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43015

	registered interest
	date	13/03/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name
	answering dept sort name
	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 applications to dispose of statutory allotments have been (a) submitted, (b) approved and (c) rejected in each local authority area in each year since 2010.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
	tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
	uin	191956
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Further to the Allotments Act 1925, applications for consent to dispose of allotment land are submitted to the Department by local councils (parish councils and principal authorities). The table below shows the breakdown of applications since May 2010.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td> </td><td><p><em>Granted</em></p></td><td><p><em>Withdrawn</em></p></td><td><p><em>Refused</em></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>May 2010- March 2011</p></td><td><p>18</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>17</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>15</p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>17</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>4</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014-15 to date</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>To place this in context, the Secretary of State granted 34 allotment disposals in 2007, granted 22 in 2008 and granted 18 in 2009, whilst only 2 were declined, which is a greater rate than under this Administration.</p><p>I observe that the rt. hon. Member has been quoted in the media attacking such consents. He would have been wiser however to have undertaken a closer examination of the 68 individual consents granted to the local councils since May 2010.</p><p>The table below provides some context to help explain why there was a reasonable case by the representative local bodies for changing the statutory status of the land.</p><p>In January 2014, my Department published <em>Allotment Disposal Guidance: Safeguards and Alternatives</em> replacing the previous guidance from 2002. The new guidance strengthens allotment protection, as the requirement for waiting lists to be taken into account must now be rigorously applied to all that council's waiting lists, not just the waiting list for the site to be disposed of. This aims to ensure that poorly maintained sites are not used to justify disposal. Ministers will be closely monitoring to ensure that this new guidance is followed.</p><p>Notwithstanding, I have taken the opportunity to analyse these previous cases in the table below. The National Allotment Society was consulted in every case, and nine out of ten decisions were consistent with advice from the National Allotment Society (where advice was given); the remaining cases where the advice diverged related to land not actually in use as allotments, requiring a judgement call on whether it was realistic to bring the land back into productive use.</p><p>Having analysed these approvals, I can note that half of the land disposed was not actually in use as allotments. Moreover, in every case where existing allotment plot holders were displaced, evidence from local authorities indicates that alternative plots were made available to them.</p><p>More new plots were proposed to be created and/or vacant sites proposed to be brought back into use than the number of proposed disposals of in-use allotment plots. Consequently, the statutory disposal process overseen by the Secretary of State since May 2010 should have resulted in an <strong>increase</strong> in allotment provision not a reduction. This reflects this Government's commitment both to supporting local communities grow their own food and to protecting important community assets.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bristol West answering member printed Stephen Williams grouped question UIN 196310 question first answered 14/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1492 label Biography information for Stephen Williams attachment 1 file name 2269 & 2521 Benn - Table.docx title Allotments - Disposal Consents Granted
	tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

229345

	registered interest
	date	24/03/2015
	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	Parks
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the National Trust on the preservation of public parks.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	228925
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2015 answer text <p>Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are published on-line as part of our transparency agenda. They are available at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-communities-and-local-government&amp;publication_type=transparency-data" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-communities-and-local-government&amp;publication_type=transparency-data</a><br><br></p><p> </p><p>Through the Community Right to Bid, introduced as part of the Localism Act 2011, communities and local groups can protect local assets, such as parks, playing fields and allotments, by nominating them to be listed by the local authority as an Asset of Community Value. If the listed asset comes up for sale, local community groups can ‘pause’ the sale for a period of time in order to raise the finance to make a bid to buy it.</p><p> </p><p>In February, the Department held a green spaces seminar to explore barriers to pursuing innovative solutions to protecting green spaces and to consider what actions central government might usefully take to help remove some of these. The National Trust attended this seminar and presented the approach they are exploring in partnership with Sheffield City Council to create an endowment fund for the city’s parks. This work is being pursued as part of the £1 million Rethinking Parks project initiated by Nesta, Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery.</p> answering member constituency Bristol West answering member printed Stephen Williams question first answered 26/03/2015 08:50:59 answering member 1492 label Biography information for Stephen Williams
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

