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1271207

registered interest
date	15/12/2020
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	Mobile Homes Act 1983 (Amendment) Bill
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 in respect of the Mobile Homes Act 1983 (Amendment) Bill since the discussion between the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the hon. Member for Christchurch on 11 November 2020.
tabling member constituency	Christchurch
tabling member printed	Sir Christopher Chope
uin	129948
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2021 answer text <p>As the Hon. Member for Christchurch is aware, the Government is unable to support his Mobile Homes Act 1983 (Amendment) Bill as currently drafted. However, the Government remains committed to improving protections for park home residents and will continue to build on the substantial improvements already made to the sector by the Mobile Homes Act 2013.</p><p>On 23 September, we delivered on our commitment to make Regulations introducing a fit and proper test for park home site owners or their manager. We are making progress on introducing further primary legislation as parliamentary time allows to deliver on other commitments set out in our 2018 response to the review of park homes legislation.</p><p>Following the meeting with the Hon. Member, my Department has been carefully considering options and the detailed policy to ensure that any proposed at any proposed measures can be delivered effectively without any unintended consequences.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst grouped question UIN 129949 question first answered 11/01/2021 16:19:58 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	242 label Biography information for Sir Christopher Chope

1271209

registered interest
date	15/12/2020
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	Park Homes: Regulation
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 the oral contribution made by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on 23 October 2020, Official Report, column 1418, what progress his Department has made on exploring options on how to deliver better protection for park home residents; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Christchurch
tabling member printed	Sir Christopher Chope
uin	129949
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2021 answer text <p>As the Hon. Member for Christchurch is aware, the Government is unable to support his Mobile Homes Act 1983 (Amendment) Bill as currently drafted. However, the Government remains committed to improving protections for park home residents and will continue to build on the substantial improvements already made to the sector by the Mobile Homes Act 2013.</p><p>On 23 September, we delivered on our commitment to make Regulations introducing a fit and proper test for park home site owners or their manager. We are making progress on introducing further primary legislation as parliamentary time allows to deliver on other commitments set out in our 2018 response to the review of park homes legislation.</p><p>Following the meeting with the Hon. Member, my Department has been carefully considering options and the detailed policy to ensure that any proposed at any proposed measures can be delivered effectively without any unintended consequences.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst grouped question UIN 129948 question first answered 11/01/2021 16:19:58 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	242 label Biography information for Sir Christopher Chope

1236759

registered interest
date	22/09/2020
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	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 regulatory impact assessment he has carried out on the proposal to remove statutory requirements for planning applications to be publicised in local newspapers; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Christchurch
tabling member printed	Sir Christopher Chope
uin	93517
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/09/2020 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 25/09/2020 13:34:38 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	242 label Biography information for Sir Christopher Chope

1193593

registered interest
date	06/05/2020
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	Empty Property: 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, if he will make it the policy of the Government to prevent people who are unable to sell an empty property during the covid-19 lockdown from being penalised under the Empty Property Council Tax Premium; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Christchurch
tabling member printed	Sir Christopher Chope
uin	43827
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/05/2020 answer text <p>The empty homes premium is a discretionary power and applies to properties that have been empty and unfurnished for two or more years. Local authorities are responsible for administering the premium, taking into account any relevant circumstances.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 12/05/2020 11:51:50 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	242 label Biography information for Sir Christopher Chope

1193211

registered interest
date	05/05/2020
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	Small Businesses: 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, if he will issue guidance to local authorities on the definition of eligibility for access to the £117 million fund for discretionary grant payments to businesses announced on 1 May 2020; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Christchurch
tabling member printed	Sir Christopher Chope
uin	43585
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/05/2020 answer text <p><br>The Government has allocated additional funding to local authorities in England in the form of a discretionary grant fund of up to £617m. This will be divided between English local authorities in proportion to the amount they will pay out under the existing grant schemes (Small Business Grant Fund and Retail, Hospitality &amp; Leisure Grant Fund).</p><p> </p><p>Local authorities are responsible for defining precise eligibility for this fund. The following businesses should be considered as a priority:</p><ul><li>Businesses in shared workspaces;</li><li>Regular market traders who do not have their own business rates assessment;</li><li>B&amp;Bs which pay Council Tax instead of business rates; and</li><li>Charity properties in receipt of charitable business rates relief which would otherwise have been eligible for Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Rate Relief.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Local authorities may choose to pay grants to businesses outside of the outlined priority areas, according to local economic need, so long as the grants are aimed at:</p><ul><li>Businesses with ongoing fixed building-related costs</li><li>Businesses which can demonstrate that they have suffered a significant fall in income due to the Covid-19 crisis</li><li>Business with fewer than 50 employees</li><li>Businesses that were trading on 11th March</li></ul><p>Businesses already in receipt of the Small Business grant, a Retail, Hospitality and Leisure grant or Self-employed Income Support Scheme payment are not eligible.</p><p> </p><p>Guidance will be published on the discretionary grant scheme in due course following consultation with local authorities.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 11/05/2020 16:52:34 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	242 label Biography information for Sir Christopher Chope

1193212

registered interest
date	05/05/2020
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	Small Business Grants Fund: Dorset
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 much of the £617 million of funding allocated to local authorities on 1 May 2020 to enable them to make discretionary grant payments to businesses is available for (a) Dorset Council and (b) BCP Council; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Christchurch
tabling member printed	Sir Christopher Chope
uin	43586
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/05/2020 answer text <p>On 1 May the Government announced a further up to £617 million available to local authorities to support those small businesses with high fixed property-related costs but that are not eligible for the current grant schemes. This is an additional 5 per cent uplift to the £12.33 billion funding previously announced for the Small Business Grants Fund (SBGF) and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund (RHLGF). We will confirm the exact amount to be available to each local authority in due course.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 11/05/2020 16:56:49 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	242 label Biography information for Sir Christopher Chope

1192816

registered interest
date	04/05/2020
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	Homelessness: Migrants
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 it is the policy of the Government to reimburse local authorities the full cost of providing accommodation for homeless people during the covid-19 crisis when the people being housed are not allowed to have recourse to public funding; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Christchurch
tabling member printed	Sir Christopher Chope
uin	42896
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/05/2020 answer text <p>The Government is aware of concerns about those with no recourse to public funds experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 crisis.</p><p>We are ensuring local authorities are supported, with £3.2 million in targeted funding to help support individuals who are sleeping rough off the streets, and an additional £3.2 billion provided to local authorities as part of the wider government response to the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p>This funding has been provided to help local authorities to reduce risks to public health and to support individuals on the basis of need.</p><p>The legal position on those with no recourse to public funds has not been amended.</p><p>The Government recognises that these are unprecedented times, and expects local authorities to support people who are sleeping rough, and also to minimise unnecessary risks to public health, acting within the law.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall question first answered 11/05/2020 13:32:30 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
tabling member	242 label Biography information for Sir Christopher Chope

1192833

registered interest
date	04/05/2020
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	Horticulture: 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, pursuant to the Answer of 4 May 2020 to Question 40963 on Horticulture: Coronavirus, if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) scientific advice and (b) risk assessment evaluation which informed the decision that garden centres should remain closed during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Christchurch
tabling member printed	Sir Christopher Chope
uin	42899
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/05/2020 answer text <p>Garden centres in England may open from Wednesday 13 May, and the Regulations for England will be updated to provide clarity to garden centre owners, and the public. We strongly encourage both employers and customers to continue to follow social distancing guidance at all times in order to protect public health and our economy. Advice on social distancing is published on gov.uk <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fguidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19%2Fguidance-for-employers-and-businesses-on-coronavirus-covid-19&amp;data=02%7C01%7CReena.Gudka%40beis.gov.uk%7Cffabe43528d24bb4031b08d7f5bff73f%7Ccbac700502c143ebb497e6492d1b2dd8%7C0%7C0%7C637248077164159364&amp;sdata=bEflY3f4gb5ont97cZZVrXUAFnLNm%2BWusIP1nOsEOAI%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/guidance-for-employers-and-businesses-on-coronavirus-covid-19</a></p><p>At all times we have been consistently guided by scientific advice to protect lives. HMG have published evidence discussed at SAGE on gov.uk (<a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fgroups%2Fscientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage-coronavirus-covid-19-response&amp;data=02%7C01%7CReena.Gudka%40beis.gov.uk%7Cffabe43528d24bb4031b08d7f5bff73f%7Ccbac700502c143ebb497e6492d1b2dd8%7C0%7C0%7C637248077164169320&amp;sdata=CAIo07Prwgsy7645C%2BakBAefuGiJLOpcvy3uyQKAv6I%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage-coronavirus-covid-19-response</a>). These documents show the scientific evidence that helped shape SAGE advice that went to Ministers and COBR. Further research is being continually developed and used to inform advice to decision makers and we will ensure this is published as soon as it is no longer under consideration.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 11/05/2020 16:56:09 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	242 label Biography information for Sir Christopher Chope

1191156

registered interest
date	28/04/2020
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	Horticulture: 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, for what reasons garden centres that have taken steps to comply with social distancing measures are not allowed to re-open for business during the covid-19 lockdown; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Christchurch
tabling member printed	Sir Christopher Chope
uin	40962
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2020 answer text <p>Garden centres are being asked to close along with many other retail premises to minimise the spread of the coronavirus. The Government has set up five tests that must be met before the lockdown measures can be lifted. These consider NHS capacity, death rates, transmission rates, availability of PPE, and avoidance of a second peak of the virus.</p><p>It is positive to see the emerging thoughts on how businesses such as garden centres can reopen safely – we will need to continue to work together on how easing measures could work when it is the right time to do so. Online retail is still open and encouraged, and postal and delivery services will continue to run.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 04/05/2020 14:49:55 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	242 label Biography information for Sir Christopher Chope

1180997

registered interest
date	26/02/2020
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	Multiple Occupation: Standards
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 he is taking to ensure that local authorities cannot impose additional room size standards for houses in multiple occupation than the statutory minimum standards laid down by his Department; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Christchurch
tabling member printed	Sir Christopher Chope
uin	21141
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2020 answer text <p>Under House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) legislation, rooms in licensable HMOs that are under 6.51 square metres cannot be used as sleeping accommodation by one person. Local housing authorities have discretion to consider local circumstances and require higher standards within HMO licence conditions, but must not set lower standards. My Department is working with local authorities to raise standards across the private rented sector, to protect vulnerable tenants, including those living in HMOs.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 02/03/2020 17:32:49 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	242 label Biography information for Sir Christopher Chope