Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the cost of living crisis on home-owners whose shared ownership rent increases are not capped by the voluntary rent cap.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Most registered providers of social housing chose to limit voluntarily annual rent increases for their shared owners in 2023-24 to no more than 7%. Though the department was clear in its discussions with the sector that we expected them to take reasonable and responsible decisions at a time when many shared owners were facing pressures on their finances, we recognise that the decision to engage in this voluntary arrangement was one for individual providers to take independently. Rent increases for shared owners will continue to be based on the terms of their lease agreements with their providers.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether banks charge fair and reasonable arrangement fees, and of the impact of such fees, combined with restrictive affordability criteria on the affordability of consumer mortgages.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
The availability and pricing of mortgages, including arrangement fees, is a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene.
It is important for both lenders and consumers that proper checks are carried out to ensure that borrowers will be well placed to repay the mortgage. Since April 2014 all lenders must now conduct an affordability assessment, which includes a robust income and expenditure analysis that will include a consideration of other debts owed. Lenders must also obtain evidence of that income to support this assessment.
The Government remains committed to making the aspiration of homeownership a reality for as many households as possible.
We operate a range of schemes that aim to increase the supply of low-deposit mortgages for credit-worthy households, including first-time buyers, increase the availability of new housing, and stimulate economic growth. These include the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, which is open until the end of 2023, as well as First Homes and Shared Ownership through the Affordable Homes Programme. The Government also helps first-time buyers to save for a deposit through the Lifetime ISA and Help to Buy: ISA.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the impact of energy costs on the purchase of shared ownership extra care schemes.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
All shared ownership applicants must complete an affordability assessment with an independent, accredited financial adviser before completing their purchase. This assessment is designed to establish the size of share that the applicant should purchase and to ensure that they have the financial resources necessary to meet their ongoing housing costs over the long term.
Energy prices have come down 23% since their peak and the Government spent around £40 billion to cover around half a household's typical bill last winter, plus extra targeted support for older and disabled people. We are still providing extra support for those who need it most.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help more young people onto the housing ladder in Yorkshire.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government has a range of home ownership schemes that are available to first time buyers, including First Homes and shared ownership.
The Mortgage Guarantee Scheme helps to increase the supply of 95% loan-to-value mortgages for credit-worthy households.
We have also doubled the threshold at which SDLT becomes due to £250,000 and expanded First Time Buyers Relief, raising the threshold at which stamp duty becomes payable from £300,000 to £425,000.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help first-time home buyers in the London Borough of Havering.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government has a range of home ownership schemes that are available to first time buyers, including those in the London Borough of Havering, including First Homes and Shared Ownership.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, when a Minister from his Department last made an official visit to Rhondda constituency.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and I both live in Wales and serve Welsh constituencies. We have a consistent presence in Wales as we conduct many visits, events and meetings in Wales on a regular basis.
Details of Ministerial visits and meetings are published on the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales’ website and in Quarterly Ministerial Transparency Returns. In addition, visits and meetings conducted in support of the Wales Office priorities are published in the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales Annual Report and Accounts.
The UK Government has provided extensive support to Rhondda. A typical household in Wales has received almost £2000 in UK Government support to help with the cost of living. This includes over 197,000 payments delivered in Rhondda through the Energy Bills Support Scheme. During the Covid-19 pandemic around 11,000 jobs were supported through the furlough scheme, over £27 million was claimed through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and over £23 million was given to businesses through government-backed business loans
The UK Government has also supported innovation within Rhondda with over £33,000 awarded by Innovate UK since April 2019. Rhondda has also received over £531,000 through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme to level up local sports facilities.
In addition, Rhondda Cynon Taf, the local authority for the Rhondda constituency, is receiving over £45 million from the UK Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Rhondda Cynon Taf is also receiving over £3 million from the Levelling Up Fund for a new transport hub in Porth. Rhondda is also benefitting from £500,000 for two Community Ownership Fund projects, and from the £1.2 billion Cardiff Capital Region City Deal. This includes the £31 million region-wide housing viability gap fund.
This Government is investing in Wales like never before; over £790 million in four City and Regional Growth Deals covering the whole of Wales, £585 million for local authorities to invest through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, including over £100 million for the Multiply adult numeracy programme, £330 million in capital investment through the Levelling Up Fund and £3.2 million to preserve community assets through the Community Ownership Fund. Wales will benefit from two Freeports backed by £52 million, the British Business Bank’s new £130m Regional Investment Fund, and from Project Gigabit which will enable hard to reach communities to access lightning-fast gigabit capable broadband.
Asked by: Gerald Jones (Labour - Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, when a Minister from his Department last visited Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and I both live in Wales and serve Welsh constituencies. We have a consistent presence in Wales as we conduct many visits, events and meetings in Wales on a regular basis.
Details of Ministerial visits and meetings are published on the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales’ website and in Quarterly Ministerial Transparency Returns. In addition, visits and meetings conducted in support of the Wales Office priorities are published in the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales Annual Report and Accounts.
