Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
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 Answer of 26 April 2021 to Question 185295 on British National (Overseas): Northern Ireland, if he will hold discussions with the Home Secretary on the need for recognition of Northern Ireland identification documentation for those people with BNO status who wish to relocate to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Government’s priority is to ensure that the Hong Kong Welcome Programme is UK wide and supports British National (Overseas) status holders wherever they choose to settle in the UK. My Department continues to work closely with the Northern Ireland Strategic Migration Partnership and the Northern Ireland Executive, including through regular officials’ meetings, to support implementation of the programme.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that potential applicants through the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route are provided with information on the opportunities of locating in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Government is committed to encouraging settlement of Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) in all parts of the United Kingdom.
To achieve this, we are setting up new Hong Kong-UK Welcome Hubs across the UK, including in Northern Ireland. Activities may include working with local government, civil society and Devolved Administrations to promote opportunities for relocation. Welcome Hubs will be given resources to develop activities and support for their own areas.
Funds have also been provided through the Barnett Formula of over £1 million for this year to support Hong Kong BN(O) status holders who choose to settle in Northern Ireland.
MHCLG has also released a Welcome Pack in English and Cantonese with links to resources in the Devolved Administrations. We will continue to grow this resource to ensure that Hong Kong BN(O) status holders are made aware of opportunities across the UK.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will hold urgent discussions with representatives of financial institutions on their requirement for an EWS1 form in order to approve mortgage applications relating to low-level flats.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The External Wall System form (EWS1) and process was introduced by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors to assist in the valuation of high-rise residential buildings for mortgage purposes. Not all lenders request an EWS1 form and the Government does not support a blanket approach in EWS1 use for lower risk properties. The EWS1 process should only be used where there is clear need, and where no reasonable assurances or regulatory evidence exists to support valuations. Ministers and officials continue to engage with lenders on this issue.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people have been assessed as deliberately worsening their circumstances as homeless in order to obtain housing in each of the last five years.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
MHCLG collects information on households in England who are classified as intentionally homeless i.e households who have lost accommodation as a result of actions that they took or failed to take. This may include households who have given up suitable accommodation without good reason or have been evicted due to rent arrears or other breach of tenancy conditions.
The number of households who have been classified as intentionally homeless in England for the last 5 years are below:
2013/14 | 8530 |
2014/15 | 8990 |
2015/16 | 9560 |
2016/17 | 9860 |
2017/18 | 8700 |
The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.
In its first year, the Rough Sleeping Initiative funding provided over 1,750 new bed spaces and 500 staff across the country. This year we have expanded the initiative with an investment of £46 million providing funding for an estimated 2,600 bed spaces and 750 staff. £12 million of this is for areas new to the programme, bringing the total authorities funded to 246.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the change was in the level of rent arrears among public sector housing tenants between 2016 and 2018.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
MHCLG's English Housing Survey collects data on whether social renters are in rent arrears although does not collect data on the value of rent arrears. The data for the latest available year, 2016-17, can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-housing-survey-2016-to-2017-social-rented-sector.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has set a target in this Parliamentary Term for the reduction in number of long term empty properties as a result of the Rating (Property in Common Occupation) and Council Tax (Empty Dwellings) Act 2018.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
Statistics on vacant dwellings in England and in each local authority district are published in the Ministry’s live table 615 which is available at the following link. This table shows the annual total numbers of empty homes and those vacant longer than six months and also vacants in the local authority, housing association and other public sector tenures.
The table can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants.
Rates of council tax charged on empty homes are a matter for individual local authorities, who will take into account local circumstances in reaching their decision. In 2018, 299 out of 326 authorities reported that they were charging a premium on some of their empty dwellings, up from 291 in 2017.
The number of long-term vacant dwellings across England remains lower than when records began.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what account the Government plans to take of regional and national inequalities when resources from the Shared Prosperity Fund are being allocated.
Answered by Jake Berry
The Government continues to develop the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. We recognise the experience of the Devolved Administrations in delivering European funding and will want to hear their views on how the UK Shared Prosperity Fund works across all four nations, including the way in which it will tackle inequalities. We will consult on the new fund later this year, as committed in the Industrial Strategy.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
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 ensure that the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will offer assistance across the whole of the UK.
Answered by Jake Berry
My Department is continuing to develop the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which aims to improve productivity and reduce economic inequalities across all four nations of the Union. The new Fund affords a fresh opportunity to focus investment according to our own priorities. We will engage the devolved administrations on the design and priorities of the Fund at the earliest opportunity, before consulting widely later in the year.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
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 ensure that the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will offer assistance across the whole of the UK.
Answered by Jake Berry
My Department is continuing to develop the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which aims to improve productivity and reduce economic inequalities across all four nations of the Union. The new Fund affords a fresh opportunity to focus investment according to our own priorities. We will engage the devolved administrations on the design and priorities of the Fund at the earliest opportunity, before consulting widely later in the year.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to combat access to anti-Semitic propaganda among young people.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
We are working with internet service providers to ensure that antisemitic propaganda which is deemed illegal is removed within 24 hours. In addition, internet service providers are making a concerted effort to ensure that antisemitic propaganda does not appear at the top of search results.
We are also supporting the Anne Frank Trust’s Switch off Prejudice programme, which empowers young people with the knowledge, skills and confidence, to challenge all forms of prejudice and discrimination and increase their digital resilience. The project is currently in its second year and has already achieved a significant impact on its participants.