228783

	registered interest
	date	20/03/2015
	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	Holocaust Memorial Day
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funding his Department makes available for individual Holocaust memorial projects.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	228558
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2015 answer text <p>This Department is firmly committed to sustaining the memory of the Holocaust.</p><p> </p><p>We have funded the annual Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January to commemorate the Holocaust and subsequent genocides. This also includes funding a programme to raise awareness of the Srebrenica genocide.</p><p> </p><p>We support the Post Holocaust Issues Envoy to represent the UK in international fora on restitution. We have funded the Anne Frank Trust to educate 35,000 young people and equip them to challenge prejudice and hatred.</p><p> </p><p>We have also funded the Wiener Library to help UK citizens trace relatives during the Nazi persecution and contributed to the on going restoration and preservation of Auschwitz Birkenau.</p><p> </p><p>On 27 January the Prime Minister announced the formation of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation which will oversee the establishment of the new National Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre. We will initially act as sponsor to this permanent body.</p> answering member constituency Bristol West answering member printed Stephen Williams question first answered 26/03/2015 08:56:16 answering member 1492 label Biography information for Stephen Williams
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

228784

	registered interest
	date	20/03/2015
	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	Neighbourhood Plans
	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 neighbourhood forums have been established under the Localism Act 2011.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	228567
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2015 answer text <p>The Department does not hold official statistics on the number of neighbourhood forums established under the Localism Act. However from our informal monitoring we are aware that of the 1,400 communities who have started the process of neighbourhood planning, around 190 are non-parished areas, and will therefore be led by neighbourhood forums.</p> answering member constituency Bristol West answering member printed Stephen Williams question first answered 24/03/2015 12:16:12 answering member 1492 label Biography information for Stephen Williams
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

227737

	registered interest
	date	17/03/2015
	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	Translation Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2015, Official Report, column 7, on translation costs, what progress he has made in looking into the matter of British sign language translation services.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	227920
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2015 answer text <p>This is an issue which we take very seriously and my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State (Eric Pickles) will be writing to the hon. Member fully on the matter shortly. Under the Equality Act 2010, public and private service providers are required to make reasonable adjustments to enable people with disabilities to access a service on an equal basis with a non-disabled person. Local authorities and other local agencies should provide a good quality service to all, and we encourage local people to hold their local authorities to account.</p> answering member constituency Bristol West answering member printed Stephen Williams question first answered 23/03/2015 14:26:00 answering member 1492 label Biography information for Stephen Williams
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

227493

	registered interest
	date	16/03/2015
	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	Park Homes: Licensing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, in how many local authority areas park home site owners have breached their site licences more than three times in the last two years.
	tabling member constituency	Totnes
	tabling member printed	Dr Sarah Wollaston
	uin	227576
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2015 answer text <p>The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold details of the number of local authority areas where site owners have breached their site licences, or details of the number of local authorities taking proceedings against site owners, or the number of local authorities who have revoked the licences of park home site owners who have breached their site licences.</p><p> </p><p>This Government is determined to improve life for park home residents and we have already given residents important new rights to improve their lives and protect them from rogue site owners.<br><br><br>We know that a source of real anxiety for residents is the poor state of some sites and the lack of routine maintenance and repairs. That is why this Government has given local authorities, for the first time, powers to issue compliance notices requiring a site owner to carry out any necessary work to the site to comply with their licence obligations. If the site owner fails to comply, the local authority will be able to prosecute them and if convicted they will face an unlimited fine. The local authority may then enter the site and do the necessary works. In an emergency, a local authority may also enter a site and do the works if it considers there is an imminent risk to the health and safety of residents. The authority will in any of these cases be able to recover all its enforcement costs directly from the site owner. We have published guidance for local authorities on how to use their new powers to best effect.</p><p> </p><p>We have also given local authorities powers to refuse to grant a new application or transfer of a site licence. We have issued guidance which sets out the matters an authority can take into account when considering an application including the funding and management arrangements in place for managing the site and complying with the licence.</p> answering member constituency Bristol West answering member printed Stephen Williams grouped question UIN 227577 227578 question first answered 18/03/2015 15:25:38 answering member 1492 label Biography information for Stephen Williams
	tabling member	4073 label Biography information for Dr Sarah Wollaston

