Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the (a) recommendations on land use in the National Food Strategy and (b) allocation of land within the planning system for food growing and farming.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
My officials are working closely with Defra on land use, including for food production. The national food strategy for England is expected to be published after the pre-election period for the local elections given ongoing wider circumstances.
In many parts of England, using land for food growing and agriculture will not specifically require planning permission. However, our National Planning Policy Framework is clear that where planning permission is required, the importance of food production and farming should be recognised to ensure that sustainable development is achieved.
Specifically, the Framework requires local planning authorities to take into account all the benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land. Where significant development of agricultural land is shown to be necessary, the planning authority should seek to use poorer quality land in preference to that of a higher quality. The Framework is also clear that local authorities should encourage efficient use of land and acknowledges the importance of undeveloped land for food production.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the Government (a) is taking steps and (b) plans to take steps to support proposals to regenerate Bristol’s Temple Quarter.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government is committed to level up all parts of the United Kingdom to address social justice challenges and strengthen economic prosperity. We will continue to work with partners across the West of England to explore opportunities to realise these missions.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has had with Homes England on working with local councils to help them meet their environmental objectives.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
One of Homes England’s four statutory objectives as set out in the Homes and Communities Act 2008 is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development and good design in England. This continues to be an important part of my on-going conversations with the agency
Homes England works with local authorities as a matter of course and supporting their Environmental Objectives is an important part of this. For example, the Homes England Local Government Capacity Centre is offering learning sessions including Environmental Considerations in Brownfield Housing Schemes and a further one on Biodiversity Net Gain.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has had with the President of COP26 on his Department's role in helping city regions to achieve the Government's net zero emissions target ahead of COP26.
Answered by Michael Gove - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
My Department is working closely with the COP Unit, and will continue to ensure there is seamless coordination between local and national governments at both the Summit and beyond. Global leadership must be matched by action on the ground. To that end, the BEIS Local Energy programme has established five unique Local Net Zero Hubs, each covering a region of England.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
What steps he is taking to implement the policies set out in his Department's recent response to its consultation on supporting housing delivery and public service infrastructure.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
To support our town centres, we laid legislation on 31 March for a new permitted development right to allow conversions from the Commercial, Business and Service uses to residential.
The same legislation gives additional flexibility for development at ports and allows for extensions of hospitals, schools, colleges and prisons.
Separately, we are aiming to implement a faster planning application process from 1 August for new schools, prisons and hospitals.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the national plan for delivering food assistance is; what steps he will take to support local community food initiatives; and what role local authorities will have in ensuring the supply of food assistance.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
My Department continues to work with local authorities to develop appropriate measures that ensure those most vulnerable have access to food and drink throughout the COVID-19 outbreak.
This Government is implementing a system to support those whose underlying health conditions mean they are at higher clinical risk for COVID-19, and are therefore being asked to self-isolate
The system will enable the delivery of groceries and medicine to this group, if they do not have alternative means of accessing these in place. Deliveries of food and essential household items will be delivered to the doorstep.
Local authorities will be a key delivery agency, working closely with at-risk individuals, central Government, food industry partners and the voluntary and community sector to ensure the system operates effectively.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people received a Disabled Facilities Grant in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Government does not currently produce data on the Disabled Facilities Grant. However, the Department provides local authority returns to Foundations, the Government-funded national body for home improvement agencies. Foundations analyse the data to understand Disabled Facilities Grant delivery nationally. From records provided by Foundations, the data shows the following estimates for adaptations that were delivered from 2014 to 2019:
Estimates for number of Disabled Facilities Grants delivered (2014 to 2019)
2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | Total |
40,645 | 40,800 | 46,000 | 47,850 | 53,500 | 228,795 |
Source: Foundations, the national body for home improvement agencies
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing Communities and Local Government, how many people with a diagnosis of autism received a Disabled Facilities Grant in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The number of people with a diagnosis of autism who received a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) for each of the last 5 years is not held centrally. However, anyone can apply for a DFG, including people diagnosed with autism. The Government is committed to helping people to live independently and safely in their own homes, which is why we have invested over £2.7 billion into the grant since 2012, delivering around 280,000 home adaptations by the end of 2018-19.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish a Statement of Expectations for supported housing providers; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
My Department is completing a National Statement of Expectations (NSE) for supported housing, which we have developed in close collaboration with local authorities and provider membership bodies. The guidance sets out Government's vision for the planning, commissioning and delivery of supported housing, and outlines our expectations for standards in accommodation. We are currently finalising the NSE and intend to publish it shortly.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to respond to the permitted development for shale gas exploration consultation which closed on 25 October 2018.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government will provide a comprehensive response to the Select Committee’s report, and respond to the consultations on permitted development for shale gas exploration and compulsory community pre-application consultation for shale gas development, in due course.
We are currently analysing the representations to both the consultations, and considering the Select Committee’s report and its conclusions and recommendations.