Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of capping ground rents on leasehold homes at nominal rates.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government recently consulted on a range of options to restrict ground rents for existing leases. Alongside the consultation we published a consultation impact assessment, assessing the expected costs and benefits of each of the policy options. This can be found here: Consultation impact assessment - modern leasehold: restricting ground rent for existing leases - GOV.UK.
We are carefully considering the responses we have received and will set out next steps due course.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what information his Department holds on how many Disabled people were evicted thorough section 21 no-fault evictions in the private rented sector in 2023.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
I refer the Hon Member to my answer to Question UIN 14713 on 22 February 2024.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many Disabled Facilities Grants were distributed to private rented sector tenants last year.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Government is committed to helping older and disabled people to live independently and safely. Government funding for Disabled Facilities Grant has more than doubled, rising from £220 million in 2015-16 to £623 million for 2023-24.
The Department does not hold the requested data for 2023.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many wheelchair-accessible homes have been built in England outside London in the last year.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 15081 on 26 February 2024.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many new M4(2) homes have been built in England outside London in the last year.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 15081 on 26 February 2024.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to amend planning regulations for pubs through the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
This Government recognises that British pubs lie at the heart of our communities and will often be a much-valued community asset, which is why through the community ownership fund, we have protected 33 pubs with £8 million of funding from the UK Government.
High Street Rental Auctions (HSRAs), contained within the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, will be a permissive power for local authorities, which they can use alongside other regeneration tools at their discretion. The Government has recently consulted on several areas of HSRA policy.
The consultation sought, in part, views on the introduction of two new permitted development rights that would facilitate the change of a premises' planning use in certain circumstances. The consultation closed on 7 July, and we are currently analysing responses. As such it would be inappropriate to pre-empt the outcome of the consultation.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposals in the Levelling up and Regeneration Bill on high street rental auctions on pubs.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
This Government recognises that British pubs lie at the heart of our communities and will often be a much-valued community asset, which is why through the community ownership fund, we have protected 33 pubs with £8 million of funding from the UK Government.
High Street Rental Auctions (HSRAs), contained within the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, will be a permissive power for local authorities, which they can use alongside other regeneration tools at their discretion. The Government has recently consulted on several areas of HSRA policy.
The consultation sought, in part, views on the introduction of two new permitted development rights that would facilitate the change of a premises' planning use in certain circumstances. The consultation closed on 7 July, and we are currently analysing responses. As such it would be inappropriate to pre-empt the outcome of the consultation.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will hold a discussion with the Leader of the House on securing a date for Second Reading of the Renters (Reform) Bill before the end of the current Parliamentary session.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
I refer to my Hon. Member to my answer to Question UIN 198928 on 18 September 2023.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy, published on 22 December 2022, whether he plans to revise the National Planning Policy Framework to permit the development of new onshore wind farms in England.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
We have consulted on proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework. We will publish an official response in due course.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has also committed to consult on delivering local partnerships for onshore wind. This consultation will be published shortly.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what impact assessment his Department has made of the effect of reintroduction of bailiff enforcement from 1 June 2021 on the risk of covid-19 transmission.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The ban on bailiff enforcement has now been lifted, reflecting the gradual easing of national restrictions and ensuring that landlords are able to exercise their right to justice. Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service, which runs the bailiff service, has worked with the Ministry of Justice's Health and Safety team and Public Health England to ensure that measures are put in place to protect all parties to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission during the enforcement of possession.
Where an eviction is scheduled with the mandatory minimum notice period of 14 days, the tenant can inform the court if they or anyone they live with has coronavirus symptoms, has tested positive for Covid-19 or are is waiting for a test result, or has been instructed by the NHS to self-isolate. Where this is the case, the appointment will be rescheduled for a later date with a minimum of 14 days' notice. The tenant can also apply to suspend the eviction in certain circumstances, for example where they were unable to attend the original hearing and would have had a good chance of defending the claim for possession had they done so.
When carrying out an eviction, the bailiff will follow the latest Public Health England and government guidance. They will conduct the eviction wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and maintain social distancing. They must ask if anybody in the household has symptoms, is self-isolating or shielding. If that is the case, or if the bailiff observes any visible symptoms of Covid-19, then they must withdraw from the property immediately. Bailiffs also will not evict if the household is quarantining in line with government guidelines on return from an amber list country, and the eviction will be rescheduled. Bailiffs have also been asked to undertake regular Covid-19 tests and not to attend work if they or anyone they live with has tested positive for Covid-19.