Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her Department's policy is on the allocation of Government Car Service cars to senior officials; what the policy was on 24 May 2024; and which senior officials have been granted access to the service since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government Car Service (GCS) offers vehicles to government departments as a shared resource. Each department independently determines the allocation of these vehicles.
The arrangements relating to the using of vehicles in the Government Car Service is set out in the Civil Service Management Code.
There has been no change in this policy since the general election.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Pursuant to the answer of 5 September 2024 to Question 2635 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Public Expenditure, what the policy reasons were for cancelling the Investment Opportunity Fund and the associated support for private investment in Investment Zones and Freeports cancelled.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Economic growth is the number one mission of this government. The government has committed to delivering productivity growth in every part of the country, making everyone, not just a few, better off. As part of this, government will work in partnership with local leaders to develop ambitious, long-term Local Growth Plans reflecting their local strengths and opportunities to support the national growth mission and new Industrial Strategy.
Immediate action to fix the foundations of the economy is the only way to rebuild Britain and make every person and every part of the country better off. We are being honest about those schemes that we cannot afford to deliver so that we can fix the foundations of our economy, drive domestic growth and pool investment into the country by addressing spending pressures and repairing the public finances.
The Investment Opportunity Fund, which was launched at Autumn Statement 2023, had yet to provide support to any projects.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Pursuant to the answer of 5 September 2024 to Question 2635 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Public Expenditure, whether she has discontinued the New definition of extremism programme announced in March 2024; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the £5 million saving on government (a) policy on counter-extremism and integration and (b) due diligence.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN HL965 on 20 September 2024. This Government takes the threat of extremism very seriously and we will continue to work with partners to tackle extremism in all its forms. Following the conclusion of the rapid review ordered by the Home Secretary, we will be setting out our strategic approach, which will ensure that we have the strongest possible response.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Pursuant to the answer of 5 September 2024, to Question 2635, on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Public Expenditure, what interventions she plans to introduce to reduce incidents of anti-social behaviour.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. We understand that anti-social behaviour causes great harm and misery to our communities, and, if left unchecked, can lead to more serious offending.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is working closely with the Home Office and the Safer Streets Mission to tackle anti-social behaviour in all communities.
We will put thousands of neighbourhood police and community support officers back into local communities, so that residents have somewhere to turn to when things go wrong.
We will crack down on the adults making neighbourhoods feel unsafe and unwelcoming by introducing new powers, such as Respect Orders with tough sanctions and penalties, to tackle repeat offending.
The Deputy Prime Minister is also overseeing cross-Government work to consider how we support our communities and address issues of cohesion in the longer term.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Pursuant to the answer of 5 September 2024, to Question 2635, on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Public Expenditure, what changes she plans to make to the Cambridge Growth programme; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes in funding of that programme on (a) housebuilding and (b) development in Cambridgeshire.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I made clear the Government’s intention to realise the full potential of Greater Cambridge in a letter to local leaders published on 23 August and I visited the city to discuss matters with them, as well as meet other stakeholders, on 12 September.
Working collaboratively with local partners, we are determined to support ambitious and high-quality sustainable growth in Greater Cambridge and to help overcome the significant barriers that have held up planned development for essential housing and laboratory space.
We will set out further detail about our approach in due course.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
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 page 9 of HM Treasury's document entitled Fixing the foundations: Public spending audit 2024-25, published on 29 July 2024, if she will list the (a) name and (b) value of the other small projects that her Department is cancelling.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In response to HMT’s savings commission, MHCLG has agreed £154 million from the department’s budgets. This comprises of several savings options on non-essential spending including:
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing a Hull and East Yorkshire devolution deal.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We want to see devolution extended to every corner of England, and have invited local areas without a devolution agreement to come forward with proposals on a sensible geography.
We recognise that in some parts of the country, such as Hull and East Yorkshire, local authorities had already worked with the previous government to develop devolution deals, which were put on hold over the general election.
We will work with local leaders, members of parliament and stakeholders, including those in Hull and East Yorkshire over the coming months, to ensure that our ambition for deeper and impactful devolution is expanded across the country.