Tag: John Healey

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2016 to Question 23605, whether he plans to publish the thresholds for council homes to be taken into account when calculating the levy on councils contained in Part 4 of the Housing and Planning Bill before the relevant part of that Bill is debated at Committee Stage in the House of Lords.

Brandon Lewis

The high value threshold will be informed by the data that local authorities have supplied regarding their council housing. This data is currently being validated. Further details will be available shortly.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether it is his policy that provisions to end lifetime tenancies in the Housing and Planning Bill will maintain the secure tenancies of tenants who choose to move to more suitable accommodation because of a disability.

Brandon Lewis

Where existing lifetime tenants transfer to another social home, local authorities will retain a discretion to offer the tenant a further lifetime tenancy. We will set out the circumstances in regulations, and will give serious consideration to whether these should include disabled tenants who need to move to more suitable accommodation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reasons the publication of the Bonfield Review, due to be published in March 2016, has been delayed; and when he expects that review to be made available.

Margot James

The report of the Independent Review of Consumer Advice, Protection, Standards and Enforcement for UK home energy efficiency and renewable energy measures is in the course of completion and will be published in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-01-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the announcement of 4 January 2016, The Government will directly build affordable homes, for what reasons the Homes and Communities Agency was ultimately unable to reach a commercially acceptable agreement for the development in Lower Grayling Well.

Brandon Lewis

The holding costs for the site relate to the entirety of the site and are consistent with the legal and health and safety obligations of the Homes and Communities Agency as land owner.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-01-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many leases of what tenure are planned for the new homes to be built on the direct commissioning sites at (a) Northstowe, (b) Old Oak Common, (c) Daedelus Waterfront, (d) Connaught Barracks and (e) Lower Grayling Well.

Brandon Lewis

The holding costs for the site relate to the entirety of the site and are consistent with the legal and health and safety obligations of the Homes and Communities Agency as land owner.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will place in the Library a copy of the loan agreement that was reached with UK Coal in relation to the closure of Thoresby Colliery.

Anna Soubry

The loan agreement is a private document between UK Coal Production Limited and other UK Coal companies and The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills. It covers both UK Coal Thoresby Limited and also UK Coal Kellingley Limited, the latter of which is still trading.

The loan document is classified as Confidential Information and permission is required from UK Coal to release the loan document to third parties. We have sought permission from UK Coal and after due consideration the UK Coal board of directors have declined consent to release the loan document.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the statistics it produces on homelessness and rough sleeping comply with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics in relation to each of the requirements identified by the UK Statistics Authority in its report, Assessment of compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics: Statistics on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping in England, published in December 2015.

Mr Marcus Jones

Departmental statisticians are currently using the report to help plan future developments in homelessness statistics.

In 2010, we overhauled the way local authorities count rough sleepers, to provide a more accurate assessment of the scale of the problem and reflect the reality on the streets.

Under the Labour Government, including when the rt hon Member was Housing Minister, the process did not actually require all local authorities to submit a return, meaning the number of rough sleepers was consistently under estimated.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-04-18.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Higher Stamp Duty Land Tax rates announced in Budget 2016 will be levied on properties acquired by social landlords under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Mr David Gauke

The higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) for additional properties was introduced to try to make it fairer for people trying to get their foot on the property ladder. Under SDLT legislation, there are exemptions to the tax, including the higher rates, for certain acquisitions by registered social landlords.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to his oral contribution of 10 October 2016, Official Report, column 81, on the Neighbourhood Planning Bill and the Land Registry, for what reasons he has chosen not to privatise the Land Registry.

Margot James

Government has always made clear the importance it attaches to land registration and the Land Registry in supporting an effective and functioning property market. As my Right Honourable Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government said on 10 October, whilst measures for the privatisation of Land Registry will not form part of the Neighbourhood Planning Bill, any decision on privatisation of Land Registry will be for the Government to make in the future. Following the close of the consultation on moving operations of Land Registry to the private sector Government is carefully considering its response, taking into account consultation responses received. It is only right that new ministers take the time to look at all the options before making a decision on the best way to proceed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to ensure improved outcomes for patients who undergo stem cell transplantation in the last five years.

Jane Ellison

The number of patients receiving potentially life-saving stem cell transplants in the United Kingdom continues to increase. The availability of suitably matched donors is a key factor in determining the outcome of stem cell transplantation. The Government has invested £16 million to improve stem cell transplantation services in the UK since 2010 with a further £3 million funding available for the current financial year. This funding has seen more efficient service delivery though the creation of a single unified bone marrow donor registry, more UK patients receiving a stem cell transplant (increasing from 802 in 2010/11 to 1060 in 2013/14) and over 60% of Black, Asian and minority ethnic patients finding a well matched donor compared to only 40% in 2010.

Further improvements include NHS Blood and Transplant introducing next generation sequencing technology that is quicker and more accurate in matching donor and patient and delivering improved clinical outcomes. Research is an important part of improving patient outcomes and the National Institute for Health Research Clinical Trials Network supports clinical trials on the development of novel treatment for patients with blood cancer.