Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the trends in the level of vacancy rates in town centre business properties.
Answered by Jake Berry
Town centres and high streets are a crucial part of our communities and the Government is determined to see these areas thriving, both now and in the future.
The Department receives vacancy rate data on retail units from the Local Data Company which has enabled the Department to monitor the change in these vacancy rates over time at a national level. The data demonstrates that retail vacancy rates peaked at 14.6 per cent in August 2012. Although there have been fluctuations in the rate, it has not reached this high point since and current figures show this rate is at 12.9 per cent in May 2019.
At Autumn budget we set out ‘Our Plan for the High Street’ to support the sustainable transformation of high streets, including a £675 million Future High Streets Fund, a High Streets Task Force and measures on business rates and planning. We also launched a pilot of our Open Doors project in November 2018, which brings empty properties back into use by linking landlords of vacant units with community groups looking for space.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many rogue landlords were issued with banning orders in 2018.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
Banning orders were introduced in April 2018 and are an additional sanction for the worst offenders. It can take 12 months or more for a conviction for a banning order offence to be secured, after which a local authority may apply for a banning order. As such, no banning orders were entered onto the database of rogue landlords and agents during 2018.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to issue guidance on the settled status scheme to landlords.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Government has made clear that the current arrangements for private landlords conducting checks on EU nationals, involving the use of national passports and identity cards, will not change prior to introduction of the future skills-based immigration system. This position applies also to those EU nationals who have acquired pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. Updated guidance for private landlords will be published shortly.
Regarding social landlords, I can confirm that EU, EEA/EFTA and Swiss nationals registered under the EU Settlement Scheme will have broadly the same eligibility to access social housing and homelessness assistance as they do now. Those granted settled status, who have five or more years’ continuous residence in the UK, will have the same access to social housing and homelessness assistance as comparable UK nationals. Those granted pre-settled status, where they have less than five years’ continuous residence, will remain eligible on the same basis as now. We have laid amendment regulations to make clear that the existing position remains in place. We will revise current statutory guidance for local authorities to reflect the amending regulations when time allows.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's findings following its investigation into the fire at Grenfell Tower.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
There is nothing more important than ensuring people are safe in their homes and those affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy receive the support they need. Over £80 million of Government funding has been committed to support the community, including for rehousing costs and new mental health services. In addition, the NHS has announced £50 million to fund long term health screening and treatment for those affected. The Government is committed to supporting the community in the long term and ensuring those affected get the justice they deserve.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that student accomodation is fit for habitation.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Department is committed to raising standards in the private rented sector in England. This includes a large proportion of student accommodation. In October 2018 the department extended the criteria for licensing for houses of multiple occupation to bring a further 170,000 properties into the scope of mandatory licensing.
The Fitness for Human Habitation Act, which came into force on 20 March, will ensure that all homes are fit for human habitation at the start of a tenancy and throughout. This Act complements the existing regulatory framework and the strong powers that we have already given to local authorities to ensure that standards are met.
The department also works closely with Unipol and Universities UK to ensure that purpose-built student accommodation is properly regulated and is underpinned by student accommodation codes.
Student accommodation in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved administrations.