Clive Betts MP: written questions 2024
33 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Housing: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21266More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the responsibilities are of (a) unitary authorities and (b) mayoral combined authorities to deliver housing targets.
Answer: The government have implemented a new mandatory standard method for assessing housing needs which aligns with our ambition to build 1.5 million new homes in this Parliament. Delivering on that ambitious milestone requires local planning authorities to pla...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordUnitary Councils: PowersMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21265More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what extra (a) powers and (b) responsibilities she plans to give unitary councils.
Answer: As set out in the English Devolution White Paper, councils need to be empowered to take the right decisions to drive growth and improve services. This is an ongoing process but among our immediate steps to end micromanagement is working with the sector to...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordFurther Education and Schools: DevolutionDepartment for EducationTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21264More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to give extra (a) powers and (b) responsibilities to (i) councils and (ii) mayors over (A) academies, (B) other schools and (C) further education.
Answer: All our schools are crucial partners in breaking down the barriers to opportunities for children and young people so they all receive a brilliant education which sets them up to achieve and thrive.Academies are directly accountable to my right hon. Friend...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordJobcentres: TrainingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21263More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of transferring powers for (a) skills and (b) training for employment support from job centres to (i) mayors and (ii) unitary councils under devolu
Answer: As announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper, the Department for Work and Pensions will devolve funding for Connect to Work via grants to Strategic Authorities (including unitaries with a devolution agreement), and other agreed local authority clus...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordMayorsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20571More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to allow elected Mayors outside London to appoint Deputies in the same way as the Mayor of London.
Answer: The English Devolution White Paper sets out that the government will legislate so that Mayors are able to appoint and remunerate ‘Commissioners’ who would be able to support the delivery of key functions with portfolios to be determined by Mayors.
Answered 6 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning: PowersMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20570More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what differentiating powers she plans to provide to (a) unitary authorities and (b) mayors in (i) considering individual planning applications and (ii) developing local and spati
Answer: The English Devolution Bill will create in law the concept of a strategic authority, which will include all combined authorities and combined county authorities, both mayoral and non-mayoral, as well as the Greater London Authority.The Bill will place a d...
Answered 6 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordAffordable Housing: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20569More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the responsibilities of (a) unitary councils and (b) mayors will be for the delivery of the affordable homes programme.
Answer: The government will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the multi-year Spending Review later this year. This will support local authorities as well as housing associations to build their capacity and make...
Answered 10 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 17 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20568More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to provide (a) mayors and (b) councils with additional fundraising powers, in addition to the planned infrastructure levy.
Answer: The English Devolution White Paper has provided powers for local leaders to deliver for their places and support economic growth. The government keeps all taxes under review.
Answered 7 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordWarm Homes Plan: FinanceDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 20 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15170More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how the funding for the warm homes policy will be targeted; and what steps he plans to take to ensure the funding is distributed to those most in need.
Answer: As the first step towards the Warm Homes Plan, the Government has committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency, with £1bn of this allocated to next year. Additional funding will be co...
Answered 26 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: Pension FundsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14912More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Pension megafunds could unlock £80 billion of investment as Chancellor takes radical action to drive economic growth, pu
Answer: The Government is consulting on proposals relating to asset pooling in the Local Government Pensions Scheme (LGPS) England and Wales, following extensive engagement with sector stakeholders including the LGA.The proposals in the consultation do not includ...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPension FundsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14911More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Pension megafunds could unlock £80 billion of investment as Chancellor takes radical action to drive economic growth, pu
Answer: The Government is consulting on proposals relating to asset pooling in the Local Government Pensions Scheme (LGPS) England and Wales, following extensive engagement with sector stakeholders including the LGA.The proposals in the consultation do not includ...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPension FundsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14910More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Pension megafunds could unlock £80 billion of investment as Chancellor takes radical action to drive economic growth, pu
Answer: The Government is consulting on proposals relating to asset pooling in the Local Government Pensions Scheme (LGPS) England and Wales, following extensive engagement with sector stakeholders including the LGA.The proposals in the consultation do not includ...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: Pension FundsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14909More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the amalgamation of local government pension funds will be compulsory; whether pension funds will be able to choose which new fund to join; and whether she has had recent
Answer: The Government is consulting on proposals relating to asset pooling in the Local Government Pensions Scheme (LGPS) England and Wales, following extensive engagement with sector stakeholders including the LGA.The proposals in the consultation do not includ...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordHousing: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13401More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on embedding circular design principles in the construction of 1.5million homes.
Answer: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs has written to the Deputy Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretaries of State for Business and Trade, Energy Security and Net Zero and Transport and invited them to join a S...
Answered 18 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPublic Health: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 12385More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, HC 295, what extra funding he plans to provide for public health.
Answer: We will confirm 2025/26 local authority public health funding at the earliest opportunity, and will confirm future years’ funding following the upcoming Spending Review next spring.The Autumn Budget sets out the Government’s commitment to strengthen the U...
Answered 28 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordRecreation SpacesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 900885More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help ensure that people living in new homes have access to well-designed green spaces.
Answer: National planning policy and guidance recognise the importance of high quality open spaces and opportunities for sport and physical activity for the health and wellbeing of communities.Our proposals to release ‘grey belt’ land for development will depend ...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordRadiology: StaffDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9695More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of NHS (a) radiologists and (b) oncologists.
Answer: We are committed to training the staff we need, including radiologists and oncologists, to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it.We will ensure that the number of medical specialty training places meets the d...
Answered 22 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordWidowed People: Workplace PensionsTreasuryTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5877More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many surviving spouses in each public sector pension scheme have lost their pension because they have (a) remarried and (b) established a (i) legal and (ii) other partnership.
Answer: The data required to answer this question is not held centrally by HM Treasury, but some of the relevant data may be held by individual Public Service Pension Schemes (PSPSs). While the cessation of survivor pensions upon remarriage or cohabitation was a ...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordCelotex and Kingspan Group: ContractsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5876More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to prevent products manufactured by (a) Kingspan and (b) Celotex being used by public bodies.
Answer: The Prime Minister has been clear that the government will write to all companies found by the Inquiry to have been part of these horrific failings, as the first step to stopping them being awarded government contracts. This process is being led by the Mi...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordCelotex and Kingspan Group: ContractsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5875More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to prevent products manufactured by (a) Kingspan and (b) Celotex from being used in Government-funded contracts.
Answer: The Prime Minister has been clear that the government will write to all companies found by the Inquiry to have been part of these horrific failings, as the first step to stopping them being awarded government contracts. This process is being led by the Mi...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordNew Homes OmbudsmanMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5874More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) putting the New Homes Quality Board on a statutory footing, (b) requiring developers to be members of the Board and
Answer: The Government is committed to improving upon existing means of redress for purchasers of new build homes. We are currently considering the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recommendations in their recent Housebuilding Market Study, which included ...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordProperty Management CompaniesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5873More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to bring in (a) licences for and (b) registration of property managing agents.
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring that those living in the rented and leasehold sectors are protected from abuse and poor service at the hands of unscrupulous property agents. The Government will set out its position on the regulation of letting, ma...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordHousing: DisabilityMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5872More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to increase the availability of dwellings suitable for younger people with disabilities.
Answer: We understand that accessibility in new homes, and accessibility standards for buildings in general, are important concerns. Housing is one of this Government’s top priorities. Everyone deserves to live in a decent home in which they feel safe. We will se...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordHousing: DisabilityMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5871More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to introduce Part M category 2 of the Building Regulations for new build properties.
Answer: We understand that accessibility in new homes, and accessibility standards for buildings in general, are important concerns. Housing is one of this Government’s top priorities. Everyone deserves to live in a decent home in which they feel safe. We will se...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordOlympic Games and Paralympic Games: FinanceDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 30 Aug 2024AnsweredUIN 2744More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the budget to fund UK participants at the 2024 Paris (a) Olympic and (b) Paralympic games was from 2020; and what the proposed budget is for UK participants at the 2028 Los Angeles (a) Olymp
Answer: UK Sport has invested £385 million of Exchequer and Lottery funding to support our Olympic and Paralympic athletes over the Paris cycle. More detail of awards is set out here www.uksport.gov.uk/our-work/investing-in-sport/current-funding-awards.We are ful...
Answered 5 Sept 2024
Original Parliament record
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