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1347938

	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	Sand: Compton Bassett
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposal for a sand extraction quarry in the conservation area of Compton Bassett; and what plans they have to give local residents more powers to oppose such planning applications.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL2156
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/07/2021 answer text <p>This proposal was considered by Wiltshire Council's strategic planning committee on 14 July. Government policy is that local planning authorities should, in general, be free to carry out their duties with regard to day-to-day planning control in their areas with the minimum of interference. Our proposed planning reforms will deliver a simpler, faster, more transparent process, giving communities certainty over what development is permitted through clear land allocations in local plans.</p> answering member printed Lord Greenhalgh question first answered 28/07/2021 09:32:34 answering member 4877 label Biography information for Lord Greenhalgh
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

1343509

	registered interest
	date	05/07/2021
	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	Trading Standards
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the public of the 52 per cent decline in total net spend by local authorities in England on trading standards services between 2009 and 2019, as set out by Unchecked UK in their report The UK's Enforcement Gap, published in October 2020.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL1705
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2021 answer text <p>Councils have flexibility to use the funding they receive from the annual Local Government Finance Settlement for trading standards services. Funding provided through the Settlement is un-ringfenced to ensure local areas can prioritise based on their own understanding of the needs of their local communities. Resources made available through the 2020 Spending Review and annual Settlement allowed councils in England access to an overall increase in Core Spending Power from £49 billion in 2020-21 to up to £51.3 billion in 2021-22, a 4.6% increase in cash terms. This is in line with last year’s available increase. This recognises the resources councils need to meet their pressures and maintain current service levels. <br> <br> Additionally, Government is supporting regulatory services teams, including trading standards teams, through the Regulatory Services Task and Finish Group, which was established to help coordinate central government’s expectation of regulatory services teams in local government and to propose short and long-term options to support these essential services.</p> answering member printed Lord Greenhalgh question first answered 14/07/2021 14:59:36 answering member 4877 label Biography information for Lord Greenhalgh
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

1339168

	registered interest
	date	22/06/2021
	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	Health and Safety: Regulation
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to increase the level of resources within local authorities to undertake health and safety regulation; and whether any such funding is ringfenced.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL1308
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/07/2021 answer text <p>The Government made available an increase in Core Spending Power in England from £49 billion in 2020-21 to up to £51.3 billion in 2021-22, a 4.6% increase in cash terms. This recognised the resources councils need to meet their pressures and maintain current service levels. The majority of this funding is un-ringfenced in recognition that local authorities are best placed to understand local priorities, such as undertaking health and safety regulation.</p> answering member printed Lord Greenhalgh question first answered 05/07/2021 13:33:29 answering member 4877 label Biography information for Lord Greenhalgh
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

1339170

	registered interest
	date	22/06/2021
	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	Environmental Health: Disease Control
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to establish a Chief Environmental Health Officer role (1) to ensure links to local government environmental health teams, and (2) to contribute to the pandemic prevention agenda and other pandemic-related work.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL1310
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2021 answer text <p>The Department convened the Regulatory Services Task and Finish Group in December 2020 to help coordinate central government’s expectation of regulatory services teams in local government and propose short and long-term options to support the sector. The Group consists of senior officials from government departments and senior representatives from the Local Government Association and local authorities. <br> <br> The Group is now focussed on developing a suite of recommendations to address the immediate and systemic issues faced by regulatory services teams, which includes environmental health teams. These recommendations will address areas including the cross-government coordination of departments and the establishment of ongoing links with local authority experts.</p> answering member printed Lord Greenhalgh question first answered 06/07/2021 15:43:02 answering member 4877 label Biography information for Lord Greenhalgh
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

1284240

	registered interest
	date	04/02/2021
	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	Construction: Employment
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of labour shortages in the construction industry on (1) their plans to support house building; and (2) costs in the construction sector.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL13001
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/02/2021 answer text <p>The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government has regular contact with the housebuilding sector. Since the start of the year developers have not reported any significant labour shortages or cost increases. We continue to monitor as part of our engagements with the sector.</p><p>The construction industry is responsible for training the workforce it needs. The industry, via its Industry Recovery Plan, is currently focussing on measures to address the pandemic and ensure resilience in the sector as a priority.</p><p>There is a cross-Government programme to address the construction skills challenge, including the Construction Skills Fund and the new Construction T Levels, which launched in September 2020.</p><p>The Government has also introduced new financial incentives for employers to hire apprentices and provided £111 million for traineeships, so that firms can continue to provide opportunities for people starting out in their careers in construction and invest in upskilling their workforce.</p><p>This is in addition to the ongoing work to improve skills provision, support modernisation and increased productivity, and create a fair migration system.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Greenhalgh question first answered 17/02/2021 14:32:38 answering member 4877 label Biography information for Lord Greenhalgh
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

1278419

	registered interest
	date	19/01/2021
	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 Permission: Legal Opinion
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a local planning authority can be required to disclose the details of any legal opinions it has received regarding a planning application to those who may be affected by the planning application; and if so, how the requirement for disclosure can be imposed.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL12297
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2021 answer text <p>The Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Environmental Information Regulations 2004 provide public access to information held by public authorities, subject to any exemptions which may apply. Exemptions include legal professional privilege which is subject to a public interest test.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Greenhalgh question first answered 29/01/2021 14:48:44 answering member 4877 label Biography information for Lord Greenhalgh
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

1258641

	registered interest
	date	07/12/2020
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on local authority resources of the proposals included in their White Paper Planning for the future, published on 6 August.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL11140
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2020 answer text <p>The White Paper commits to developing a comprehensive resources and skills strategy for the planning sector to support the implementation of our reforms – so that, as we implement our reforms, local planning authorities are equipped to create great communities through effective civic engagement and proactive plan-making.</p><p>We want to reduce the amount of resource-consuming bureaucracy and streamline or abolish assessments and other requirements that are burdensome and slow-down planning departments. Part of achieving this will be through modernising the planning process, so that routine tasks are automated and decision-making is improved by better access to data and digital services. This will allow local authorities to focus attention on plan making and place shaping. We are also exploring options to introduce a new planning fee structure to ensure that local planning authorities are properly resourced to improve the speed and quality of their decisions.</p><p>We will continue to work with local planning authorities, as well as professional bodies and the wider planning sector, as we develop our proposals.</p> answering member printed Lord Greenhalgh question first answered 17/12/2020 16:07:57 answering member 4877 label Biography information for Lord Greenhalgh
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

1258642

	registered interest
	date	07/12/2020
	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	Community Infrastructure Levy
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on local authority finances of the proposed delay in the collection of the Community Infrastructure Levy until a building is in occupation.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL11141
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2020 answer text <p>The Government’s White Paper, Planning for the Future proposes that a new ‘Infrastructure Levy’ will replace section 106 planning obligations and the Community Infrastructure Levy and be set in a way which delivers at least as much - if not more - onsite affordable housing than at present. It also proposes that the Levy will be payable on the completion of development. To better support the timely delivery of infrastructure, local authorities would be allowed to borrow against Infrastructure Levy revenues so that they could forward fund infrastructure.</p><p>The consultation on ‘Planning for the Future’ closed on 29 October. We are analysing the consultation feedback thoroughly and holding meetings with industry and local authority representatives to understand the impacts of our proposals. We will respond formally in due course.</p> answering member printed Lord Greenhalgh grouped question UIN HL11139 question first answered 17/12/2020 16:08:15 answering member 4877 label Biography information for Lord Greenhalgh
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

