David Simmonds MP: written questions 2024
175 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Housing: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 8248More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department’s guidance entitled New Homes Accelerator programme, published on 29 August 2024, whether her Department has a planned timetable on when 300,000
Answer: The New Homes Accelerator was first announced by the Chancellor on 8 July 2024 and is a key component of the government’s commitment to deliver 1.5 million new homes by the end of this parliament. We are already working on sites in Liverpool Central Docks...
Answered 18 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: HampshireMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 8 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7876More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2024 to Question 4069 on Local Government: Hampshire, whether she plans to introduce multi-year Local Government Finance Settlements.
Answer: This Government is committed to resetting the relationship between local and central government and working in partnership in the interests of working people. A key part of this is our commitment to moving towards multi-year Local Government Finance Settl...
Answered 16 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordOutdoor AdvertisingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 8 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7875More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's guidance entitled Outdoor advertisements and signs: a guide for advertisers, published on 18 June 2007, what guidance her Department issues on
Answer: The department has not issued any further guidance on advertisements displayed inside a courtyard but visible from a public highway beyond that contained in the Outdoor advertisements and signs: a guide for advertisers. General guidance on the advertiseme...
Answered 16 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordRight to Buy SchemeMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 8 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7874More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what data her Department holds on the maximum Right to Buy discount (a) in London and (b) outside London in each year since 1997.
Answer: Financial information on Right to Buy sales in England was not collected prior to 1998-99. Average discounts from 1998-99 onwards at England level are available in Live Table 682 at the following link.Figures for numbers of sales and total discounts given...
Answered 16 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordRight to Buy SchemeMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 8 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7873More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what data her Department holds on the average Right to Buy discount (a) in London and (b) outside London in each year since 1997.
Answer: Financial information on Right to Buy sales in England was not collected prior to 1998-99. Average discounts from 1998-99 onwards at England level are available in Live Table 682 at the following link.Figures for numbers of sales and total discounts given...
Answered 16 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: ElectionsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 8 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 7872More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2024 to Question 5232 on Local Government: Elections, if she will publish the (a) council and (b) mayoral elections that are (i) scheduled
Answer: The department publishes our understanding of the years in which each council’s elections will be held. That list can be found here.In accordance with legislation, councils are required to post notice of any election or by-election taking place which they...
Answered 14 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordParking: DisabilityDepartment for TransportTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 6653More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with local authorities on powers to enforce parking restrictions for disabled bays.
Answer: It is for each local authority to decide on the parking restrictions they wish to set in their areas and to decide if any parking restriction, over and above the concessions conferred by the Blue Badge scheme, should also be exempted for Blue Badge holder...
Answered 11 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordTower Hamlets CouncilMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5692More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the status is of the best value intervention in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets; and what discussions she has had with local hon. Members on that intervention since 4 Ju
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to Question UIN 3610 on 9 September 2024. The Secretary of State has received the independent Best Value inspection team’s report, this is being considered carefully and any next steps will be set out in due course. Th...
Answered 9 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordEmpty Dwelling Management OrdersMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5691More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department issues on the use of Empty Dwelling Management Orders by local authorities.
Answer: Local authorities can apply for an Empty Dwelling Management Order when a property has been empty for more than two years. This is subject to the production of evidence that the property has been causing a nuisance to the community and evidence of communi...
Answered 11 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial Rented Housing: RentsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5690More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her policy is on allowing (a) social housing providers to increase social rents above inflation and (b) backdated rent increases to offset below-inflation rents set under th
Answer: We will set out plans at the next fiscal event to give councils and housing associations the rent stability they need to be able to borrow and invest in both new and existing homes, while also ensuring that there are appropriate protections for both exist...
Answered 11 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial Rented Housing: Asylum and Undocumented MigrantsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5689More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her policy is on (a) irregular migrants and (b) asylum seekers applying for social housing.
Answer: If a person's immigration status does not allow them recourse to public funds then they are not eligible for an allocation of social housing. This includes irregular migrants and asylum seekers.
Answered 11 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordHousing: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5688More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2024 to Question 3252 on Housing: Construction, whether the 1.5 million new homes target is a net or gross figure, in the context of (a) dem
Answer: The Government’s target of delivering 1.5 million new homes in this parliament applies to England only as housing is a devolved matter. We will update Parliament on our progress in the usual manner.
