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  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on Taiwan’s proposed application to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank; and if he will make a statement.

    Greg Hands

    The UK and Taiwan enjoy a constructive relationship in a range of multilateral organisations for which statehood is not a requirement, such as the WTO and European Bank of Reconstruction and Development. A decision on whether to apply to be a member of the AIIB is a matter for Taiwanese authorities. Should an application be made the UK will, as for other countries or territories, consider at the time.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken to promote the environmental practices developed during the construction of the Beddington Zero Energy Development in Hackbridge.

    James Wharton

    When completed in 2002 the Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZed) in Hackbridge was at the forefront in its use of low carbon and energy efficient technologies and sustainability concepts. Since then the Government has made significant changes to both the Building Regulations and planning regimes to embed and mainstream energy efficiency and sustainability principles, taking learning where appropriate from BedZed and other similar innovative sustainable developments.

  • Roberta Blackman-Woods – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Roberta Blackman-Woods – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 2.291 of Budget 2016, when his Department plans to begin the consultation process on proposals to increase transparency in the land market.

    Brandon Lewis

    Government will be consulting on improving the visibility of information relating to options to purchase or lease land during the summer.

  • Mary Creagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Mary Creagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people in (a) Wakefield and (b) the UK have purchased homes through Help to Buy.

    Brandon Lewis

    The total number of homes sold under the three Help to Buy schemes are 153,235 in the UK and 1,402 in Wakefield.

  • Mary Creagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Mary Creagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people in each income group decile and in each year have purchased houses through Help to Buy since that scheme started.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Department’s statistics on the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme are published and available at the following link. This includes a table with completions by total applicant household income deciles. The figures are cumulative (for the first 33 months of the scheme) and not available by individual years.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/help-to-buy-equity-loan-and-newbuy-statistics

    HM Treasury’s statistics on the Help to Buy: Mortgage Guarantee scheme are published and available at the following link.

    www.gov.uk/government/collections/help-to-buy-mortgage-guarantee-scheme-quarterly-statistics

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  • Roberta Blackman-Woods – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Roberta Blackman-Woods – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 1.121 of Budget 2016, HC 901, when his Department will commence working with local authorities to release land capacity for at least 160,000 homes; and when such houses will be built.

    Brandon Lewis

    A guidance document for local authorities was published shortly after Budget. It set out how the Government will support and empower local authorities to dispose of assets that could be made surplus. This includes a broad range of policy measures, including: the expansion of the One Public Estate programme, funding for Starter Homes, flexibility in the spending of capital receipts, support for new Garden Villages, Towns and Cities, and support from the Homes and Communities Agency. The document can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-assets-disposal-guidance.

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  • Roberta Blackman-Woods – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Roberta Blackman-Woods – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 6 of the March 2016 Locally-led Garden, Towns and Cities prospectus, when he will introduce legislative proposals to update the New Towns Act 1981.

    Brandon Lewis

    The government will introduce legislation to update the New Towns Act 1981 at the earliest legislative opportunity.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of adequacy of the level of transparency in the recruitment process for Chief Fire Officers.

    Mike Penning

    Matters of recruitment are for individual fire and rescue authorities as employers. However, Ministers have been clear that payments for senior fire officers who return to employment immediately after retirement are an unacceptable use of taxpayers’ money, especially when fire authorities need to be making sensible savings.

    That is why this Government has issued explicit guidance on the re-employment of senior staff who have previously been in receipt of a redundancy or severance payment, or who are in receipt of a local government or fire service pension. Fire and rescue authorities have the ability to deal with this problem and should do so. The public have a right to know when, and on what basis, these decisions have been made, and we have made provision for this.

  • David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what procedures his Department has to ensure that housing associations maintain an adequate level of housing stock available for key workers.

    Brandon Lewis

    Housing associations have ambitious plans to increase their housing stock over the next few years. The Government is supporting this with £8 billion of funding to deliver over 400,000 affordable homes. This will extend the opportunity of home ownership to more hard working families, including key workers, through measures aimed at doubling the number of first time buyers. The funding prospectus for the new Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme was published on Wednesday 13 April.

    The voluntary Right to Buy between the Government and the housing association sector will give another 1.3 million families the chance to purchase a home at Right to Buy level discounts. Homes sold to tenants under this agreement will be replaced on a one for one basis using the proceeds from the sale of the property.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answers of 21 March 2016 to Questions 31227 and 31228, if he will review what guidance is given by his Department to local authorities on public private partnerships.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    There are no current plans to produce updated guidance for local authorities on public private partnerships. However, my Department continuously reviews developments in the sector and if it is identified that take-up of new public private partnerships by local authorities is increasing, I will reconsider this position.