Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to strengthen provisions in building regulations to ensure that materials and methods used in modern methods of housing construction are more resilient to the risks of fire, flooding and damage caused by escape of water.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The Building Regulations set functional requirements that apply to all forms of construction. However, it is clear that we need to review current fire safety and Building Regulations to ensure that they are as effective as possible. The Government has asked Dame Judith Hackitt to lead an independent review of Building Regulations and fire safety. Dame Judith will publish an interim report this Autumn and a final report in Spring 2018.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much central government funding from the revenue support grant Calderdale Council has received in each of the last seven years.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2017 to Question 64254, on the European Union Solidarity Fund, what the costs involved in making an application were; and what each constituent element of those costs were.
Answered by Andrew Percy
I refer the Hon Member to my answer on 3 March 2017 to Question UIN 64254 which explains the Commission's assessment of our application.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 16 January 2017, on Winter Flooding 2015-16, HCWS412, how much of the £60 million in assistance from the EU Solidarity Fund has been attributed to the effect of clawback through the UK rebate.
Answered by Andrew Percy
The Commission has now proposed to the European Parliament and Council that the UK receives a notional €60.3 million in assistance (subject to approval by the two bodies). However, owing to the costs involved in making an application and the effect of clawback through the UK rebate, the overall net benefit to the UK is only estimated to be €17 million (circa £15 million). This will be further offset by a payment of £14.5 million that the UK is legally obliged to make to the EU in respect of the UK’s 2007 application (by the then Labour Government) for Solidarity Fund assistance following the serious floods that year. The UK Government is obliged to repay funding where there was ineligible spending under the Labour administration. Consequently, this funding does not offer additional support.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 16 January 2017, on winter flooding 2015-16, HCWS412, on what date he first became aware that the UK was legally obliged to make a payment of £14.5 million in respect of the 2007 application for Solidarity Fund assistance.
Answered by Andrew Percy
Commission audits which ended in 2012 on the UK’s use of the European Union Solidarity Fund in response to the 2007 floods argued that errors were made in the use and management of this funding among government departments. The Commission issued a final invoice for payment for £14.5 million in May 2016.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when the Government first became aware that payments to the EU were required in relation to the UK's 2007 Solidarity Fund application.
Answered by Andrew Percy
Commission audits which ended in 2012 on the UK’s use of the European Union Solidarity Fund in response to the 2007 floods argued that errors were made in the use and management of this funding among government departments. The Commission issued a final invoice for payment for £14.5 million in May 2016.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 16 January 2017, on Winter Flooding 2015-16, HCWS412, what the cost (a) in total and (b) of each constituent element of making an application to the EU Solidarity Fund was.
Answered by Andrew Percy
The Commission has now proposed to the European Parliament and Council that the UK receives a notional €60 million (circa £51.6 million) in assistance (subject to approval by the two bodies). However, owing to the costs involved in making an application and the effect of clawback through the UK rebate, the overall net benefit to the UK is only estimated to be €17 million (circa £15 million) This will be further offset by a payment of £14.5 million that the UK is legally obliged to make to the EU in respect of the UK’s 2007 application (by the then Labour Government) for Solidarity Fund assistance following the serious floods that year. Consequently, this funding does not offer additional support, but is only eligible to reimburse a small portion of the extensive financial support that has already been given by the government to areas affected.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the progress of the EU Solidarity Fund application to help people affected by flooding.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
The Government submitted an initial UK application to the EU Solidarity Fund on Friday 26 February. The Department for Communities and Local Government is in regular discussions with the devolved administrations, local authorities and other government departments including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, as we work to refine our cost estimates and figures.