Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 29 Jun 2021
Building Safety
"My hon. Friend is making an outstanding case, and she clearly knows this subject from every angle. Does she agree that no matter how much money the Government allocate to this issue, unless it is combined with a resolution or rule that prevents leaseholders from being charged straight away, there …..."Julian Lewis - View Speech
View all Julian Lewis (Con - New Forest East) contributions to the debate on: Building Safety
Written Question
Monday 21st June 2021
Asked by:
Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question
to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what protection he has made available to leaseholders to prevent freeholders making them forfeit their leases due to inability to pay (a) cladding and (b) other fire safety-related costs demanded in service charge bills rendered for payment prior to the introduction of planned government fire-safety remedial compensation schemes; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government believes that forfeiture is a draconian measure and should only be used as a last resort. In practice forfeiture happens very rarely and is subject to the right of relief, to be exercised at the court’s discretion. Any changes to forfeiture will require a careful balancing of the rights and responsibilities of landlords and leaseholders. As a first step, we have asked the Law Commission to update their 2006 report Termination of Tenancies for Tenant Default given the passage of time, and to take into account the implications of the reforms currently underway. We will then consider what action may be needed, including potential legislative measures.
The Government is providing £5 billion of funding to protect leaseholders living in residential buildings over 18 metres with unsafe cladding from the costs of remediation. Leaseholders in buildings between 11 and 18 metres will be able to access finance for cladding remediation, with a commitment that they will not have to pay more than £50 per month towards these remediation costs. Government funding does not absolve building owners of their responsibility to ensure their buildings are safe. They should consider all routes to meet costs, protecting leaseholders where they can – for example through warranties and recovering costs from contractors for incorrect or poor work. We have seen many responsible developers and building owners stepping up to take responsibility for correcting these defects - for example, in more than half of the high-rise private sector buildings with ACM.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 18 May 2021
Affordable and Safe Housing for All
"Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for pointing out at the beginning of today’s debate, that there is no restriction on the subjects that can be raised on any day of the debate on the Queen’s Speech. Before I move to address other subjects, I would like to say how pleasing …..."Julian Lewis - View Speech
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Written Question
Monday 17th May 2021
Asked by:
Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question
to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what additional steps he plans to take to protect leaseholders from costs arising from (a) the misuse of flammable cladding and (b) other unsafe structural design features used in the (i) construction and (ii) modification of the apartment blocks containing their flats.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Longstanding independent safety advice has been clear that unsafe cladding poses the greatest risk to buildings, because it can act as a fuel to a fire. Our approach prioritises action on the risks of unsafe cladding – the costs for remediating this are high, and the risks posed by it are also high. The Government has announced a globally unprecedented investment in building safety and hundreds of thousands of leaseholders will be protected from the cost of remediating unsafe cladding on their homes. On 10 February the Government announced it will provide an additional £3.5 billion grant funding for remediation of unsafe cladding on buildings over 18 metres, which brings the total investment in building safety to an unprecedented £5.1 billion.
Lower-rise buildings between 11 and 18 metres, with a lower risk to safety, will gain protection from the costs of cladding remediation through a generous financing scheme. As part of this financing scheme, no leaseholder will pay more than £50 per month towards the cost of cladding remediation. This builds on steps already taken to support leaseholders, including the £30 million waking watch fund to help end excessive costs and new legislation in the Building Safety Bill which will ensure homes are made and kept safer in future. We will publish more details on how the schemes will work as soon as we are in a position to do so.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 26 Apr 2021
National Security and Investment Bill
"I appreciate that I have tried the patience of the House, but on that one point let me say that the MOU is flexible in the sense that we can add new organisations to it. The flexibility is not being used by the Government because they are refusing to add …..."Julian Lewis - View Speech
View all Julian Lewis (Con - New Forest East) contributions to the debate on: National Security and Investment Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 26 Apr 2021
National Security and Investment Bill
"I hate to be slightly disobliging, but it is a fact, is it not, that the staffs of these Select Committees do not have the clearance necessary to see or handle top secret material, and showing a top secret document to the Chair of a Committee on his or her …..."Julian Lewis - View Speech
View all Julian Lewis (Con - New Forest East) contributions to the debate on: National Security and Investment Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 26 Apr 2021
National Security and Investment Bill
"The Intelligence and Security Committee greatly appreciates the work of the Minister and of his predecessor on this important legislation. I was on the Committee in June 2013 when we identified the risks posed by foreign investment and takeovers to the United Kingdom’s critical national infrastructure, citing Huawei as a …..."Julian Lewis - View Speech
View all Julian Lewis (Con - New Forest East) contributions to the debate on: National Security and Investment Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 26 Apr 2021
National Security and Investment Bill
"I will give way in a moment, because I would like my right hon. Friend to hear this next bit, as I think there was a bit he was missing in his earlier intervention.
These words were used in Committee in my presence by the then Security Minister, my right …..."Julian Lewis - View Speech
View all Julian Lewis (Con - New Forest East) contributions to the debate on: National Security and Investment Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 26 Apr 2021
National Security and Investment Bill
"Unfortunately, and I am afraid unusually for my right hon. Friend, he missed one little part that was missing in turn from the Minister’s answer, because the MOU as it stands does not include the Investment Security Unit. The MOU has a list of seven organisations that we can currently …..."Julian Lewis - View Speech
View all Julian Lewis (Con - New Forest East) contributions to the debate on: National Security and Investment Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 26 Apr 2021
National Security and Investment Bill
"I am not sure that without concrete examples of what my right hon. Friend has in mind, I am in a position to give an answer to that question. What I do know is that it is the work of the ISC, on a basis of professional, full-time constant monitoring, …..."Julian Lewis - View Speech
View all Julian Lewis (Con - New Forest East) contributions to the debate on: National Security and Investment Bill