1258640

	registered interest
	date	07/12/2020
	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	Affordable Housing: Construction
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to maintain the use of section 106 agreements to deliver affordable housing.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL11139
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2020 answer text <p>The Government’s White Paper, Planning for the Future proposes that a new ‘Infrastructure Levy’ will replace section 106 planning obligations and the Community Infrastructure Levy and be set in a way which delivers at least as much - if not more - onsite affordable housing than at present. It also proposes that the Levy will be payable on the completion of development. To better support the timely delivery of infrastructure, local authorities would be allowed to borrow against Infrastructure Levy revenues so that they could forward fund infrastructure.</p><p>The consultation on ‘Planning for the Future’ closed on 29 October. We are analysing the consultation feedback thoroughly and holding meetings with industry and local authority representatives to understand the impacts of our proposals. We will respond formally in due course.</p> answering member printed Lord Greenhalgh grouped question UIN HL11141 question first answered 17/12/2020 16:08:15 answering member 4877 label Biography information for Lord Greenhalgh
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

1237755

	registered interest
	date	24/09/2020
	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	Evictions: Coronavirus
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to honour their announcement on 18 March that “no renter who has lost income due to coronavirus will be forced out of their home”.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL8453
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government has established an unprecedented package of support to protect renters whose income has been affected throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This has included support for businesses to pay staff salaries with the Chancellor’s recent announcement of the Government’s Winter Economy Plan also setting out further measures to support jobs and businesses.</p><p>We have strengthened the welfare safety-net with a nearly £9.3 billion boost to the welfare system which includes an extra £1 billion to increase Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates so that they cover the lowest 30% of market rents. For renters who require additional support, there is also an existing £180 million of Government funding for Discretionary Housing Payments made available this year – an increase of £40 million from last year which is for councils to distribute to support renters with housing costs. In addition, we have introduced legislation that means, from 29 August 2020, landlords must give tenants six months’ notice before they can evict in most circumstances.</p><p>Where possession cases do go to court we understand that the judiciary will look to prioritise the most egregious cases such as those involving anti-social behaviour. New court rules have also been introduced requiring landlords to set out any information they are aware of in relation to how their tenant, or any dependant of their tenant has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Where this information is not provided, judges have the ability to adjourn proceedings. Finally, guidance will be issued to bailiffs highlighting that they should not enforce possession orders in places where local public health restrictions have been introduced by government through legislation or in England and Wales across 11 December 2020 to 11 January 2021.</p><p>Taken collectively, these measures ensure those most at risk are protected, providing time for tenants to agree a solution with their landlord to sustain the tenancy if they are unable to pay their rent or to consider moving to avoid building up unsustainable debt.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Greenhalgh question first answered 01/10/2020 15:12:10 answering member 4877 label Biography information for Lord Greenhalgh
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

1235923

	registered interest
	date	21/09/2020
	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	Private Rented Housing: Coronavirus
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they are introducing to ensure that private renters whose income has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and are at risk of eviction do not become homeless.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL8316
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government has established an unprecedented package of support to protect renters whose income has been affected throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We have supported businesses to pay staff salaries and strengthened the welfare safety-net with a nearly £9.3 billion boost to the welfare system. This includes an extra £1 billion to increase Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates so that they cover the lowest 30% of market rents. For those renters who require additional support, there is also an existing £180 million of Government funding for Discretionary Housing Payments made available this year, an increase of £40 million from last year and which is for councils to distribute to support renters with housing costs.</p><p>In addition, we have introduced legislation that means, from 29 August 2020, landlords must give tenants six months’ notice before they can evict in most circumstances. This ensures those most at risk are protected and provides time for tenants to agree a solution with their landlord if they are unable to pay their rent or consider moving to avoid building up unsustainable debt.</p><p>These measures enable renters to continue paying their rent and support landlords and tenants in sustaining tenancies. If renters do find themselves at risk of homelessness, the Homelessness Reduction Act places duties on local housing authorities to take reasonable steps to try and prevent a person’s homelessness.</p> answering member printed Lord Greenhalgh question first answered 01/10/2020 13:50:00 answering member 4877 label Biography information for Lord Greenhalgh
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

