Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what guidance his Department has issued on a building’s status as a relevant building under section 117(3)(c) of the Building Safety Act 2022 in the event that a freeholder purchased a leasehold property in a building after 14 February 2022.
Answered by Lee Rowley
We are aware of the specific concerns raised by the Hon Member, and the specific case in his constituency. As the Member will know, Departmental Officials are due to meet him and his constituents to discuss the issue in more detail.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing regulations to specify the minimum number of leasehold flats that a freeholder must own in a building in order to render all other leaseholders of the building ineligible for leaseholder protections under Section 117(3)(c) of the Building Safety Act 2022.
Answered by Lee Rowley
Current leaseholder protection guidance published 21 July 2022 on gov.uk sets out that leaseholder-owned buildings includes:
(a) collectively enfranchised buildings – where some, or all, of the qualifying leaseholders have bought the building’s freehold;
(b) any building where leaseholders directly own the freehold, including through a company, where there is no separate freeholder; and,
(c) other circumstances where the freehold is owned 100% by one or more leaseholders.
The effective date in relation to the leaseholder protections under the Building Safety Act 2022 is 14 February 2022.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what guidance his Department has issued on the minimum (a) number and (b) proportion of leasehold flats that a freeholder must own in a building in order to render all other leaseholders of the building ineligible for leaseholder protections under Section 117(3)(c) of the Building Safety Act 2022.
Answered by Lee Rowley
Current leaseholder protection guidance published 21 July 2022 on gov.uk sets out that leaseholder-owned buildings includes:
(a) collectively enfranchised buildings – where some, or all, of the qualifying leaseholders have bought the building’s freehold;
(b) any building where leaseholders directly own the freehold, including through a company, where there is no separate freeholder; and,
(c) other circumstances where the freehold is owned 100% by one or more leaseholders.
The effective date in relation to the leaseholder protections under the Building Safety Act 2022 is 14 February 2022.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether an effective date applies to the definition of a relevant building in relation to the leaseholder protections under the Building Safety Act 2022.
Answered by Lee Rowley
Current leaseholder protection guidance published 21 July 2022 on gov.uk sets out that leaseholder-owned buildings includes:
(a) collectively enfranchised buildings – where some, or all, of the qualifying leaseholders have bought the building’s freehold;
(b) any building where leaseholders directly own the freehold, including through a company, where there is no separate freeholder; and,
(c) other circumstances where the freehold is owned 100% by one or more leaseholders.
The effective date in relation to the leaseholder protections under the Building Safety Act 2022 is 14 February 2022.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many and what proportion of leaseholders are not eligible for financial support under Section 117(3)(c) of the Building Safety Act 2022 because other leaseholders own part of the freehold.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The Government does not collect data on the number of collective enfranchisements, including on the number of leaseholders who own and do not own parts of a freehold of a building.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many and what proportion of Afghan refugees who were relocated by his Department from bridging hotels have (a) been placed into temporary accommodation and (b) presented to a local authority as homeless in the last three months.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
I refer the Hon Member to my answer to Question UIN 203404 on 24 October 2023.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the oral statement made by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs on 19 September 2023, how many Afghans and their families remain in Government-approved temporary accommodation as of 18 October 2023; and when he plans to have moved all Afghans and their families out of that accommodation.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
The majority of Afghan families have been moved out of bridging accommodation into longer-term accommodation. Time spent in temporary accommodation means people are getting help and it ensures no family is without a roof over their head.
Since 1 July 2023, the Department has been monitoring homelessness duties owed by English local authorities following the closure of Home Office provided bridging accommodation and this data is available on gov.uk at the following link.
There is a generous package of support available including £35 million of funding for councils to support Afghan households to move into settled accommodation, and the £750 million Local Authority Housing Fund for English councils to obtain housing for those on the Afghan and Ukrainian schemes who are at risk of homelessness. The fund is expected to provide over 4,000 homes by 2024.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his oral contribution of 19 September 2023, Official Report, column 1253, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of moving Afghan people out of bridging hotels on the number of those people facing homelessness.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
The majority of Afghan families have been moved out of bridging accommodation into longer-term accommodation. Time spent in temporary accommodation means people are getting help and it ensures no family is without a roof over their head.
Since 1 July 2023, the Department has been monitoring homelessness duties owed by English local authorities following the closure of Home Office provided bridging accommodation and this data is available on gov.uk at the following link.
There is a generous package of support available including £35 million of funding for councils to support Afghan households to move into settled accommodation, and the £750 million Local Authority Housing Fund for English councils to obtain housing for those on the Afghan and Ukrainian schemes who are at risk of homelessness. The fund is expected to provide over 4,000 homes by 2024.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether service family accommodation is covered by the definition of social housing in the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill,
Answered by Dehenna Davison
Under the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008, passed by the last Labour Government, Service Family Accommodation is run by the Ministry of Defence and is not defined as social housing.
It is not regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing, and will not be impacted by the changes being made by this Bill.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether personnel living in Service Family Accommodation will have the same rights and benefits under Social Housing (Regulation) Bill as social housing tenants.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
Under the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008, passed by the last Labour Government, Service Family Accommodation is run by the Ministry of Defence and is not defined as social housing.
It is not regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing, and will not be impacted by the changes being made by this Bill.