Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have raised the issue of fire safety in high-rise dwellings in any international meetings; and what proposals, if any, have been brought forward to share lessons learned and to co-ordinate an international response to improve fire safety between member states of (1) the UN, and (2) the Council of Europe.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Government regularly looks at construction practices in other jurisdictions, seeks to learn from any significant incidents and, where appropriate, are always willing to share our experiences with other countries and collaborate further. We should be mindful though that construction practices and methods can be quite different across different countries and so the actions and mechanisms that the UK has put in place would not necessarily be directly transferrable. Experts from the UK participate in both the CEN and ISO committees which facilitate the sharing of international standards. The UK is a member of the Inter-jurisdictional Regula-tory Collaboration Committee (IRCC) which promotes effective international collaboration concerning ‘best current practice’ building regulatory systems.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have received about international action to improve fire safety in high-rise dwellings following the Grenfell Tower disaster; and what action they have taken.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Government regularly looks at construction practices in other jurisdictions, seeks to learn from any significant incidents and, where appropriate, are always willing to share our experiences with other countries and collaborate further. We should be mindful though that construction practices and methods can be quite different across different countries and so the actions and mechanisms that the UK has put in place would not necessarily be directly transferrable. Experts from the UK participate in both the CEN and ISO committees which facilitate the sharing of international standards. The UK is a member of the Inter-jurisdictional Regula-tory Collaboration Committee (IRCC) which promotes effective international collaboration concerning ‘best current practice’ building regulatory systems.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what communication they have had with the governments of (1) Italy, and (2) Spain, about the regulation of building materials used in the construction of high-rise dwellings.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Government regularly looks at construction practices in other jurisdictions, seeks to learn from any significant incidents and, where appropriate, are always willing to share our experiences with other countries and collaborate further. We should be mindful though that construction practices and methods can be quite different across different countries and so the actions and mechanisms that the UK has put in place would not necessarily be directly transferrable. Experts from the UK participate in both the CEN and ISO committees which facilitate the sharing of international standards. The UK is a member of the Inter-jurisdictional Regula-tory Collaboration Committee (IRCC) which promotes effective international collaboration concerning ‘best current practice’ building regulatory systems.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 2 March (HL Deb col 846), when they intend to open a sponsored pathway for Ukrainians not related to persons settled in the UK to obtain entry into the UK as a refugee; what are the sponsorship requirements for any such application; and what qualifications are required to act as a sponsor.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Details of the plans to open a sponsored pathway for Ukrainians not related to persons settled in the UK were announced in Secretary of State's, Department of Levelling Up, Housing & Communities in his Oral Statement to Parliament of 14 March 2022:
Sponsors must be able to offer accommodation for at least 6 months and will be required to undergo necessary vetting checks.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, when preparing the White Paper Levelling Up the United Kingdom, published on 2 February, what assessment they made of the impact of ethnicity in determining the scale and nature of geographical disparities across the UK; and what measures, if any, they plan to introduce to reduce (1) the ethnic pay gap, and (2) the disparities in the levels of unemployment between different ethnicities, across all regions of the UK.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The United Kingdom is one of the greatest countries in the world, but not everyone shares in its success. Pockets of inequality and deprivation exist, with differentials both within and between regions. The Government’s central task is to level up the UK by spreading opportunity more equally across the country, addressing inequality and deprivation in those areas that have been left behind.
The Levelling Up White Paper drew on the findings of the independent Commission for Race and Ethnic Disparities' report of 31 March 2021. As the Commission emphasised, geography is a key factor affecting equality of opportunity and social mobility, and geographical and ethnicity-related factors are closely interrelated. The Government welcomes the opportunity to consider the Commission’s findings on the ethnicity pay gap and reporting, including in light of the work that has already taken place within government, and will respond to the Commission’s report in due course.
The ethnic minority employment rate is 68.1 per cent, a record high, but we know there is more we can do. This is why, building on the success of our flagship Kickstart scheme, we have introduced our Way To Work mission, which will support people back into work, including ethnic minority jobseekers, faster than ever before and filling vacancies across all regions more quickly.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Greenhalgh on 14 October (HLWS505), how the additional support for rough sleepers will be accessed by those evicted from asylum accommodation after a negative decision; and what plans they have to review their policy requiring such evictions to ensure that people are protected “from life threatening cold weather and risks posed by COVID-19”.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Those evicted from asylum accommodation after a negative decision will not be eligible for the additional support for rough sleepers specifically cited in Lord Greenhalgh’s written statement of 14 of October.
For those whose asylum claims have been rejected and have appeal rights exhausted, they will be expected to leave the country, assistance is available to those who opt to leave the country voluntarily.
The Voluntary Returns Scheme will pay for travel and provide a cash amount, and that can and should be utilised whenever possible.
Failed asylum seekers who are unable to leave the UK or take the necessary practical steps to enable them to leave will continue to be eligible to receive support from the Home Office.