Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1355453

registered interest
date	14/09/2021
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Housing: Older People
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing the Law Commission’s recommendations on the regulation of event fees in retirement properties.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	49017
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2021 answer text <p>In 2017, the Law Commission published a report of their review of event fees on behalf of this Department. This followed concerns raised by the Competition and Markets Authority about the fairness of some retirement property leases that have resulted in leaseholders paying an event fee of between 0.25% and 30% of the sale price of the property when selling or sub-letting. Concerns were also raised about the lack of transparency of event fees for older people and their families when purchasing a leasehold retirement property. The Law Commission made a number of recommendations in its report, which can be downloaded at <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lawcom.gov.uk%2Fproject%2Fevent-fees-in-retirement-properties&amp;data=04%7C01%7CPSChristopherPincher%40communities.gov.uk%7C9af3d88c749e44ec1a9608d97c3cae44%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C637677422317532003%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=zfNpEslOjuyfbBg1w59pPu8%2B3V6BzQ2jRVTQ%2FUU%2FDsU%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">http://www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/event-fees-in-retirement-properties</a>.</p><p>The Government responded to the Law Commission, thanking them for the report and agreeing to implement the majority of the recommendations.</p><p>This includes a new statutory code of practice which will ensure that these fees cannot be charged unexpectedly, while fees that breach it will be regarded as unenforceable and developers and estate agents will be required to make all such fees crystal clear to people before they buy, so prospective buyers can make an informed decision before forming a financial or emotional attachment to a property.</p><p>The Government is considering two further recommendations, on succession rights and a database of leasehold retirement properties with event fees, and will respond.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 20/09/2021 15:23:07 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1355454

registered interest
date	14/09/2021
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Housing: Older People
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help increase consumer transparency in older people’s housing in relation to associated fees and charges.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	49018
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2021 answer text <p>The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Bill currently in Parliament will put an end to ground rents for new residential leasehold properties as part of the most significant changes to property law in a generation. The Bill's provisions will lead to fairer, more transparent homeownership for thousands of future leaseholders.</p><p>This includes retirement properties, where purchasers of new leases will not be faced with financial demands for ground rent.</p> answering member constituency Walsall North answering member printed Eddie Hughes question first answered 20/09/2021 17:39:05 answering member 4635 label Biography information for Eddie Hughes
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1347888

registered interest
date	19/07/2021
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Flats: Fire Prevention
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What estimate he has made of the number of multi-storey residential buildings with dangerous cladding or other fire defects that (a) will miss the deadline and (b) are not eligible for the Building Safety Fund.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	902868
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2021 answer text <p>All eligible applications currently made to the Building Safety Fund will proceed, and we are working with applicants to ensure work gets underway as soon as possible.</p><p>For any buildings that may have missed the original registration deadline we will be reopening for registrations in the Autumn.</p><p>This will ensure we meet our commitment to fully fund the cost of replacing unsafe cladding for all leaseholders in residential buildings 18 metres and over in England.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher grouped question UIN 902873 question first answered 19/07/2021 16:26:46 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1329986

registered interest
date	07/06/2021
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Housing: Fire Prevention
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his most recent assessment is of the effectiveness of the EWS1 process for residential buildings.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	11462
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2021 answer text <p>The EWS1 process is an industry designed valuation tool – it is not a Government form nor a legal requirement. MHCLG estimates that nearly 500,000 leaseholders should not require an EWS1 form, following the new EWS1 valuation guidance from RICS, published in March 2021.</p><p>Most major lenders, representing roughly 80% of the mortgage market, have said that they will adopt the RICS guidance, or already take an even more proportionate approach.</p><p>Recent data from one major lender suggests that an EWS1 already exists for 50% of mortgage applications where one is requested, and we are working with industry to ensure this picture only improves.</p><p>The Government continues to challenge industry on the use of the EWS1 process. We have requested data from lenders and surveyors so that we can understand how the RICS guidance is being applied, and the effect of the process on mortgage applications.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 10/06/2021 16:27:28 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1329988

registered interest
date	07/06/2021
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Building Safety Fund
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken ahead of the Building Safety Fund application deadline to ensure that applications are submitted for all eligible buildings; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	11463
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2021 answer text <p>The timelines for the Building Safety Fund were intended to incentivise building owners to speed up plans to identify and remediate unsafe buildings. The deadlines for the Fund have been set based on what we know about registrants and their readiness to be able to deliver projects. We recognise, however, that meeting these deadlines may not be possible in all circumstances, for instance where applicants find that they do not have sufficient time to complete a robust and satisfactory procurement process in order to meet the 30 June deadline. More time may be permitted on a case by case basis, providing applicants continue to keep delivery partners fully informed and provide them with realistic timetables.</p><p> </p><p>The announcement on 10 February of an additional £3.5 billion of funding provides assurance for residents that all eligible applications to the Building Safety Fund will be able to proceed. All registrants should continue to ensure that everything is done to maximise the pace of remediation and to continue to make progress with their applications to the Building Safety Fund to ensure that remedial works are carried out as soon as possible.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 10/06/2021 16:28:26 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1329989

registered interest
date	07/06/2021
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Waking Watch Relief Fund
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how long he estimates recently introduced waking watch services will be in operation before they can be replaced with effective alarm systems funded through the Waking Watch Relief Fund.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	11464
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2021 answer text <p>The Government launched the £30 million Waking Watch Relief Fund to incentivise buildings to install a common alarm system and reduce the dependency on Waking Watch in as many buildings as possible, thereby reducing the burden of expensive waking watch measures on leaseholders. The Waking Watch Relief Fund reopened for all buildings across England from 26 May until 24 June. We are urging building owners to act swiftly to reduce the financial effect of waking watch measures. Where grant funding is provided, we expect applicants to install alarms as quickly as possible.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 10/06/2021 16:28:57 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1329990

