Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of proscribing uplift clauses in new land sale agreements.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
We are introducing new transparency measures through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill so that we can better understand interests in land.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to increase the availability of affordable housing.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
This Government is determined to increase levels of affordable housing, and as my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State has outlined already, we are investing £11.5 billion through our Affordable Homes Programme which will deliver tens of thousands of much needed affordable homes right across the country.
Additionally, we remain committed to delivering at least as much on-site affordable housing through our proposed new Infrastructure Levy.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many households have received the council tax rebate as of 14 July 2022.
Answered by Paul Scully
All councils are paying the £150 council tax rebate. The Government intends to publish monitoring data outlining the progress of the scheme’s delivery shortly.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made a comparative regional assessment of the impact of higher temperatures on homes across England during heat waves in the context of a potential variance in the standards of building insulation.
Answered by Marcus Jones
The English Housing Survey collects a range of information about England's housing stock, including the insulation and construction of dwellings and whether occupants have reported that parts of their home get overheated. According to the 2020-21 survey, occupants in dwellings built with timber, concrete or steel frames or with insulated cavity walls were more likely to report overheating (between 9% and 18%) than those living in masonry or uninsulated solid walled dwellings (between 5% and 8%).
The findings also show that dwelling construction types vary by region. London had the lowest proportion of masonry dwellings and the highest proportion of concrete dwellings compared with other regions.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much funding the Government has allocated to Disabled Facilities Grants in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
Government funding allocated to the Disabled Facilities Grant in (a)2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022 can be found at the table below.
Disabled Facilities Grant Funding | |||
Financial year | 2020-2021 | 2021-2022 | 2022-23 |
Funding (millions) | £573* | £573 | £573 |
*£505 million annual grant plus an additional £68 million paid to local authorities in December 2020
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many recipients of the Disabled Facilities Grant there were in each local authority in (a) 2020 (b) 2021 (c) 2022.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
Full, audited data on recipients of Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) in each local authority each year is not held centrally by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Data from voluntary local authority annual returns on their DFG delivery is analysed each year by Foundations, the National Body of Home Improvement Agencies. Their most recent report for 2020-21 can be found at the following link: https://www.foundations.uk.com/library/dfg-performance/.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps to ensure that each home sold under the Right to Buy scheme extension is replaced by equivalent social housing.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
This Government is committed to the Right to Buy, which has helped nearly two million council tenants to realise their dream of home ownership.
The Prime Minister announced on 9 June 2022 the intention to extend the Right to Buy to housing association tenants, and that homes sold under an extended Right to Buy scheme will be replaced on a one-for-one basis.
We will be working closely with the housing association sector as we develop the scheme and will announce more details in due course.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether Ukrainian refugees with a close family member in the UK are eligible for the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
Further to the oral statement by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up on 14 March, guidance for local authorities has been published on Gov.uk at www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-guidance-for-councils. There are also published FAQs available online at www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-scheme-frequently-asked-questions as well as information for sponsors. Information is available on safeguarding checks at these links, as well as on eligibility for the scheme. Phase One of the Homes for Ukraine scheme opened for applications on 18 March and is accessible via links from homesforukraine.campaign.gov.uk . Those who had recorded their interest in the scheme were also contacted on that date. Details on future phases of the scheme will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether disabled refugees entering the UK under the Homes for Ukraine scheme will be able to claim disability benefits, such as Personal Independence Payments and Disability Living Allowance.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
I refer the Hon Member to the guidance for local authorities available online at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-guidance-for-councils.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what requirements his Department is putting in place for people who are offering accommodation to Ukrainian refugees.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
I refer the Hon Member to the Secretary of State’s statement to Parliament of 14 March 2022.