The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the total area of the direct commissioning site at Old Oak Common has planning permission for housing development.
Brandon Lewis
The planning process is ongoing for these sites. This will be completed in due course working closely with the local communities and local authorities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what consultation his Department has undertaken with councils with statutory responsibility for vulnerable people in supported housing (a) before and (b) since the announcement that housing benefit for tenants in supported housing will be capped at the local rate of local housing allowance.
Brandon Lewis
Ministers from the Department of Communities and Local Government and the Department of Work and Pensions regularly consult with a wide range of organisations as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Ministers and officials from both Departments are meeting relevant organisations from all sectors.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-01-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2016 to Question 23606, if he will estimate the proportion of housing association tenants that will become eligible for Right to Buy in each of the next three years.
Brandon Lewis
The Government is working with the National Housing Federation and the sector on the implementation of the voluntary agreement, which will make Right to Buy equivalent discounts available to 1.3 million housing association tenants. Ahead of full implementation, on the 25 November, we launched a pilot scheme with five housing associations, which will inform the design and delivery of the main Voluntary Right to Buy scheme.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral contribution of Baroness Williams of Trafford, 1 March 2016, HL Deb column 809, if he will place in the Library a copy of the research referenced in that contribution on the affordability of starter homes.
Brandon Lewis
This is a finding from DCLG analysis of the estimated lower quartile of prices paid by first time buyers in 2014, and the total income of households in the private rented sector, considered by region.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-06-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what methodology he plans to use to determine the market rents of social housing properties for the purposes of the pay to stay policy.
Brandon Lewis
The Government believes that it is only fair that tenants who benefit from low social rents, but who are on higher incomes and can afford it, should contribute more. For those council housing tenants who are subject to the policy, the majority will not face a full market rent, but will instead pay a higher rent on a graduated basis using an income taper (set at 15% of income above the threshold). In those cases where a full market rent is payable, it is for the local authority to decide on a methodology for determining market rent appropriate to their particular area. My Department will be supporting them through this process with advice and guidance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the expected investment spending on housing by central government will be between 2016-17 and 2020-21.
Brandon Lewis
Spending Review 2015 prioritised housing by doubling the housing budget from 2018-19 to deliver at least 400,000 new affordable homes. It sets out the most ambitious plan since the 1970s to build homes that support working people in their aim to buy their own home.
Taken together the capital programme, loan schemes, Help to Buy and other measures amount to over £20 billion investment in housing over the Spending Review period.
The detailed list of housing programmes for 2016-17 to 2020-21 is outlined in the five point Housing plan in the Spending Review 2015 document (pp. 40-42).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the size is of the area of land available for the direct commissioning site for housing at Lower Grayling Well.
Brandon Lewis
The planning process is ongoing for these sites. This will be completed in due course working closely with the local communities and local authorities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2015 to Question 19365, on housing benefit, (a) when the evidence review began, (b) who has been commissioned to undertake that review and (c) when he expects that review to be published.
Brandon Lewis
A copy of the specification for the review has been put in the Library of the House.
The Review began in January 2015. The Department of Work and Pensions and the Department for Communities and Local Government commissioned Ipsos MORI in partnership with Imogen Blood and Associates and Housing and Support Partnership Limited to undertake the evidence review. The report will be published later this year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the rollout of universal credit on the level of rent arrears to registered social landlords.
Priti Patel
This information is not collected centrally.
Statistics are published annually on the total value of local authority social housing rent arrears, broken down by Local Authority area. They were most recently published on the Government’s website for 2014-15:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-housing-data#2014-to-2015
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his oral contribution of 21 March 2016, Official Report, column 1268, on welfare, whether he plans to implement his Department’s proposal to cap housing benefit paid to social tenants at the level of local housing allowance.
Justin Tomlinson
The Government intends to implement policies that have already been announced. This includes the proposal to cap social sector Housing benefit at the level of the local Housing Allowance.