Deposit Return Scheme: UK Internal Market Act Patrick Grady
(Glasgow North) (SNP) 1. Whether he has had discussions with (a)
Cabinet colleagues and (b) the Scottish Government on an opt-out
under the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 for the Scottish
Government’s Deposit return scheme. (905265) The
Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
(Michael Gove) It is nice to see you in your place, Mr Speaker,
particularly after the...Request free
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Deposit Return Scheme: UK Internal Market Act
(Glasgow North) (SNP)
1. Whether he has had discussions with (a) Cabinet colleagues and
(b) the Scottish Government on an opt-out under the United
Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 for the Scottish
Government’s Deposit return scheme.
(905265)
The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
()
It is nice to see you in your place, Mr Speaker, particularly
after the FA cup weekend, when the blues beat the reds again.
Mr Speaker
As a Bolton fan, I have no worries or sympathies.
I appreciate that. It just shows that even though the reds had a
good run, in another contest the blues managed to out-class them
in the end.
I have regular discussions with Cabinet and devolved
Administration colleagues on our shared ambition to deliver the
priorities of the people of Scotland. That includes the drive to
increase recycling across the UK, while also addressing the needs
of businesses within our shared internal market for drinks
manufacturing.
I am reminded of the old adage that had the Scottish National
party invented the lightbulb, the Secretary of State would call
it a dangerous anti-candle conspiracy. The reality is that in
1997, his party’s manifesto opposed devolution. It said it
would
“create strains which could well pull apart the Union”
and
“would risk rivalry and conflict between these parliaments and
assemblies and the parliament at Westminster.”
His 2019 manifesto committed to a
Deposit return scheme
to incentivise people to recycle plastic and glass.”
Why is he working so hard to fulfil the vision of 1997, and not
his commitment of 2019?
I am tempted to reply that if I ask the question, “How many SNP
MPs does it take to change a lightbulb?” the answer is,
inevitably, “Well, we have to wait for the motorhome to arrive.”
[Interruption.] I have to try, don’t I?
On the central question, we want a Deposit
return scheme that works across the United Kingdom. The
strongest critics of the Scottish Government’s approach have been
within the Scottish Parliament and within the hon. Gentleman’s
own party. If they cannot satisfy Fergus Ewing—the Minister who
was responsible for environment policy in the Scottish Government
with such distinction for so long—they will not be able to
satisfy manufacturers, consumers and citizens in Scotland and
across the UK.
Mr Speaker
I call the SNP spokesperson.
(Glasgow South West)
(SNP)
Let us quote from the 2019 Conservative party manifesto—in this
job, reading fiction is a necessary evil. It says:
“We will crack down on the waste and carelessness that destroys
our natural environment and kills marine life…and introduce
a Deposit return scheme
to incentivise people to recycle plastic and glass.”
The Conservatives even put it in bold to show how serious they
were. Other than a decision to oppose and undermine devolved
Parliaments and Governments, what has changed from the manifesto,
or are the UK Government simply bottling it?
I am tempted to say that the SNP should can it on this question,
because the businesses with which the Scottish Government have
been interacting have been uniform, loud and clear in their
determination to ensure that the scheme works interoperably
across the whole United Kingdom. We have been very clear that an
exclusion can be granted, but only if the Scottish Government
work to ensure a scheme that works for all the citizens of the UK
and all the businesses of Scotland.
The First Minister of Wales has now been contacted by the UK
Government to make changes to the Welsh DRS scheme to remove
glass, which reneges on what was previously agreed in the UK
Government’s consultation with the Northern Ireland Executive.
The Welsh First Minister’s own words are:
“The English Government is the outlier here.”
Surely, instead of walking on broken glass, they could simply
recycle it?
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for that wonderful reference
to the Eurythmics classic. We are both Annie Lennox fans,
whatever else may divide us.
The Scottish Government have singularly failed to carry Scottish
business, Scottish public opinion, Scottish consumers and even
their own MSPs with them. We stand ready to help—to rescue the
Scottish Government from their own folly—but that relies on the
Scottish Government doing something that they have been
singularly reluctant to do: to take a small slice of humble pie
and acknowledge that in this area, they have got things
wrong.
Cladding and Building Remediation
Sir (East Ham) (Lab)
2. What plans he has to help leaseholders affected by potentially
dangerous cladding with increases in insurance charges.
(905266)
(Lewisham East) (Lab)
17. What recent progress he has made on cladding and non-cladding
remediation for residential buildings. (905284)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities ()
The Government intend to enact reforms to improve the buildings
insurance market by banning commissions, increasing the
transparency of information and preventing unjustified legal
costs when premiums are challenged. We are also pressing the
insurance industry to launch its scheme. In 95% of all identified
unsafe high-rise aluminium composite material buildings, and in
400 buildings supported by the building safety fund, remediation
works have been either completed or started.
Sir
I have raised before in the House the predicament of residents of
Barrier Point, in my constituency, whose insurance premiums have
risen sixfold. The Secretary of State told me in January that
such insurers were
“squarely in our gun sights”.—[Official Report, 30 January 2023;
Vol. 727, c. 55.]
Can the Minister offer any prospect of imminent relief to my
constituents, some of whom face a demand of an additional £6,000
this year?
I completely appreciate the point the right hon. Gentleman makes.
That is why I have met with the Association of British Insurers
multiple times in the last few weeks alone. I am hopeful that the
scheme it hopes to bring forward with the insurance industry will
come forward in the next few weeks. Later today, I am meeting the
British Insurance Brokers’ Association again to talk about how it
will reduce commissions, in advance of the work that the
Secretary of State has already announced to ban such
commissions.
In my constituency, there are two main housing developments where
remediation work has been promised to fix unsafe cladding on
buildings. I hope that the Minister is fully aware that living in
unsafe buildings has meant individuals and families have had to
put their lives on hold. Leaseholders cannot sell, move or
staircase their homes, and some have had to put starting a family
on hold. Will the Minister acknowledge that that is unacceptable?
Will he agree to implement a timeframe so that work is
prioritised by housing providers and building firms?
I am grateful to the hon. Lady for highlighting the challenges
her constituents are facing. I appreciate the point that she is
making about challenges. That is why we are trying to push
forward with remediation as quickly as we are able to do so.
