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78385

	registered interest
	date	16/07/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Housing: Greater London
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many homes in each London Borough failed to meet the decent homes standard in each year since 2010.
	tabling member constituency	Tooting
	tabling member printed	Sadiq Khan
	uin	206256
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2014 answer text <p>The last Labour Government failed to meet its Decent Homes target. It pledged in 2000 that: “We... are committed to ensuring that all social housing is of a decent standard within 10 years” (DETR, <em>Quality and Choice: A Decent Home for All: The Housing Green Paper</em>, April 2000, p.11). But almost one in ten homes failed to meet the standard by 2010.</p><p> </p><p>Indeed, the last Labour Government actually cut the Decent Homes programme by £150 million in July 2009, cannibalising the housing programme to pay for other policies. I also observe the last Prime Minister planned to cut back housing investment, remarking before the general election: “Housing is essentially a private sector activity. Let's be honest about this... I don't see a need for us to continue with such a big renovation programme” (<em>BBC Newsnight</em>, 30 April 2010).</p><p>By contrast, the Coalition Government is investing £2.3 billion from 2011 to 2016 to improve the quality of existing social housing through the Decent Homes programme and large-scale voluntary transfer gap funding.</p><p>Across England, the number of non-decent local authority dwellings has fallen from 291,600 on 1 April 2010 to 184,100 in April 2013, and continues to fall thanks to our continuing investment.</p><p>The attached table shows figures for London Boroughs, based on their own estimates. Figures for some Boroughs fluctuate from year to year due to councils carrying out more thorough assessments on the state of individual properties; yet there is a clear downward trend across London.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 21/10/2014 16:20:33 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis attachment 1 file name PQ 421 - Table.docx title Decent Standard Homes Table
	tabling member	1577 label Biography information for Sadiq Khan

93120

	registered interest
	date	14/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Urban Areas
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to eradicate the commercial and aesthetic effects of derelict and abandoned buildings in town centres.
	tabling member constituency	North Antrim
	tabling member printed	Ian Paisley
	uin	210611
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2014 answer text <p>Local authorities have a range of powers to tackle derelict and abandoned land and buildings including:<br><br>- section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 –which enables local authorities to serve a notice requiring owners to clean up land and buildings where their condition adversely affects the amenity of the area. Local authorities can also take direct action and recover the costs.<br><br>- section 1 of the Localism Act 2011 – we encourage local councils, including eligible parish councils, to consider the general power of competence in the Localism Act 2011. This removes the need to establish new narrow powers in response to particular issues. Local authorities have the power to act innovatively for their local communities and they can use the power without constantly looking back to Whitehall for permission.<br><br>- compulsory purchase powers – as a last resort, local authorities have a range of powers to acquire land for different purposes provided there is a compelling case in the public interest.</p><p> </p><p>In February we amended the Community Infrastructure Levy to make it fairer and more flexible, including specific measures to encourage brownfield development. We also consulted on removing section 106 affordable housing contributions for small sites, as well as applying a similar exemption to vacant buildings brought back into use. The Government will publish a response to the consultation shortly.</p><p> </p><p>We have exempted empty new builds from empty property rates for up to 18 months up to state aid limits. Also, our £1 billion package of business rates measures for 2014-15 included a £1,000 discount for shops, pubs and restaurants with rateable values below £50,000 for 2 years and a new re-occupation relief which cuts business rates by half for 18 months for businesses taking on a long-term empty retail property.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has also made a number of deregulatory reforms to the planning system that encourage the re-use of existing, under-utilised buildings and building space. For example, there are permitted development rights that allow redundant space above shops to change to residential use as well as rights that allow offices to change to residential use. These, along with other change of use permitted development rights are making more productive use of our building stock and bringing forward much needed new homes.</p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 21/10/2014 16:23:48 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	4129 label Biography information for Ian Paisley

90294

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Social Services: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that all councils review their procedures for dealing with the sexual exploitation of children following the report on Rotherham Council; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Warrington North
	tabling member printed	Helen Jones
	uin	207872
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2014 answer text <p>I refer the hon.Members to the written statement made on 10 September, <em>Official Report</em>, Column 37WS, in which my rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Eric Pickles), indicated his intention to write to leaders of principal councils asking them to consider the implications of the Jay report for their own authority. In the event he wrote jointly with my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education (Nicky Morgan) on 24 September with copies to Chairmen of all Health and Wellbeing Boards in England. A copy of this letter can be seen at:</p><p>https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/358979/140924_-_Rotherham_letter_joint_final.pdf.</p><p> </p><p>My rt. hon. Friend the Home Secretary (Theresa May) has also written in similar terms to Chief Constables with copies to Police and Crime Commissioners.</p><p> </p><p>Copies of both letters are attached.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins grouped question UIN 207398 question first answered 21/10/2014 16:36:23 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins attachment 1 file name 207398 McCabe.pdf title Letters from DCLG/DfE and Home Office previous answer version 18505 answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins
	tabling member	432 label Biography information for Helen Jones

89512

	registered interest
	date	29/08/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Offences against Children: Rotherham
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to implement the recommendations made in the Independent Inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham from 1997 to 2013.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	207398
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2014 answer text <p>I refer the hon.Members to the written statement made on 10 September, <em>Official Report</em>, Column 37WS, in which my rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Eric Pickles), indicated his intention to write to leaders of principal councils asking them to consider the implications of the Jay report for their own authority. In the event he wrote jointly with my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education (Nicky Morgan) on 24 September with copies to Chairmen of all Health and Wellbeing Boards in England. A copy of this letter can be seen at:</p><p>https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/358979/140924_-_Rotherham_letter_joint_final.pdf.</p><p> </p><p>My rt. hon. Friend the Home Secretary (Theresa May) has also written in similar terms to Chief Constables with copies to Police and Crime Commissioners.</p><p> </p><p>Copies of both letters are attached.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins grouped question UIN 207872 question first answered 21/10/2014 16:36:24 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins attachment 1 file name 207398 McCabe.pdf title Letters from DCLG/DfE and Home Office
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe