Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate his Department has made of the proportion of households living in a leasehold property.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Department does not produce an estimate of the proportion of households living in a leasehold property. The Department produces estimates of the number and proportion of leasehold dwellings, but not households, in England broken down by tenure. The latest release can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/estimating-the-number-of-leasehold-dwellings-in-england-2016-to-2017.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with (a) the Wales Office and (b) the Welsh Government on the level of funding from the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund in Wales that the Shared Prosperity Fund is intended to replace.
Answered by Jake Berry
As we committed to in the written ministerial statement of 24 July 2018 (HCWS927), we have begun engagement with devolved administrations, including the Welsh Government, ahead of the public consultation, intended for later this year. This engagement began in September 2018 when HM Government officials held initial meetings with their counterparts in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Wider engagement with external stakeholders across the UK is ongoing.
We intend to consult on the design of the United Kingdom Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) later this year and encourage all interested parties to contribute their views. Final decisions on the detail and operation of the UKSPF will be made following the Spending Review in 2019.
In the meantime, we understand places around the UK require certainty of funding after we leave the European Union. We are confident that a negotiated agreement will be reached and that we will continue to take part in the 2014-2020 EU programmes until they end. At the same time, all Brexit scenarios are being planned for, including a no-deal.
The Government’s announcement to extend the guarantee for the full EU 2014-20 programme period and allocation, provides certainty and clarity in the event of a no-deal and allows for a smooth transition to a domestic replacement.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what (a) due diligence was undertaken on and (b) assessment was made of the pronouncements on equality and diversity of the Chair of the Commission on Beauty in the Built Environment prior to their appointment.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The appointment of advisory roles entails the completion of due diligence checks; these were carried out and considered prior to the appointment of Professor Sir Roger Scruton FBA FRSL as unpaid chair of the ‘Building Better, Building Beautiful’ Commission.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reasons the consultation on the Shared Prosperity Fund has not yet been launched; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jake Berry
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will be designed to reduce inequalities between communities by raising productivity, especially in places that are furthest behind.
We are continuing to develop its design and priorities to ensure that we get it right. As part of this, we continue to engage widely ahead of a public consultation intended for later this year, providing all interested parties with an opportunity to convey their views. This will inform decisions on the operation and allocation of the UKSPF, which will be subject to the 2019 Spending Review.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the proportion of homeless people who are homeless due to an eviction from a private rented property.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Government recognises that the ending of an assured shorthold tenancy is biggest cause of homelessness. The Government is committed to protecting the rights of tenants and giving them more security.
We have published a model tenancy agreement which landlords and tenants can use as the basis for longer, family friendly tenancies, available for free at www.gov.uk/government/publications/model-agreement-for-a-shorthold-assured-tenancy. And the measures announced in the Housing White Paper resulted in many of the largest build to rent operators offering their tenants the option of longer tenancies.
Also, this week we have launched the £20 million Private Rented Sector Access Scheme to support those who are, or at risk of homelessness. This access scheme will help those people sustain tenancies.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Shared Prosperity Fund is planned to be allocated on the basis of the Barnett formula.
Answered by Jake Berry
My Department continues to develop the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), a domestic programme of investment to tackle inequalities between communities by raising productivity across the whole of the UK, especially in those parts of our country whose economies are furthest behind.
We have committed to engaging the devolved administrations to ensure the UKSPF works for places in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and will launch a public consultation for the whole of the UK later this year. Decisions on the operation and allocation of the UKSPF will be made following the consultation and will be subject to the spending review next year.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many times he and Ministers of his Department have formally met with the Welsh Government since the announcement that his Department will be overseeing the Shared Prosperity Fund.
Answered by Jake Berry
My Department continues to work on the design and priorities of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). We will want to discuss with the devolved administrations how the Fund might work in their nations, recognising their expertise in delivering the structural funds.
The Government will consult publically on the design and priorities of the UKSPF later this year, as announced in the Industrial Strategy White Paper, to make sure it meets the needs of all parts of the UK.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many houses in multiple occupation there have been in each year since 2013.
Answered by Dominic Raab
An estimate of houses in multiple occupation in England is publicly available in the Local Authority Housing Statistic (LAHS) return Section F Question 8 https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-housing-data.
These are estimated figures for the number of Houses in Multiple Occupation in England only, information relating to other parts of the United Kingdom is the responsibility of the relevant devolved administration.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many houses in multiple occupation there have been in each year since 2013.
Answered by Dominic Raab
An estimate of houses in multiple occupation in England is publicly available in the Local Authority Housing Statistic (LAHS) return Section F Question 8 https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-housing-data.
These are estimated figures for the number of Houses in Multiple Occupation in England only, information relating to other parts of the United Kingdom is the responsibility of the relevant devolved administration.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to permit the Welsh Assembly Government to bid for funds under the Shared Prosperity Fund programme.
Answered by Jake Berry
The Government continues to work on the design and priorities of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). We will want to discuss with the devolved administrations how the Fund might work in their nations, recognising their expertise in delivering the structural funds.
The Government will consult publically on the design and priorities of the UKSPF later this year, as announced in the Industrial Strategy white paper, to make sure it meets the needs of all parts of the UK.