Since the announcement by the big six lenders in December, taking
effect in January, it should now be possible for more owners and
leaseholders in properties like these to be able to buy, sell or
remortgage. Early data received by the Department indicates that
while the market will take some time to become more functional,
it is moving in the right direction.
(Bromley and Chislehurst)
(Con)
Will the Minister recognise that this is not just a question of
ridiculously escalating premiums? There is also the problem
experienced by my constituents in Northpoint in Bromley, which I
have mentioned in the House before. The previous insurer, Aviva,
which had insured the building up until the Grenfell fire, is
refusing to quote at all. That withdrawal from the market is
putting many people under real pressure. The cladding has already
been removed from the building, the risk has gone and there is a
zero claims record, but a major firm like Aviva will not even
quote. There is a market failure here. Just as we did with the
EWS1 fire safety certificates, when there was a withdrawal of
professional negligence insurance, please can we intervene and
make sure that people at least come into the market properly?
My hon. Friend makes an important point. That is exactly why we
are trying to encourage and work with the ABI and the large
insurers, to bring forward this new scheme that should help with
the kind of issues that he has highlighted. I hope we will have
more news on that in the coming weeks. If not, I would be very
keen to talk to my hon. Friend and his local residents about how
we can move forward.
Levelling-up Fund: Delivery of Funds
(Ogmore) (Lab)
3. What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the
process of delivering funds for successful levelling-up fund
bids. (905267)
(Edinburgh West) (LD)
19. What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of criteria
for awarding levelling-up funding. (905287)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities ()
My Department has undertaken a robust assessment and
decision-making process in both rounds of the levelling-up fund.
Taking on board feedback, we made a number of improvements to
better support applicants in the most recent round, including by
making £65 million of support available to help with the delivery
of projects. We are currently reflecting on the lessons learned
from the first two rounds of the fund, and we will be making an
announcement on round 3 shortly.
It is deeply concerning to hear from Bridgend County Borough
Council officers that the Minister’s officials are suggesting
that any local authority that was successful in the second round
will get no additional funding in the third round. My Ogmore
constituency has lost out on all levelling-up funding, despite
Department for Transport officials suggesting that the only way I
could get a level crossing closure in my constituency was by
accessing levelling-up funds. What assurances can the Minister
give the officials in Bridgend County Borough Council and my
constituents that the much promised levelling-up funding will be
delivered to the people of Ogmore? Or is it another case of the
Tories misleading the people of Wales?
I know the hon. Gentleman has been campaigning hard for the level
crossing in his constituency. As I said, we are reflecting on
lessons learned, but no decision has yet formally been made on
allocations in round 3. We will keep the House updated.
North Edinburgh Arts in my constituency recently joined the City
of Edinburgh Council in a project to provide a new state-of-the
art venue in a deprived area, building on already vital work, but
that project failed to receive funds in both levelling-up rounds.
Only 21% of bids are currently successful, and only 8% of the
funds are going to Scotland. Does the Minister think we should
review the criteria to make applications more efficient, so that
communities can benefit from the levelling-up fund?
I am certainly willing to meet the hon. Lady to discuss the
project. It is worth noting that the allocations we have made to
Scotland meet the commitments that we made in our first
levelling-up fund prospectus, but of course we want to ensure
that the funds reach the areas that need them most.
(Preseli Pembrokeshire)
(Con)
Given the soaring costs in the construction sector, many local
authorities, including Pembrokeshire County Council in my
constituency, will find it a real challenge to meet the full
scope of their successful levelling-up bids. I know that the
Minister has been proactive in reaching out to councils, but can
she assure the House that she and her team will continue to
provide all possible support for local authorities to ensure that
money is spent well on meaningful projects that fulfil our
levelling-up objectives?
I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for his engagement with his
own levelling-up funding projects. As I have said, we have made
£65 million available specifically to support the development and
completion of projects, which will include some cost engineering
in some cases, because we recognise that inflation has been
extremely hard on the construction industry, but my officials and
I stand ready to help in any way we can.
(Halesowen and Rowley Regis)
(Con)
Halesowen town centre has recovered well from the covid pandemic,
not least as a result of the work done by Vicky Rogers of the
Halesowen business improvement district and Eve O’Connor of the
Cornbow shopping centre, but we were not successful in the last
round of levelling-up bidding. Will the Minister meet me to
discuss the Halesowen bid and how it might need to be improved to
meet any criteria for the third round?
My hon. Friend’s council will now have received written feedback
explaining why the bid was not successful, but he is a fantastic
champion for Halesowen, and I shall of course be happy to meet
him to discuss the project further.
Mr Speaker
I call the Chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Committee.
(Sheffield South East)
(Lab)
The Committee recently produced a report on levelling-up funding,
which I hope the Minister has had a chance to read by now.
Commenting on the current arrangements, we said that despite the
Government’s commitment to reducing requirements for competitive
bidding, we had seen no evidence that it had yet been
implemented. We were also shocked to discover that the Department
did not know how many
“pots of money across Government contribute towards levelling
up”.
Does the Minister accept the Committee’s finding that the policy
currently lacks
“a long-term, substantive strategy and funding approach”,
and does she agree that the Government need to sort this out if
levelling up is to be delivered—given that, in principle, there
would probably be widespread support for that on both sides of
the House?
I disagree with the Select Committee Chair, in that we do have a
long-term vision for levelling up. Indeed, our White Paper
“Levelling Up the United Kingdom” set out our 12 core missions. I
have engaged with the hon. Gentleman in the past about the
funding point. I have also told the House that we will be
publishing a funding simplification plan; that is coming soon,
and I shall be happy to meet him to discuss it when it has been
published.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Nottingham North)
(Lab/Co-op)
Nearly 18 months after the publication of the levelling up White
Paper, instead of meaningful levelling up, all that we have is
disorganisation and disappointment. The levelling-up directors
were supposed to cut through the dysfunction to help areas obtain
the support that they needed, and it was announced with great
fanfare that there were nearly 600 applications for those roles.
But as with everything this Department does, it was all smoke and
mirrors, because the roles have now been quietly dropped and no
levelling-up directors are to be appointed. Will the Minister
come clean? The Government have given on levelling-up directors
because they have given up on levelling up, have they not?
Absolutely not.
