Asked by: John Cryer (Labour - Leyton and Wanstead)
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 introduce reforms leasehold in this Parliament.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 176567 on 21 April 2023.
Asked by: John Cryer (Labour - Leyton and Wanstead)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of not allowing owners of three or more properties to receive funding for fire safety works on the progress of remediating buildings with fire safety issues.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
As with all policies, the Government continues to monitor this situation and the progress of remediation of buildings. The Government is committed to introducing a new scheme to provide funding for the remediation or mitigation of the fire safety risks linked to external wall system defects on medium-rise buildings (11-18m) where a responsible developer cannot be identified, traced, or held responsible. An initial pilot of the scheme opened in November 2022, targeting a small number of buildings that have interim measures or simultaneous evacuation measures in place. Further details will be set out in due course.
The availability of funding for fire safety risks linked to external wall system defects from the Building Safety Fund, and in due course the Cladding Safety Scheme, takes no account of the number of properties owned by leaseholders. Residential properties are bought both as personal residences and commercial investments and Parliament determined that it was appropriate to draw that distinction at the ownership of three properties, when considering this matter in relation to protecting leaseholders, during the passage of the Building Safety Act 2022.
Asked by: John Cryer (Labour - Leyton and Wanstead)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when the Building Safety Fund for remedial works to medium rise blocks will begin.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
As with all policies, the Government continues to monitor this situation and the progress of remediation of buildings. The Government is committed to introducing a new scheme to provide funding for the remediation or mitigation of the fire safety risks linked to external wall system defects on medium-rise buildings (11-18m) where a responsible developer cannot be identified, traced, or held responsible. An initial pilot of the scheme opened in November 2022, targeting a small number of buildings that have interim measures or simultaneous evacuation measures in place. Further details will be set out in due course.
The availability of funding for fire safety risks linked to external wall system defects from the Building Safety Fund, and in due course the Cladding Safety Scheme, takes no account of the number of properties owned by leaseholders. Residential properties are bought both as personal residences and commercial investments and Parliament determined that it was appropriate to draw that distinction at the ownership of three properties, when considering this matter in relation to protecting leaseholders, during the passage of the Building Safety Act 2022.
Asked by: John Cryer (Labour - Leyton and Wanstead)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the (a) nature and (b) value was of all (i) contracts, (ii) consultancies and (iii) other services placed with the accountancy firms (A) Deloitte & Touche, (B) Ernst & Young, (C) KPMG and (D) PricewaterhouseCoopers in each year since 2010-11 by (1) their Department, (2) any predecessor Departments and (3) departmental agencies.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
In line with Government transparency requirements, since 2016 we have published details of our contracts on Contracts Finder. Further information is available here.
Asked by: John Cryer (Labour - Leyton and Wanstead)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the covid-19 outbreak, what discussions the Government has had with local authorities on emergency accommodation for victims of domestic violence.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
My Department is working closely with local authorities and the sector to minimise the risk for vulnerable people and those currently unable to self-isolate.
Government officials are in discussion with domestic abuse service providers who are undertaking their own contingency planning, in line with advice from Public Health England, to keep safe accommodation support services open and available to victims of domestic abuse and their children.
£1.6 billion of the £5 billion Covid-19 fund announced in the Budget will go to local authorities to help them respond to Covid-19 pressures across all the services they deliver. This includes increasing support for services helping the most vulnerable.
Asked by: John Cryer (Labour - Leyton and Wanstead)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with local authorities on Government financial support for local authorities to tackle covid-19.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Local authorities have a vital role to play in protecting and supporting their communities during the Covid-19 outbreak.
My Department is in regular contact with the sector about the support they are offering communities. Already the Government is supporting individuals by extending sick pay for those advised to self-isolate and making it easier for them to access benefits. For businesses, we are increasing business rates relief, introducing a new guarantee loan scheme, and developing more bespoke arrangements for firms to repay outstanding tax liabilities.