Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
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 has taken to tackle hate crime towards the Jewish community in the UK since the lifting of covid-19 restrictions.
Answered by Luke Hall
Antisemitism has absolutely no place in our society, which is why we are taking a strong lead in tackling it in all its forms. We are clear that victims should be supported and the individuals who carry out these heinous attacks must be brought to justice. We are providing £14 million this year for the Protective Security Grant to protect Jewish schools and community buildings and we have encouraged the adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism across universities and local authorities.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure that people from Hong Kong arriving with BNO visas will be effectively integrated into UK society.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
On 31 January, the UK launched a new immigration route for British National (Overseas) [BN(O)] status holders and their dependents.
On 8 April, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government announced a new UK-wide Welcome Programme to support Hong Kong BN(O) status holders with a package worth £43.1 million.
Alongside this announcement, a comprehensive Welcome Guide was published on Gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/welcome-a-guide-for-hong-kong-british-national-overseas-visa-holders-in-the-uk) for Hong Kong BN(O)s settling in the UK, in both English and Cantonese.
To co-ordinate support and offer practical advice to BN(O)s, MHCLG is working to establish a network of Welcome Hubs across the UK.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
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 publish further guidance to the voluntary Code of Practice for the commercial property sector to support negotiations between landlords and tenants.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Government announced that it would provide the commercial property sector with further guidance to facilitate negotiations between tenants and landlords on the issue of accumulated rent debts building upon the principles of the Code of Practice published in June last year. This is in addition to a forthcoming call for evidence to monitor progress on rent negotiations and set out further intervention Government could take if these do not progress. Both the further guidance and the call for evidence will be published shortly.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to make the Code of Practice for the commercial property sector compulsory.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
On 19 June 2020, the Government published the Code of Practice, which was developed in close collaboration between the Government and leaders from commercial landlord and tenant groups.
The Code is relevant for all commercial leases held by businesses in any sector which has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. It is designed to provide clarity for businesses when discussing rental payments and to encourage best practice so that every part of the chain is supported during the pandemic.
It encourages fair and transparent discussions between landlords and tenants over rental payments and provides guidance on payment of rent arrears. Tenants are encouraged to pay their rent in full if they are in a position to do so, otherwise they should pay what they can. Landlords should provide support to businesses if they too are able to do so.
The code is voluntary in nature and is relevant for all commercial leases held by businesses in any sector which has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
We are monitoring the impact of the voluntary Code of Practice carefully and will publish further guidance to support negotiations between landlords and tenants in due course.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the expiry of the moratorium on the landlord’s right of forfeiture for non-payment of rent expires on 31 March 2021, what plans the Government has to provide longer term support to small businesses which remain closed due to covid-19 restrictions and have been unable to (a) generate income and (b) pay commercial rents during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Government recognises that this is a very challenging time for everyone, and COVID-19 is having a significant impact on our businesses. That is why we have introduced temporary measures to further safeguard businesses, the high street and millions of jobs.
During the pandemic, the Government has implemented a range of measures to support commercial property tenants and landlords, including the moratorium on forfeiture. The objective of these measures was to preserve tenants’ businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic and to give time and space to landlords and tenants to agree reasonable adjustments to rent and lease terms, including terms for the payment of accumulated rent arrears.
We have put in place one of the world’s most comprehensive economic responses – backed by over £280 billion – to protect jobs, businesses and public services throughout and beyond this pandemic. The measures introduced – including four Government-backed loan schemes, local authority grant funding, tax deferrals and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) – have been designed to be accessible to businesses in most sectors and across the UK.
We have also extended the application deadline for the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS), the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), and the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) ensuring there is further support in place for firms who need it during this ongoing period of difficulty.
We have already announced a successor loan scheme, which will launch immediately after the closure of the current schemes so there will be no gap in support for businesses.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether it is the Government's policy to implement the Law Commission’s 2017 recommendations on the regulation of event fees in retirement properties.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
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. These recommendations are being considered alongside the wider leasehold reform programme.