Local Authorities: Inflation
(Liverpool, West Derby)
(Lab)
4. What steps he is taking to help local authorities with
budgetary pressures caused by inflation. (905268)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities ()
I am not sure that I can respond with quite so much brevity, Mr
Speaker!
In the most recent financial settlement, the Government provided
billions more in taxpayer subsidy to support councils, including
funds to mitigate inflation. Councils are always under a duty and
a responsibility to improve and transform services and make them
more efficient, but the Government continue to support them when
we are able to do so.
A recent report from our Select Committee highlights the fact
that local authorities’ revenue funding from central Government
has been reduced dramatically since austerity began in 2010, and
notes that levelling-up funds generally do not replace grant
funding because they are capital, not revenue. Can the Minister
be honest and admit that the latest local government finance
settlement will entrench and widen already huge regional
inequalities, leaving the levelling-up agenda in tatters?
Absolutely not. [Laughter.]
(Chipping Barnet)
(Con)
I am sure that many Members of the House will share my experience
that, on the doorstep, an issue that comes up almost more than
anything else is potholes. Barnet Council is clearly failing in
its duty to fill them in. Does the Minister have any advice for
our failing local council on how it can improve its record on
filling in potholes?
My right hon. Friend is absolutely right to say that one of the
core responsibilities of local councils is to do the basics, and
one of the basics is potholes. That is why the Chancellor
recently announced additional money for local councils to ensure
that they are filled, and it is for local councils to translate
that into reality on the streets.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Luton North) (Lab)
Under a Government who created a cost of living crisis that has
sent inflation levels soaring, there are now 4.2 million children
living in poverty, and 70% of them are in working households. One
third of children in the west midlands and 200,000 children in
the north-east live below the poverty line. Shockingly, a quarter
of all children growing up under the Scottish National party in
Scotland now live in poverty. What support can local authorities
expect in order to deal with this increase in child poverty, and
is the Department’s decision to award levelling-up funding to
only one in four deprived areas a factor in the heartbreaking
levels of child poverty we see in Tory Britain today?
The Government offer a huge amount of support to the most
vulnerable in our society. We have seen that all the way through
covid and through the inflation and energy issues, and we will
continue to do it through the welfare system as a whole. The best
way out of poverty, where it is possible, is to work, and that is
why this Government are ensuring that work pays, work matters and
work achieves.
UK Levelling Up
(Banff and Buchan) (Con)
5. What steps he is taking to level up all parts of the UK.
(905272)
(Sedgefield) (Con)
12. What steps he is taking to level up all parts of the UK.
(905279)
(Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
(Con)
16. What steps he is taking to level up all parts of the UK.
(905283)
The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
()
Levelling up is a central mission for this Government. We want to
ensure that the full potential of our economy, businesses, people
and places is reached. The Government have allocated £9.9 billion
to my own Department alone since 2019 to support levelling up, in
addition to the £7.5 billion committed to the nine mayoral
combined authorities in England.
I thank my right hon. Friend for his response. May I ask him to
join me in congratulating the towns of Peterhead and Macduff in
Banff and Buchan on the success of their levelling up bid? Can he
confirm that the success of that bid does not necessarily
disqualify future bids, particularly if they are of a strategic
transport nature, such as the much-needed safety improvements on
the A947, which my right hon. Friend, being from the area, will
be familiar with? That road travels not just through my
constituency but through multiple others in the Aberdeenshire
Council area.
I congratulate Aberdeenshire Council on its success in
levelling-up fund round 2. My hon. Friend is absolutely right:
success in that round does not preclude further investment. One
thing, though, that would be devastating for Aberdeenshire and
the north-east of Scotland would be if the Labour party’s policy
of stopping all new oil and gas development in the North sea were
taken forward. That would be catastrophic for levelling up and
for the north-east of Scotland.
I thank the Secretary of State for his efforts on levelling up,
but I must stress to him the importance of speed in reaching the
communities of my Sedgefield constituency. It was disappointing
that the knife was applied to the second round, knocking out many
Durham bids, particularly mine in Newton Aycliffe, and it is
painful to see the slow progress on the restoring your railway
fund bid for Ferryhill station. It is critical for my
constituents that these initiatives get past the decision stage
so that we can get spades in the ground. When does my right hon.
Friend think we will see delivery?
My hon. Friend makes a good point. It is important that we
support the work that is anticipated for Ferryhill station. In
his constituency, Hitachi produces state-of-the-art railway
investment, and we need to make sure that its vision is matched
by the Government’s commitment.
Given that the UK is one of the most regionally imbalanced of all
of the major economies, and given the massive potential that is
waiting to be unleashed, is it not time to accelerate the now
stalled Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill and push forward
urgently with Northern Powerhouse Rail, planning reform,
devolution, secure affordable energy supply, gigabit broadband
and all the other levelling-up measures that will make this the
strongest and most prosperous economy in Europe?
I take this opportunity to thank my right hon. Friend for his
leadership on this issue. The levelling up White Paper would not
have been published without his determination to ensure that
there are 12 clear missions at the heart of Government to ensure
that this country achieves its full potential. It is interesting
that the Leader of the Opposition, as he currently is and will
long remain, decided that the way to endear himself to this
country is by having five missions. As ever, he has nothing like
my right hon. Friend’s scale of ambition and vision when it comes
to making this country great.
(Weaver Vale) (Lab)
The Government took £15 billion from local authorities—local
communities —and set them a “hunger games” competition to fight
over £3 billion. How is that levelling up?
I do not recognise that characterisation. Once again, I smile at
the way in which “hunger games” trips from the lips of Labour
MPs. Only this Administration have been responsible for
devolution in England outside London. In 13 years in power,
Labour had an opportunity to institute meaningful devolution, and
it did not do so outside London. Now Labour is attempting to deny
the people of the north-east of England a democratic choice to
have Jamie Driscoll as their Mayor. I will not take anything on
this from the hon. Gentleman.
(Pontypridd) (Lab)
I place on record my sincere condolences to the family of
stalwart trade unionist Tyrone O’Sullivan, who recently passed
away. Tyrone was a typical Welshman: proud of his roots while
always fighting for more for our communities. He was an
inspiration to us all.
The all-party parliamentary group on coalfield communities will
soon publish a landmark report on the next steps for levelling
up. As it stands, millions of our constituents across the country
are being left behind, so will the Secretary of State commit to
meeting me to discuss the report’s recommendations?
