Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress his Department has made on a consultation on the implications for consumers and buyers of spouses’ and live-in carers’ succession rights to stay in a leasehold retirement property, without payment of an event fee.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
In 2017, the Law Commission published a report of their review of event fees on behalf of this Department. The Law Commission made a number of recommendations in its report, which can be downloaded at http://www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/event-fees-in-retirement-properties.
The Government responded to the Law Commission, thanking them for the report and agreeing to implement the majority of the recommendations. The Government is further considering two recommendations, on succession rights and a database of leasehold retirement properties with event fees, and will make an announcement in due course.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for updating the Hate crime action plan 2016 to 2020; and what the process is for engaging stakeholders in its development.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Government remains committed to stamping out hatred in all its forms. Many of the initiatives outlined in the action plan will continue, and we also remain committed to delivering on our existing priorities. We are considering a range of options for our work from July 2020 and will work in close consultation with stakeholders.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of Government funding for local authorities in England.
Answered by Simon Clarke
We have now made £4.3 billion available to local authorities to address expenditure pressures caused by COVID-19, including £3.7 billion of unringfenced grants and the £600 million Infection Control Fund.
We are using monthly data collections and conversations with councils and the LGA to refine our assessment of costs and develop a good understanding of the pressures local authorities are currently facing.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
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 changes proposed in the Business and Planning Bill for more on-street (a) serving and (b) dining do not affect the ability of visually impaired people to navigate their communities safely.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
All pavement licences will either have an express or - in default - deemed “no-obstruction condition”. This is a condition that anything done by the licence-holder must not, amongst other things, prevent non-vehicular traffic passing along the relevant highway. This would include disabled people. The Secretary of State has published a national condition in the draft pavement licences guidance, under his powers included in the legislation, requiring that clear routes of access are maintained, taking into account the needs of disabled people and recommended minimum footway widths and distances required for access by mobility impaired and visually impaired people as set out in Section 3.1 of the Government’s Inclusive Mobility guidance.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many Ministerial roundtables on antisemitism have been held since the Home Office’s Hate Crime Action Plan refresh document was published in 2018.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
Following the publication of the Hate Crime Action Plan Refresh in October 2018, the Government has hosted two ministerial roundtables on antisemitism with stakeholders from Jewish communities, alongside regular meetings of the Cross-Government Working Group to Tackle Antisemitism.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many roundtables her Department has held with the Sikh community since the Home Office’s Hate Crime Action Plan refresh document was published in 2018.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
There is regular engagement at Ministerial and official level with representatives of Sikh communities. In addition to this the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has hosted two hate crime roundtables with the Sikh community since the Government’s Hate Crime Action Plan refresh document was published in October 2018.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many roundtables have been held with representatives of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Liaison Group since the publication of her Department's updated Hate crime action plan in October 2018.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
There have been five Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Liaison Group roundtables hosted by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government since the Government’s Hate Crime Action Plan refresh document was published in October 2018.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential threat of hate crimes towards the Chinese diaspora in the UK after the lockdown due to the covid-19 outbreak has been lifted.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Government takes hate crime and discrimination of any kind very seriously. We are alert to the risks that an easing of the lockdown restrictions presents and will not tolerate hate crime under any circumstances. We will not however speculate on potential future trends. We are a tolerant and welcoming multicultural society and we have one of the strongest legal frameworks in the world to report, record and prosecute hate crime. I would encourage anyone who experiences hate crime to report it to the police.
Government’s Hate Crime Action Plan published in October 2018 sets out a comprehensive programme of work across Government and the police. We fund hate crime reporting platforms, including True Vision, and we continue to engage with communities of all backgrounds and local leaders including councils and the police to make sure we are aware of any concerns communities may have and can provide targeted support.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential risk of hate crime towards the Muslim community in the UK once the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Government takes hate crime and discrimination of any kind very seriously. We are alert to the risks that an easing of the lockdown restrictions presents and will not tolerate hate crime under any circumstances. We will not however speculate on potential future trends. We are a tolerant and welcoming multicultural society and we have one of the strongest legal frameworks in the world to report, record and prosecute hate crime. I would encourage anyone who experiences hate crime to report it to the police.
Government’s Hate Crime Action Plan published in October 2018 sets out a comprehensive programme of work across Government and the police. We fund hate crime reporting platforms, including True Vision, and we continue to engage with communities of all backgrounds and local leaders including councils and the police to make sure we are aware of any concerns communities may have and can provide targeted support.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential risk of hate crime towards the Jewish community in the UK once the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Government takes hate crime and discrimination of any kind very seriously. We are alert to the risks that an easing of the lockdown restrictions presents and will not tolerate hate crime under any circumstances. We will not however speculate on potential future trends. We are a tolerant and welcoming multicultural society and we have one of the strongest legal frameworks in the world to report, record and prosecute hate crime. I would encourage anyone who experiences hate crime to report it to the police.
Government’s Hate Crime Action Plan published in October 2018 sets out a comprehensive programme of work across Government and the police. We fund hate crime reporting platforms, including True Vision, and we continue to engage with communities of all backgrounds and local leaders including councils and the police to make sure we are aware of any concerns communities may have and can provide targeted support.