Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to update planning guidance on using money from Section 106 agreements to fund flood prevention projects.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Government is investing in flood protection at record levels, with an unprecedented 6-year commitment of £2.3 billion in more than 1,500 projects to better protect an additional 300,000 homes by 2021.
National planning policy is designed to protect people and property from flooding. Local planning authorities are expected to avoid inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding by directing development away from areas at highest risk. In addition government guidance is clear that policies for seeking section 106 planning obligations should be set out in Local Plans or neighbourhood plans to enable fair and open testing of the policies at examination.
Mitigation measures to make development acceptable in flood risk areas can be made a requirement of any planning consent. All local planning authorities are expected to follow the strict tests set out in national planning policy and guidance. Where these tests are not met, national policy is very clear that new development should not be allowed.
The Government's preferred approach for enabling developer contributions to infrastructure is the Community Infrastructure Levy, which is faster and more transparent than individually negotiated section 106 agreements. The Levy can fund infrastructure requirements where they are most needed across an area. Legislation and Government guidance specifies that flood defences form part of the infrastructure that can be funded in this way. More than 100 authorities currently charge the Levy and well over 100 more have made substantive progress towards doing so.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he intends to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Preston dated 7 October 2015 on rents for supported housing schemes run by housing associations and local authorities.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
This was answered and sent out on 14 January.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to improve the time to respond to correspondence from hon. Members and Peers since the tabling of the statement on 3 June 2015, Handling Members' Correspondence in 2014, HCWS11.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 15 December 2015, PQ 19650.
The reporting of performance of Government Departments in handling correspondence from hon. Members is co-ordinated by the Cabinet Office and published annually.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many letters his Department received from hon. Members and Peers in each month in 2015; and how many such letters received a substantive response within 10 working days.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 15 December 2015, PQ 19650.
The reporting of performance of Government Departments in handling correspondence from hon. Members is co-ordinated by the Cabinet Office and published annually.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many £500 grants were provided to help households affected by flooding in each district and unitary authority in Lancashire between 5 December 2015 and 7 January 2016; and how much funding has been received by each of those councils to provide such grants up to 7 January 2016.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
To help local authorities in Lancashire and their community’s recovery from the impacts of Storms Desmond and Eva, between the 5 December 2015 and 8 January 2016, my Department has provided eligible local authorities in Lancashire with a total of £5,620,652. Further payments will be made in due course where appropriate.
This funding includes in advance payments in the form of Communities and Business Recovery Scheme, business rate relief and council tax discount payments. Disbursement of this funding will be a matter for local authorities to determine.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his Department's target is for time taken to respond to letters and emails from hon. Members; what the average time taken by his Department to respond to such letters and emails is; and how many such letters and emails received between 1 January and 30 September 2015 remained unanswered after eight weeks.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
My Department aims to reply to all correspondence from hon. Members within 15 working days.
Guidance for Departments on handling correspondence from Members of Parliament, Members of the House of Lords, Members of the European Parliament and Members of Devolved Administrations is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/441892/Cabinet_Office_Guidance_on_correspondence.pdf”
Departmental performance on handling correspondence is published annually. The latest publication is available at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2015-06-03/HCWS11/”
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which Ministers of his Department attended events to celebrate Chanukah in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.
Answered by Marcus Jones
My hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, (Baroness Williams of Trafford) attended Chanukah reception at No. 10 in 2015. The former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities andLocal Government, the former hon. Member for Bristol West (Stephen Williams) attended the Deputy Prime Minister’s Chanukah reception on 18 December 2014 at Admiralty House.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which Diwali celebrations he, his predecessor or Ministers in his Department attended in 2014 and 2015.
Answered by Marcus Jones
DCLG Ministers attended the following Diwali functions:
2014:
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for British Hindus at the House of Commons (15 October 2014) - Rt. Hon. Eric Pickles MP
Deputy Prime Minister’s Diwali function at Admiralty House (22 October 2014) - Stephen Williams MP
Conservative Party event to celebrate Diwali at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre (27 October 2014) - Rt. Hon. Eric Pickles MP
2015:
Prime Minister's Diwali reception at No10 Downing Street (10 November 2015) - Rt. Hon. Greg Clark MP and Baroness Williams of Trafford
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the passage into law of the Five Mile Act 1665.
Answered by Marcus Jones
My Department has no plans to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the passage into law of the Nonconformists Act 1665.
The Nonconformist Act was rightly repealed in 1689.
Freedom of speech, freedom of worship, democracy, the rule of law, and equal rights define us as a society. The Government is determined to promote these values actively, working in partnership and alongside all communities.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much was paid by (a) the Police Federation, (b) UNISON and (c) other trades unions to each council in the North West in 2014.
Answered by Marcus Jones
This information is not held centrally.