I also pass on my condolences to Tyrone O’Sullivan’s family. The
coalfield communities’ travails throughout the 1980s and ’90s
weigh with us, and some of the investment made since then has
seen many of those communities turn the corner, but there is more
to be done. I look forward to talking to the hon. Lady about what
more we can do.
(Hemsworth) (Lab)
On any index we choose—social mobility, inequality, deprivation,
the funding of public services and so on—our constituencies in
the so-called red wall have been sinking throughout this
Administration. A Minister recently told the House that we will
get £20 million from the levelling-up fund, but it never came. In
any case, £20 million would not transform our constituencies.
What does the Secretary of State say to the old miner I met in
the Co-op on Saturday afternoon in our village, who said, “Will
you say to Mr Gove, ‘Levelling up, who does he think he’s
kidding?’”?
The hon. Gentleman is a very effective and passionate advocate
not just for his constituents but for coalfield communities more
broadly, but recent work by the Onward think-tank has pointed out
that, under this Government, coalfield regeneration—the
establishment of new enterprises and the creation of fresh
opportunities—has accelerated at a rate not seen under the last
Labour Government. That is why so many coalfield communities,
from Blyth to Derbyshire, voted for the Conservatives, under the
leadership of my right hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and
South Ruislip (), in 2019.
(Peterborough) (Con)
Thanks in part to £20 million-worth of levelling-up money,
Peterborough University has constructed a brand-new research and
innovation hub and is constructing a new living lab. We are
turning Peterborough into a high-skill, high-wage economy. Will
my right hon. Friend come to Peterborough and visit the
university to see our progress and to congratulate everybody who
is transforming Peterborough?
I can think of few things I would enjoy more. I always enjoy
visiting Peterborough, which gives me an opportunity not only to
work with my hon. Friend, who is such an effective advocate for
Peterborough, but to meet the stellar council leader Wayne
Fitzgerald, who did so well in the recent local elections—a vote
of confidence in Conservative leadership in Peterborough.
(Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)
One of the clearest examples that rural communities are in
desperate need of levelling up is the shocking state of bus
services and the decline in access to them. The £2 fare is very
welcome, but it is of no use to people who live in a community
with no bus service. In the next few weeks, we face the
withdrawal of the 530 Cartmel Peninsula service and the S1
Sedbergh to Kendal service. What funding and additional powers
can the Secretary of State promise to the new Westmorland and
Furness Council to make sure such communities retain their buses
and that less well-served areas get new services?
The hon. Gentleman is right to say that bus services are vital,
not least for rural communities such as those he represents. I
would like to talk to him and to Westmorland and Furness Council,
which is relatively newly formed and Lib Dem-led—at the moment. I
am looking forward to talking about what we can do to provide,
with the Department for Transport, suitable services for his
constituents.
Planning Authorities: Designation Warnings
(Bosworth) (Con)
6. For what reason he has written to 10 planning authorities in
England warning of designation. (905273)
The Minister of State, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and
Communities ()
The Government expect all local planning authorities to deliver
an efficient and effective planning service. On 12 April, my
right hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to 10 local
authorities that did not meet the required performance levels for
speed of decision making on non-major applications. Those local
authorities have been given the opportunity to demonstrate
improved performance. If the performance falls below the required
threshold, the Secretary of State will use his powers to
designate the local planning authority later this year.
Dr Evans
There are 329 local planning authorities in England, 315 of which
performed above the 70% expected performance rate. With others in
Leicestershire all above 84%, my local council, the Lib Dem-run
Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council, was at 46%, which is the
lowest level in the country. The staff in the department are
doing their best with the Lib Dem failures, but what more can a
local MP and the Government do to help support the staff and our
community to get the support they need?
I thank my hon. Friend for bringing this important matter to the
House’s attention. Where authorities fall behind, as in the case
of that Lib Dem-run local authority, which he has highlighted
effectively, we will not hesitate to take action. We are working
to provide all local authorities with the support they need,
including by increasing planning fees and ensuring that planning
departments have the skills and capacity they need. I am happy to
meet him to discuss this further.
Short and Long-term Rentals
(Totnes) (Con)
7. Whether his Department is taking steps to change the balance
between short and long-term rentals. (905274)
The Minister of State, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and
Communities ()
We are consulting on a registration scheme for short-term lets
and on the introduction of a short-term let use class and
associated permitted development rights. Those changes would give
councils more control over the number of new short-term lets and
help them to meet local housing needs.
I appreciate the Minister’s response, but where we have
non-unitary councils it turns out that the Government’s measure
of 200% council tax will see 92% go to counties and only 8% to
districts. Will that be looked at? In addition, will we also
examine how we can incentivise long-term landlords? We demonise
landlords at our peril and we need to make sure that if we are
going to repeal section 21, we do it in a way whereby we can
offer them justice on being able to remove tenants where they
need to do so.
My hon. Friend is right to highlight the Government’s progress on
all the work we are doing to be fair, not only to landlords, but
to tenants, who have suffered some appalling experiences in many
cases. That is why we are bringing forward the legislation, which
will be a balanced package, but he is right to highlight the
issue of council taxes and I know he is having discussions with
the Treasury on that matter. We are determined to make sure that
local authorities have the right balance between having those
holiday and tourist areas, and homes for local people.
(Plymouth, Sutton and
Devonport) (Lab/Co-op)
We are only a few months away from having millions of people
surging to the west country, and to rural and coastal communities
right across the land. That puts enormous income into rural and
coastal economies, which is very welcome, including in places
such as Plymouth. However, it is also another nail in the coffin
of people being able to locally rent and locally afford a home,
as more homes are flipped to be second homes and more Airbnbs are
created by chucking families out of long-term rentals. Will the
new measures that the Minister has announced and is consulting on
be in place by the summer recess, so that families know that when
they visit a location they are not taking away the possibility of
living locally for the people who provide the services on which
those tourists will rely?
The hon. Gentleman has set out clearly the reason why the
Government are taking these significant steps to make sure that
we get the balance right between tourists visiting an area,
bringing in vital income and supporting local businesses, and
those local communities having the necessary housing for people
and workers to live in and to buy. We are progressing this
consultation as quickly as possible and will make further
announcements in due course.
