Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans he has to regulate private car parking firms.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
On 7 February the Government published its Private Parking Code of Practice, a key milestone in the implementation of the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019. It sets out the requirements that private parking companies must follow when enforcing parking restrictions in England, Scotland and Wales.
The Code is part of a wider regulatory framework which includes the establishment of a Scrutiny and Oversight Board to monitor the new system, a certification scheme to which operators must adhere if they wish to access keeper data to enforce parking charges and the creation of a single independent appeals service for motorists to turn to if they are unhappy with the handling of an appeal by an operator.
The new Code and regulatory framework will ensure that terms and conditions and enforcement and appeal processes are fair, consistent, and proportionate, boosting our high streets and town centres by making it easier for people to park without receiving unwarranted charges.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to ensure that enforcement by private parking firms is proportionate and appropriate.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
On 7 February the Government published its Private Parking Code of Practice, a key milestone in the implementation of the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019. It sets out the requirements that private parking companies must follow when enforcing parking restrictions in England, Scotland and Wales.
The Code is part of a wider regulatory framework which includes the establishment of a Scrutiny and Oversight Board to monitor the new system, a certification scheme to which operators must adhere if they wish to access keeper data to enforce parking charges and the creation of a single independent appeals service for motorists to turn to if they are unhappy with the handling of an appeal by an operator.
The new Code and regulatory framework will ensure that terms and conditions and enforcement and appeal processes are fair, consistent, and proportionate, boosting our high streets and town centres by making it easier for people to park without receiving unwarranted charges.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to restore funding for (a) early help, (b) family support and (c) other early intervention services to pre-austerity levels.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
Children’s social care in Northern Ireland is a transferred power, making it a devolved matter. This answer reflects the position in England. The 2021 Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement makes available £54.1 billion for 2022/23 for local government in England, an increase of up to £3.7 billion on 2021/22. This significant investment is largely un-ringfenced in recognition that local leaders know the priorities for their local communities best. The Government has also provided an additional £200 million for Supporting Families. This represents around a 40% real-terms uplift in funding for the programme by 2024-25, taking total planned investment across the next three years to £695 million. This significant investment into early help services comes in advance of Josh MacAlister’s independent review of children’s social care, which will report in the Spring. The Government will consider any recommendations carefully.