Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 18 May 2021
Affordable and Safe Housing for All
"Unlike the bizarre and perverse world view expressed by the SNP in the previous speech, I very much welcome as a tonic the enthusiasm, innovation and creativity that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has brought to his brief and exhibited today.
Of course, the success of housing …..."Liam Fox - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 28 Apr 2021
Fire Safety Bill
"Again, we all want the same thing. We want the protection of leaseholders from bills that they cannot afford and should not have been given; we want the protection of taxpayers from a burden that they should not have to carry; and we want the application of the “polluter pays” …..."Liam Fox - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 28 Apr 2021
Fire Safety Bill
"On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Further to a point raised at Scottish questions today, the Auditor General in Scotland has suggested that, of £9.7 billion allocated by UK taxpayers through the UK Treasury, only £7 billion had been spent on covid-related measures by the Scottish Government by …..."Liam Fox - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 27 Apr 2021
Fire Safety Bill
"I rise to speak to the amendments in my name. I am grateful for the support from all parties for them. I thank my hon. Friends the Members for Stevenage (Stephen McPartland) and for Southampton, Itchen (Royston Smith) for the work they have done on this issue.
We have to …..."Liam Fox - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 22 Mar 2021
Fire Safety Bill
"I understand why the Government will not accept the amendment, and I do not want to go there again, but what we need is urgency. Time is not just money; it is also worry, anxiety and uncertainty, and I echo the points made in one of the many excellent letters …..."Liam Fox - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 22 Mar 2021
Fire Safety Bill
"I will not, because time is short and so many Members want to get in; I apologise to my hon. Friend.
Last time, I asked what direct contact Ministers had had with the Association of British Insurers, the building societies and the banks, because without their help, we are unable …..."Liam Fox - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 01 Feb 2021
Unsafe Cladding: Protecting Tenants and Leaseholders
"I welcome the Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Member for Walsall North (Eddie Hughes), to the Dispatch Box. I always think that there is nothing like a baptism of fire for a new Minister.
Portishead in my constituency of North Somerset is …..."Liam Fox - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 28 Jan 2021
Holocaust Memorial Day 2021
"For many of us, as we contemplate the inhumanity, brutality and sheer scale of the holocaust, one uncomfortable question sits in our minds: how could ordinary people like ourselves collude with, acquiesce in, or support a regime that behaved in such a barbaric way and, perhaps even more uncomfortably, do …..."Liam Fox - View Speech
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Written Question
Friday 11th December 2020
Asked by:
Liam Fox (Conservative - North Somerset)
Question
to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that local communities' knowledge of green belt and flood plains is taken into account when planning applications are under consideration.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Local authorities are required to undertake a formal period of public consultation of not less than 21 days, prior to deciding a planning application. Effective consultation allows the local authority to identify and consider all relevant planning issues associated with the development proposed. Consultees, particularly those living near the site in question, may offer views or detailed information relevant to the consideration of the application. Where material considerations are raised by local residents, these must be taken into account by the local authority. The weight attached to a particular consideration is a matter of judgement for the local authority as the decision-maker in the first instance.
The Government’s general expectations of the planning system with regard to the Green Belt and to flood risk are made clear in our National Planning Policy Framework. The Framework states, for instance, that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be directed away from areas at highest risk. If new homes are necessary in a flood risk area, and no suitable sites at lower risk are available, the local authority should ensure that the development will be safe, appropriately flood resistant and resilient, and will not increase flood risk elsewhere. Where those tests are not met, development should not be allowed.
Written Question
Thursday 10th December 2020
Asked by:
Liam Fox (Conservative - North Somerset)
Question
to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take through the Planning White Paper to (a) restrict land banking and (b) prevent developers from procuring more land until sites on which they already have planning permission have been built out.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government is clear that where planning permission is granted for new development, developers must deliver those new permissions as quickly as possible. Our Planning for the Future White Paper has put forward proposals to support build out through planning, including revising national policy to encourage masterplans and design codes for substantial development sites to see a variety of development types by different builders come forward at once. We will be exploring further options to support faster build out as part of the wider package of reforms and look forward to reviewing the consultation responses in full.