Dame (Hackney South and Shoreditch) (Lab/Co-op)
I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of
Member’s Financial Interests and to the fact that I am a
leaseholder. Ten days ago, I met some of my residents who are
leaseholders. They are yet another group of residents in Hackney
who are frustrated by the inaction and slow actions of their
freeholder. They desperately want commonhold and yet, despite a
manifesto commitment in 2019 and promises from Secretaries of
State in each of the past three years, we have seen nothing from
this Government. Why is this dither and delay continuing?
I do not agree that there has been dither and delay. We have
already capped ground rents for significant numbers of
leaseholders. We are committed to creating a housing system that
works for everyone. We are determined to better protect and
empower leaseholders to challenge unreasonable costs, extend the
benefits of freehold ownership to more homeowners, and introduce
more legislation within this Parliament.
(Cities of London and
Westminster) (Con)
There is no clearer example of the need for leasehold reform than
in my constituency. The leaseholders from Rathbone Square and
their affordable housing neighbours at 14 Newman Street are
having a nightmare with their co-owners, WestInvest and Deka, and
the managing agents, CBRE. There is no transparency. The
affordable housing residents are being charged five times more
for their energy. Does my right hon. Friend agree that we do need
to ensure that there is a complete shake-up of leasehold reform
and of property management in general?
Yes, my hon. Friend is absolutely right and I thank her for
bringing the concerns of her residents to the Floor of the House.
We are determined to reform this system. It is a hugely complex
reform. I point out to the House that Labour had the opportunity
to do this in its 13 years in government and did nothing.
(York Central)
(Lab/Co-op)
Almost every country in the world has banned leaseholds. We are
tired in York of nearly every development putting in place new
leasehold arrangements, extracting thousands of pounds from
residents, so that when they move into what is often their
“forever” home, they are having to pay out more and more, which
then leaves them trapped in that form of accommodation. When will
the Government bring forward commonhold, because we have been
waiting for it for far too long and seen no action?
It is right to point out to the hon. Lady that, since the
Government’s announcement in December 2017 that we would ban the
sale of leasehold houses, the number of newbuild leasehold houses
coming on to the market has significantly decreased. Land
Registry records show that 1.2 % of newbuild houses were
registered as leasehold in 2020 compared with 17% previously, so
the Government’s reforms are already working, but we need to
bring forward more legislation, and we will do so.
(North Norfolk) (Con)
Perhaps the Minister could clarify the situation at the Dispatch
Box today. She could say that this is a priority of the
Government and that the leasehold reform Bill will come forward
in the next King’s Speech, because, after 21 years of not seeing
any reform, it is high time that we had some.
I thank my hon. Friend for his question. Obviously, as a Minister
at the Dispatch Box today, I cannot pre-empt what is in the
King’s Speech, but I am sure that my hon. Friend will recall the
number of times that not only I, but my right hon. Friend the
Secretary of State, have stood at this very Dispatch Box and made
those commitments very strongly and I am happy to repeat them
today.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Greenwich and Woolwich)
(Lab)
In an Opposition Day Debate that took place before the recess,
the Minister claimed that there has been no Government U-turn on
leasehold reform. She also refused to commit to the fundamental
and comprehensive reform package that leaseholders had been led
to expect was forthcoming. Can she give the House and the country
a straight answer today: will the Government legislate to
implement all of the Law Commission’s recommendations on
enfranchisement, commonhold and the right to manage before the
end of this Parliament—yes or no?
The hon. Gentleman will remember I am sure the detailed debate
that we had on this very issue where we dug into many questions
that he and many others asked. I have given my answers from this
Dispatch Box. I have been very clear that we will bring forward
comprehensive reforms to leasehold, which is something the
Opposition failed to do for the whole time they were in
Government. We have made a start, and we will make good on that
promise.
National Planning Policy Framework
(Gedling) (Con)
9. What steps he is taking to reform the national planning policy
framework. (905276)
The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
()
The consultation on our new national planning policy framework
closed on 2 March. We received more than 26,000 responses. We are
giving them consideration at the moment, and we will publish a
response in due course.
(Gedling) (Con)
My understanding is that the framework currently states that
housing developers only have to ensure that drainage is in place
for a building site once the last house is completed. For
residents in Orchard Close in Burton Joyce in my constituency,
that was too little, too late, because heavy rain and
insufficient drainage from a building site at the top of the hill
caused their road to flood, damaging the street and property. I
am looking into a similar situation at a building site in
Hamilton Close in Arnold. I understand Gedling Borough Council is
looking at introducing a supplementary planning document to
require developers to install drainage first. Will the Government
consider introducing such a requirement nationally, so that
others do not have to go through what some of my Gedling
residents have gone through?
As well as being a brilliant constituency Member of Parliament,
my hon. Friend makes an important point that will resonate with
many Members across this House. I hope that we will be able to
see more about sustainable drainage systems in the NPPF.
(Kingston upon Hull West and
Hessle) (Lab)
Some 2.6 million homes are at risk of flooding, so we urgently
need to take action to improve flood resilience and mitigation.
In Hull we have our first permeable street as part of the Living
With Water initiative, designed to look at new and innovative
ways to deal with excess floodwater. Will the Secretary of State
use this opportunity to reform the national planning policy
framework to make it stronger in dealing with floodwaters, and
will he attend an event I am hosting on this issue—all Members
are welcome—on 5 July?
I know Hull is the second most flood-prone city in England and I
applaud the work undertaken by the local authority and championed
by the hon. Lady. I do not know whether I will be able to join
her on 5 July, but I will be visiting Hull soon, and I hope that
when I do so I will have the opportunity to talk to her and
others who are making sure that people’s homes are adequately
protected.
House Building: Densification of Urban Areas
(Weston-super-Mare) (Con)
10. If he will take steps to increase house building through
densification of urban areas through the use of local
authority-approved building codes that pre-approve buildings.
(905277)
The Minister of State, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and
Communities ()
We are committed to ensuring that the planning system promotes
the efficient use of land and creates more well-designed places
in collaboration with local people. We are introducing street
vote powers in the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill to allow
residents to come together and propose additional developments on
their street in line with their design preferences.
I am delighted that street votes, which I and others have
campaigned for for many years, is in the Levelling-up and
Regeneration Bill. However, we need even stronger measures to
stimulate housebuilding now that housing targets are rightly
going to be much weaker. Will my hon. Friend consider building
up, not out, which is street votes on steroids and is supported
by many in the construction industry as the fastest, greenest and
cheapest way to build many more beautiful urban homes for
owner-occupiers and renters alike?
I thank my hon. Friend for his determination in bringing forward
this innovative measure, which will enable the Government to meet
their ambition of delivering the houses that are needed all over
our community. He is right to say that local communities should
be able to set their own local design codes. That will be a
fantastic way for them to create a huge number of houses,
building up, out and possibly around and across as well.
(Bristol East) (Lab)
Bristol is committed to building more houses, and we know that
density is very much part of that, but with that comes pressure
on local infrastructure. Can the Minister update the House on
what the successor is to the housing infrastructure fund and on
what funds will be available to ensure that local communities can
cope with that new density?
The hon. Lady is quite right: not just in Bristol, but across the
country, pressures on infrastructure are one reason why
communities sometimes have concerns about new housing
developments. It is right that we are reforming the planning
system to make that infrastructure available in advance of
developments so that we can deliver the housing the country
needs, in Bristol and elsewhere.
Awaab’s Law: Private Rented Sector
(Liverpool, Walton) (Lab)
11. If he will take steps to extend Awaab’s law to the private
rented sector. (905278)
The Minister of State, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and
Communities ()
Any preventable death of a child is heartbreaking. Awaab’s law
will require social landlords to remedy hazardous conditions
quickly. For private rentals, we have given councils strong
powers to force landlords to remedy hazards, and the Secretary of
State has made it clear that he expects councils to use them.
May I remind the House of the tragic case of Awaab Ishak? He was
a two-year-old boy, living with his parents in a one-bedroom flat
in Rochdale, who tragically and needlessly died following
prolonged exposure to mould. Despite several complaints from his
family over a number of years, his social landlord took no action
and shamelessly blamed the extensive mould on the family. The
coroner in Awaab’s case stated that damp and mould are not simply
a social housing problem, but a significant issue in the private
rented sector. My understanding is that the decent homes standard
will not appear in the Renters (Reform) Bill and there is no
equivalent to Awaab’s law either. Will the Secretary of State go
back to the Department and put in proper measures to ensure that
we have decent homes in the private rented sector?
I think the whole House is united in expressing our sincere
sympathies about the tragedy that occurred in the case of Awaab
Ishak. It is completely wrong that people are living in homes
that do not meet decent home standards. I thank the hon.
Gentleman for the debates that we have had in this place. We are
improving the quality of properties all across the private rented
sector. We are introducing a decent homes standard. We will do
that at the first legislative opportunity and we will be the
first Government ever to do so.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Liverpool, Wavertree)
(Lab)
The Government’s lack of strategy to combat all forms of
homelessness is failing our most vulnerable children. Over the
past 13 years on the Government’s watch, the number of households
in temporary accommodation has doubled to more than 100,000. That
includes 127,000 individual children. The number of households
with children in bed-and-breakfast accommodation for longer than
the statutory maximum is up 196% on the previous year—many are in
appalling conditions. That should shame everyone on the
Government Benches. My question is simple: when on earth do they
intend to do something about it?
The hon. Lady highlights the problem of homelessness, which, of
course, the Government take extremely seriously. I point out to
the Opposition that we have already introduced the Renters
(Reform) Bill, which is the biggest reform of the private rented
sector in a whole generation. That key measure will abolish
section 21 evictions, which are one of the major causes of
homelessness. We, on the Conservative Benches, are going to end
them.
Elections Act 2022: May 2023 Local Elections
(North Ayrshire and Arran)
(SNP)
13. What assessment his Department has made of the impact of
changes introduced in the Elections Act 2022 on the local
elections in May 2023. (905280)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities ()
We are encouraged by the first roll-out of voter identification,
and we are confident—based on sector feedback and our own
observations—that the vast majority of voters will have cast
their votes successfully. We have also been pleased to see
initial positive feedback to the accessibility changes for
disabled people. We will, as set out in legislation, conduct an
evaluation and publish the report no later than November.
Of course, the UK Government rejected the Electoral Commission’s
suggestion and advice to delay voter ID until after the council
elections last month. Does the Minister agree with her former
Cabinet colleague, the right hon. Member for North East Somerset
(Mr Rees-Mogg)? He said:
“Parties that try and gerrymander end up finding their clever
scheme comes back to bite them, as…we found by insisting on voter
ID for elections”
and that the Government had
“upset a system that worked perfectly well.”
Does the Minister not accept that voter ID has disenfranchised
voters across the political spectrum? Does she want more voter ID
restrictions, including for postal votes?
The anecdotal feedback is very much that this has been a
successful enterprise. We will have our report come November, and
the Electoral Commission’s interim report in June and full report
in September. We are prepared to learn lessons, but our
evaluation from anecdotal feedback is that it has been a
successful roll-out.
Social Rented Housing Provision
(Bristol South) (Lab)
14. What steps he is taking to increase the provision of social
rented housing. (905281)
The Minister of State, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and
Communities ()
The Government are committed to increasing affordable housing of
all kinds, which is why we are investing £11.5 billion, through
the affordable homes programme, to deliver tens of thousands of
homes for rent and sale right across the country.
The availability of social rented and affordable housing is the
No. 1 issue that my constituents contact me about. Although
Bristol’s Labour council is building more social homes for the
future, the Government’s decision to scrap targets means that
neighbouring authorities are not rising to the challenge. What
analysis has been conducted by the Department on the impact on
local housing supply of the Government’s decision to water down
its housing targets?
I would like to gently correct the assertion that the hon. Lady
made about watering down housing targets. The Government are
committed to building 300,000 houses across the country. We are
building them in the right places, with community support. We
understand the importance of social rented housing, and that is
why we made a commitment in our levelling-up White Paper to
ensure that more are built with the £11.5 billion of Government
funding that her Labour-run council is no doubt benefiting
from.
Topical Questions
(Christchurch) (Con)
T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental
responsibilities.(905290)
The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
()
This Government are committed to ensuring that we have a fitting
memorial to the holocaust, and we will be bringing forward
legislation to ensure that we can do just that. That legislation
has been designated a hybrid Bill, which, Mr Speaker, you and
others will be aware adds an additional layer of complexity to
legislating for that memorial. I repeat at this Dispatch Box my
commitment on behalf of this Government: we will do everything
possible to legislate, consonant with our responsibilities to
this House and to the other place, with the maximum level of
speed and with unwavering commitment, because we know that, as
the voices of those directly affected by the holocaust fade, we
must do everything we can to ensure that there is a fitting
memorial to this country’s role and place in supporting them.
Why is my right hon. Friend refusing to let Members of this House
see the original and revised impact assessments of his
neo-socialist Renters (Reform) Bill? The independent Regulatory
Policy Committee rejected the first impact assessment as not fit
for purpose. Will he ensure that we see that and the second
version before we debate the Bill on Second Reading?
I am hugely in favour of publishing impact assessments, but I
reassure the House that the proposal that my hon. Friend mentions
as neo-socialist was in the manifesto under which we secured a
record-breaking majority in 2019, and the key provisions of it
were backed not just by my right hon. Friend the Member for
Uxbridge and South Ruislip () but by other noted
neo-socialists, including my right hon. Friend the Member for
South West Norfolk ().
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
(Wigan) (Lab)
It is nice to see an outbreak of consensus in the House; the
Secretary of State is a neo-socialist, and the Bert and Ernie of
British politics have been reunited once more. Will he tell us,
though, why he did not decide to allow the National Audit Office
to investigate the serious allegations about misuse of public
money and assets on Teesside?
We consulted with the NAO and with others, and we felt that it
was most appropriate to have a genuine independent inquiry. It is
important to state that there is no evidence that has come to
light hitherto of any suggestion of corruption, as has been
alleged by some in this House. What we need to do—this was the
explicit request of the Mayor of Tees Valley—is quickly,
expeditiously and authoritatively to provide people with the
reassurance they all want. I am afraid that at the moment there
is a real risk that investment in Teesside could be frozen or
chilled as a result of the programme of misinformation that has
been sedulously spread by Labour party colleagues in Tees
Valley.
It really does beggar belief. The Secretary of State knows very
well that the Mayor in question asked specifically for an NAO
investigation, and that that request was backed by three Select
Committee Chairs, the official Opposition and countless others.
Instead, the Secretary of State has chosen to launch an
investigation on his own terms, hand-picking a panel to
investigate an issue where accountability has totally broken down
as a result of a flawed system of accountability over which he
has presided for years, without heeding the concerns of Members
on both sides of the House and the NAO itself. These are not his
assets; they belong to the people on Teesside, and those people
deserve answers, so I ask him, seriously: how could anyone
possibly have faith in this investigation process or this
Government when they have chosen to block the NAO from
investigating?
The hon. Lady once again seeks to raise question marks over what
has happened in Tees Valley, as her Labour party colleagues have
done. I gently point out that, under the 13 years of Labour
Government, the constituencies and communities of the Tees Valley
were neglected. That is why was elected as Mayor. He is
bringing investment to the Tees Valley that never happened during
the 13 years that Labour was in power; and because it hurts so
much for the Labour party to acknowledge that it is a
Conservative Mayor who is delivering for working people in Tees
Valley, it engages in a campaign of innuendo unworthy of the
party of working people.
(Dewsbury) (Con)
According to the ONS, Kirklees Council is significantly
underperforming in delivering education, health and care plans
within the 20-week target, particularly compared with the
national average and other councils in West Yorkshire. Does the
Minister agree that the council is letting our children and
parents down, and that we need to see a real improvement when the
next ONS report is published later this month?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities ()
That policy area is led by the Department for Education, but I
agree that Kirklees Council needs to improve its performance on
EHCPs. I understand that colleagues from the Department for
Education have been working closely with that council to support
it in doing so. We are awaiting the most recent publication of
figures, which are due to be released imminently.
(Nottingham East) (Lab)
T2. Over 1 million households are waiting for social homes,
including more than 9,000 in Nottingham alone, but rather than
expanding our council housing stock, there was a net loss
nationally of 14,000 council homes last year. When will the
Government take action on our housing crisis and enable council
housing to be built en masse?(905291)
I share the hon. Lady’s commitment to making sure that there is
more socially rented housing, and indeed more affordable housing
overall. Again, I would gently point out that we have built more
social homes under this Administration than were built under the
previous Labour Government. I should also point out that, under
the previous Conservative Mayor of London, more homes were built
than under the current Mayor of London.
(Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
(Con)
And the previous Labour Mayor.
And, indeed, the previous Labour Mayor. If you want affordable
urban housing, you need to have Conservative leadership in City
Hall.
(Hyndburn) (Con)
After speaking to residents in Mercer Park in Hyndburn this
weekend following the successful “Let’s Move Hyndburn” event, it
came to my attention that we have a real lack of disabled
facilities in parks across Hyndburn and Haslingden. Will the
Minister agree to meet me to discuss how we can provide local
authorities with the funding that they need, so that people do
not have to travel outside of the constituency?
I am very grateful to my hon. Friend for raising that issue.
Whether it is Oswaldtwistle or Accrington, we need to make sure
that people living with disabilities have the support they need,
and we will make sure that a meeting happens quickly, whether
with myself or with another Minister in the Department.
(Edmonton) (Lab/Co-op)
T3. Hundreds of families in my constituency are living for
months on end in hotels, as they can no longer afford to rent and
the council has no suitable temporary accommodation left. Local
authorities currently do not have the powers or funding they need
to tackle the crisis, so will the Secretary of State confirm how
he is going to change that and give councils such as Enfield the
resources they need to end this hotel crisis?(905293)
I appreciate the nature of the problem that the hon. Lady
mentions: too many people are in temporary accommodation. I will
look at the challenges that Enfield Council faces in terms of the
delivery of housing, including affordable housing for the
vulnerable families that she champions, and hope to be able to
report back more in due course.
(Milton Keynes North)
(Con)
House prices are all over the headlines yet again, but
affordability is the key issue. Does my hon. Friend the Housing
Minister agree that when we do get new houses built, often taking
years and years to go through planning, they all look like
identikit estates, just like the estates we have already? We need
affordable homes that local people can aspire to and retirement
homes for later living. Does she agree that we need to build the
right houses in the right places?
