Asked by: Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps their Department is taking to support the Disability Confident scheme; how many officials in their Department work directly on supporting that scheme; what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of that work in supporting the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of disabled people in their Department; and what further steps they are taking to support their Department’s recruitment and retention of disabled people.
Answered by Simon Hoare
DLUHC is a Disability Leader at Level 3 and we have ongoing work to detail and monitor our progress regarding Disability Confidence, this includes improving accessibility of recruitment, providing learning & development opportunities for disabled staff and building a more inclusive workplace culture for disabled staff.
We look at a range of data sets to assess the effectiveness of this work including recruitment and turnover data and People Survey responses. The staff who work on this initiative do so as part of their wider responsibilities.
Asked by: Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Government response to the Women and Equalities Committee’s ninth report of Session 2017-19, Tackling inequalities faced by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, HC 2411, published on 2 July 2019, what progress the Government has made on developing a cross-Government strategy to improve outcomes for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.
Answered by Lee Rowley
We are not currently developing a standalone cross-Government strategy for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. The Levelling Up White Paper sets out this Government’s plan to support everyone in this country to reach their full potential, irrespective of background, race, ethnicity or any other characteristics.
Asked by: Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to help support local authorities to find accommodation for UK citizens who have fled Gaza.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
On 27 October the Government introduced emergency legislation to ensure British citizens and those eligible for support fleeing the violence in the Gaza Strip will be exempt from the Habitual Residence Test. This legislation will ensure those fleeing the conflict are eligible for benefits, social housing and homelessness assistance, where needed, without delay.
Asked by: Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer to Question 189778 on 20 June 2023 on Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Disability, how many projects his Department have commissioned to increase high street accessibility for disabled people through local growth funding in the last three years by location.
Answered by Jacob Young
We have engaged extensively with stakeholders including local authority officers, the LGA, charities and networks representing disabled people and sector leads to develop the pavement licensing measures. Pavement licence provisions were amended to ensure that the impacts on disabled people are fully taken into consideration by local authorities when making decisions.
The needs of disabled persons must be taken into account by the authority when determining whether furniture put on the highway would be an unacceptable obstruction. In doing so, authorities are required to have regard to the needs of disabled people and the recommended distances required for access by disabled people, as set out in guidance issued by the Secretary of State.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities does not centrally collect data on the number of projects delivered by local authorities which seek to increase high street accessibility.
Asked by: Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of measures introduced to support outdoor dining during the covid-19 pandemic on disabled people and their access to pedestrian areas.
Answered by Jacob Young
We have engaged extensively with stakeholders including local authority officers, the LGA, charities and networks representing disabled people and sector leads to develop the pavement licensing measures. Pavement licence provisions were amended to ensure that the impacts on disabled people are fully taken into consideration by local authorities when making decisions.
The needs of disabled persons must be taken into account by the authority when determining whether furniture put on the highway would be an unacceptable obstruction. In doing so, authorities are required to have regard to the needs of disabled people and the recommended distances required for access by disabled people, as set out in guidance issued by the Secretary of State.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities does not centrally collect data on the number of projects delivered by local authorities which seek to increase high street accessibility.
Asked by: Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to support local communities who have a (a) village hall and (b) other community building impacted by Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete.
Answered by Lee Rowley
I refer the Hon Member to my answer to Question UIN 197493 on 11 September 2023.
Asked by: Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2023 to Question 189778 on Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Disability, what research his Department has commissioned to develop the statutory guidance on meeting building regulations approved document M; and whether he plans to publish that research.
Answered by Lee Rowley
I refer my Rt. Hon. Friend to the answer to Question UIN HL8422 on 26 June 2023 and the answer to Question UIN 191722 on 3 July 2023. The Government will consult further on those technical changes needed to mandate the higher accessibility standard in the Building Regulations, and in statutory guidance, in due course.
Asked by: Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2023 to Question 189778 on Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Disability, what (a) steps his Department is taking to improve and (b) his planned timetable is for improving the framework to deliver accessible new homes.
Answered by Lee Rowley
I refer my Rt. Hon. Friend to the answer to Question UIN HL8422 on 26 June 2023 and the answer to Question UIN 191722 on 3 July 2023. The Government will consult further on those technical changes needed to mandate the higher accessibility standard in the Building Regulations, and in statutory guidance, in due course.
Asked by: Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2023 to Question 189778 on Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Disability, what his planned timetable is for the (a) research on statutory guidance for building regulations approved document M and (b) secondary consultation on building regulations announced by his Department in July 2022.
Answered by Lee Rowley
I refer my Rt. Hon. Friend to the answer to Question UIN HL8422 on 26 June 2023 and the answer to Question UIN 191722 on 3 July 2023. The Government will consult further on those technical changes needed to mandate the higher accessibility standard in the Building Regulations, and in statutory guidance, in due course.
Asked by: Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many Help to Buy homeowners are currently waiting for a decision on a loan redemption application in (a) Romsey and Southampton North constituency and (b) Hampshire.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities does not collect local level data on the number of homeowners who are currently waiting for a decision on a loan redemption application. We can confirm that between 1 April 2013 and 31 December 2022, 1,362 homes were purchased in East Hampshire, 1,086 in Southampton and 2,156 in the Test Valley area which covers Romsey using the Help to Buy Equity Loan Scheme. Further data on the number of households in England which have benefitted from the Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme can be found in the latest Help to buy Equity Loan scheme statistics.