearance, on occasion, of unfairness. The applications must be transparently publicised, consulted on and determined in a way that is fair and open.
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Q9
Direct Answer
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Constituents living in leasehold properties are angry about the Government's promises being betrayed, and they face financial costs due to building safety defects. Delays in announcing the loan scheme have added insult.
I have listened to the words this afternoon, but my constituents living in leasehold properties in Bedminster and elsewhere are rightly furious now with the Government for betraying the promises that they would not be responsible for the financial cost of rectifying building safety defects, and the delays in announcing the Government loan scheme have just added insult to injury. So can we have a bit more detail? When does the Secretary of State think he will be providing full details regarding eligibility and timescales for implementation to help these people?
We have made good progress on the plan that we announced earlier this year. The extra funding is now available through the building safety fund, and we are working through the applications. For lower-rise buildings, we have said that we will bring forward a financing scheme in which no leaseholder will ever need to pay more than £50 a month. There will be long-term low-interest loans for cladding removal and remediation and associated works, and we have said that we will bring forward the details of that shortly.
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Q10
Partial Answer
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Many local children's play areas are in poor condition, and one has been without a swing for over a year. Parents are concerned that councils should focus on maintaining such facilities.
Lots of High Peak parents have been contacting me concerned about the poor state of repair of many of our local children's play areas, including at least one that has had to go without a swing for well over a year. Does the Secretary of State agree with me that instead of spending taxpayers' money and resources on their own pet projects, councils should focus on their core responsibilities such as properly maintaining children's play areas?
As a parent of three young children, I spend a long time in playgrounds and appreciate their importance to everybody in society. I think it is really important that councils take parks and playgrounds seriously. They may be a non-statutory duty, but they are a very important one to members of the public. We have now had two years of increases in council funding, which were voted on and supported by both sides of this House, so local councils have the resources, and they should prioritise open spaces as we come out of the pandemic.
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Assessment & feedback
Prioritising maintenance of children's play areas over other projects
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Q11
Partial Answer
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Constituents in Lancefield Quay cannot afford full insurance due to cladding issues on buildings. The Secretary of State is working with the insurance industry, but a market solution seems unlikely.
My constituents in Lancefield Quay are among many who now cannot afford full insurance due to issues of cladding on their buildings. The Secretary of State mentioned earlier that he was working with the insurance industry. There is not a market solution to this; there is an impending market failure on his watch. What is he going to do about it?
I disagree with the hon. Lady, because a number of businesses have already brought forward market solutions—Aviva, for example, and I believe that E.ON is also doing so. It is extremely important that we in this House are united in putting pressure on the insurance companies, not simply asking the Exchequer to step in and bail out some of the most affluent and successful companies in the country. That is what we are trying to do, and we are seeing signs of progress.
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Assessment & feedback
Intervention by the government to solve market failures
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Q12
Partial Answer
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Context
Major housing developers in Ashfield have been delaying the completion of construction sites for up to a decade, affecting residents who have already purchased homes.
Major housing developers are very quick to build new homes and take the money, but in Ashfield they are not so quick to finish sites and make them ready for adoption—some of the sites have taken 10 years plus. This is simply not good enough for my residents, who have parted with their hard-earned cash for their dream home, so will my right hon. Friend please give new home buyers in Ashfield some words of reassurance that the Government are taking this seriously?
I agree with my hon. Friend. It is extremely important that developers, large and small, make good on their promises to local councils and local communities. There are already relevant powers in the planning system, but we are considering how to beef them up as part of our planning reforms, so that where homes have been permissioned, the builder gets on and finishes the job. We will also be legislating for our new homes ombudsman, so that where the standard of those homes falls below what people expect, a route to recourse is available to everyone.
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Assessment & feedback
The answer did not provide specific timelines or concrete actions to address delays in housing development and completion.
Considering How To Beef Them Up As Part Of Our Planning Reforms
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