Answered 11 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordHousing: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5687More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 9 September 2024 to Question 3252 on Housing: Construction, whether her target to build 1.5 million homes in this Parliament will be measured by housing
Answer: The Government’s target of delivering 1.5 million new homes in this parliament applies to England only as housing is a devolved matter. We will update Parliament on our progress in the usual manner.
Answered 11 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordHousing: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5686More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her target to build 1.5 million homes in this Parliament applies only to England.
Answer: The Government’s target of delivering 1.5 million new homes in this parliament applies to England only as housing is a devolved matter. We will update Parliament on our progress in the usual manner.
Answered 11 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBusiness Rates: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 12 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5685More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to (a) increase and (b) discontinue business rate reliefs in 2025-26.
Answer: The government is committed to delivering a fairer business rates system by levelling the playing field between the high street and online giants, better incentivising investment, tackling empty properties and supporting entrepreneurship. Any decisions on...
Answered 7 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBusiness RatesTreasuryTabled 12 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5684More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to (a) increase and (b) uprate the business rate multipliers for 2025-26.
Answer: The government is committed to delivering a fairer business rates system by levelling the playing field between the high street and online giants, better incentivising investment, tackling empty properties and supporting entrepreneurship. Any decisions on...
Answered 7 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBuilding RegulationsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5683More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 1 August 2024 to Question 1525 on Building Regulations, whether she plans to make deregulatory changes in any policy areas to help increase housebuildin
Answer: When reviewing any regulatory changes to the built environment we will always consider safety and proportionality. We work closely with the Building Safety Regulator to ensure that the Building Regulations are under constant review and are delivering new ...
Answered 8 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordHousing: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5682More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what representations her Department has received on the potential impact of (a) 50% new town and (b) 40% Green Belt affordable quotas on the viability of building 1.5 million hom
Answer: The Government has launched an independent New Towns Taskforce to identify and recommend locations for large-scale new communities containing at least 10,000 homes each. The Taskforce’s terms of reference include advising on a ‘New Towns Prospectus’ – sta...
Answered 11 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordBuilding RegulationsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5681More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she is taking steps to raise awareness of the new building regulations coming into effect from October 2024.
Answer: Legislation was laid in Parliament in May 2024 to update the Building Regulations 2010 by setting out toilet requirements in new non-domestic buildings in England. Statutory guidance supporting these changes was also published (Approved Document T). These...
Answered 9 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSouth Cambridgeshire District Council: Working HoursMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5680More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the status of the best value intervention is in relation to South Cambridgeshire District Council on its plans for a four day week.
Answer: The Best Value Notice remains in place until such a time that ministers decide otherwise. Announcements will be made in the usual way.
Answered 11 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordRight to Buy SchemeMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5679More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has received representations on abolishing the Right to Buy from (a) the Mayor of London, (b) London Boroughs, (c) the London Councils organisation and (d)
Answer: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has not, as far as it is aware, received any direct representations on abolishing the Right to Buy from the Mayor of London, London Boroughs, the London Councils organisation, or the Mayor of Great...
Answered 8 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordPedestrian Areas: SmokingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5678More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department issues on (a) smoking and non-smoking provisions in the model conditions and (b) other aspects of pavement licences.
Answer: Publicly available pavement licensing guidance provides details on the duration, application, determination, and enforcement of pavement licences granted under the Business and Planning Act 2020. It can be found on gov.uk here.Section 4.2 of the said guid...
Answered 11 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordHealthMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5677More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2024 to Question 3109 on Health, whether she plans to use the planning system to regulate the (a) sale of hot food and (b) type of food offe
Answer: As part of the consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system, the Government sought views on how the planning system could better support local authorities in promoting healthy communit...
Answered 11 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: ProbateMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5676More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many dwellings claim the council tax exemption for probate in each local billing authority in the most recent period for which figures are available; and what the estimated c
Answer: As of the most recent available data for September 2023, there were 135,698 dwellings exempt from council tax due to the dwelling being empty following the passing of the occupant (exemption class F). The Government does not collect data on the council ta...
Answered 9 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordRight to Buy SchemeMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Sept 2024AnsweredUIN 5675More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many total Right to Buy sales there were in each local housing authority in each year since 2010-11; and what the average value of the discount was in each such authority in
Answer: The number of Right to Buy sales by local authority can be found in Live Table 691b_L. The associated discounts can be found in column b2ac of the Local Authority Housing Statistics open data published on GOV.UK.
Answered 8 Oct 2024
Original Parliament record
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