1142447

	registered interest
	date	25/07/2019
	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	Racial Discrimination
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review legislation on racism; and what action they intend to take to eliminate racist attacks in the UK.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL17521
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/08/2019 answer text <p>The United Kingdom has one of the strongest legislative frameworks in the world to protect communities from hostility, violence and bigotry. We believe that no-one’s opportunities in life should be determined by their ethnicity or religion.</p><p>The Government takes racist attacks very seriously, which is why we published the Hate Crime Action Plan in 2016. This was refreshed in 2018, when we committed up to £1.5 million for projects to tackle racially and religiously motivated hatred. We continue to work with the police and third party services such as the Community Security Trust, Tell MAMA and GATE Herts to encourage reporting and support victims of racially motivated hatred.</p><p>We have also asked the Law Commission to undertake a review of hate crime legislation and, last year, launched a national hate crime public awareness campaign.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 07/08/2019 13:29:23 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

1078978

	registered interest
	date	27/02/2019
	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	Vagrancy Act 1824
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have given consideration to repealing the Vagrancy Act 1824; and whether they consider that prosecuting people for being homeless is appropriate.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL14099
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2019 answer text <p>This Government is clear that no-one should be criminalised simply for having nowhere to live and sleeping rough. The cross-Government Rough Sleeping Strategy, which was published in August, committed to reviewing homelessness and rough sleeping legislation, including the Vagrancy Act 1824. The Government believes that review of the 1824 Act, rather than immediate wholesale repeal, is the right course of action to ensure the consequences of repeal are fully understood and other options are properly considered.</p><p>For example, the consequences of repeal on the police’s ability to deal with certain street behaviours and the potential impact of offences under alternative legislation, which might have a higher burden of proof and higher penalties than those under the 1824 Act, would be areas of consideration. Policy officials are currently developing the terms of reference for the review.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 11/03/2019 16:52:51 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

1078980

	registered interest
	date	27/02/2019
	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	Homelessness: Death
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the publication of figures by the Office for National Statistics that showed that 597 homeless people died on the streets of England and Wales in 2017, what plans they have to reduce and eliminate such deaths.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL14101
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2019 answer text <p>Every person who dies while they do not have a place to call home is one too many and we have a moral duty to act.</p><p>Whilst we recognise that suitable housing is a key part of the solution, health services have a significant role to play, alongside other public services. My Department is working with the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure that rough sleepers have the health care they need, when they need it. In its Long-Term Plan, the National Health Service will invest up to £30 million extra on meeting the needs of rough sleepers, to ensure that the parts of England most affected by rough sleeping will have better access to specialist homelessness NHS mental health support, integrated with existing outreach services.</p><p> </p><p>We are also ensuring that when a homeless person dies or is seriously injured as a result of abuse or neglect and there is concern that partner agencies could have worked more effectively to protect the adult, Safeguarding Adult Reviews take place so that local services can learn lessons from these tragic events to better prevent them from happening in the future.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and ending rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period. In its first year, the Rough Sleeping Initiative provided over 1,750 new bed spaces and 500 staff.</p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 12/03/2019 15:44:55 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

1011264

	registered interest
	date	20/11/2018
	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	Sleeping Rough
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to put an end to rough sleeping and provide destitute people with suitable housing.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL11625
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2018 answer text <p>We have committed to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and end it by 2027. The Government is implementing a range of measures to tackle rough sleeping such as the Homeless Reduction Act, which is the most ambitious homelessness legislative reform in decades. The Rough Sleeping Strategy is backed by £100 million of funding over the next two years and the Rough Sleeping Initiative will provide 500 new dedicated homelessness workers and 1,750 additional bed spaces this winter.</p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 03/12/2018 16:39:21 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

993356

	registered interest
	date	22/10/2018
	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	Prefabricated Housing
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent developments in modular construction and its possible impact on the supply of housing in the UK.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL10884
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2018 answer text <p>The Government regularly keeps up-to-date with developments in the construction and housebuilding sector, including around modern methods of construction. It has not made a specific assessment of the possible impact of modern methods of construction on housing supply.</p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 05/11/2018 13:24:37 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

993357

	registered interest
	date	22/10/2018
	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	Prefabricated Housing
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to encourage off-site manufacturing to help towards increasing the supply of housing in the UK.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL10885
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2018 answer text <p>Our Housing White Paper set out measures to stimulate the growth of modern methods of construction (MMC), including offsite and innovative techniques.</p><p>£2.5 billion of our £4.5 billion Home Building Fund provides loan finance to builders using these methods and our MMC Working Group will launch a single assurance platform assessing new technologies for homes in the coming months.</p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 05/11/2018 13:19:07 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

