The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-01-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether borough councils which provide sandbags to all residents to protect their properties during incidents of flooding are able to recover the costs of those sandbags under the Bellwin Scheme.
James Wharton
To date, 35 local authorities have registered an intention to claim under the activated Bellwin scheme but no final claims have yet been received.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-01-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which local authorities have recovered their costs for (a) flood prevention measures and (b) sandbags under the Bellwin Scheme to date.
James Wharton
To date, 35 local authorities have registered an intention to claim under the activated Bellwin scheme but no final claims have yet been received.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paula Sherriff on 2016-01-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the unallocated financial reserves level was of Kirklees Council in the most recent local authority data outtrun held by his Department.
Mr Marcus Jones
The most recent local authority data outturn held by the Department for Communities and Local Government show the position as at 31 March 2015; Kirklees Council reported unallocated reserves of £38.0 million (this excludes other reserve balances for schools, public health and other earmarked reserves).
The usual measure of reserves used is non-ringfenced revenue reserves, which comprises the sum of unallocated and other earmarked reserves: in Kirklees case £114.2 million.
Full details can be found on the Department’s webpage at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2014-to-2015-individual-local-authority-data-outturn
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-01-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the findings of his Department’s right to buy pilots; what recent estimate he has made of the total cost of providing discounts to tenants eligible for that scheme nationwide and the number of council homes which will need to be sold in the course of that scheme; and what recent assessment he has made of the ability of housing associations to provide a like-for-like replacement for homes sold in the area local to those homes.
Brandon Lewis
As set out in the voluntary agreement with the National Housing Federation, tenants of housing associations will be eligible for the equivalent discounts that are available under the Right to Buy (up to £77,900 and £103,900 within London). The Government has been clear that the sale of high value vacant council housing will pay for the cost of compensating housing associations for the discount, so the Right to Buy will be cost neutral. Ahead of full implementation, we have launched the Right to Buy pilot with 5 housing associations.
Overall there will be an ongoing evaluation of the Right to Buy pilot with the pilot informing the design of the full scheme.
We are engaging with local authorities and are in the process of updating data that will be used to help inform the high value threshold. Every home sold under the voluntary Right to Buy will result in a new additional home being built nationally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-01-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2016 to Question 21572, on supported housing: housing benefit, for what reason the evidence review was not published in November 2015 as planned.
Brandon Lewis
There were delays to the procurement of the review which affected the timetable for fieldwork, leading to a clash with the General Election Purdah restrictions. In addition, the emerging complexity in the design and delivery of the review required additional fieldwork. All of which has contributed to the timetable for the review being extended.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Burrowes on 2016-01-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the local government finance settlement will be subject to a needs-led review.
Mr Marcus Jones
The consultation on the provisional local government finance settlement for 2016-17 closed on 15 January. We are considering carefully all the responses and other representations made and will present final proposals soon to enable local authorities to set their budgets for 2016-17.
At the outset of the current system of business rates retention in 2013-14, we said there would be periodic reviews to take account of changes to needs and resources. As part of the move towards 100% business rates retention by the end of this Parliament, we will work with local government on the approach to implementing these reforms, including on the treatment of needs and resources, and will consult on proposed changes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2016-01-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will initiate a cross-government strategy to prevent homelessness.
Mr Marcus Jones
People find themselves facing homelessness for many reasons – and it is more than just a housing issue. Relationship breakdown, health and employment can all play a part. What is more, the costs of homelessness are felt across Government, through the criminal justice system, healthcare and the welfare bill.
I have re-established the Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness, to ensure we have a joined up response and a shared sense of mission across Government.
Through this Group, my colleagues and I will ensure that we have a coordinated plan to tackle and prevent homelessness across departmental boundaries.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2016-01-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what mechanisms his Department plans to put in place to ensure that all the revenue raised from the social care precept will be spent on social care.
Mr Marcus Jones
Section 151 officers of local authorities with social care responsibilities will be required to confirm whether their authority is using the flexibility to increase their council tax, and that any amount raised will be spent on adult social care services. The Department will expect that the figures provided will be reflected in established data returns to this Department during 2016-17.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris White on 2016-01-21.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses benefited from video games tax relief in 2014-15; what the cost of that relief was to his Department in that year; and what the return on investment was for the economy as a result of that relief.
Mr David Gauke
Video Games Tax Relief is forecast to cost the Exchequer £10m in 2014-15. The first Official Statistics on the number of claims and cost of Video Games Tax Relief will be published in Summer 2016, allowing sufficient time for claims to have been submitted for the 2014-15 tax year. No estimate of the benefit for the economy as a whole is available.
The forecast has been certified by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility and is consistent with their latest forecast of Corporation Tax receipts.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-01-21.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has taken to reduce the number of unnecessary customer calls to HMRC telephone lines.
Mr David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs has deployed a Demand Management approach since 2010 to reduce unnecessary telephony demand. This approach includes reengineering business processes, improving forms and guidance to provide greater clarity for customers and introducing a “Once and Done” approach on calls, where possible.