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1260001

	registered interest
	date	10/12/2020
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Court of Appeal: Sentencing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What criteria she uses when referring sentences to the Court of Appeal.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	910047
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2020 answer text <p>The Law Officers have the power to refer a sentence for review if it appears to us to be not just lenient, but unduly lenient. It is a power we exercise personally, based on our legal assessment of the facts and merits of each case. The court ultimately decide on the case, but we refer cases in the public interest where in our judgment they appear unduly lenient.</p> answering member constituency Northampton North answering member printed Michael Ellis question first answered 10/12/2020 16:08:07 answering member 4116 label Biography information for Sir Michael Ellis
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1356840

	registered interest
	date	20/09/2021
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	British American Tobacco: Fraud
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, what plans she has to refer the allegations made in the BBC’s Panorama programme of 12 September 2021 regarding British American Tobacco to the Serious Fraud Office.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	51674
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/09/2021 answer text <p>The SFO is aware of the allegations made in the BBC’s Panorama programme of 12 September 2021. Following a three-year investigation into the British American Tobacco, in January 2021 the SFO determined that this case did not meet the evidential tests as defined in the Code for Crown Prosecutors. As with all cases that fail this first limb of the Code, it was therefore not in the public interest to continue with the investigation.</p><p> </p><p>The SFO continues to assist its international law enforcement partners with ongoing investigations related to this matter and will assess any new material it receives. The SFO does not comment on the actions it takes to assess allegations.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 27/09/2021 11:30:53 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1356842

	registered interest
	date	20/09/2021
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	British American Tobacco: Corruption
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the BBC Panorama programme of 12 September 2021, whether the Serious Fraud Office plans to review its assessment of the compliance of British American Tobacco with the Bribery Act 2010 in response to the findings of the Panorama programme.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	51675
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/09/2021 answer text <p>Following a three-year investigation into British American Tobacco, in January 2021 the SFO determined that this case did not meet the evidential tests as defined in the Code for Crown Prosecutors. As with all cases that fail this first limb of the Code, it was therefore not in the public interest to continue with the investigation.</p><p>The SFO is aware of the allegations made in the BBC’s Panorama programme of 12 September 2021 and will review and assess any material which is provided to it.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 27/09/2021 11:32:40 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1240852

	registered interest
	date	06/10/2020
	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	Local Government: Property
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of commercial property investments made by local authorities in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	99595
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/10/2020 answer text <p>Local authorities borrow and invest under the Prudential Framework (the Framework) which is designed to ensure that the capital plans of local authorities are affordable, prudent and sustainable, while giving councils the freedom to set their own capital strategies. Government is responsible for ensuring the Framework remains effective in driving sound decision making, and collects appropriate data to monitor trends and identify risks, including from commercial investment activity. Government does not routinely undertake any assessment of the effectiveness of local decisions to borrow and invest; local authorities remain accountable to their electorate for managing their own investment strategies and meeting their best value duty. However, councils have to appropriately comply with the Framework’s statutory guidance, including the requirement to report performance against a set of metrics designed to demonstrate the objectives of the Framework are being met, and to publish an investment strategy.</p><p>Government is aware of recent trends where some local authorities are taking on high levels of debt to invest for commercial income, rather than for providing the functions of a council. We are clear that borrowing to invest for yield is not in keeping with the intent of the Framework and exposes councils and taxpayers to undue financial risk. We have already tightened our statutory guidance on investments to improve decision making, and we are now carefully considering the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee’s report on local authority investment in commercial property (July 2020) and what further interventions are needed.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall grouped question UIN 99596 question first answered 14/10/2020 13:21:12 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1240853

	registered interest
	date	06/10/2020
	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	Local Government: Property
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of the borrowing undertaken by local authorities to fund investments in commercial property.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	99596
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/10/2020 answer text <p>Local authorities borrow and invest under the Prudential Framework (the Framework) which is designed to ensure that the capital plans of local authorities are affordable, prudent and sustainable, while giving councils the freedom to set their own capital strategies. Government is responsible for ensuring the Framework remains effective in driving sound decision making, and collects appropriate data to monitor trends and identify risks, including from commercial investment activity. Government does not routinely undertake any assessment of the effectiveness of local decisions to borrow and invest; local authorities remain accountable to their electorate for managing their own investment strategies and meeting their best value duty. However, councils have to appropriately comply with the Framework’s statutory guidance, including the requirement to report performance against a set of metrics designed to demonstrate the objectives of the Framework are being met, and to publish an investment strategy.</p><p>Government is aware of recent trends where some local authorities are taking on high levels of debt to invest for commercial income, rather than for providing the functions of a council. We are clear that borrowing to invest for yield is not in keeping with the intent of the Framework and exposes councils and taxpayers to undue financial risk. We have already tightened our statutory guidance on investments to improve decision making, and we are now carefully considering the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee’s report on local authority investment in commercial property (July 2020) and what further interventions are needed.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall grouped question UIN 99595 question first answered 14/10/2020 13:21:12 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1240855

	registered interest
	date	06/10/2020
	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	Local Government Finance: Coronavirus
	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 potential effect of the covid-19 outbreak on local authorities' finances.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	99597
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/10/2020 answer text <p>Councils across the country are supporting communities, protecting the most vulnerable and helping the NHS in our efforts to combat Covid-19. In order to meet these additional cost pressures, the Government has continued to support local authorities by delivering an unprecedented package of measures. So far, we have provided over £4.8 billion in funding for spending pressures, including £3.7 billion of un-ringfenced grants and £1.1 billion to help stop the spread of the virus in care homes. This underlines Government’s commitment to ensuring adult social care has the resources it needs to keep residents and staff safe. In addition, the Prime Minister has announced a further £1 billion of funding for local authorities, details of which will be announced shortly. <br> <br> In total, over £28 billion has already been committed to local areas to support councils, businesses and communities across government. This comprehensive package of support includes direct financial support and cashflow measures for councils, bus and tram services, support for the homeless and both grants and rates reliefs for businesses. <br> <br> We will continue to monitor the impact of Covid-19 on local government.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall question first answered 14/10/2020 13:20:19 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1247373

