Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of strengthening consumer protections for the owners of new build properties.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Government is committed to strengthening consumer protection for the owners of new build homes. The Government is bringing forward provision for a New Homes Ombudsman scheme in the Building Safety Bill, which will improve homebuyer protection and redress. The Bill includes provision to require developers to become members of the ombudsman scheme, which will provide dispute resolution to homebuyers with complaints about their developer, and for a developers' code of practice about the standards of conduct and standards or quality of work expected of members of the scheme.
Housing is a devolved matter and the provisions are for England. We are in discussions with the devolved administrations about the New Homes Ombudsman provisions, and they are considering how this policy might be taken forward in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the delivery date for the first round of the (a) Levelling Up Fund and (b) Community Renewal Fund.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
In the first round of the Levelling Up Fund, we will prioritise projects which are able to demonstrate investment or begin delivery on the ground in the 2021-22 financial year. We would expect all funding provided from the Fund to be spent by 31 March 2024, and, exceptionally, into 2024-25 for larger schemes.
I understand that lead local authorities and applicants are eager to hear investment decisions and begin delivery of UK Community Renewal Fund projects. We have received a fantastic response to the launch of the Community Renewal Fund, along with the Levelling Up Fund. Given the significant level of interest, officials are continuing to assess Community Renewal Fund bids in line with the published assessment process.
Officials will shortly provide further guidance to enable lead local authorities to plan for the delivery phase of the Community Renewal Fund. This guidance will include confirmation of the timeline for project delivery, grant funding agreements and publication of the monitoring and evaluation framework. This combined with direct local support provided by the Cities and Local Growth Unit, will I hope alleviate any challenges faced by successful projects.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received from the Welsh Government following the determination of priority places under the Community Renewal Fund.
Answered by Luke Hall
The UK Government is providing an additional £220 million funding through the UK Community Renewal Fund to help local areas prepare for the launch of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2022. The UK Government regularly engages with a wide range of stakeholders as part of its ongoing work, including with our counterparts in the Welsh Government.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on the determination of priority places under the Community Renewal Fund.
Answered by Luke Hall
The UK Government is providing an additional £220 million funding through the UK Community Renewal Fund to help local areas prepare for the launch of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2022. The UK Government regularly engages with a wide range of stakeholders as part of its ongoing work, including with our counterparts in the Welsh Government.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Covid-19 Response, Spring 2021 roadmap, published on 22 February 2021, when Welsh language chapels in England will be able to host gatherings for the singing of hymns, cymanfa ganu.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
Places of Worship have remained open for communal worship throughout the current Covid-19 restrictions. Singing during this period has been limited to one person, exceptionally three to minimise the risks around aerosol transmission of the virus. From 29 March this guidance will be amended to allow larger numbers to perform, though numbers should still be limited to the minimum necessary and the principles of safe singing must be observed. There are currently no plans to allow communal singing to resume before Step 4 of the roadmap, which would be no earlier than 21 June.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
With reference to the Spending Review 2020, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Answered by Luke Hall
At Spending Review, the Government confirmed we will publish a UK-wide investment framework in 2021 for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and will confirm spending profiles at the next Spending Review.
Ahead of this, Government has made clear that it intends to continue to work in partnership with the devolved administrations and local communities. We have demonstrated this commitment by confirming that devolved administrations will have a place within the governance structures for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.