Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether suppliers of bathroom and kitchen fittings can reopen showrooms as part of the easing of the covid-19 lockdown measures.
Answered by Simon Clarke
The Government has introduced regulations which require certain business and venues to close, including many retail stores. There are a number of exemptions to this which are contained in the regulations found here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/350 and are also outlined in the guidance found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close.
It is for each business to assess whether they are exempt from closing, having considered the regulations and associated guidance; this advice applies to businesses supplying kitchen and bathroom fittings. Where stores do remain open they are strongly advised to do so only where staff and customers can adhere to PHE guidelines on social distancing.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will impose a stay on forfeiture notices for commercial tenancies for the duration of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Simon Clarke
The Government recognises the uncertainty faced by commercial tenants due to the Covid-19 pandemic and we want to protect them during this difficult time.
This is why we introduced an amendment to the Coronavirus Act which prevents commercial tenants from being evicted for 3 months. Commercial tenants will still be liable for the rent, but this provides a grace period and builds on the significant package of support for businesses already announced.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with local authorities bordering the Solent where housebuilding is constrained by international obligations on nitrates; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Secretary of State has met with representatives of local authorities affected by the nitrates issue in the South Hampshire area. The Government understands the importance of this issue and the very real effects it is having on house building and the local economy.
Officials across MHCLG, Defra and its agencies are working together and liaising with the affected authorities and house builders to identify and implement measures to address the problem. The underlying issues cannot be solved through the planning system, but instead require action on agricultural pollution and wastewater treatment to help tackle the problem of nitrates pollution at source and enable more development to proceed.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timeframe is for a decision to be made on the application by the Rt. Hon. Member for New Forest West to revoke the planning permission in relation to Milford on Sea 1.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
A timeframe for when the decision will be issued is unknown as the request is still under consideration.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
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 (a) improve the quality of newly built houses and (b) ensure that purchasers of newly built homes are able to have defects rectified swiftly; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
I want to ensure we can be proud of the next generation of homes we build. We know more needs to be done to protect consumers.
We have announced our intention for a New Homes Ombudsman to be established and I am considering options for a shadow ombudsman. We will be bringing forward legislation to require developers to belong to a New Homes Ombudsman, which will treat home buyers fairly. We’ll soon be consulting on the details of how this will work - to raise standards and ensure that problems encountered by consumers are resolved faster and more effectively.
We will also establish the condition that housing developers must belong to a New Homes Ombudsman to participate in the new Help to Buy Scheme in England, post 2021. In the meantime we expect industry to improve the quality of new build homes in the first place, treat customers fairly and resolve problems swiftly.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will include the Association of Residential Managing Agents in his working group on leasehold reform and the regulation of managing agents; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
There are no plans to make the Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA) a member of the Regulation of Property Agents Working Group. The composition of the working group's membership needs to reflect a balance of interests between property agents and housing consumers.
Already included within the working group are two professional bodies with knowledge and experience of property management: the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and the Institute of Residential Property Management. Both these organisations have members who are also members of ARMA, or work on behalf of them. The working group will wish to invite others to personally provide evidence and give their views. When the working group discusses managing agents, ARMA will be at the forefront of the list of organisations for this purpose.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the judgement of the Court of Justice of the European Union on the case People Over Wind and Sweetman v Coillte Teoranta (C-323/17), when he plans to issue guidance regarding local plans; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is actively considering the implications of the Sweetman 2 (People Over Wind) judgment from the Court of Justice of the European Union. We are working closely with Natural England and Defra, including on how to take forward any external guidance that may be necessary.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the judgement of the Court of Justice of the European Union on the case People Over Wind and Sweetman v Coillte Teoranta (C-323/17), when he plans to issue guidance regarding local plans; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is actively considering the implications of the Sweetman 2 (People Over Wind) judgment from the Court of Justice of the European Union. We are working closely with Natural England and Defra, including on how to take forward any external guidance that may be necessary.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proposals he has to limit the ability of (a) freeholders to appoint managing agents and (b) freeholder managing agents to levy fees on leaseholders; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The outcome of our recent call for evidence on, ‘Protecting consumers in the letting and managing agent market’, sets out our intention to introduce measures which will enable leaseholders to veto a landlord’s choice of managing agent where justified, review their performance and change agents where agreed levels of service have not been achieved and maintained. It also outlines our plans to set up a Working Group to examine those fees and charges that go beyond leasehold service charges, but can impact both leaseholders and freeholders, and consider under what circumstances they are justified, and if they should be capped or banned.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what conclusions he has drawn as a result of his call for evidence of 12 April 2017 on park home regulation and the level of sales commission charged on park homes.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Department published the summary of responses to this call for evidence on 28 November 2017. The Government response will be published in the autumn. While we are aware of the concerns amongst those living in park homes about the commission rate payable on the sale of a home, this was out of scope of the review and will therefore be considered separately.