Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Answer of 25 October 2023 to Question 203012 on Social Rented Housing: Mould, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the funds raised from rent settlement to cover damp and mould repairs.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Registered providers are spending record amounts on improving their tenants’ homes. This is funded primarily by rental income, alongside capital funding from government to help meet the costs of building safety remediation and improved energy efficiency.
If a Registered Provider is no longer able to do this without jeopardising its financial viability, it has the option of applying for an exemption from (or disapplication of) the Regulator of Social Housing’s Rent Standard. The Registered Provider will be expected to have considered all possible options to ensure its continued viability before such an exemption or disapplication is granted.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his Department's timetable is for extending the voluntary Right to Buy scheme.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government remains committed to the Right to Buy, which since 1980 has enabled over two million social housing tenants to become homeowners.
Any future announcements will be set out in the usual way.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Answer of 8 March 2023 to Question 155257 on Parking: Fines, what the result is of the review on the levels of private parking charges and additional fees set out in the temporarily withdrawn Private Parking Code of Practice
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Further to the answer given to Question UIN 155257, a consultation on private parking charges and debt recovery fees is expected to take place in 2024. Government continues to work with the industry and consumer groups to reissue the Code as quickly as possible.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will produce guidance for local authorities on spending on emergency homeless dispersal accommodation.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
We are providing in excess of £1 billion over three years through the Homelessness Prevention Grant to support local authorities to deliver their statutory homelessness duties. There is guidance on what local authorities are required to do in relation to their statutory homelessness duties in the Homelessness Code of Guidance.
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Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the capacity of delivery agencies for delivering the aims of the Affordable Homes Programme.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
We regularly review resourcing requirements with our delivery partners - Homes England and the Greater London Authority - on the Affordable Homes Programme.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the impact of energy costs on the purchase of shared ownership extra care schemes.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
All shared ownership applicants must complete an affordability assessment with an independent, accredited financial adviser before completing their purchase. This assessment is designed to establish the size of share that the applicant should purchase and to ensure that they have the financial resources necessary to meet their ongoing housing costs over the long term.
Energy prices have come down 23% since their peak and the Government spent around £40 billion to cover around half a household's typical bill last winter, plus extra targeted support for older and disabled people. We are still providing extra support for those who need it most.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many Homes England Investment Partners for the Affordable Homes Programme have filed for insolvency.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The department expects Homes England to respond to all enquiries in good time, in keeping with the targets they set for their performance. While we oversee Homes England's performance overall, it is for the Homes England executive team and Board to manage operational performance including the timeframes for responding to enquiries and requests.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an estimate of the average response time for enquiries to Home England.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The department expects Homes England to respond to all enquiries in good time, in keeping with the targets they set for their performance. While we oversee Homes England's performance overall, it is for the Homes England executive team and Board to manage operational performance including the timeframes for responding to enquiries and requests.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing specific funding to social housing providers to eradicate damp and mould in properties.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Social housing providers must meet the Decent Homes Standard, which includes the requirement to keep properties free from dangerous damp and mould. The Government has been clear that they should be able to meet this standard based on the rent settlement (rental income across the sector exceeded £21 billion in 2021-22), and must prioritise repairs when making funding decisions. Government is also providing capital funding to help social landlords meet the costs of carrying out building safety remediation and making their homes more energy efficient, to support the delivery of new affordable housing as well as a £30 million fund for Greater Manchester and the West Midlands to support improvements in the quality of social housing in their area with a focus on damp and mould.
We are reviewing the Decent Homes Standard. We also introduced Awaab's Law into the Social Housing (Regulation) Act, committing to set strict time limits for social landlords to investigate and repair significant hazards in their homes, including damp and mould.
We will consult on the details of Awaab's Law shortly. The Government also published consolidated damp and mould guidance in September, setting out clearly for landlords and other housing professionals the health risks associated with damp and mould.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps his Department has taken to develop policy relating to Investment Zones.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Since publication of the policy prospectus in March, officials have been working in partnership with the eight places in England named at Spring Budget to co-develop their Investment Zone proposals. Further guidance on the co-development process, outcomes framework and wider criteria proposals need to meet was published in the Technical Document in July.
Further to the answer to Question UIN 189556 on 22 June 2023, the Government is working with the devolved administrations to deliver Investment Zones. In Scotland, Glasgow City Region and North East of Scotland were announced as Investment Zones in June. Discussions on how Investment Zones could be delivered in Wales are on-going.