227494

	registered interest
	date	16/03/2015
	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	Park Homes: Licensing
	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 local authorities are taking proceedings against park home site owners who have breached their site licences more than three times in the last two years.
	tabling member constituency	Totnes
	tabling member printed	Dr Sarah Wollaston
	uin	227577
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2015 answer text <p>The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold details of the number of local authority areas where site owners have breached their site licences, or details of the number of local authorities taking proceedings against site owners, or the number of local authorities who have revoked the licences of park home site owners who have breached their site licences.</p><p> </p><p>This Government is determined to improve life for park home residents and we have already given residents important new rights to improve their lives and protect them from rogue site owners.<br><br><br>We know that a source of real anxiety for residents is the poor state of some sites and the lack of routine maintenance and repairs. That is why this Government has given local authorities, for the first time, powers to issue compliance notices requiring a site owner to carry out any necessary work to the site to comply with their licence obligations. If the site owner fails to comply, the local authority will be able to prosecute them and if convicted they will face an unlimited fine. The local authority may then enter the site and do the necessary works. In an emergency, a local authority may also enter a site and do the works if it considers there is an imminent risk to the health and safety of residents. The authority will in any of these cases be able to recover all its enforcement costs directly from the site owner. We have published guidance for local authorities on how to use their new powers to best effect.</p><p> </p><p>We have also given local authorities powers to refuse to grant a new application or transfer of a site licence. We have issued guidance which sets out the matters an authority can take into account when considering an application including the funding and management arrangements in place for managing the site and complying with the licence.</p> answering member constituency Bristol West answering member printed Stephen Williams grouped question UIN 227576 227578 question first answered 18/03/2015 15:25:38 answering member 1492 label Biography information for Stephen Williams
	tabling member	4073 label Biography information for Dr Sarah Wollaston

227495

	registered interest
	date	16/03/2015
	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	Park Homes: Licensing
	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 local authorities have revoked the licences of park home site owners who have breached their site licences more than three times in the last two years.
	tabling member constituency	Totnes
	tabling member printed	Dr Sarah Wollaston
	uin	227578
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2015 answer text <p>The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold details of the number of local authority areas where site owners have breached their site licences, or details of the number of local authorities taking proceedings against site owners, or the number of local authorities who have revoked the licences of park home site owners who have breached their site licences.</p><p> </p><p>This Government is determined to improve life for park home residents and we have already given residents important new rights to improve their lives and protect them from rogue site owners.<br><br><br>We know that a source of real anxiety for residents is the poor state of some sites and the lack of routine maintenance and repairs. That is why this Government has given local authorities, for the first time, powers to issue compliance notices requiring a site owner to carry out any necessary work to the site to comply with their licence obligations. If the site owner fails to comply, the local authority will be able to prosecute them and if convicted they will face an unlimited fine. The local authority may then enter the site and do the necessary works. In an emergency, a local authority may also enter a site and do the works if it considers there is an imminent risk to the health and safety of residents. The authority will in any of these cases be able to recover all its enforcement costs directly from the site owner. We have published guidance for local authorities on how to use their new powers to best effect.</p><p> </p><p>We have also given local authorities powers to refuse to grant a new application or transfer of a site licence. We have issued guidance which sets out the matters an authority can take into account when considering an application including the funding and management arrangements in place for managing the site and complying with the licence.</p> answering member constituency Bristol West answering member printed Stephen Williams grouped question UIN 227576 227577 question first answered 18/03/2015 15:25:38 answering member 1492 label Biography information for Stephen Williams
	tabling member	4073 label Biography information for Dr Sarah Wollaston

226574

	registered interest
	date	11/03/2015
	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	Energy Performance Certificates
	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 make an assessment of the potential behavioural effects on managers and users of Government buildings of the repeal of regulations on display energy certificates; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Hazel Grove
	tabling member printed	Sir Andrew Stunell
	uin	227259
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/03/2015 answer text <p>My officials are liaising with their colleagues across government to attempt to assess the behavioural effects of the Display Energy Certificate regime. Included with my Department's consultation on the future of the Display Energy Certificate regime, was a call for evidence, seeking from across the public sector information relating to the use and usefulness of Display Energy Certificates. We will assess the information provided through the discussions across Government, and in response to the call for evidence, to form a view of the behavioural effects of the current regime and of possible changes to it. <br><br>The possible changes set out in the consultation included a range of options, from doing nothing; through making some changes to reduce the amount of gold-plating in the current Display Energy Certificate regime; to replacing the requirement to obtain and display a Display Energy Certificate with one to obtain and display an Energy Performance Certificate, adding for public buildings the requirement to obtain an Energy Performance Certificate to the requirement to display them where they have been obtained that already exists for commercial buildings over 500m2. We will consider the responses to the consultation before forming a view as to which of the options it contained should be implemented. This will be set out in the government response to the consultation, which will be published in due course.<br><br>There is no requirement in the Display Energy Certificate regime to implement any recommendations made, although it may be prudent for cost-effective recommendations to be implemented where possible. <br><br>All Government departments have targets set under the Greening Government commitments, progress towards which must be regularly reported to the Home Affairs (Greening Government Commitments) sub-Committee.<br><br>Furthermore, the State of the Estate report, which covers the civil estate, is published annually by the Cabinet Office and reports progress against targets for energy performance. The State of the Estate Report 2013 reported that cross-government greenhouse gas emissions were, on average, 14% less in 2012/13 than in 2009/10. This represents a slight improvement on the 12% achieved the previous year and that all departments reported improvements against the 2009/10 baseline. Reduced energy consumption across the government estate is estimated to have saved the taxpayer £44 million since 2009/10.</p> answering member constituency Bristol West answering member printed Stephen Williams grouped question UIN 227257 227258 question first answered 16/03/2015 15:46:43 answering member 1492 label Biography information for Stephen Williams
	tabling member	445 label Biography information for Lord Stunell

226598

	registered interest
	date	11/03/2015
	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	Energy: Conservation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what measures that reduce energy consumption in Government buildings (a) above and (b) below 500 square metres in area he plans to remove; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Hazel Grove
	tabling member printed	Sir Andrew Stunell
	uin	227258
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/03/2015 answer text <p>My officials are liaising with their colleagues across government to attempt to assess the behavioural effects of the Display Energy Certificate regime. Included with my Department's consultation on the future of the Display Energy Certificate regime, was a call for evidence, seeking from across the public sector information relating to the use and usefulness of Display Energy Certificates. We will assess the information provided through the discussions across Government, and in response to the call for evidence, to form a view of the behavioural effects of the current regime and of possible changes to it. <br><br>The possible changes set out in the consultation included a range of options, from doing nothing; through making some changes to reduce the amount of gold-plating in the current Display Energy Certificate regime; to replacing the requirement to obtain and display a Display Energy Certificate with one to obtain and display an Energy Performance Certificate, adding for public buildings the requirement to obtain an Energy Performance Certificate to the requirement to display them where they have been obtained that already exists for commercial buildings over 500m2. We will consider the responses to the consultation before forming a view as to which of the options it contained should be implemented. This will be set out in the government response to the consultation, which will be published in due course.<br><br>There is no requirement in the Display Energy Certificate regime to implement any recommendations made, although it may be prudent for cost-effective recommendations to be implemented where possible. <br><br>All Government departments have targets set under the Greening Government commitments, progress towards which must be regularly reported to the Home Affairs (Greening Government Commitments) sub-Committee.<br><br>Furthermore, the State of the Estate report, which covers the civil estate, is published annually by the Cabinet Office and reports progress against targets for energy performance. The State of the Estate Report 2013 reported that cross-government greenhouse gas emissions were, on average, 14% less in 2012/13 than in 2009/10. This represents a slight improvement on the 12% achieved the previous year and that all departments reported improvements against the 2009/10 baseline. Reduced energy consumption across the government estate is estimated to have saved the taxpayer £44 million since 2009/10.</p> answering member constituency Bristol West answering member printed Stephen Williams grouped question UIN 227257 227259 question first answered 16/03/2015 15:46:43 answering member 1492 label Biography information for Stephen Williams
	tabling member	445 label Biography information for Lord Stunell