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Written Question
Refugees: Ukraine
Thursday 31st March 2022

Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his statement of 14 March 2022, Official Report, col 619, whether he plans to have discussions with developers on purposing properties for use by refugees.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

I refer my Hon Friend to the answers given to Question UIN 145857 on 28 March 2022 and Question UIN 144955 on 29 March 2022, which include links to published guidance and information at Gov.uk.


Written Question
Refugees: Ukraine
Thursday 31st March 2022

Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)

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 ways in which (a) disused care homes and (b) other public buildings can be repurposed to support refugees coming to the UK from Ukraine.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

I refer my Hon Friend to the answers given to Question UIN 145857 on 28 March 2022 and Question UIN 144955 on 29 March 2022, which include links to published guidance and information at Gov.uk.


Written Question
Refugees: Ukraine
Thursday 31st March 2022

Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)

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 it his policy to use (a) Airbnb and (b) other short-term holiday lets for the purpose of homing refugees fleeing Ukraine until they are settled elsewhere or able to return home.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

I refer my Hon Friend to the answers given to Question UIN 145857 on 28 March 2022 and Question UIN 144955 on 29 March 2022, which include links to published guidance and information at Gov.uk.


Written Question
Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Universal Credit
Thursday 31st March 2022

Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2022 to Question 139347, and with reference to his statement of 14 March 2022, Official Report, col 619, whether the universal credit payments of people who provide accommodation to refugees will be affected by receiving the £350 monthly payment under the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

I refer my Hon Friend to the answers given to Question UIN 145857 on 28 March 2022 and Question UIN 144955 on 29 March 2022, which include links to published guidance and information at Gov.uk.


Written Question
Refugees: Ukraine
Thursday 31st March 2022

Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2022 to Question 139524 and with reference to his statement of 14 March 2022, Official Report, col 619, what steps his Department is taking to support local authorities in ensuring that Ukrainian refuges have access (a) schools, (b) public health, (c) trauma counselling and (d) other public services.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

I refer my Hon Friend to the answers given to Question UIN 145857 on 28 March 2022 and Question UIN 144955 on 29 March 2022, which include links to published guidance and information at Gov.uk.


Written Question
Parking
Wednesday 30th March 2022

Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the clamping and parking provisions in the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 against the original objectives of the policy; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Neil O'Brien

In March 2018, the then Home Secretary presented a Memorandum to the Home Affairs Committee on Post-Legislative Scrutiny of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. This included an assessment of the parking provisions contained in the Act and is available online at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/685894/cm-9579-postlegislative-scrutiny-protection-of-freedoms-2012-web.pdf.

Since the introduction of keeper liability in the Act to support parking enforcement in lieu of clamping, we have seen the number of private parking charges rise significantly. In response to this, and continued concerns about the poor practice and behaviour of the private parking industry, the Government supported the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019, which my Department is currently implementing. This will introduce regulation to the private parking industry, with the creation of a new Code of Practice that parking operators must follow if they wish to access DVLA data to enforce charges.


Written Question
Leasehold: Ground Rent
Thursday 24th March 2022

Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the number of leasehold dwellings sold since 2010 that were subject to doubling clauses in their ground rent charges in (a) England, (b) Buckinghamshire and (c) Wycombe constituency.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

We do not hold information on properties subject to such charges at a local authority or constituency level. The department conducted an Impact Assessment for the Ground Rent Act, which included data on the number of properties in England and Wales that may charge ground rent, and may have doubling review clauses. The Impact Assessment is available on the UK Parliament website: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2864/publications.

The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 will put an end to ground rents for new residential leasehold properties as part of the most significant changes to property law in a generation. The Act's provisions will lead to fairer, more transparent homeownership for thousands of future leaseholders.


Written Question
Refugees: Ukraine
Thursday 17th March 2022

Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)

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 it his policy to relax planning requirements to facilitate the construction of temporary housing for Ukrainian refugees; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

I refer the Hon Member to the Secretary of State's Oral Statement to Parliament of 14 March 2022.


Written Question
Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019
Thursday 27th January 2022

Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to publish the Government’s response to the technical consultation for the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 alongside the new Code of Practice; and when he plans to publish that document.

Answered by Neil O'Brien

The 'Private parking charges, discount rates, debt collection fees and appeals charter: further technical consultation' contained proposals to bring private parking charges into closer alignment with Local Authority Penalty Charge Notices, along with a number of other measures to improve the private parking sector. The Government is currently finalising its response. Our intention is to publish the consultation response together with the new Code of Practice as soon as possible so that motorists can benefit and industry has time to adapt itself to the new requirements.


Written Question
Economic Situation: High Wycombe
Thursday 25th November 2021

Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) extent of economic inequality in different areas across High Wycombe and (b) implications of that matter for his policies on levelling up; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Neil O'Brien

The Government publishes national economic inequality data, such as the Indices of Multiple Deprivation, and has recently published the methodology used for the Levelling Up Fund and the Community Renewal Fund. Levelling up is about spreading opportunity and boosting living standards across the nation, including addressing local pockets of deprivation. We will be setting out our proposals to deliver on Levelling Up in a White Paper later this year. We have recognised the specific challenges faced in High Wycombe and provided £11.7 million through the Future High Streets Fund to support the area’s plans to revitalise the town centre.