Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to ensure that councils that have received emergency funding for emergency accommodation for victims of domestic abuse during the covid-19 outbreak will be able to continue to access that fund after the lockdown.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
A total of £3.2 billion of additional funding has been recently announced for local government to help them respond to COVID-19 pressures across the services they deliver. This includes increasing support for services helping the most vulnerable, such as victims of domestic abuse.
On 2 May, the Government also announced an unprecedented £76?million package of support to ensure the most vulnerable in society get the support they need during the pandemic.
A change to the rules will also mean that those fleeing domestic abuse and facing homelessness as a result will be automatically considered as priority by their council for housing – ensuring more survivors of domestic abuse have access to a safe home.
To understand how the funding is meeting the local needs and pressures across the country, vital data is being provided by local authorities. This data is enabling us to monitor the use of the funds and will inform our wider conversations within Government.
We will continue to work with councils to ensure they are managing as the pandemic progresses.
Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will provide compensation for rental income lost due to the closure of a refuge service as a result of covid-19.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Government will do everything it can to support refuge providers to keep these vital services open, up and running.
Officials from my Department are in discussion with domestic abuse service providers to understand and respond to the challenges facing them as they make their contingency plans to keep refuges and other types of safe accommodation support services open and available to victims of domestic abuse and their children.
We have provided reassurance to refuge providers on key worker status for domestic abuse support workers working in refuges.
My officials will continue to work closely with and support refuge service providers.
Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what plans he Department has to consult on lowering the threshold for gender pay gap reporting in future reporting years.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Government Equalities Office continues to encourage organisations with fewer than 250 employees to publish gender pay gap data voluntarily, and supports them to do so. Several employers under the threshold reported in the first reporting year, and some have already done so ahead of the deadlines for the second year.
We recognise the challenges that smaller organisations face in compiling the data, and would consult with stakeholders on feasibility and possible implications before extending the regulations.
Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what (a) support and (b) guidance his Department provides to local authorities on parental leave for local councillors; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jake Berry
I have met both the Fawcett Society and the Local Government Association to discuss this issue and am keen to explore why some councils have felt able to provide for parental leave and others have not. I will also be examining what other actions could be taken which would have a positive impact on the gender balance and diversity of councillors.
Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether any Ministers in his Department attended the Presidents Club Charity Dinner run by the Meller Educational Trust in an official capacity.
Answered by Jake Berry
No Ministers from the Department attended this event.
Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the number the organisations that have received funding from the Department’s Abuse Fund; where those organisations are located; and the number of new refuge bed spaces created by those organisations, in each of the last 2 years.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
My Department has so far provided funding to 76 projects covering 248 local authorities through the 2016-2018 £20 million Domestic Abuse Fund, and recently confirmed that a further four projects will shortly receive funding. The attached table sets out all 80 lead local authorities which have received funding, or are due to receive funding.
Lead local authorities are responsible for allocating the funding for the projects set out in their bids and not all bids were based purely on provision of beds, this is reflected in the attached table.
Based on the ranges given in the local authorities’ bid documents, we estimate that the funding will deliver more than 2,200 additional bedspaces in refuges and other safe accommodation. We are committed to evaluating the outcomes from our £20 million fund.
The bed spaces are additional to the 3649 bedspaces counted in the Women’s Aid ‘Routes to Support’ data in 2016. There were 3479 refuge bedspaces in 2010.
Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, in which locations the additional 2,200 bed spaces funded by his Department’s Domestic Abuse Fund have been created.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
My Department has so far provided funding to 76 projects covering 248 local authorities through the 2016-2018 £20 million Domestic Abuse Fund, and recently confirmed that a further four projects will shortly receive funding. The attached table sets out all 80 lead local authorities which have received funding, or are due to receive funding.
Lead local authorities are responsible for allocating the funding for the projects set out in their bids and not all bids were based purely on provision of beds, this is reflected in the attached table.
Based on the ranges given in the local authorities’ bid documents, we estimate that the funding will deliver more than 2,200 additional bedspaces in refuges and other safe accommodation. We are committed to evaluating the outcomes from our £20 million fund.
The bed spaces are additional to the 3649 bedspaces counted in the Women’s Aid ‘Routes to Support’ data in 2016. There were 3479 refuge bedspaces in 2010.
Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information he holds on policies of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea on compensating council tenants for loss of belongings.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The Government has made available a £5 million Grenfell Tower Residents Discretionary Fund to help meet the immediate needs of those affected. Each family whose home was destroyed is receiving a £5,500 payment from the emergency fund so they can buy food, clothes and other essentials. We are also paying all additional adults over 16 in these households £500 in cash. Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is making additional payments to those affected on a case by case basis, for example to those whose home has been severely impacted but not permanently destroyed.
Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that trustees of the organisations responsible for the dispersal of relief funding after the Grenfell Tower tragedy have no conflict of interest.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
As stated in my answer today to Question UIN 2110, the consortium will provide assurance to DCLG that this fund is used to support the local community and voluntary sector to meet the immediate needs of those affected by the fire. The consortium will also ensure the organisations in receipt of this funding are recognised charities, incorporated bodies or other organisations which are operating for charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purposes and have been directly supporting those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.
Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what oversight his Department has of the dispersal of relief funding being collected by different organisations for the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
DCLG has contributed £1 million to a fund co-ordinated by the London Funders, in partnership with a coalition of independent charitable trusts and foundations, to support charities and other groups helping those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. The consortia will provide assurance to DCLG that resources granted from this fund support the local voluntary sector to meet the needs of the communities affected, ensure the organisations are working to support those affected and that they are already an established local resource and are relied upon by local people.