Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will bring forward a Race Action Plan to tackle (a) systemic inequalities affecting and (b) discrimination faced by (i) Romani, (ii) Roma and (iii) Irish Travellers in the (A) education, (B) economic, (C) criminal justice and (D) health sectors.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government takes its responsibilities and statutory obligations to all our communities seriously. Simultaneously we emphasise the importance of governing on behalf of everyone, irrespective of background, race, ethnicity or any other characteristics.
Constant attempts to atomise public policy making will neither be successful nor help the communities they erroneously purport to assist.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to ensure that the lived experiences of Romani, Roma and Irish Travellers are taken fully into account in consideration of policy affecting them.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government takes its responsibilities and statutory obligations to all our communities seriously. Simultaneously we emphasise the importance of governing on behalf of everyone, irrespective of background, race, ethnicity or any other characteristics.
Constant attempts to atomise public policy making will neither be successful nor help the communities they erroneously purport to assist.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that a leaseholder who purchased a lease after 14th February 2022, and who would qualify for protection from building safety costs based on their own circumstances, does not inherit a non-qualifying status from the previous owner.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The protected status of a property and its lease is based on its status on 14 February 2022 and is automatically transferred to future buyers of the lease. This means that if the property was not eligible for the protections on 14 February 2022, when in due course it is sold, the buyer does not benefit from those protections. This applies in the other direction as well; a flat protected on 14 February remains protected when sold.
All leaseholders - qualifying or not - are now fully protected in law from paying towards the remediation of both unsafe cladding systems and non-cladding defects if their landlord is - or is associated with - the developer who is responsible for that safety defect.
The proposed Responsible Actors Scheme would require eligible developers to remediate life-critical fire-safety defects in residential buildings of 11 metres or more which they had a role in developing or refurbishing over the 30 years prior to 5 April 2022, or face being prohibited from carrying out major development or obtaining building control approvals. Already, 48 of the country's largest developers have signed a contract committing to remediate buildings the developed, ahead of the new statutory scheme being approved by Parliament.
In addition, all leaseholders can benefit from the funding the government has made for the remediation of unsafe cladding.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to support leaseholders who are not entitled to support under the Building Safety Act 2022 and who cannot meet the costs of remedial fire safety works.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
There is a range of support in place for those leaseholders who do not own a qualifying lease under the leaseholder protections set out in the Building Safety Act 2022. All leaseholders in buildings above 11 metres or five storeys are protected where the developer has signed our developer remediation contract or where the freeholder is, or is associated with, the developer.
In addition, remediation contribution orders provide all leaseholders, in relevant buildings, with a new route for recovering historical safety remediation costs.
Leaseholders wishing to understand more about the support available to them can seek free information from the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE), funded by the Department.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of revising the National Planning Policy Framework to permit the development of new onshore wind farms in England.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
We have consulted on proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework for onshore wind. We will respond in due course.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals on rental reform.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
As soon as time allows in this parliament.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to allocate (a) funds and (b) other resources for celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the MV Empire Windrush in Britain.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The 75th anniversary of the arrival of MV Empire Windrush at the Port of Tilbury marks an important moment in our nation's shared history. £750,000 in grant funding will be provided by government for the Windrush Day Grant Scheme to celebrate Windrush 75. Community groups and local authorities in England and Northern Ireland can apply for up to £50,000 for events and activities that mark the annual Windrush Day on 22 June.
As of today, Government has dedicated £3.75 million in funding towards the Windrush legacy. This includes £2.75 million across five years of the Windrush Day Grant Scheme, and £1 million allocated to the National Windrush Monument.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many people who are (a) LGBTQ+ and (b) LGBTQ+ and between the ages of 18 and 25 who were the lead applicants for homelessness applications were assessed as having priority need due to domestic abuse in the 2021-2022 financial year.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Homelessness Statistics for 2021-22 are available here, which includes data on declared sexual identity.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of safe temporary accommodation for LGBTQ+ people in (a) London, (b) Manchester, (c) Newcastle and (d) Bristol.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Homelessness Statistics for 2021-22 are available here, which includes data on declared sexual identity.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many people who are (a) LGBTQ+ and (b) LGBTQ+ and between the ages of 18 and 25 who were the lead applicants for homelessness applications were placed in temporary accommodation in the 2021-2022 financial year.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Homelessness Statistics for 2021-22 are available here, which includes data on declared sexual identity.