Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will lift all of the
restrictions in place on the housing and construction sectors as
a result of COVID-19.
The Question was considered in a Virtual Proceeding via video
call.
The Minister of State, Home Office and Ministry of Housing,
Communities and Local Government (Lord Greenhalgh) (Con)
My Lords, reopening the housing market and starting construction
are mission-critical for our economy. Yesterday, the Government
announced a plan to enable people to move home safely and to
restart the housing market. This included new guidance to allow
extended working hours on construction sites and help for the
planning system to operate remotely, alongside the launch of a
joint safe-working charter with the Home Builders Federation,
supporting homebuilders to return to work safely; 100 separate
organisations have signed up to this charter.
(Con)
My Lords, this is a lucky day for me and for my noble friend the
new Minister on the occasion of his first Oral Question. My
Question, tabled a month ago, has been magically answered by some
very welcome easing of Covid-related restrictions on homes and
construction. I congratulate the Government on both. With so many
people staying at home, and light traffic nationwide, does the
Minister agree that now is the time to accelerate work on major
construction projects and digital networks, and to push for the
completion of 300,000 new homes a year?
Lord Greenhalgh
I thank my noble friend for my first Oral Question. I agree with
her sentiments. Obviously, this has to be done safely. We know
that building 100,000 new homes contributes 1% of GDP. We also
know that the construction sector employs 3.2 million people. We
want to push ahead as safely as possible within Public Health
England guidance.
(Lab Co-op)
My Lords, can the Minister tell the House what discussions he or
his colleagues have had with the construction industry to satisfy
themselves that there are adequate supplies of PPE, and that the
supply chain for PPE is robust and will not fail, so as to allow
greater numbers of construction workers to return to work safely,
without putting themselves or their families at an unacceptable
risk of becoming infected with Covid-19?
Lord Greenhalgh
I thank the noble Lord for his Question. It is absolutely
critical that construction work happens in a safe environment.
The announcement yesterday of extending construction hours was
precisely to do that—to enable travelling to work at times when
public transport would not be busy. Also, there are very clear
guidelines on how to carry out construction. Those are jointly
agreed by the Home Builders Federation and the Government, and
they include the appropriate use of personal protective
equipment.
(GP)
The figures from the Office for National Statistics show that
construction workers have a higher fatality rate even than health
professionals. There is clearly not enough personal protective
equipment on sites, nor enough understanding of physical
distancing. Does the Minister not agree that this move by the
Government is reckless, in sacrificing construction workers and
their families to this awful disease?
Lord Greenhalgh
The noble Baroness points out that low-skilled workers in
construction have a slightly higher death rate per 100,000, at
25.9 deaths per 100,000. However, we are not sure whether it is
their occupation that is the causation. We obviously have an
association, and I think we need to be careful and review the
situation on an ongoing basis. That is why we have very clear
guidelines that need to be followed to ensure that construction
can happen safely.
(Con)
My noble friend will be aware that some construction projects
have continued despite the pandemic, not least HS2. As he is
talking about the importance of safety and health, can he
urgently look into the consistent serious breaches of
self-distancing by HS2 contractors, not only on-site but in local
shops and on public transport?
Lord Greenhalgh
I thank my noble friend for that question. I will take it away
and ensure that, where there are breaches in social distancing,
we take it up with the appropriate authorities, and I will look
specifically at HS2.
(LD)
The government guidelines this week are very welcome indeed, but
they are silent about the need for Covid testing for construction
workers, and they do not say too much about the availability of
hygiene and sanitary products either. Can the Minister give an
assurance that it is possible for the construction industry to
open and function, and to draw down on tests and equipment,
without putting at risk the NHS or the care home sector, which is
clearly pressing hard on the same issues?
Lord Greenhalgh
I thank the noble Lord for his question. I will work with
ministerial colleagues to provide the appropriate guidance and
ensure that there is availability of both personal protective
equipment and testing to enable construction work to be carried
out safely.
(Con)
My Lords, the housing market will need a steady and sustained
recovery. A vital ingredient of that is the supply of sites.
There are worrying reports that some planning authorities are not
planning to open until July. With the necessary social distancing
and technology, a target of getting planning authorities up and
running by the end of the month would seem reasonable. Similarly,
in order to address the backlog of planning inquiries, and the
very welcome news that some are now about to start virtually, can
this be extended further? In lieu of that, would it be possible
to extend the number of inquiries considered on a temporary basis
by written representation?
Lord Greenhalgh
I thank my noble friend for his question. Yesterday, the
Secretary of State set out the Government’s expectations that the
vast majority of hearings and other events are to take place
virtually by mid-June, and that those involved in the planning
process should work proactively to support this. I also take the
point that this can be done virtually and by written
representation, and I will take that up with the Secretary of
State—particularly the point about written representation. On
appeals, the Planning Inspectorate held its first digital hearing
on 11 May, and the objective is for it to scale that up within a
matter of weeks and to do all appeals virtually.
(CB)
My Lords, the Government were right to introduce a ban on
evictions at this time of sudden job losses and income reductions
when rent arrears are inevitable, but the ban is due to end next
month. Can the Minister tell the House whether that ban on
evictions will be extended, to prevent a wave of evictions later
this year? Have the Government considered the Spanish
Government’s scheme to prevent grounds for eviction by enabling
tenants to pay off arrears with interest-free loans spread over
several years?
Lord Greenhalgh
I thank the noble Lord for his question and for pointing to the
intervention by the Spanish Government, which we will look into.
The Government’s immediate priority has been to ensure that no
one was at risk of being forced out of their home during this
crisis, which was achieved through legislation and the stay on
possession proceedings. These protections run in parallel to the
unprecedented package of employee support and the £7 billion
boost to the welfare system, which have sought to minimise the
risk of tenants falling into arrears. Any tenant facing financial
hardship should explore the support available through the
enhanced welfare system. The government guidance for landlords
and tenants sends a clear message that all should work together
in good faith and investigate all solutions to overcome rent
arrears, such as an affordable repayment programme, before
eviction proceedings begin. The Government will, when the time is
right, consider making changes on how best to support renters in
both the private and social sectors through the recovery period.
(Lab)
I welcome the Minister to his first Oral Questions. With the
biggest economic crisis about to hit the UK, what plans have the
Government put in place to ensure that the construction industry
has all the tools necessary to lead us through and out of this
crisis, and what conversations, if any, have taken place with the
relevant trade unions and the TUC?
Lord Greenhalgh
I will look into the engagement with trade unions and write to
the noble Lord on that matter. There have been a number of
engagements with the Construction Leadership Council, and in my
introductory remarks I mentioned the joint undertaking with the
national Home Builders Federation, which provides guidelines on
safe working practices for construction.
