Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
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 potential merits of implementing a comprehensive definition for sustainable buildings in the National Planning Policy Framework as part of his Department’s objective to improve environmental outcomes.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that the creation of high quality, beautiful and sustainable buildings and places is fundamental to what the planning and development process should achieve. At a high level, it defines the objective of sustainable development as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
To support delivering this objective in practice, the National Model Design Code also highlights that sustainable construction is the practice of creating buildings using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource efficient. The NPPF sets out that all local planning authorities should prepare design guides or codes consistent with the principles set out in the National Design Guide and National Model Design Code, and which reflect local character and design preferences.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made on delivering a green Brexit.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Since we have left the EU, we have introduced a range of measures to improve our environment and deliver our ambition for a green Brexit.
To take a few examples, we passed the first Environment Act in over two decades, which sets out how we plan to protect and improve the natural environment in the UK. The Act will help us leave our environment in a better state for future generations and set an ambitious target to halt species decline by 2030. This Act includes the new Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) which will effectively enforce these enhanced environmental rules and standards. By 31 January 2023 we will publish our Environment Improvement Plan, which builds on the 25 Year Environment Plan (published in 2018). It will set out how we will deliver against our cross-government targets and commitments.
We have introduced a Net Zero Strategy, and announced measures to restore nature across England, to address the twin challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss – trebling our tree planting rate, restoring 35,000 ha of peatland by the end of the parliament, and initiating lasting action on species recovery.
Alongside these and other measures, the Retained EU Law Bill will provide further opportunity to ensure that environmental law is fit for purpose and able to drive improved environmental outcomes, whilst also ensuring regulators can deliver efficiently. This will ensure the UK regulatory framework is appropriate and tailored to the UK.
Leaving the EU also means farming in England is now going through the biggest change in a generation. Most importantly, the Government’s approach to working with the farming sector is changing. We are improving our policies and services to make them more effective, fair, flexible, accessible and workable for farmers.
We are introducing policies that work for farm businesses, food production and the environment. Food is still the primary purpose of farming, and always will be. The Food Strategy includes plans that will support farmers to boost home-grown fruit and vegetable production, and encourage people to buy more locally-sourced, high-welfare food.
Farmers also play a crucial role in protecting and enhancing the natural environment. If we want farming and food production to be resilient and sustainable over the long term, then farming and nature can and must go hand in hand. Many farmers have already moved to this way of operating. Those who are leading the way already know that you can produce quality food, at a profit with strong yields by farming with nature instead of against it.
The Government needs to catch up and help other farmers join this growing movement. This means enabling farmers to have resilient businesses, produce the food our nation needs, and also to protect and enhance the natural environment – looking after our soils, reducing air and water pollution, managing flood risk, reducing emissions and sequestering carbon.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on reducing national carbon emissions and tackling the climate emergency.
Answered by Graham Stuart
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions on a range of issues with my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister and Ministerial colleagues across Government. Our net zero target remains a Government priority and the net zero transition will provide huge opportunities for jobs, investment, innovation and exports. The Prime Minister is committed to addressing climate change and leaving behind an environment which is better for future generations. At COP27, the Prime Minister pledged to speed up the transition to renewables, to create new high-wage jobs, protect UK energy security and deliver on net zero.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 impact of the 23.1 per cent increase in house prices in York in 2022 on access to the residential property market in that city for (a) young people and (b) those on low incomes.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The department collects and publishes data on empty properties and second homes that are liable for council tax at a local authority level. The latest statistics from October 2022 are published here.
In order to support communities affected by short-term lets, in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill we committed to introducing a new registration scheme in England. The register will improve consistency in standards across all types of guest accommodation and will deliver much needed evidence and data about the number and location of short term lets in England.
Since 2010, over 819,000 households have been helped to purchase a home through government-backed schemes. This government has cut Stamp Duty Land Tax, expanding First Time Buyers Relief, and extended the mortgage guarantee scheme for a further year to maintain availability of mortgages for buyers with only a 5% deposit. Our new First Homes policy brings homes for sale at a discount or at least 30% to full market values, making both deposits and mortgage requirements.
Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes both for rent and to buy right across the country. The Levelling Up White Paper committed to increasing the supply of social rented homes and a large number of the new homes delivered through our Affordable Homes Programme will be for social rent.
The government has committed to bringing forward discounted homes for first-time buyers, prioritised for local people and key workers. cheaper and opening up the dream of home ownership to even more people. Crucially, the discount is passed on to all future purchasers in perpetuity, so these homes will keep helping first-time buyers onto the property ladder for generations to come.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to tackle housing scarcity for (a) first-time buyers and (b) social housing tenants in areas with high levels of (i) short-term holiday accommodation, (ii) second homes and (iii) housing costs.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The department collects and publishes data on empty properties and second homes that are liable for council tax at a local authority level. The latest statistics from October 2022 are published here.
In order to support communities affected by short-term lets, in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill we committed to introducing a new registration scheme in England. The register will improve consistency in standards across all types of guest accommodation and will deliver much needed evidence and data about the number and location of short term lets in England.
Since 2010, over 819,000 households have been helped to purchase a home through government-backed schemes. This government has cut Stamp Duty Land Tax, expanding First Time Buyers Relief, and extended the mortgage guarantee scheme for a further year to maintain availability of mortgages for buyers with only a 5% deposit. Our new First Homes policy brings homes for sale at a discount or at least 30% to full market values, making both deposits and mortgage requirements.
Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes both for rent and to buy right across the country. The Levelling Up White Paper committed to increasing the supply of social rented homes and a large number of the new homes delivered through our Affordable Homes Programme will be for social rent.
The government has committed to bringing forward discounted homes for first-time buyers, prioritised for local people and key workers. cheaper and opening up the dream of home ownership to even more people. Crucially, the discount is passed on to all future purchasers in perpetuity, so these homes will keep helping first-time buyers onto the property ladder for generations to come.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 trends in the level of (a) empty and (b) second homes in (i) York and (ii) York Central over the last year for which data is available.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The department collects and publishes data on empty properties and second homes that are liable for council tax at a local authority level. The latest statistics from October 2022 are published here.
In order to support communities affected by short-term lets, in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill we committed to introducing a new registration scheme in England. The register will improve consistency in standards across all types of guest accommodation and will deliver much needed evidence and data about the number and location of short term lets in England.
Since 2010, over 819,000 households have been helped to purchase a home through government-backed schemes. This government has cut Stamp Duty Land Tax, expanding First Time Buyers Relief, and extended the mortgage guarantee scheme for a further year to maintain availability of mortgages for buyers with only a 5% deposit. Our new First Homes policy brings homes for sale at a discount or at least 30% to full market values, making both deposits and mortgage requirements.
Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes both for rent and to buy right across the country. The Levelling Up White Paper committed to increasing the supply of social rented homes and a large number of the new homes delivered through our Affordable Homes Programme will be for social rent.
The government has committed to bringing forward discounted homes for first-time buyers, prioritised for local people and key workers. cheaper and opening up the dream of home ownership to even more people. Crucially, the discount is passed on to all future purchasers in perpetuity, so these homes will keep helping first-time buyers onto the property ladder for generations to come.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 a recent assessment of the potential impact of second home prevalence on housing (a) availability and (b) costs in areas where housing accommodation is limited.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The department collects and publishes data on empty properties and second homes that are liable for council tax at a local authority level. The latest statistics from October 2022 are published here.
In order to support communities affected by short-term lets, in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill we committed to introducing a new registration scheme in England. The register will improve consistency in standards across all types of guest accommodation and will deliver much needed evidence and data about the number and location of short term lets in England.
Since 2010, over 819,000 households have been helped to purchase a home through government-backed schemes. This government has cut Stamp Duty Land Tax, expanding First Time Buyers Relief, and extended the mortgage guarantee scheme for a further year to maintain availability of mortgages for buyers with only a 5% deposit. Our new First Homes policy brings homes for sale at a discount or at least 30% to full market values, making both deposits and mortgage requirements.
Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes both for rent and to buy right across the country. The Levelling Up White Paper committed to increasing the supply of social rented homes and a large number of the new homes delivered through our Affordable Homes Programme will be for social rent.
The government has committed to bringing forward discounted homes for first-time buyers, prioritised for local people and key workers. cheaper and opening up the dream of home ownership to even more people. Crucially, the discount is passed on to all future purchasers in perpetuity, so these homes will keep helping first-time buyers onto the property ladder for generations to come.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 estimate of the number of second homes in (a) York and (b) York Central constituency.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The department collects and publishes data on empty properties and second homes that are liable for council tax at a local authority level. The latest statistics from October 2022 are published here.
In order to support communities affected by short-term lets, in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill we committed to introducing a new registration scheme in England. The register will improve consistency in standards across all types of guest accommodation and will deliver much needed evidence and data about the number and location of short term lets in England.
Since 2010, over 819,000 households have been helped to purchase a home through government-backed schemes. This government has cut Stamp Duty Land Tax, expanding First Time Buyers Relief, and extended the mortgage guarantee scheme for a further year to maintain availability of mortgages for buyers with only a 5% deposit. Our new First Homes policy brings homes for sale at a discount or at least 30% to full market values, making both deposits and mortgage requirements.
Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes both for rent and to buy right across the country. The Levelling Up White Paper committed to increasing the supply of social rented homes and a large number of the new homes delivered through our Affordable Homes Programme will be for social rent.
The government has committed to bringing forward discounted homes for first-time buyers, prioritised for local people and key workers. cheaper and opening up the dream of home ownership to even more people. Crucially, the discount is passed on to all future purchasers in perpetuity, so these homes will keep helping first-time buyers onto the property ladder for generations to come.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 estimate of the number of unoccupied dwellings in (a) York and (b) York Central constituency.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The department collects and publishes data on empty properties and second homes that are liable for council tax at a local authority level. The latest statistics from October 2022 are published here.
In order to support communities affected by short-term lets, in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill we committed to introducing a new registration scheme in England. The register will improve consistency in standards across all types of guest accommodation and will deliver much needed evidence and data about the number and location of short term lets in England.
Since 2010, over 819,000 households have been helped to purchase a home through government-backed schemes. This government has cut Stamp Duty Land Tax, expanding First Time Buyers Relief, and extended the mortgage guarantee scheme for a further year to maintain availability of mortgages for buyers with only a 5% deposit. Our new First Homes policy brings homes for sale at a discount or at least 30% to full market values, making both deposits and mortgage requirements.
Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes both for rent and to buy right across the country. The Levelling Up White Paper committed to increasing the supply of social rented homes and a large number of the new homes delivered through our Affordable Homes Programme will be for social rent.
The government has committed to bringing forward discounted homes for first-time buyers, prioritised for local people and key workers. cheaper and opening up the dream of home ownership to even more people. Crucially, the discount is passed on to all future purchasers in perpetuity, so these homes will keep helping first-time buyers onto the property ladder for generations to come.
Asked by: Lord Hampton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of (1) public, and (2) private, homebuilding, over the next 10 years they expect will be designated for key workers; and what plans they have to ensure that they remain occupied by key workers.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
This Government is committed to providing the affordable housing the country needs and has introduced a range of measures intended to make it easier for people to enter the housing market.
The First Homes programme is designed to help local first-time buyers on to the property ladder, by offering homes at a discount of at least 30% of the market price. The discount is passed on to all future purchasers in perpetuity, meaning these homes will continue to benefit first-time buyers for generations to come.
Local authorities are able to prioritise certain groups in their local area, which can include key workers or those with a local connection.
Additionally, we are investing £11.5 billion to provide tens of thousands of new homes across the country, a significant number of which will be for Affordable and Social rent, to help those most in need.