Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to (1) local authorities, (2) passenger transport authorities, and (3) Metro Mayors, to develop new light rail and trams to improve transport services.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Light rail is largely devolved. It is one of the most expensive mass transit interventions local authorities can make and a range of modal options should be assessed when looking to address the needs of local transport users effectively and efficiently. Typically light rail is suited to only the most densely populated transport corridors.
The City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) for eligible Mayoral Combined Authorities, in England, outside London, is the principal funding stream through which plans for new mass transit systems and enhancements to existing systems can be developed. CRSTS funding is worth £5.7 billion in the 5-year period between 2022/23 to 2026/27. CRSTS provides local leaders with a simple, integrated, and long-term funding model which allows them to address local need. West Yorkshire Combined Authority, for instance, has allocated £200m of HMG funding to develop a new mass transit system for the region.
The Transport for London settlement of 30 August 2022 provides just under £1.2 billion of upfront funding for transport in London, supporting almost £3.6 billion worth of projects, including light rail.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the law covering cooperatives and community benefit societies.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
On 19 June, the Government informed Parliament[1] that it has invited the Law Commission to conduct reviews of the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 and the Friendly Societies Act 1992.
The Treasury is now working with the Law Commission to formally agree a terms of reference and a timetable for each review once the projects are formally agreed. These reviews will aim to identify necessary updates to the legislation that will set co-operatives and friendly societies up for future growth and success. The Government expects that the reviews will start in the autumn.
[1] https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023-06-19/hlws847
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to give planning authorities more flexibility to set fees for planning applications.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
We have announced our intention to increase planning fees by 35% for major applications and 25% for all other applications by the Summer 2023. Local authorities have the flexibility to set their own fees for discretionary planning services such as pre-application advice and Planning Performance Agreements.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to local authorities to install solar panels on public buildings in their control.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme is making available £2.5 billion over the financial years 2020/21 to 2024/25 to support public sector organisations including local authorities, schools and hospitals to install heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures - including solar panels - on public sector buildings. As of June 2023, the scheme has awarded grants worth over £2 billion to fund such projects.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to take to deal with for hire bikes and scooters that are left in public areas such as pavements.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Rule 70 of The Highway Code advises, but does not require, people to park their cycle where it will not cause an obstruction or hazard to other road users. It is usually a requirement of hiring a cycle that users leave it in a place which does not obstruct the footway.
When parliamentary time allows, the Department intends to create a new licensing framework for rental micromobility operations, giving local transport authorities the additional powers they need to shape and manage both cycle and e-scooter rental schemes. This would include the ability to set rules about the management of rental cycles and e-scooters on the pavement.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the roll-out of ground source heat pumps in homes.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We are putting in place a package of policies to drive the roll-out of ground- and air-source heat pumps, including targeted regulation, a new clean heat market-based mechanism and public funding measures, like the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of Arm’s Length Management Organisations as providers of social housing.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
It is for councils to decide the most effective mechanism for supplying and maintaining council homes, within the legal framework and in consultation with their residents.
Of the 162 local authorities that hold council homes in a Housing Revenue Account (HRA), 22 have those homes managed by an Arm's-Length Management Organisation (ALMO). Council homes managed by a ALMO are subject to the same standards on decency, safety and energy efficiency as other social homes, and will be covered by the same proactive regulation of consumer standards envisaged in the Social Housing Regulation Bill. Councils with ALMOs are also subject to the HRA ringfence, which prevents tenants' rents being spent on wider council services.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the number of on street rapid electric car chargers.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
There are now over 43,000 public charging devices in the UK, including over 8,000 rapid chargers. The number of rapid chargers has increased by 42 per cent in the past year.
Going forward, the Government expects a market-led rollout for the majority of chargepoints, with Government support focused in two areas: high-powered chargers on the strategic road network and local on-street charging.
The Rapid Charging Fund will support the upgrade of the electricity network to facilitate the installation of rapid and ultra rapid chargers on the strategic road network, where they are best placed to enable longer journeys.
The Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund will support local authorities in England to work with industry to transform the availability of charging for drivers without off-street parking.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many homes for (1) social rent, and (2) affordable rent, were built in England in 2013 and each year since up to the last year records are available.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government collects and publishes data on affordable housing by financial year, tenure and whether they are new build or acquisition. These data are published in Live Table 1009 which is available (attached) here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in upgrading the accommodation provided to service personnel in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
Since 2016, the proportion of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) that meets or exceeds the Decent Homes Standard has risen from 94% to 97%. Only these homes are allocated to Service Families.
The Ministry of Defence has invested more than £936 million in SFA upgrades and improvements in the last seven Financial Years.
Through Financial Year 2022/23, the £185 million investment programme included approximately 150 major projects to an estimated 9,788 SFA, around 20% of stock. This included £73 million to improve the thermal efficiency of homes, which provided 600 properties with new boilers, 1,200 with new roofs, 1,740 with new doors and windows, and 900 with full external wall insulation.
Overall, we are spending circa £199 million on new SFA homes, with £80 million of that being spent over 4 years on programmes such as Defence Estates Optimisation Programme (DEOP).