	registered interest
	date	30/10/2020
	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	Planning Permission: Local Press
	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 importance of advertising planning notices in local newspapers to (a) the elderly and vulnerable, (b) other local residents and (b) local media organisations.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	109304
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>Local planning authorities are required to publicise certain types of planning applications in local newspapers as set out in Article 15 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015.  In response to coronavirus restrictions, temporary regulations have been introduced to supplement the existing statutory publicity arrangements for planning applications. Local planning authorities now have the flexibility to take other reasonable steps to publicise applications if they cannot discharge the specific requirement for newspaper publicity – for instance, if the local newspaper is not now in circulation. These steps can include the use of social media and other electronic communications, such as local online news portals, and must be proportionate to the scale and nature of the proposed development. However, if a local planning authority is required to publicise a planning application in a local newspaper, and that paper is still in circulation, then they must continue to do so.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 09/11/2020 14:30:32 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1287739

	registered interest
	date	19/02/2021
	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: Remote Working
	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 trends in the level of (a) remote working and (b) housing demand outside of towns and cities; and what plans he has to (i) alleviate pressure for new homes on green spaces and (ii) help ensure new developments are affordable.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	154990
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2021 answer text <p>The Government recognises the importance of understanding trends and shifts in the way people live and the implications for housing demand, as well as the importance of ensuring access to green spaces and increasing the supply of affordable housing. The Department will continue to analyse trends in housing demand, including increasing demand outside of towns and cities, to gauge the nature, size and permanence of any shift in housing preferences. <br> <br> The National Planning Policy Framework expects local authorities to recognise the character and beauty of the countryside and to protect and enhance Green Belt, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and other designated rural land. To further support regeneration of brownfield sites, in December, we announced changes to the standard method for assessing local housing need to increase greater need in urban areas to maximise the use of existing infrastructure, such as public transport, schools, medical facilities and shops, as well as to encourage development that reduces the need for high-carbon travel. <br> <br> We are committed to increasing the supply of affordable housing nationally. At budget we announced our new £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme, the largest investment in affordable housing in a decade. Our Planning for the Future White Paper sets out proposals to create a new Infrastructure Levy, which will be designed to deliver at least as much onsite affordable housing as at present and will continue to be collected and spent at the local level.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 01/03/2021 14:37:24 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1287740

	registered interest
	date	19/02/2021
	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	Planning: Public Consultation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the proposed changes to community input in planning at the local plan stage set out in the Planning for the future White Paper published in August 2020, what plans he has to maintain (a) local determinism and (b) the right of community voice in the future planning system.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	154991
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2021 answer text <p>Our proposal for a reformed planning system will make it simpler, quicker and more accessible for local people to engage with. We believe that the best way to bring forward new, significant development is by improving community engagement and input at an earlier stage in the process. Local councillors will have full involvement in deciding on the allocation of sites in Local Plans and on setting supporting design codes, and there will still be the opportunity for people to comment on planning applications where these are still required. We are currently reviewing and analysing responses to the Planning for the Future White Paper and will publish a response in the Spring setting out our decisions on the proposed way forward.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 01/03/2021 14:38:12 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman

1302152

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2021
	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	Levelling Up Fund and UK Community Renewal 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 assessment he has made of the barriers to immediate publication of the methodology used to calculate the index employed to categorise places for the (a) Levelling Up Fund and (b) UK Community Renewal Fund.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow East
	tabling member printed	Bob Blackman
	uin	167855
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2021 answer text <p>To ensure the UK Community Renewal Fund funding reaches the most in need, we have identified 100 priority places based on an index of economic resilience across Great Britain which measures productivity, household income, unemployment, skills and population density.</p><p>We are committed to transparency and a methodological note explaining how the 100 priority places were determined has been published: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fuk-community-renewal-fund-prospectus%2Fuk-community-renewal-fund-prioritisation-of-places-methodology-note&amp;data=04%7C01%7CParliamentary%40communities.gov.uk%7C05c0fdb70eec427436f808d8ea23dcb1%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C637516787027566170%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=XthKA3UnwQTeMvphodk78zPZpgJJirgcoDHxSPIzL0Y%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-community-renewal-fund-prospectus/uk-community-renewal-fund-prioritisation-of-places-methodology-note</a>.</p><p>As set out in the prospectus published at Budget, the index used for the Levelling Up Fund places areas into category one, two or three based on the local area’s need for economic recovery and growth, improved transport connectivity, and regeneration.</p><p>We have published the index and further details of the methodology used to calculate the index of places set out in the prospectus: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Flevelling-up-fund-additional-documents&amp;data=04%7C01%7CParliamentary%40communities.gov.uk%7C05c0fdb70eec427436f808d8ea23dcb1%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C637516787027576141%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=%2FooI0AbuiTR8duLcgrXioEqlADL4AuqjNRhX81Jjp1c%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/levelling-up-fund-additional-documents</a>.</p> answering member constituency Walsall North answering member printed Eddie Hughes question first answered 18/03/2021 16:53:30 answering member 4635 label Biography information for Eddie Hughes
	tabling member	4005 label Biography information for Bob Blackman