Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has published a plan setting out the steps it plans to take to transition to net zero emissions.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Department is committed to reducing emissions and energy consumption wherever possible, as part of the UK’s transition to net zero. The Department’s current targets to make progress on reducing emissions have been published, as part of the Greening Government Commitments.
The Government published the Net Zero Strategy in October 2021, which sets out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet our net zero target by 2050.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether a senior manager in his Department has been given the portfolio for leading on departmental sustainability.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Government is committed to making its estate and operations more sustainable and resilient, through the Greening Government Commitments. We report on these commitments every quarter. In the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, this work is led by me as Minister for Net Zero, with support from senior officials.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has implemented a training programme to provide civil servants with skills to support its transition to net zero.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
Yes. The new Government Curriculum will include modules on the implications of net zero, climate change and wider environmental issues for government. In the first phase, the Government Skills & Curriculum Unit (GSCU) is working with departments to create an awareness level training resource for all civil servants. This will be piloted from April 2022. In the next phases, GSCU will look at tailored provision for specific functions and professions and will signpost the training and other resources on the transition to net zero, which are already being provided internally at practitioner and expert levels by government departments.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the total floor area of his departmental estate was in each year from 2010-11 to 2020-21.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
Between January 2011 and December 2017 the Department was known as the Department for Communities and Local Government. In January 2018 it became the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government. In September 2021 the Department was re-established as the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
The table below gives details of the Department’s estate floor area for the years in question, as reported in the Cabinet Office State of the Estate reports.
Year | Total m2 (Gross Internal Area) |
|
|
2011- 1st Jan 2011 | 30,622 |
2012 -1st Jan 2012 | 30,622 |
2013- 1st Jan 2013 | 29,221 |
2013/14 | 29,221 |
2014/15 | 13,283 |
2015/16 | 13,872 |
2016/17 | 13,872 |
2017/18 | 13,872 |
2018/19 | 13,872 |
2019/20 | 15,608 |
2020/21 | 15,173 |
This data is for the Department's main office space. It excludes our arms-length bodies and land and buildings that are registered with the Land Registry as DLUHC's but are occupied or the responsibility of other Government Departments.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the role of local authorities in helping to prevent outbreaks of covid-19.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Secretary of State and I have regular discussions with our ministerial colleagues regarding local authorities’ role in the COVID-19 response, and our department and Government work closely with local authorities to help strengthen local-national partnerships in helping to prevent outbreaks of COVID-19.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities issued enforcement notices relating to the (a) installation of fire alarms and (b) implementation of a waking watch in (i) 2017, (ii) 2018, (iii) 2019 and (iv) 2020.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Local Authorities and Fire and Rescue Services share responsibility for enforcement relating to fire safety. The Department does not centrally record the data requested.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Luton South of 26 November 2020 on Luton Borough Council's financial situation.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The letter has been received and a response will be sent shortly.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the value of live portfolios with committed guarantees under the ENABLE Build programme.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
ENABLE Build is a £1 billion extension of a the pre-existing BEIS-led ENABLE Guarantee programme. It was launched in April 2019 with the primary objective of increasing the availability of debt finance for SME housebuilders, following the initial success of the ENABLE Guarantee programme - which is currently supporting three SME housebuilder transactions.
A number of transactions were, and continue to be, under consideration for the programme but some of these were curtailed by the onset of Covid-19. Activity is resuming and, while there are currently no lenders accredited (and therefore no associated portfolio value) under the new ENABLE Build Programme, it is our expectation that SMEs will have access to ENABLE Build-backed lending shortly.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many lenders are registered to provide finance as part of the ENABLE Build programme.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
ENABLE Build is a £1 billion extension of a the pre-existing BEIS-led ENABLE Guarantee programme. It was launched in April 2019 with the primary objective of increasing the availability of debt finance for SME housebuilders, following the initial success of the ENABLE Guarantee programme - which is currently supporting three SME housebuilder transactions.
A number of transactions were, and continue to be, under consideration for the programme but some of these were curtailed by the onset of Covid-19. Activity is resuming and, while there are currently no lenders accredited (and therefore no associated portfolio value) under the new ENABLE Build Programme, it is our expectation that SMEs will have access to ENABLE Build-backed lending shortly.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many micro or small to medium-sized house building firms have accessed developer finance through the Homes England and Invest & Fund partnership.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Homes England’s partnership with Invest & Fund supports small builders with construction loans of between £400,000 and £2.5 million, funding schemes of two homes and upwards. The partnership with Invest & Fund launched in September 2020.
Due diligence is currently being undertaken before agreements are made and funds provided. Invest & Fund continue to engage with potential borrowers to assess whether they meet the partnership lending criteria.