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Written Question
Housing: Construction
Wednesday 30th January 2019

Asked by: Stephen Kerr (Conservative - Stirling)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government provides support for new house buyers with snagging issues; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Heather Wheeler

This Government is committed to making the housing market work. By the mid-2020s, we aim to have increased house building to an average of 300,000 net new homes a year. And as we move towards achieving this target, we will not sacrifice higher quality and standards.

We have already made commitments to provide better protection for purchasers of new build homes who experience snagging issues and we know more needs to be done. On 1 October 2018, we announced our intention for there to be a New Homes Ombudsman to protect the rights of homebuyers and hold developers to account. We also announced our intention to bring forward legislation to require all developers to belong to a New Homes Ombudsman.

On 24 January, following a wide-ranging consultation with consumers and industry, we set out our plans to strengthen consumer redress for the whole housing market. I want to help plug the gaps in available redress services so that more people can get their housing disputes resolved without going through the courts. We have also made great strides to create greater fairness in the rental market by banning unfair letting fees, capping tenancy deposits and cracking down on rogue landlords.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 24 Jan 2019
Holocaust Memorial Day

"I have been deeply moved by all the speeches in this debate, but I particularly thank the hon. Members for Dudley North (Ian Austin) and for Bassetlaw (John Mann), and my hon. Friend the Member for Beckenham (Bob Stewart), for their outstanding contributions. I also thank my hon. Friend the …..."
Stephen Kerr - View Speech

View all Stephen Kerr (Con - Stirling) contributions to the debate on: Holocaust Memorial Day
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 15 Jan 2018
Space Industry Bill [Lords]

"I add my praise of my right hon. Friend to that already expressed. I served on the Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill Committee—one of my first—for which he was the Minister. It was an illuminating and inspiring experience to be on the same Bill Committee as him and my right …..."
Stephen Kerr - View Speech

View all Stephen Kerr (Con - Stirling) contributions to the debate on: Space Industry Bill [Lords]
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 15 Jan 2018
Space Industry Bill [Lords]

"My hon. Friend is about to describe frameworks that apply to the whole of the UK, and what lies ahead of us over the next two days is an outstanding example of why we often need UK frameworks...."
Stephen Kerr - View Speech

View all Stephen Kerr (Con - Stirling) contributions to the debate on: Space Industry Bill [Lords]
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 15 Jan 2018
Space Industry Bill [Lords]

"I rise to make a short contribution to the debate, not on the basis of any kind of knowledge or technical insight but simply as an enthusiast. I was unsure whether I, as the Member of Parliament for Stirling, could stand here and speak with any authority about such matters …..."
Stephen Kerr - View Speech

View all Stephen Kerr (Con - Stirling) contributions to the debate on: Space Industry Bill [Lords]
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 15 Jan 2018
Space Industry Bill [Lords]

"I am the better for that intervention, but I am now worried about what else I will say. I am grateful for the fact that the hon. Lady, who is a physics teacher, is in the Chamber today to provide that illuminating insight. I hope that we can agree that …..."
Stephen Kerr - View Speech

View all Stephen Kerr (Con - Stirling) contributions to the debate on: Space Industry Bill [Lords]
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 15 Jan 2018
Space Industry Bill [Lords]

"I thank the hon. Lady for her intervention, and I agree. It is important to establish a framework in which policy is laid out so that, as mentioned in her excellent speech, investors can have some view of the future and there can be certainty for investment decisions. Going back …..."
Stephen Kerr - View Speech

View all Stephen Kerr (Con - Stirling) contributions to the debate on: Space Industry Bill [Lords]
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 15 Jan 2018
Space Industry Bill [Lords]

"Absolutely. This is about firing the imagination of all of us to the possibilities of space exploration.

I am mindful of the time, so I will press on. The fact is that we need this legislation, because without it we would create real risks for people. We have discussed the …..."
Stephen Kerr - View Speech

View all Stephen Kerr (Con - Stirling) contributions to the debate on: Space Industry Bill [Lords]
Written Question
Department for Communities and Local Government: Devolution
Thursday 12th October 2017

Asked by: Stephen Kerr (Conservative - Stirling)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the dates were of the most recent meetings between Ministers from his Department and their counterparts in the devolved administrations; and what the dates are of the next planned meetings.

Answered by Marcus Jones

The Secretary of State and other Ministers of the Department for Communities and Local Government have regular meetings with the devolved administrations to discuss a range of issues.

Written Question
Derelict Land
Wednesday 19th July 2017

Asked by: Stephen Kerr (Conservative - Stirling)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with local authorities on the development of brownfield sites for housing in England.

Answered by Lord Sharma

The Government has an ambitious programme to bring brownfield land back into use in England and is working closely with local authorities to drive this forward. In April 2017 we introduced a requirement for local planning authorities to publish a statutory brownfield land register by the end of 2017 which will identify which previously developed sites are suitable for housing. We are currently working with representative organisations for local government to ensure local planning authorities have these brownfield land registers in place. In addition, there is continuing engagement with local authorities on a range of other programmes, including the designation of 26 Housing Zones on brownfield land, and our £1.2 billion Starter Homes Land Fund to bring forward suitable brownfield land for starter homes and other types of affordable home ownership products.