Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps the Government is taking to address local housing projections which are based on out-of-date numbers.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Existing Government policy is to help make home ownership affordable for more people and to help more people rent their own home. To do that, we will need to deliver more homes. The standard method for assessing local housing need is used by councils to inform the preparation of their local plans and, as part of the local plan process, Councils are responsible for determining the best approach to development in their areas, including taking into consideration important matters such as Green Belt.
The previous Government undertook a review of the standard method formula in 2020 and, after carefully considering consultation responses, they retained the existing formula providing stability and certainty for planning and for local communities. As with all policies, we are monitoring the standard method, particularly as the impact of changes to the way we live and work and levelling up become clear.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the Government's policy is on the calculation of new housing targets in local authorities which are predominately made up of Green Belt land.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Existing Government policy is to help make home ownership affordable for more people and to help more people rent their own home. To do that, we will need to deliver more homes. The standard method for assessing local housing need is used by councils to inform the preparation of their local plans and, as part of the local plan process, Councils are responsible for determining the best approach to development in their areas, including taking into consideration important matters such as Green Belt.
The previous Government undertook a review of the standard method formula in 2020 and, after carefully considering consultation responses, they retained the existing formula providing stability and certainty for planning and for local communities. As with all policies, we are monitoring the standard method, particularly as the impact of changes to the way we live and work and levelling up become clear.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he will take steps to protect the Green Belt in the National Planning Policy Framework.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
This Government has a manifesto commitment to protect and enhance the Green Belt. Our National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that a local authority should not propose to alter a Green Belt boundary unless there are exceptional circumstances and it can show at examination of the Local Plan that it has explored every other reasonable option: including using brownfield land or optimising the density of development. Within Green Belt, most types of new building are questioned and should be refused planning permission unless there are very special circumstances, as determined by the local authority. These strong protections for Green Belt land are to remain firmly in place.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the Government will take steps to ensure brownfield development is incentivised by planning policy instead of development on greenfield sites.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out that planning policies and decisions should make efficient use of land and give substantial weight to the value of using suitable brownfield land within settlements. To support this approach we have introduced a number of planning measures including uplifting local housing need in the top 20 most populated cities to make the most of brownfield land and existing infrastructure, and required every local authority to publish a register of local brownfield land suitable for housing. We have also revised Permitted Development and Use Class rules so that yet more homes can be created and commercial buildings can change more easily between uses, helping make best use of existing buildings.
To support these policies we are providing significant tax payer subsidy for the take-up and completion of brownfield redevelopment. We have set the £1.5 billion Brownfield, Infrastructure and Land Fund and the £550 million Brownfield Housing Fund. Around half the projects in the £4.3bn Housing Infrastructure Fund programme are mostly on brownfield land and a further £180 million of taxpayer subsidy has been made available to help authorities release smaller brownfield sites for housing.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the Government's policy is on the ability for the Planning Inspectorate to override planning decisions made by local councils.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The right of appeal following the refusal of an application is an important part of a planning system. The Planning Inspectorate are required to determine an appeal in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
Currently, around two thirds of appeals are refused.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps the Government will take to ensure local authorities can put in place Local Plans which ensure the protection of local green spaces.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Local planning authorities must prepare a local plan as the primary basis for identifying what development is needed in an area, deciding where it should go and dealing with planning applications. Local Plans provide greater certainty for communities, businesses, and developers, enabling local areas to set out their strategy for future development and their approach to protecting and enhancing local character, as well as securing community buy in.
The National Planning Policy Framework acknowledges the importance that open and green space makes to achieving sustainable development. The Framework is clear that local planning authorities through their local plan, and local communities through their neighbourhood plan, can identify and protect green areas of particular importance to them by formally designating them as Local Green Space. This is then classed as a protected area by the Framework and policies for managing development within a Local Green Space should be consistent with those for Green Belts.
Whether to designate land as Local Green Space is a matter of local discretion. The space should be demonstrably special to the local community and hold a particular local significance, for example because of its beauty, historic significance, recreational value tranquillity or richness of its wildlife. This could be in rural or urban settings and can include space created as part of new development.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the Government will take steps to prevent overdevelopment of Green Belt land in its future planning reforms.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
This Government has a manifesto commitment to protect and enhance the Green Belt. Our National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that a local authority should not propose to alter a Green Belt boundary unless there are exceptional circumstances and it can show at examination of the Local Plan that it has explored every other reasonable option: including using brownfield land or optimising the density of development. Within Green Belt, most types of new building are questioned and should be refused planning permission unless there are very special circumstances, as determined by the local authority. These strong protections for Green Belt land are to remain firmly in place.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to tackle trafficking and sale of slaves in Libya.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Prime Minister has called modern slavery one of the great human rights challenges of our time, and has made eradicating this scourge one of her top foreign policy priorities. We have committed to doubling our aid spend in support of this objective to £150 million. In Libya, we have provided humanitarian aid to migrants and refugees and delivered assistance in detention centres. We are also increasing our engagement with the Libyan law enforcement authorities to tackle organised crime and trafficking. We have provided specific support to women and girls, to protect them from the heightened risks of trafficking and sexual and gender based violence. The UK regularly raises with the Libyan Government the need for wider respect for human rights and accountability.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to protect marine environments in (a) the UK and (b) the UK Overseas Territories.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Over 23% of UK waters are now protected within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Management for these includes 25 legacy byelaws, 15 new voluntary agreements, and over 30 new byelaws at varying stages of completion. This year, we have designated a further ten Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for birds and the marine habitats on which they depend. This brings the total number of SPAs with marine components in the UK to 106, providing protection for over 18,000 km2 of seabird habitat. The third tranche of Marine Conservation Zones aims to complete our contribution to the international ecologically coherent network in the north east Atlantic. The consultation is due to start in the first half of 2018 with designation taking place within 12 months of that date. We have tabled legislation to ban plastic microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products. Subject to parliamentary processes, the ban on manufacture will begin in January 2018, with a ban on sale from July 2018.
The UK is on course to protect 4 million km2 of marine environment in the UK Overseas Territories by 2020 through the Blue Belt programme. In addition to the previously declared MPAs around the British Indian Ocean Territory, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and within the British Antarctic Territory, since the commencement of the Blue Belt initiative the UK has also announced:
The UK is working closely with the relevant Overseas Territories to ensure these protected areas are supported by robust scientific data, legislation and enforcement.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will extend Bereavement Support Payments to people above the state pension age.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Many working age people are unprepared for the significant financial impact immediately following a bereavement. Thus Bereavement Support Payment is intended to provide short-term financial support for a bereaved spouse or civil partner following premature death during working life. This is a long-standing position in bereavement benefits which the Government has no plans to change.