registered interest
date	07/06/2021
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	High Rise Flats: Insulation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to take enforcement action in cases where high rise residential buildings with dangerous cladding have not been made safe; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	11465
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2021 answer text <p>The Government itself cannot take enforcement action, but where building owners are failing to make acceptable progress in removing unsafe cladding then they should expect enforcement action by local authorities or Fire and Rescue Authorities who share responsibility for enforcement relating to fire safety.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will support local regulators where enforcement action is taken. We have established a Joint Inspection Team (JIT) to support local authorities in taking enforcement action on building owners with regards to inaction on removing unsafe ACM cladding. The JIT's remit has also been expanded to include non-ACM cladding and it is providing training to help build capability in local authorities.</p><p> </p><p>The Fire Safety Act has also clarified that the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the 'Fire Safety Order') applies to external wall systems and will put beyond doubt that Fire and Rescue Authorities can enforce against and where necessary, pursue prosecution if Responsible Persons or those otherwise responsible under the Fire Safety Order fail to take appropriate fire safety measures with regards to unsafe cladding in multi-occupied residential buildings.</p><p> </p><p>Further information on enforcement, including the number of buildings currently subject to enforcement action due to lack of progress on remediation, can be found in Building Safety Programme Monthly Data Release at: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fguidance%2Faluminium-composite-material-cladding%23acm-remediation-data&amp;data=04%7C01%7CPSChristopherPincher%40communities.gov.uk%7C0e7e240e248a4338458208d92c050503%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C637589222328088589%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=GGMoh7UkZGHx%2B3kUfergaWkS6bTKqBweUfjITid3IBw%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/aluminium-composite-material-cladding#acm-remediation-data</a> .</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 10/06/2021 16:30:42 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1315886

registered interest
date	18/05/2021
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Housing: Fire Prevention
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to his Answer of 17 May 2021 to Question 35, what his Department’s definition of a short period of time is in respect of how long a Responsible Person should operate a Waking Watch; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	2863
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2021 answer text <p>Where a building moves from a Stay Put to Simultaneous Evacuation fire safety strategy, those responsible for the fire safety of the building should follow the expert guidance on Simultaneous Evacuation published by the National Fire Chief’s Council. The guidance recommends that a Waking Watch should only be in place for a short period of time and that the Responsible Person should move quickly to install a common fire alarm system as they are a more cost effective and reliable option. The guidance defines ‘short term’ as the following:</p><p>“Short-Term 2.14. The amount of time needed for Responsible Persons to formulate a longer-term plan for other interim measures (such as the installation of a temporary common fire alarm system or remediating the risk of the external wall system). The length of the ‘short term’ will be dependent upon factors such as the design of the building, the different types of tenures, particularly leaseholders and the needs of residents. The short-term should be as soon as practically possible and no longer than 12 months.”</p><p>For more information, please refer to guidance available at: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalfirechiefs.org.uk%2FSimultaneous-evacuation-guidance&amp;data=04%7C01%7CBSP_PQ%40communities.gov.uk%7C2438e7cbe5844ac12f7108d91b6ce27e%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C637570976727280135%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=4WdvnGbH3znquytP%2BZ%2BJ5aUGRqfFOQBX6xK0oSNwGhk%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">www.nationalfirechiefs.org.uk/Simultaneous-evacuation-guidance.</a><br></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 24/05/2021 16:29:12 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1315145

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Rents: Arrears
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of tenants that have built up rent arrears since covid-19 lockdown measures were introduced; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	2174
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2021 answer text <p>Government support has ensured that the vast majority of tenants have maintained their rent payments. Data from the English Housing Survey (EHS) Household Resilience Study November-December 2020 suggests that around 9 per cent of households in the private rented sector are in rent arrears and two thirds of those are in less than 2 months of arrears.</p><p>The UK Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support which is available to tenants. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and £20 per week uplift in Universal Credit are in place until the end of September, helping private renters to continue paying their rent. Local housing allowance rates have been maintained at their increased level in cash terms in 2021/22, meaning claimants renting in the private rented sector continue to benefit from the significant increase in the local housing allowance rates applied in April 2020. For those who require additional support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are available. For 2021-22 the Government has made £140 million available in DHP funding, building on the £180 million provided last year.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Walsall North answering member printed Eddie Hughes question first answered 20/05/2021 10:50:05 answering member 4635 label Biography information for Eddie Hughes
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1313004

registered interest
date	11/05/2021
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Fire Prevention
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Waking Watch services; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	35
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2021 answer text <p>Waking Watch, when operated in accordance with the Simultaneous Evacuation Guidance published by the National Fire Chief’s Council (NFCC) is a legitimate risk mitigation measure in buildings which move from a stay put to simultaneous evacuation fire safety strategy. NFCC guidance recommends that a Waking Watch should only be in place for a short period of time and that the Responsible Person should move quickly to install a common fire alarm system as they are a more cost effective and reliable option.</p><p>We are aware that too many buildings are relying on Waking Watch for too long and that in many cases the costs are being borne by leaseholders. That is why we have provided £30 million to install common alarm systems in eligible buildings to replace expensive Waking Watch measures. No interim measures should be considered as a substitute for completing remediation as quickly as possible.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 17/05/2021 16:25:50 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms