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  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made on giving housing association tenants whose tenancies are defined as market rental the right to buy.

    Gavin Barwell

    The voluntary Right to Buy will give 1.3 million housing association tenants the opportunity to purchase a home. We are currently working with the National Housing Federation and the housing association sector on the implementation of the main scheme and will announce more details in due course.

    As is set out in the voluntary agreement, the scheme will apply to those housing association tenants who live in a social or affordable rented home.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish the review on supported housing.

    Gavin Barwell

    DCLG and DWP have jointly commissioned an evidence review of the supported housing sector, which is currently being finalised. The Government is committed to making an announcement in the autumn, setting out its plans for future funding arrangements for the supported housing sector.

  • Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much central government funding has been provided to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority in each year since the combined authority was established.

    Andrew Percy

    The funding shown below has been provided directly by the government to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority since it was established on 1 st April 2014.

    Combined Authority

    Financial year

    Overall total (£m)

    West Yorkshire Combined Authority

    2014/15

    72.3

    2015/16

    120.0

    2016/17

    182.6

    “

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps members of the public can take to ensure that their local authorities comply with the National Planning Policy Framework.

    Gavin Barwell

    There are many ways in which local people can ensure that Local Planning Authorities have regard to the policies in the National Planning Policy Framework when carrying out their planning functions.

    Local Plans prepared by Local Planning Authorities are assessed against requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework as part of the tests of soundness. There are opportunities at various stages for communities to comment on the Local Plan including at publication stage. Each local council must prepare a Statement of Community Involvement. This should set out a local council’s policy for involving communities in the preparation and revision of its Local Plan.

    Local Planning Authorities are required to make decisions on planning applications in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The National Planning Policy Framework is such a material consideration. There are opportunities for communities to comment on planning applications.

    Neighbourhood planning also provides a powerful set of tools for local people to ensure they get the right types of development for their community, where the ambition of the neighbourhood is aligned with the strategic needs and priorities of the wider local area. Communities are able to choose where they want new homes, shops and offices to be built, have their say on what those new buildings should look like, and what infrastructure should be provided, and grant planning permission for the new buildings they want to see go ahead.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps she has taken to support local authorities which are preparing bids for the title of European Capital of Culture 2023.

    Matt Hancock

    Until exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the European Union and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force.

  • Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what support he has provided to local authorities and the construction industry to encourage the promotion of self-build schemes for constructing new homes.

    Gavin Barwell

    We have a strong commitment to supporting and encouraging the growth of self- and custom build homes.

    The Government has implemented new legislation requiring most local planning authorities to hold and have regard to registers for those seeking to build their own home in a local authority area. Subject to Parliamentary processes, in the Autumn we will also introduce secondary legislation flowing from the Housing and Planning Act 2016 which will require local planning authorities to find and give permission to suitable land reflecting the demand demonstrated by the registers. We have made available £32 million in new burdens funding over the Spending Review period in order to support local planning authorities in meeting these new requirements.

    In the 2015 Spending Review, the Government also announced a £3 billion loan fund of which £1 billion is specifically earmarked for short term loans to support small and medium builders and custom build projects and is designed to provide further support for the legislation that we have introduced.

  • Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance he has issued to combined authorities on ensuring that they establish adequate audit and governance arrangements.

    Andrew Percy

    Both the primary legislation, and secondary legislation applicable to each combined authority which establish combined authorities, provide for their governance arrangements including requiring each combined authority to establish one or more overview and scrutiny committee and an audit committee. We also intend this autumn, subject to Parliamentary approval, to make an order making provision about how overview and scrutiny committees and audit committee must be operated; in addition we are able to issue statutory guidance on these matters and we will consider whether any such guidance is needed.

  • Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of young people taking part in the National Citizen Service since its inception have had a registered disability.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    In 2011, 16% of NCS participants declared a disability or health problem expected to last more than a year, compared to 12% in the comparable population as recorded by the National Pupil Database. In 2012, 15% of NCS participants declared a disability, compared to 12% in the comparable population as recorded by the National Pupil Database.

    The NCS Trust, the independent organisation which has delivered NCS since 2013, does not mandate the recording of information about registered disability or health problems by providers.

    However, the NCS Trust does capture self-declared Special Educational Needs information. In 2013, 4.5% of NCS participants had Special Educational Needs; in 2014, 3.6%. Data for 2015 will become available in due course. For comparison, in both the January 2013 School Census and January 2014 School Census, 2.8% of schoolchildren had a Special Educational Needs statement or Educational, Health and Care (EHC) plan.

  • Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many young people have (a) started, (b) completed and graduated from and (c) registered for the National Citizen Service since its inception.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The table below provides the most complete information on the number of young people who have registered for, begun and completed NCS. There was considerable national growth in the programme in 2015 – exact figures on 2015 NCS participation will be published in the independent evaluation in due course.

    Total registered

    Total participants

    Total completers

    2011

    10,897

    8,434

    6,809

    2012

    30,987

    26,003

    21,360

    2013

    50,924

    39,994

    37,266

    2014

    74,559

    57,789

    52,413

    The small number of participants for whom we recorded missing completion data have not been included in the above figures. Figures on participants and completers are available in the published independent evaluations of NCS.

  • Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to encourage young deaf people to take part in the National Citizen Service.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    In order to encourage young people with sensory disabilities to take part NCS, the Department for Culture, Media & Sport is working closely with NCS Trust, the independent organisation which delivers NCS, to ensure that NCS is accessible.

    Many NCS providers already reach out and offer support to those with disabilities, including deaf young people. The largest provider, The Challenge, has worked with the National Deaf Children’s Society, and adapted the programme for deaf young people, including providing dedicated support workers.

    The NCS Trust is currently developing a detailed inclusion strategy to ensure that over the longer term there is consistent and high quality provision for young people with disabilities to take part in the programme.