934647

	registered interest
	date	04/07/2018
	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	Bookshops: Non-domestic Rates
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will extend business rates relief to bookshops.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL9224
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2018 answer text <p>The Government has introduced a range of business rates reforms and measures to support businesses, including bookshops, worth over £10 billion by 2023. This includes, from April 2017, permanently doubling Small Business Rate Relief and raising the threshold for relief meaning that over 600,000 small businesses now pay no business rates at all, and helping all business by switching the measure of inflation, used for the indexation of rates, from Retail Price Index to Consumer Price Index.</p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 17/07/2018 16:41:28 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

847853

	registered interest
	date	23/02/2018
	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	Town Twinning
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to assess the impact of the UK leaving the EU on existing and possible future twinning arrangements between towns and villages.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL5830
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2018 answer text <p>Twinning will continue to play an important part in the relationship between the United Kingdom and the states of the European Union, contributing to that deep and special relationship the Prime Minister has made clear she envisages for the future.</p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 28/02/2018 15:25:29 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

713134

	registered interest
	date	21/03/2017
	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: Veterans
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the initiative by Cheltenham Borough Council to build homes for veterans; and whether they will encourage other local authorities to take similar action to house those who have left the armed forces.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL6254
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2017 answer text <p>The Government commends Cheltenham Borough Council for the steps they have taken which are in line with the Armed Forces Covenant and measures which we have put in place to ensure that serving members of the Armed Forces and veterans are given appropriate priority for social housing.</p><p>In 2012 we introduced regulations to ensure that seriously injured and disabled Service personnel and former members of the Armed Forces with urgent housing needs are always given high priority for social housing.</p><p>At the same time, we introduced regulations to ensure that serving personnel, and veterans who are within 5 years of having been discharged, do not lose their qualification rights for social housing because of the necessity to move from base to base.</p><p>Our 2012 statutory social housing allocations guidance goes further and also strongly encourages councils to take into account the needs of all serving or former Service personnel when framing their housing allocation schemes. It gives examples of how councils can do this, including setting aside a proportion of properties for former members of the Armed Forces under a local lettings policy, which is what Cheltenham Borough Council have done.</p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 28/03/2017 15:18:31 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham

450520

	registered interest
	date	03/02/2016
	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	Rented Housing: Repairs and Maintenance
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they intend to take against landlords who fail to maintain their properties in a safe and fit state of repair.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jones of Cheltenham
	uin	HL5882
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/02/2016 answer text <p>The Housing Health and Safety Rating System assesses the health and safety risks in all residential properties. Under the Housing Act 2004, following an Rating System inspection, if a local authority identifies a serious hazard they can take action, including issuing an Improvement Notice or a Hazard Awareness Notice. In extreme circumstances, the local authority may decide to make repairs themselves, or to prohibit that property from being rented out. Where a landlord fails to comply with a statutory notice, this is an offence, and they can be prosecuted by the local authority. From October 2015 we introduced protection for tenants from retaliatory eviction, where they have a legitimate complaint about the condition of the property.</p><p>The Housing and Planning Bill will strengthen local authorities’ ability and incentives to tackle rogue landlords by introducing measures including:</p><ul><li>A database of rogue landlords and property agents convicted of certain offences;</li><li>Banning orders for the most serious and prolific offenders;</li><li>Civil penalties of up to £30,000 as an alternative to prosecution;</li><li>Extension of Rent Repayment Orders to cover illegal eviction, breach of a banning order or failure to comply with a statutory notice;</li><li>A more stringent fit and proper person test for landlords of licensable properties such as Houses in Multiple Occupation.</li></ul><p>My Department also recently announced a further £5 million of funding across 48 local authorities to tackle the worst rogue landlords in their areas.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 17/02/2016 16:52:42 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	248 label Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham