Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will hold discussions with the National House Building Council on protecting homeowners from registered property developers who repeatedly set up new businesses and fail to complete property builds.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department engages regularly with the National House Building Council and is committed to improving upon existing means of redress for new build homebuyers for when things go wrong. This includes bringing into force a statutory New Homes Ombudsman scheme with accompanying Code of Practice.
We are also changing incentives in the housing market and giving local authorities the tools they need to speed up delivery.
On 25 May, we published the Speeding Up Build Out working paper, which sets out proposals to increase build out rates. This includes incentivising and supporting models of development that build out faster, giving local authorities tools to agree and monitor build out rates and potentially giving local authorities the ability to charge developers a ‘Delayed Homes Penalty’.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) parish and (b) district councils to improve access to disabled toilet facilities in rural communities.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local authorities are best placed to assess and manage toilet provision and location.
However, through our £30.5 million Changing Places Toilet programme, we have supported the installation of 483 new disabled toilet facilities across 220 local authority areas in England. This targeted investment helped address gaps where provision was limited or non-existent, particularly in rural towns and coastal areas.
Although this programme closed on 31 March 2025, changes to building regulations have made it mandatory to include Changing Places facilities in new public buildings (or those undergoing major redevelopment) that fall above a certain size threshold. This aims to significantly increase the availability of these vital facilities over time and makes accessibility a mainstream consideration in how we plan and build our public spaces.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to fully implement the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making local fire services statutory consultees for industrial lithium-ion battery storage planning permission applications.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In January 2025 the government declared a moratorium on any new statutory consultees, along with a review of the existing statutory consultee arrangements to ensure they align with the government’s ambitions for growth. Further details can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 10 March 2025 (HCWS510).
Planning Practice Guidance encourages developers and local planning authorities to engage with local fire and rescue services and National Fire Chiefs Council guidance in relation to battery energy storage systems.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of foreign home ownership on the availability of housing stock.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 50763 on 16 May 2025.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessments he has made of the potential impact of foreign home ownership on house prices in the UK.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 50763 on 16 May 2025.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) support available to fire service staff who attend traumatic callouts and (b) suicide prevention training requirements for fire service managers in North East Hampshire constituency.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The health and wellbeing of firefighters is of the utmost importance. The Government recognises the risks firefighters face and is grateful to them for their bravery.
As the employer of fire and rescue service personnel, Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) are ultimately responsible for the health and wellbeing of firefighters. The Government-issued National Framework directs that all FRAs should have a people strategy which sets out the mental and physical health and wellbeing support available to firefighters.
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) supports good mental health in fire and rescue services as one aspect of its Health and Wellbeing Framework.
National organisations such as the Fire Fighters Charity and Mind also offer valuable support to individuals and services. Their resources can assist FRAs in developing local approaches to managing mental health risks and promoting the wellbeing of their workforce.
The health and wellbeing support provided by Fire and Rescue Services is considered by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services in the course of their work.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of housebuilding targets on the availability of school places in North East Hampshire constituency.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of supporting infrastructure in a sustainable manner.
Local development plans should address needs and opportunities in relation to infrastructure and identify what infrastructure is required and how it can be funded and brought forward. When preparing a Local Plan, Planning Practice Guidance recommends that local planning authorities use available evidence of infrastructure requirements to prepare an Infrastructure Funding Statement. Such Statements can be used to demonstrate the delivery of infrastructure throughout the plan-period.
The government provides financial support for essential infrastructure in areas of greatest housing demand through Land and Infrastructure funding programmes, such as the Housing Infrastructure Fund.
The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 will also support the increased provision and modernisation of various types of public infrastructure.
The government is also committed to strengthening the existing system of developer contributions to ensure new developments provide necessary affordable homes and infrastructure. Further details will be set out in due course.
Our Planning and Infrastructure Bill includes various provisions designed to streamline the delivery of new homes and critical infrastructure.
My Department engages on a regular and ongoing basis with other government departments to ensure that the planning system supports the provision of necessary infrastructure, including in respect of healthcare and education, alongside new housing development.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward regulations for estate agents to help improve accountability for people who breach ethical standards.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN PQ 49125 on 7 May 2025
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Building Safety Act on the (a) qualified and non-qualified status of flats, (b) the length of remediation projects and (c) the level of cost associated with the need to apply for deeds of certificates.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Building Safety Act 2022 (the Act) provided protections for certain leaseholders from the costs of remedying certain historical safety defects which might otherwise be recovered from leaseholders via the service charge. The definition of “qualifying lease” is in Section 119 of the Act and defined protection from 14 February 2022. The department keeps under review the impact of the Act on leaseholders, regardless of the status of their leases (qualifying or non-qualifying).
The Act put in place a statutory framework to protect residents and ensure buildings were remediated. Where remediation is needed and not progressing, remediation orders, defined in Section 123 of the Act, can be applied for. They provide a route against a relevant landlord for interested persons (e.g. leaseholders) to obtain remediation of a building with a relevant defect. The leaseholder protections under the Act prevent internal defect remediation costs from falling disproportionately on leaseholders, which might otherwise slow remediation. We are confident that the Act is not delaying progress with regards to the length of time remediation takes to be completed.
Under regulations following the Act, the leaseholder deed of certificate (LDC) is used to confirm whether a leaseholder qualifies for protections under the Act. Leaseholders cannot be charged to complete the deed of certificate by the landlord. A deed of certificate can be completed by the leaseholder without professional support. There might be, however, a small charge to access the necessary HM Land Registry documents that may be required as evidence.