The Minister of State, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and
Communities ()
I thank my hon. Friend very much. He represents a new town, as I
do—I am very proud to represent the new town of Redditch. We are
absolutely committed to building the right houses in the right
places, and that includes enabling local communities to have more
say over the design and type of housing. We are doing that
through the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: through design
codes, street votes and reforming the planning system. I am
pleased to report to my hon. Friend that I have also launched a
taskforce for older people’s housing to address the housing needs
of older people.
(Middlesbrough) (Lab)
T4. I do not think that the staggering complacency of the
Secretary of State in dismissing legitimate, serious complaints
and concerns about the use of hundreds of millions of pounds of
taxpayers’ money will have passed anybody’s attention. I warn him
that that type of response may well come back and bite him.
However, if there is to be any possibility of this House and the
people of Teesside having any confidence in the findings of the
inquiry that he has commissioned, that inquiry must have all the
powers it needs to demand and secure whatever evidence and
documentation it determines is necessary, and anyone must be able
to submit that evidence to the inquiry. Will the Secretary of
State give those commitments?(905294)
I am tempted to say that if the hon. Gentleman has evidence, he
should please share it. It is the case that Labour in Teesside,
including Labour in Middlesbrough, has consistently sought to
undermine, thwart and oppose those efforts at economic
development and investment that the Mayor of Tees Valley has
brought forward. I recognise that the hon. Gentleman has made a
number of allegations in this House that he has been reluctant to
repeat outside. We look forward to him putting us right in a way
that actually contributes to the welfare of the people of Tees
Valley, rather than advancing the agenda of the Labour party.
Mr Speaker
I have allowed some contributions to stretch, but we are on
topicals, so you will not mind staying a while.
(Devizes) (Con)
Wiltshire urgently needs a lot more housing, and the good news is
that we are getting it. For the past six years, we have met our
house building target by 130%, with 4,000 new houses in Wiltshire
every year, but because developers routinely underestimate their
future building forecasts, we have a theoretical shortage in the
five-year land supply. Because inspectors routinely declare that
local plans are out of date, it means that developers can impose
unwanted and ugly developments that communities do not want. Will
the Secretary of State use the NPPF review to exempt—
Mr Speaker
Order. I am sorry, but topical questions are meant to be short
and punchy. It is not like your previous question. You have just
got to shorten it down. Can somebody answer that question
please?
My hon. Friend is on exactly the right lines. That is what the
NPPF consultation hopes to do.
(North East Fife)
(LD)
T6. I have raised the issue of overseas voters in this place
before, and I understand that the regulations will be brought
forward by the end of the year, but we might have a general
election by then, and we need six months between the regulations
being made and a general election in order for them to take
effect. Can the Secretary of State provide more clarity on the
guarantee that overseas voters will be able to vote?(905296)
I will do everything in my power to ensure that there is at least
six months between those regulations coming forward and any
general election.
Sir (Rochford and Southend
East) (Con)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for levelling up, the
hon. Member for Bishop Auckland (), has been generous with
her time in discussing the future of Essex. Can she reassure the
House that no plans for a combined authority will go forward
without the support of the majority of Essex MPs, because at the
moment I am pretty sure that none of us wants it?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities ()
We are absolutely clear that any devolution deals must be locally
led with local consent. I have consulted my hon. Friend, and we
will continue to have such conversations, but ultimately this is
about getting the best for the people of Essex, and I know he
shares my ambition to deliver that.
(Bristol East) (Lab)
T7. Homes England’s new strategic plan contains commitments to
work with local leaders to deliver “a brownfield first approach”
and to “support biodiversity” by working with partners “to
protect, enhance or create new environmental assets”,yet there
are plans to put 260 housing units on Brislington meadows, a
beautiful nature-rich site in my constituency, going against the
wishes of the council, local residents, the mayor and me. Does
the Secretary of State really think the plan is worth the paper
it is written on if Homes England does not put its principles
into practice?(905297)
I have a lot of sympathy with the hon. Lady’s position, and I
will look closely at that proposal. I agree with her and, indeed,
with the shadow Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Wigan
(), that the green belt is a
valuable environmental asset that we need to protect, but sadly
that is not the view of the Leader of the Opposition.
(Crawley) (Con)
In reforming planning policy to deliver more homes, can I have an
assurance that the brownfield-first policy will be paramount to
protect the green belt and green fields from development?
Yes, absolutely. As the hon. Member for Bristol East () has pointed out, that is
absolutely at the heart of the strategic plan for Homes
England.
(Edinburgh North and Leith)
(SNP)
What discussions has the Secretary of State had with devolved
counterparts on the potential location of investment zones in
Scotland? What steps is he taking to tailor those zones to
Scotland’s economic strengths and the Scottish Government’s
ambition of transitioning to a wellbeing economy?
I have had good conversations with the SNP leaders of Aberdeen
City Council and Dundee City Council and, indeed, the SNP leader
of Glasgow City Council, as well as with the Deputy First
Minister about precisely this issue. We want to make sure that
investment zones, such as freeports, are an example of the
Scottish Government and the UK Government working in a way that
is better together.
(East Devon) (Con)
To hit the Government’s new sewage reduction targets, water
companies such as South West Water must make sure that the
infrastructure can cope with new housing developments. With that
in mind, will my right hon. Friend update the House on what plans
the Government have to make sure that water companies are
statutory consultees in major housing developments?
My hon. Friend has talked to me about this issue before, and I
think his concerns are absolutely on the button. I should say
that proposals have been brought forward by my right hon. Friend
the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to
dramatically improve the way in which waste water treatment works
operate, but there is still more to do, and his point is very
well made.
Several hon. Members rose—
Mr Speaker
We now come to , who has the final
question.
(Eltham) (Lab)
Residents in Master Gunner Place in my constituency are still
paying for a waking watch, despite a new fire alarm being
introduced. These properties were built with major defects by
Countryside Properties, and they are now owned by Samnas. I want
to know what the Minister is going to do to take these people to
task, because they are costing my constituents a lot of money,
which should have been resolved before.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities ()
The hon. Gentleman will have seen that we have recently reopened
the waking watch fund, but on the specific issue he has raised, I
would be happy to meet him, because I also want to understand why
this has not been removed as a result of the money spent.
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