Tag: David Morris

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Morris on 2016-03-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many Government-sponsored new social and council houses were built between (a) 1997 and 2010 and (b) 2010 and 2016.

Brandon Lewis

The numbers of dwellings completed by houisng associations and local authorities in England between 1997 and 2015 were as follows:

Statistics on new build housing starts and completions in England, and in each local authority district, are published on the Department’s website at:

http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Morris on 2016-03-15.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of taxation on Heritage Maintenance Funds for historic homes across the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke

The Government recognises the value of Heritage Maintenance Funds and the importance of the issues raised by the Historic Houses Association, including the cultural and economic contribution historic homes provide. That is why Heritage Maintenance Funds are specifically exempt from inheritance tax.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Morris on 2016-07-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will assess the potential merits of giving protected name status to Morecambe Bay shrimps.

George Eustice

We recognise the benefits of protecting our traditional and geographical food products and continue to work with producers to encourage protected food name (PFN) applications. Each application is assessed on its own merits and eligibility under the scheme. We would encourage producers to make applications for PFNs in order to promote high quality products such as Morecambe Bay shrimps.

The Protected Food Name (PFN) scheme enables producers to add value to their product and helps consumers to identify foods with a clear regional provenance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Morris on 2016-03-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the application for a Lancashire combined authority; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Marcus Jones

The Department has to date not received any applications for a Lancashire Combined Authority. To make such an application an area must, in accordance with the provisoins of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 1999, as amended by the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016, undertake a gvoernance review for the area and also publish a scheme setting out propsals for a Combined Authority. They must also undertake a public consultation on these proposals and provide a summary of these proposals to the Secretary of State.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Morris on 2016-03-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has made an assessment of the resilience of the (a) mobile telephone network, (b) landline telephone network and (c) fibre optic broadband network after a power cut; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Government continually assesses the resilience of the communications network and works closely with the communications industry to do this. Power is the main dependency of the communications sector, and the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), published in November 2015, highlighted Government’s commitment to enhancing the UK’s resilience to power disruption. Government will continue to work with industry to ensure the ongoing resilience and availability of services across the sector in the event of power loss.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Morris on 2016-07-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make representations to gluten-free food producers on reducing the cost to consumers of gluten-free products; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice

It is not the Government’s role to set retail food prices. We work to promote transparency and open global markets internationally, as well as a competitive domestic market to help producers and retailers offer the best prices to consumers. Year on year food prices have continued to fall with an annual rate of inflation of -2.6 per cent in the year to July 2016, according to official figures released on 18 August.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Morris on 2016-03-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many planning applications for new homes or conversions of existing buildings have been made in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency since June 2015.

Brandon Lewis

The Department does not collect information on the number of planning applications by parliamentary constituency.

However it collects the numbers of decisions made at a local planning authority level. In the six months to 31 December 2015 Lancaster City Council, within which the hon, Member’s constituency falls, has made decisions on applications for:

– 18 major residential developments

– 27 minor residential developments

– Permitted development rights for one ‘office to residential’ scheme and nine ‘agricultural to residential’ schemes

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Morris on 2016-03-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to facilitate an application from Lancaster City Council and the Environment Agency for funding for flood defences along the River Lune.

Rory Stewart

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 10 March to PQ UIN 29688.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Morris on 2016-07-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make representations to the Competition and Markets Authority on investigating the price of milk at major supermarkets.

George Eustice

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) as the UK’’s competition authority can carry out investigations where there is evidence of abuse of a dominant position or market abuse. Whilst the Government does not generally intervene in what businesses charge consumers for their goods and services we do recognise concerns about transparency and trust in the dairy supply chain. A number of supermarkets have pledged to pay a premium over and above the current market price. This is welcome and gives some respite to farmers. Some retailers have also taken steps to increase the number of dairy products they source from the UK and improve country of origin labelling on cheese.

The Groceries Code which has been in operation since 2010 and the Adjudicator which came into force in 2013 have had a positive impact on the relationship between retailers and suppliers in the dairy chain. The Code was a specific remedy recommended by the Competition Commission following an extensive investigation into the UK grocery market. A review of the Adjudicator is due this year and will include a Call for Evidence on the case for extending the Groceries Code Adjudicator’s remit in the UK groceries supply chain and, as part of this, we will look at how this can further help the farming industry.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Morris on 2016-03-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he has been notified of any funding applications from Lancaster City Council for the West End of Morecambe; and what information his Department holds on progress being made on (a) the Chatsworth Gardens project and (b) any other new housing projects in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency.

Brandon Lewis

The Chatsworth Gardens project, known as West End One, is a flagship private rent project involving refurbishing and remodelling 27 empty properties to create 51 (1, 2, 3, & 4-bed) homes. Work on site commenced in early 2015 and, to date, ten 4-bedroom houses have been completed. The project is supported by £8.3 million of funding from the Homes and Communities Agency and £1.9 million of empty homes funding.

The next release of new homes is expected later this month, with completion of all units by Autumn 2016. West End Two, the adjacent site is to follow on directly creating a further 50 homes for private rent.

The Department does not collect data on all housing developments across the country, but 13 developments, either completed since 2014 or are currently on site, across the Lancaster City Council area have received Social Housing Grant via the Homes and Communities Agency, totalling £8.0 million and are providing a total of 231 new affordable homes.