The UK Government has provided extensive support to Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney. A typical household in Wales has received almost £2000 in UK Government support to help with the cost of living. This includes over 205,000 payments delivered in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney through the Energy Bills Support Scheme. During the Covid-19 pandemic over 11,000 jobs were supported through the furlough scheme, around £25 million was claimed through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and around £37 million was given to businesses through government-backed business loans.
The UK Government has also supported innovation within Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney with around £100,000 awarded by Innovate UK since April 2019. Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney has also received over £26,000 through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme to level up local sports facilities.
In addition, Merthyr Tydfil and Caerphilly, the local authorities for the Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency, are receiving over £27 million and over £34 million respectively, from the UK Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The constituency also benefits from the £1.2 billion Cardiff Capital Region City Deal, including the £31 million region-wide housing viability gap fund.
This Government is investing in Wales like never before; over £790 million in four City and Regional Growth Deals covering the whole of Wales, £585 million for local authorities to invest through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, including over £100 million for the Multiply adult numeracy programme, £330 million in capital investment through the Levelling Up Fund and £3.2 million to preserve community assets through the Community Ownership Fund. Wales will benefit from two Freeports backed by £52 million, the British Business Bank’s new £130m Regional Investment Fund, and from Project Gigabit which will enable hard to reach communities to access lightning-fast gigabit capable broadband.
Asked by: Gerald Jones (Labour - Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, when a Minister in his Department last made an official visit to Pontypridd constituency.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and I both live in Wales and serve Welsh constituencies. We have a consistent presence in Wales as we conduct many visits, events and meetings in Wales on a regular basis.
Details of Ministerial visits and meetings are published on the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales’ website and in Quarterly Ministerial Transparency Returns. In addition, visits and meetings conducted in support of the Wales Office priorities are published in the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales Annual Report and Accounts.
The UK Government has provided extensive support to Pontypridd. A typical household in Wales has received almost £2000 in UK Government support to help with the cost of living. This includes around 216,000 payments delivered in Pontypridd through the Energy Bills Support Scheme. During the Covid-19 pandemic around 13,000 jobs were supported through the furlough scheme, around £29 million was claimed through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and around £62 million was given to businesses through government-backed business loans. The UK Government has also supported innovation within Pontypridd with over £4.3 million awarded by Innovate UK since April 2019.
In addition, Rhondda Cynon Taf, the local authority for the Pontypridd constituency, is receiving over £45 million from the UK Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Rhondda Cynon Taf is also receiving over £16 million from the Levelling Up Fund for transport improvements and for refurbishment of the Muni Arts Centre in Pontypridd. The constituency also benefits from the £1.2 billion Cardiff Capital Region City Deal, including the £31 million region-wide housing viability gap fund.
This Government is investing in Wales like never before; over £790 million in four City and Regional Growth Deals covering the whole of Wales, £585 million for local authorities to invest through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, including over £100 million for the Multiply adult numeracy programme, £330 million in capital investment through the Levelling Up Fund and £3.2 million to preserve community assets through the Community Ownership Fund. Wales will benefit from two Freeports backed by £52 million, the British Business Bank’s new £130m Regional Investment Fund, and from Project Gigabit which will enable hard to reach communities to access lightning-fast gigabit capable broadband.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support first-time house buyers.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
The Government remains committed to making the aspiration of homeownership a reality for as many households as possible.
We operate a range of schemes that aim to increase the supply of low-deposit mortgages for credit-worthy households, including first-time buyers, increase the availability of new housing, and stimulate economic growth. These include the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, which is open until the end of 2023, as well as First Homes and Shared Ownership through the Affordable Homes Programme. The Government also helps first-time buyers to save for a deposit through the Lifetime ISA and Help to Buy: ISA.
We are also investing £11.5 billion to build more of the affordable, quality homes this country needs.
Over 837,000 households have been helped to purchase a home since Spring 2010 through Government-backed schemes.
On 23 September 2022, the Government also cut Stamp Duty Land Tax, doubling the threshold at which SDLT becomes due from £125,000 to £250,000 and expanding First-Time Buyers Relief raising the threshold at which stamp duty becomes payable from £300,000 to £425,000. The maximum property value on which First Time Buyers Relief can be claimed has also been lifted from £500,000 to £625,000. These changes will remain in place until 31 March 2025 to support the property market.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what sums have been allocated to projects in each nation of the UK respectively under the levelling-up strategy.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Levelling Up programme is an ambitious programme of reform with an agenda to transform the United Kingdom and address this country's regional inequalities. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities run some dedicated funding programmes that help us achieve the missions set out in the Levelling Up White Paper, but they are only one part of a broader set of measures.
Our newer programmes are specifically UK-wide and as of July 2023 we allocated significant funding across the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Community Renewal Fund, Levelling Up Fund and Community Ownership Fund. This includes £4,720 million across England, £261 million across Northern Ireland, £612 million across Scotland and £963 million across Wales.
We are committed to setting aside at least £800 million in Levelling Up Funding for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland until 2024/25 and for the Community Ownership Fund we are committed to targeting a minimum of £4.3 million for Northern Ireland, £12.3 million for Scotland and £7.1 million for Wales over the lifetime of the fund up to March 2025.