Kelly Tolhurst Portrait

Kelly Tolhurst

Conservative - Rochester and Strood

First elected: 7th May 2015


Finance (No. 2) Bill
10th May 2023 - 18th May 2023
Ballot Secrecy Bill [HL]
1st Mar 2023 - 7th Mar 2023
Minister of State (Education)
7th Sep 2022 - 27th Oct 2022
Committee of Selection
14th Jul 2022 - 11th Oct 2022
Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
1st Jul 2022 - 7th Sep 2022
Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill [HL]
9th Feb 2022 - 10th Feb 2022
Dormant Assets Bill [HL]
15th Dec 2021 - 11th Jan 2022
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
8th Sep 2020 - 16th Jan 2021
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
13th Feb 2020 - 8th Sep 2020
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy)
19th Jul 2018 - 13th Feb 2020
Assistant Whip (HM Treasury)
9th Jan 2018 - 19th Jul 2018
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee
17th Oct 2016 - 13th Mar 2017
Business and Trade Committee
17th Oct 2016 - 13th Mar 2017
European Scrutiny Committee
15th Jul 2015 - 7th Nov 2016
Business, Innovation and Skills Committee
8th Jul 2015 - 17th Oct 2016


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Kelly Tolhurst has voted in 872 divisions, and 4 times against the majority of their Party.

27 Apr 2021 - Fire Safety Bill - View Vote Context
Kelly Tolhurst voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 31 Conservative No votes vs 320 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 320 Noes - 256
20 Oct 2021 - Environment Bill - View Vote Context
Kelly Tolhurst voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 22 Conservative No votes vs 265 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 268 Noes - 204
25 Oct 2023 - Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill - View Vote Context
Kelly Tolhurst voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 7 Conservative Aye votes vs 264 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 207 Noes - 269
4 Dec 2023 - Victims and Prisoners Bill - View Vote Context
Kelly Tolhurst voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 22 Conservative Aye votes vs 238 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 246 Noes - 242
View All Kelly Tolhurst Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Michael Gove (Conservative)
Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
(8 debate interactions)
Lindsay Hoyle (Speaker)
(7 debate interactions)
Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op))
Shadow Minister (Levelling Up, Housing, Communities and Local Government)
(6 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department for Transport
(145 debate contributions)
Department for Education
(23 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
Legislation Debates
Non-Domestic Rating (Lists) Act 2021
(1,189 words contributed)
Building Safety Act 2022
(598 words contributed)
View All Legislation Debates
View all Kelly Tolhurst's debates

Rochester and Strood Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

Revoke local government powers to charge CAZ, LEZ, and ULEZ.

The Mayor's proposed extension of ULEZ over a short timeframe could negatively impact millions of people and businesses across SE England.


Latest EDMs signed by Kelly Tolhurst

21st February 2024
Kelly Tolhurst signed this EDM on Thursday 22nd February 2024

No confidence in the Speaker

Tabled by: William Wragg (Conservative - Hazel Grove)
That this House has no confidence in Mr Speaker.
91 signatures
(Most recent: 4 Mar 2024)
Signatures by party:
Conservative: 45
Scottish National Party: 41
Plaid Cymru: 3
Independent: 2
18th July 2016
Kelly Tolhurst signed this EDM as a sponsor on Monday 18th July 2016

BASTILLE DAY ATTACK IN NICE

Tabled by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
That this House condemns the murder of 84 innocent people and the causing of injuries to many people in Nice on Bastille Day 2016; conveys its sincere sympathies to France at this time of grief; and further states that the UK as a nation stands shoulder to shoulder with France …
19 signatures
(Most recent: 25 Oct 2016)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 6
Democratic Unionist Party: 5
Conservative: 4
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 2
Scottish National Party: 2
Non-affiliated: 1
Plaid Cymru: 1
View All Kelly Tolhurst's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Kelly Tolhurst, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Kelly Tolhurst has not been granted any Urgent Questions

1 Adjournment Debate led by Kelly Tolhurst

Thursday 16th September 2021

1 Bill introduced by Kelly Tolhurst


A Bill to place a duty on lenders and creditors to provide periods of financial respite for families with children and young people in debt in certain circumstances; to place a duty on public authorities to provide access to related advice, guidance and support in those circumstances; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Wednesday 29th June 2016
(Read Debate)

Latest 39 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
25th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the adequacy of competition in the ports sector and (b) the ability of customers to switch between different ports.

Under competition law, responsibility for investigating individual and market-wide competition issues falls to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s competition authority. If an individual is concerned about the conduct of individual ports, or the state of competition in the market as a whole, these concerns can be submitted to the CMA. The Government has ensured that the CMA has significant powers to investigate and act if it finds that a company has abused its dominant position within a market. As an independent authority, the CMA has discretion to investigate competition cases which, according to its prioritisation principles, it considers most appropriate. The CMA also has powers to conduct detailed examinations of why particular markets may not be working well, and decide what remedial action is appropriate.

25th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps can be taken in the event that a port operator is suspected of breaking competition law through abuse of a dominant position.

Under competition law, responsibility for investigating individual and market-wide competition issues falls to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s competition authority. If an individual is concerned about the conduct of individual ports, or the state of competition in the market as a whole, these concerns can be submitted to the CMA. The Government has ensured that the CMA has significant powers to investigate and act if it finds that a company has abused its dominant position within a market. As an independent authority, the CMA has discretion to investigate competition cases which, according to its prioritisation principles, it considers most appropriate. The CMA also has powers to conduct detailed examinations of why particular markets may not be working well, and decide what remedial action is appropriate.

25th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the competitiveness of the ports sector.

Under competition law, responsibility for investigating individual and market-wide competition issues falls to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s competition authority. If an individual is concerned about the conduct of individual ports, or the state of competition in the market as a whole, these concerns can be submitted to the CMA. The Government has ensured that the CMA has significant powers to investigate and act against anticompetitive conduct. As an independent authority, the CMA has discretion to investigate competition cases which, according to its prioritisation principles, it considers most appropriate. The CMA also has powers to conduct detailed examinations of why particular markets may not be working well, and decide what remedial action is appropriate.

25th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the lack of separation between port authorities and port service providers in some areas on anti-competitive behaviour in the ports sector.

Under competition law, responsibility for investigating individual and market-wide competition issues falls to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s competition authority. If an individual is concerned about the conduct of individual ports, or the state of competition in the market as a whole, these concerns can be submitted to the CMA. The Government has ensured that the CMA has significant powers to investigate and act against anticompetitive conduct. As an independent authority, the CMA has discretion to investigate competition cases which, according to its prioritisation principles, it considers most appropriate. The CMA also has powers to conduct detailed examinations of why particular markets may not be working well, and decide what remedial action is appropriate.

25th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of limited potential for entry into the ports sector on anti-competitive behaviour in that sector.

Under competition law, responsibility for investigating individual and market-wide competition issues falls to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s competition authority. If an individual is concerned about the conduct of individual ports, or the state of competition in the market as a whole, these concerns can be submitted to the CMA. The Government has ensured that the CMA has significant powers to investigate and act against anticompetitive conduct. As an independent authority, the CMA has discretion to investigate competition cases which, according to its prioritisation principles, it considers most appropriate. The CMA also has powers to conduct detailed examinations of why particular markets may not be working well, and decide what remedial action is appropriate.

8th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure adequate flood defences in England.

By the end of March 2021, the Environment Agency will have invested £2.6 billion to better protect 300,000 homes from flooding and coastal erosion risk between 2015/16 and 2020/21. Since April 2015, the Environment Agency and other Risk Management Authorities will have completed almost 750 new flood and coastal defence projects across the country.

From April 2021, a new 6 year investment programme will start, which will invest the £5.2 billion announced in the March 2020 Budget. This will ensure a further 336,000 homes and non-residential properties are better protected from flooding and coastal erosion.

In addition, a further up to £170 million will be spent to accelerate work on 22 shovel-ready flood defence schemes that will begin construction before the end of 2021/2022. This additional funding will provide an immediate boost to jobs supporting local economies as communities recover from the impact of coronavirus.

An additional £200 million will also be invested in the Innovative Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme. This will help over 25 local areas over six years to take forward wider innovative actions that improve their resilience to flooding and coastal erosion.

Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
8th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to ensure that Sites of Specific Scientific Interest remain protected from housing development.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest are afforded statutory protection through the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Additionally, the National Planning Policy Framework clarifies that development on land within or outside a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and which is likely to have an adverse effect on it (either individually or in combination with other developments), should not normally be permitted. The only exception is where the benefits of the development in the location proposed clearly outweigh both its likely impact on the features of the site that make it of special scientific interest, and any broader impacts on the national network of Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
25th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to regulate port charges.

The Government has no current plans to make changes to the regulation of charges imposed on port operators. Following the UK’s departure from the European Union, a review of whether the Port Services Regulations 2019 are required will be initiated as part of broader EU regulatory reviews.

Robert Courts
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
25th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has plans to increase the competitiveness of ports to support operators that are facing high charges.

The UK has a very competitive, privately operated ports sector. The Government is committed to supporting this competitiveness and has an ongoing dialogue with port operators to ensure their interests are fully taken into account.

Robert Courts
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
25th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to regulate the charges imposed on port operators in the UK.

The Government has no current plans to make changes to the regulation of charges imposed on port operators and will continue to utilise the mechanisms that exist in the Harbours Act 1964 for managing objections over Harbour Dues. Following the UK’s departure from the European Union, a review of whether the Port Services Regulations 2019 are required will be initiated as part of broader EU regulatory reviews.

Robert Courts
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
25th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to reduce port charges in the UK.

The Government has no current plans to make changes to the charges levied by port operators.

Robert Courts
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
25th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Harbours Act 1964 in light of the changing demands on UK ports.

The Government has no current plans to amend the Harbours Act 1964, but will keep the port regulatory regime under review to ensure it remains fit for purpose.

Robert Courts
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
21st Jun 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to help ensure that banks are passing on the interest rate increase to their customers.

The pricing of financial products is a commercial decision for firms and the Government does not seek to intervene in such decisions.

The independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England makes monetary policy decisions independently of the Government. Therefore, the Government does not comment on the conduct or effectiveness of monetary policy. The MPC sets the base rate of interest, which is known as Bank Rate. This is the rate of interest the Bank of England will pay on reserves held with them by commercial banks. MPC decisions over Bank Rate guide commercial banks’ decisions over retail interest rates, i.e. interest rates they charge on loans and pay on deposits. However, retail banks also make commercial judgements that influence the degree of pass‐through from changes in Bank Rate into retail interest rates, with conditions in financial markets and in the banking sector also influencing interest rates paid on deposits or charged for lending.

John Glen
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
24th Feb 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the (a) effectiveness of HMRC's policy on long-life assets and (b) effect of that matter on tug owners.

Capital allowances, including writing down allowances, provide tax relief for businesses' capital expenditure on qualifying plant or machinery.

In 1997 a 6 per cent special rate writing down allowance was introduced for assets with a long life, which is more than 25 years, to align their tax position more closely with the commercial accounts of a business. This compared to a 25 per cent main rate, which is now 18 per cent, for plant and machinery.

HMRC does not classify which assets should be written down at the main or special rate of writing down allowances. Instead, businesses should identify whether an asset they have acquired has a useful economic life of more or less than 25 years when new.

Ships were initially exempted from this change, with owners given 13 years to adjust to the long-life asset rules. Ships are now treated consistently with all other business assets.

The Government keeps all tax reliefs under review.

Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
24th Feb 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing HMRC policy on capital allowances on workboats.

Capital allowances, including writing down allowances, provide tax relief for businesses' capital expenditure on qualifying plant or machinery.

In 1997 a 6 per cent special rate writing down allowance was introduced for assets with a long life, which is more than 25 years, to align their tax position more closely with the commercial accounts of a business. This compared to a 25 per cent main rate, which is now 18 per cent, for plant and machinery.

HMRC does not classify which assets should be written down at the main or special rate of writing down allowances. Instead, businesses should identify whether an asset they have acquired has a useful economic life of more or less than 25 years when new.

Ships were initially exempted from this change, with owners given 13 years to adjust to the long-life asset rules. Ships are now treated consistently with all other business assets.

The Government keeps all tax reliefs under review.

Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
15th Oct 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions officials in his Department have held with HMRC on the classification of long- and short-term vessels under the Capital Allowance scheme for commercial maritime vessels.

The Treasury maintains regular contact with HMRC about all aspects of capital allowances policy.

HMRC does not classify which assets should be written down at the main or special rate of writing down allowances. Instead, businesses should identify whether an asset they have acquired has a useful economic life (UEL) of more or less than 25 years when new.

Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
15th Oct 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions officials in his Department have held with relevant stakeholders on HMRC's enforcement of classification of long- and short-term assets for commercial maritime vessels.

The Treasury maintains regular contact with HMRC about all aspects of capital allowances policy.

HMRC does not classify which assets should be written down at the main or special rate of writing down allowances. Instead, businesses should identify whether an asset they have acquired has a useful economic life (UEL) of more or less than 25 years when new.

Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
15th Oct 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to support the hospitality industry and independent distilleries through the upcoming Budget and the Alcohol Duty Review; and when he plans to announce the next stage of that Review.

The 2020 Budget committed the Government to undertaking a wide-ranging review of alcohol. Last Autumn the Government launched a Call for Evidence for this review. We are now in the process of analysing responses.

The Government has acted through its unprecedented coronavirus response to support the hospitality sector, including through furlough, grants and business rates relief. As announced at Budget 2021, the Government extended the temporary reduced rate of VAT (5 per cent) for the tourism and hospitality sector. Although that relief ended on 30 September 2021, on 1 October 2021, a new reduced rate of 12.5 per cent was introduced for these goods and services to help businesses manage the transition back to the standard rate. The new rate will end on 31 March 2022.

Helen Whately
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
21st Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department will take to increase the rate of processing for asylum seekers.

The Asylum Transformation programme aims to bring the system back into balance and modernise it. It is focused on increasing productivity by streamlining, simplifying and digitising processes to speed up decision making to increase efficiency and output. This will support us in delivering sustainable changes to decision maker productivity, helping us control the unprecedented volumes of intake to prevent long wait times for customers.

The PACE pilot covers new flow cases (including small boats and those claims which are admitted to the UK asylum process) along with Legacy cases and children casework. The 8-week pilot reduced the time asylum seekers waited for a first interview by 40%. It is being rolled out across the UK at pace to deal with the 100,000 people awaiting a decision on their claim.

We have increased the number of asylum caseworkers by 80%, from 597 staff in 2019/20 to more than 1,000 today. We are on course for a further 500 people by March 2023.

21st Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made in reducing the backlog of asylum seeker cases.

The Asylum Transformation programme aims to bring the system back into balance and modernise it. It is focused on increasing productivity by streamlining, simplifying and digitising processes to speed up decision making to increase efficiency and output. This will support us in delivering sustainable changes to decision maker productivity, helping us control the unprecedented volumes of intake to prevent long wait times for customers.

The PACE pilot covers new flow cases (including small boats and those claims which are admitted to the UK asylum process) along with Legacy cases and children casework. The 8-week pilot reduced the time asylum seekers waited for a first interview by 40%. It is being rolled out across the UK at pace to deal with the 100,000 people awaiting a decision on their claim.

We have increased the number of asylum caseworkers by 80%, from 597 staff in 2019/20 to more than 1,000 today. We are on course for a further 500 people by March 2023.

21st Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment criteria her Department use to find asylum seeker centres.

The Home Office selection criteria includes deliverability, size, location, cost, situation and use.

21st Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of asylum seekers in Medway.

The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets#asylum-support. Data is published on a quarterly basis, with the latest information published 25 August 2022.

The next quarterly figures are due to be released later this month.

24th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of the Points Based Immigration System on the (a) workboat sector and (b) agricultural sector.

The Home Office carefully considered the possible impacts of the new immigration system, making best use of existing evidence and data – this included a review undertaken by the Migration Advisory Committee in the design of the Points Based System.

Prior to the launch of the Skilled Worker route we published a detailed Impact Assessment which set out a range of impacts. The Government continues to monitor the immigration system and the wider UK economy impacts on migration flows and the labour market, and whether this is in line with our detailed planning assumptions. As part of this, the Government regularly engages the MAC for their expert and independent view.

The Points Based System, including the Skilled Worker route, provides for many occupations in the maritime and agricultural sector (which has its own sector specific scheme for horticultural roles), if the requirements of the system are met.

10th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the National House Building Council’s role in overseeing building regulations.

Under the current system, Approved Inspectors such as NHBC are independently monitored and regulated by CICAIR Ltd to carry out building control work in England (and Wales). CICAIR Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Construction Industry Council (CIC) and the approval process it operates provides a route to registration as an Approved Inspector.

The Building Safety Regulator will be responsible for oversight of the competence and performance of building control professionals and the building control bodies in which they work, taking a wider view of the professionalism and culture that needs to support building safety in all classes of work, not just in-scope buildings. To do this, we are introducing a system of oversight of the performance of building control bodies (Local Authorities and Registered Building Control Approvers), and a system of individual registration based on competence and adherence to a code of conduct, all overseen by the Building Safety Regulator.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
10th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the responsibilities of the National House Building Council for UK building safety.

I refer my Hon Friend to my answer to Question UIN 122751 on 21 February 2022.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
10th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans the Government has to improve the quality of building safety checks nationally.

The Building Safety Bill currently in the House of Lords marks the next step in the Government’s ongoing reforms to make sure everyone’s home is a place of safety. The Bill is part of a package of legislative changes to move things forward and make sure the problems Dame Judith Hackitt identified with the current building and fire safety regime are rectified. The package includes the measures in the Fire Safety Act 2021 and changes to the Fire Safety Order alongside the current Building Safety Bill.

The new regime established through the Building Safety Bill will:

  • Establish a national Building Safety Regulator at the heart of our reformed building regulations and fire safety system. The Regulator will make buildings safer by enforcing a stringent new regulatory regime for high-rise residential and other in scope buildings, overseeing the safety and performance of all buildings, and increasing the competence of those working across the built environment.
  • require those responsible for buildings when they are occupied to actively manage building risks, evidencing this through a new ‘safety case’ regime. This will make sure that proportionate steps are taken to deal with building risks in high-rise buildings through prevention, control, mitigation and ongoing management.
  • It will also give a greater voice to residents of tall buildings to air their concerns and toughen sanctions against those who threaten their safety.

The Department has also taken steps to ensure that industry takes a proportionate approach in the assessment of the external walls of buildings. The government has supported the development of guidance which aims to provide risk proportionate guidance to competent assessors. This guidance (PAS 9980) provides new advice on how to assess the risk of fire via an external wall of an existing multi-storey, multi-occupied residential building. It sets out steps that can be taken to identify and assess risk factors as well as mitigation measures that might improve the risk rating of a building via a holistic and fact-based assessment of a building’s construction.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
15th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate his Department has made of the number of leaseholders in buildings under 18 metres high having to pay for remediation works, despite the Government issuing a recommendation that EWS1 forms should not be required for those buildings.

The Department does not hold this information. An independent expert statement in July this year was clear that there is no systemic risk of fire in residential buildings under 18 metres and that EWS1s should not be required by lenders on buildings under 18 metres. The Government strongly supports this position and made this clear in its written statement of 21 July. Existing EWS1 assessments of buildings under 18 metres should be reviewed to ensure that proportionate risk management and mitigation has been considered before committing to remediation, and the Building Owner should share that information with the leaseholders.

15th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the prevalence of banks refusing mortgages on properties affected by cladding related issues until remedial works are completed.

The Government is aware of anecdotal reports of lenders requesting remediation to be completed prior to lending. The Department does not support this approach and is of the firm view that a clear financing plan for remediation, including Government grant funding, removes the financial risk to lenders and should enable mortgage lending to progress.

15th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department made of the potential merits of extending the Building Safety Fund to buildings 11 to 18 metres in height.

The Government has rightly targeted the Building Safety Fund at the removal of unsafe cladding on higher rise buildings (over 18 metres), where the risk is greater and the cost of cladding remediation is higher. This is in line with longstanding independent expert advice. We know that as buildings get taller there is greater risk. That is why we are making sure that these buildings are remediated and have provided grants to get this done quickly.

Between 11 metres and 18 metres the risk profile of buildings is different and will not always require the same level of remediation when risks are identified. However, we want to make sure that residents and leaseholders in these buildings also have peace of mind and financial certainty. Our financing scheme for these buildings will give them confidence that remediation of dangerous cladding can take place, and leaseholders will not be asked to pay more than £50 a month towards it.

15th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support leaseholders in buildings with dangerous cladding in Rochester and Strood Constituency.

The Government is providing further grant funding of £3.5 billion in addition to the £1.6 billion already provided to fund the removal of unsafe cladding systems from residential buildings of 18 metres and over in England. We are also providing expert construction consultation support to actively engage with those planning and undertaking remediation work being funded by the Government to increase the pace of remediation. In addition to this, the Government is providing a £30 million Waking Watch Relief Fund to pay for the costs of installing an alarm system in high rise buildings with unsafe cladding. Common alarm systems will enable costly waking watch measures to be replaced in buildings waiting to have unsafe cladding removed.

The Government has recently announced a generous financing scheme which will mean that buildings of 11-18 metres in height will be able to make use of finance for the remediation of unsafe cladding, with a commitment that leaseholders will not need to pay more than £50 a month towards this. By providing this financing scheme we are ensuring that money is available for remediation, accelerating the process and making homes safer as quickly as possible. We are developing the underpinning details to ensure it protects leaseholders, prioritising affordability and accelerating remediation where required and we will release further information on this financing scheme as soon as we can.

However, Government funding and other support does not absolve industry from responsibility and taking action. We expect developers, investors and building owners to cover remediation costs themselves, meeting their legal and contractual obligations, recovering costs or drawing on warranties where applicable, without passing on costs to leaseholders. This is happening in over half of all private sector high-rise residential buildings with unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding systems.

15th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that loans taken out by leaseholders living in blocks affected by cladding-related issues are capped at £50 per month for repayments.

The Government is providing grants for the removal of unsafe cladding systems from residential buildings over 18 metres. In lower rise buildings of 11-18 metres, with a lower risk to safety, leaseholders will gain new protection from the costs of cladding removal through a financing scheme that will limit repayments so that leaseholders will never pay more than £50 a month. We are developing the details to ensure it protects leaseholders, prioritising affordability and accelerating remediation where required. Further details of the financing scheme will be available as soon as possible.

15th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to publish the guidance for loans taken out by leaseholders living in blocks affected by cladding-related issues.

We realise the need to get unsafe cladding remediated as swiftly as possible as public safety is our first priority. We will make further details of the financing scheme available as soon as possible.

8th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support the construction of new homes and related infrastructure.

The Government continues to work closely with the construction sector to ensure that it is in a position to support the economic recovery. This support includes the work of the Construction Leadership Council’s Coronavirus Task Force, which monitors the supply of products and is working to address disruption to supply chains.

Last year, the Government worked with the industry to produce a clear and simple Charter for Safe Working Practice, and updated Site Operating Procedures have been published by the Construction Leadership Council.

MHCLG’s Secretary of State, alongside the Executive Chairman of the Home Builders Federation and the Chief Executive of the Federation of Masters Builders, previously wrote to the housing industry to make it clear that housebuilding, and the supply chains that support it, can continue, and that remains the case under every level of restriction


We have introduced a range of measures, such as allowing builders to seek more flexible construction site working hours with their local councils and extended certain planning permissions that would otherwise have lapsed, in order to keep the sector moving.

For infrastructure, the 2020 Spending Review confirmed an initial funding of £7.1 billion for the National Home Building Fund (NHBF) over the next four years to unlock up to 860,000 homes. The Government has also allocated £900 million through the Getting Building Fund, which will unlock up to 41,500 homes, and £1.1 billion in Local Growth Funding, which will support the unlocking of up to 89,000 homes.

Further funding for the NHBF will be confirmed at the next multi-year Spending Review, delivering on the Government’s commitment to provide £10 billion to unlock homes through provision of infrastructure.

8th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria local authorities are assessed against before his Department decides to intervene in the Local Plan process.

The local plan intervention criteria were confirmed in the 2017 Housing White Paper, and subsequently through a Written Statement in the House of Commons on 16 November 2017:

• the least progress in plan-making had been made;
• policies in plans had not been kept up to date;
• there was higher housing pressure; and
• intervention would have the greatest effect in accelerating local plan production


We also made clear that decisions on intervention would also be informed by the wider planning context in each area (specifically, the extent to which authorities are working cooperatively to put strategic plans in place, and the potential effect that not having a plan has on neighbourhood planning activity)


In August 2020, we consulted on a set of revised intervention criteria through the Planning White Paper:

• the level of housing requirement in the area;
• the planning context of the area, including any co-operation to get plans in place across local planning authority boundaries;
• any exceptional circumstances presented by the local planning authority


Consideration is currently being given to consultation responses received, and any changes to the criteria will be considered alongside the wider proposals for planning reform as set out in the White Paper.

8th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support local authorities to complete their Local Plans.

On 19 January 2021, a Written Statement was made in the House of Commons which set out the importance of maintaining progress to get up to date local plans in place by December 2023. The Written Statement also made it clear that I would consider contacting those authorities where delays to plan-making have occurred to discuss the reasons why this has happened and actions to be undertaken. I have subsequently contacted a number of authorities where delays have occurred, and meetings are currently taking place with them in order to identify what support the Department can offer to help ensure that those areas can benefit from an up to date plan as soon as possible.

8th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to review the progress of projects supported by the Housing Infrastructure Fund.

Comprehensive governance and assurance systems are in place both in my Department and at Homes England to manage delivery. Further expert support is provided by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.

8th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to ensure projects supported under the Housing Infrastructure Fund are completed on time and to budget.

Comprehensive governance and assurance systems are in place both in my Department and at Homes England to manage delivery. Further expert support is provided by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.