Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many new pitches, as opposed to the refurbishment of existing pitches, were funded by the Affordable Homes Programme since its inception, excluding any funded by the Traveller Site Fund 2022/23.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Between 2016 and 2023 108 new traveller pitches have been delivered from the Affordable Homes Programmes. 85 of these have been through the 2015-18 and 2016-23 Affordable Homes Programmes, and 23 from the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for establishing a separate contracts for difference funding pot for wave energy generation, so that its funding is no longer in competition with technologies which are closer to market.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is developing auction parameters for the sixth allocation round of the Contracts for Difference scheme, including any for wave technologies. This will take into account several factors, including evidence of the pipeline of available projects. Final parameters, including the budget, will be published ahead of the round opening in March 2024.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Gypsy and Traveller sites the Affordable Homes Programme has funded in each year since its inception, and how many in total.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
In total 208 permanent traveller pitches have been delivered since 2016, including pitches funded by other means apart from the Affordable Homes Programme.
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Friends, Families and Travellers, Kicking the Can down the Road: the planning and provision of Gypsy and Traveller sites in England 1960–2023; and what steps, if any, they will take to implement its recommendations.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
The Department has not made an assessment of the report by Friends, Families and Travellers on the planning and provision of traveller sites in England that was published in November 2023. It is the responsibility of local planning authorities to make their own assessment of the need for traveller sites and in producing their local plan to identify sites to meet that need.