Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to publish a social housing White Paper.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
There are no plans for a White Paper. The consultation on the Green Paper, ‘A new deal for social housing’, closed on 6 November 2018. We received a large number of responses, along with feedback from eight engagement events held with social housing residents around the country. We are currently assessing the responses and finalising our response.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress the Government has made in implementing the proposals outlined in the Government response to the Review of park homes legislation: call for evidence part two.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
Significant progress has been made on the implementation of the proposals set out in the Government’s response to the review.
A working group has been set up to consider how information about rights and responsibilities can be improved and shared more widely.
The Government intends to shortly publish a consultation on introducing a fit and proper person test for park home site licence holders and managers.
Research will be commissioned later this year to assess the likely impacts of a change to the rate of commission paid on the sale of a mobile home. In scoping research, careful consideration will be given to the judicial review decision of the Welsh Government’s earlier proposal to reduce the rate of commission.
The proposals which require primary and secondary legislation will depend on parliamentary time being available.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that local government has the resources it needs to deliver vital services to children and families.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
Over the five year period from 2015-16 to 2019-20, councils will have access to more than £200 billion. At the Autumn Budget the Government announced over £1 billion of extra funding for local authorities, this year and next, to help them deliver the services their communities need and support their most vulnerable residents.
Funding for local government services, including services for children and families, is set at Spending Review. The Chancellor has announced that the next Spending Review will be in 2019 and decisions about the future funding of services will be taken in the round. We are working with other Government Departments and the sector both to develop a thorough understanding of services costs and pressures and to help local authorities innovate and reform services to achieve better quality and efficiency.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many tenants have successfully claimed compensation from their landlord following the landlord’s failure to protect the tenant’s deposit in each of the last five years.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government does not collect data on such court cases.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of tenants' rights to compensation from a landlord who has not protected their deposit in compliance with deposit protection legislation.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
Under the tenancy deposit protection legislation introduced in the Housing Act 2004, all landlords letting on assured shorthold tenancies are required to protect their tenants' deposits in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of taking the deposit.
If a landlord fails to protect the deposit they cannot evict the tenant using a section 21 notice. In addition, the tenant may initiate legal action and if the court finds that the landlord has not complied with the legislation, it must order the landlord to pay the applicant a sum of money between one and three times the amount of the deposit.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has plans to bring forward legislative proposals on the the regulation of commonhold land where there is not an obligation set out in the commonhold community statement.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
For land to be registered as commonhold, a commonhold community statement has to be in place. As part of its 13th programme of law reform, the Law Commission is taking forward a project to re-invigorate commonhold as a workable alternative to residential leasehold, for both existing and new homes. The Law Commission has published terms of reference for this work, and will be looking at the role, layout and content of the commonhold community statement, and make recommendations. The Government will consider the recommendations when the Law Commission has reported.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2018 to Question 155916 on Social Rented Housing: Construction, whether information on homes developed on surplus public land which has been sold off as part of the Public Land Housing Programme will include figures specifically relating to social rented homes and not just figures for affordable homes when published.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Further to the response to Question UIN 155916 on 26 June 2018, Ordnance Survey has been commissioned to monitor the progress of sites sold through the Public Land for Housing Programmes and is gathering information on the planned number of affordable homes – including those for social rent. This data will be made available in due course.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on what date his Department plans to publish the social housing Green Paper.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
We intend to publish the Social Housing Green Paper shortly.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on what date his Department plans to publish the social housing Green Paper.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
We intend to publish the Social Housing Green Paper shortly.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the homes developed on surplus public land which has been sold off as part of the Public Land for Housing Programme is social housing.
Answered by Dominic Raab
Ordnance Survey has been commissioned to monitor the progress of sites sold through both the 2011-15 and 2015-20 Public Land for Housing Programmes and is gathering information on the planned number of affordable homes, which will be made available in due course. Decisions on affordable housing provision are taken at a local level according to local need.