Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the timing of the publication of the Future Homes Standard technical consultation on the number of new homes that will be built.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
We remain committed to bringing the Future Homes Standard into force in 2025 as planned and will publish a full technical consultation this year.
A full impact assessment on the Future Homes Standard will be carried out ahead of implementation and published online. The impact assessment will consider any housing viability impacts as a result of this policy. Government's intention is to publish a draft impact assessment alongside the consultation in 2023.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the timing of the publication of the Future Homes Standard technical consultation on the number of new homes that will be built.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
We remain committed to bringing the Future Homes Standard into force in 2025 as planned and will publish a full technical consultation this year.
A full impact assessment on the Future Homes Standard will be carried out ahead of implementation and published online. The impact assessment will consider any housing viability impacts as a result of this policy. Government's intention is to publish a draft impact assessment alongside the consultation in 2023.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will expedite the publication of the (a) technical consultation and (b) impact assessment on the proposed specification for the Future Homes Standard.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
We remain committed to bringing the Future Homes Standard into force in 2025 as planned and will publish a full technical consultation this year.
A full impact assessment on the Future Homes Standard will be carried out ahead of implementation and published online. The impact assessment will consider any housing viability impacts as a result of this policy. Government's intention is to publish a draft impact assessment alongside the consultation in 2023.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department plans to publish the (a) technical consultation and (b) impact assessment on the proposed specification for the Future Homes Standard.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
We remain committed to bringing the Future Homes Standard into force in 2025 as planned and will publish a full technical consultation this year.
A full impact assessment on the Future Homes Standard will be carried out ahead of implementation and published online. The impact assessment will consider any housing viability impacts as a result of this policy. Government's intention is to publish a draft impact assessment alongside the consultation in 2023.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the timing of the publication of the Future Homes Standard technical consultation on the number of new homes that will be built.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will expedite the publication of the (a) technical consultation and (b) impact assessment on the proposed specification for the Future Homes Standard.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether it remains her Department's policy to provide £3.8 billion to the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Conservative Manifesto committed to a £3.8 billion Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) over a ten-year period to 2030.
The total committed funding for the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) and associated Demonstrator is over £1 billion to date. On 2nd October 2023, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced that the SHDF Wave 2.2 ‘top up’ competition will allocate up to £80 million of additional grant funding from April 2024.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when her Department plans to bring forward its consultation on minimum energy efficiency standards in the social housing sector.
Answered by Graham Stuart
As part of the 2021 Heat and Buildings Strategy, the Government committed to consider setting a new regulatory standard of EPC Band C for the social rented sector.
The Government has now made a further commitment to consult on energy efficiency in the social rented sector within 6 months of the Social Housing Regulation Act receiving Royal Assent on 20th July 2023.
Officials are working on proposals for the consultation, which will ensure that social housing providers and social housing tenants have an opportunity to give their views before any regulatory standard is set.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the repayment period for Advance Payments to 36 months as a means of reducing the monthly rate of deductions from Universal Credit.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No assessment has been made.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) oral and (b) written communication with Universal Credit claimants at explaining how to request a lower rate of deductions from Universal Credit.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are regularly reviewing and improving the UC service and have recently updated our overpayment notifications to more clearly explain how to get in touch if deductions are too much.
In addition, there are standing messages available in the Universal Credit journal which can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Alternatively, claimants can seek support from staff in their local job centre or by contacting the Universal Credit helpline.
DWP Debt Management have an established process whereby trained agents are available to discuss repayment rates and, in most cases, negotiate reduced repayment rates with anyone struggling to repay.
The department is also committed to HM Treasury’s 'Breathing Space' policy.