Speeches by Pennycook.

“What is not the situation on the ground?”

“I receive them too, Chair.”

“I would simply reinforce—perhaps you take issue with this—that we have acted urgently by laying regulations on Awaab’s law, which, as I have said, will require landlords to address hazards, including damp and mould, within strict time periods.”

“It is important to say that, as a point of principle, alongside our commitment to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable house building in a generation, we are absolutely committed to driving a transformational change in the safety and quality of housing. The action that we have taken today attests to…”

“Then we would have much more certainty. There will be an element of which bids are coming in under continuous market engagement. It does depend on what comes in after we publish the prospectus and the new scheme is operating, and what registered providers themselves are saying their appetite is, but we are getting very…”

“It does all depend on bids. The Committee will know that the way the affordable homes programme works is on the basis of strategic partnerships but then continuous market engagement. In terms of our 10-year new social and affordable housing programme, it may well be the case that we get bids through that strategic part…”

“Do you want to comment specifically on our engagement with the sector in terms of coming forward with a joint vision for numbers?”

“It is a reasonable question. Again, there are nuances and complexities in these things. When it comes to grant funding affordable homes, it is important to be clear on two things. I am not sure it is always apparent to honourable Members how these things work, but there is an intuitive sense that these affordable homes…”

“I appreciate fully why you are trying, Chair, but I will not be drawn other than to say we expect the taskforce to submit its final report this summer. We expect it to submit its final report to the Department this summer.”

“We are keeping it under review, absolutely.”

“We are reflecting, and it is partly why I say that is the Government’s current position, but we are keeping that matter under review. We do want to, in general, incentivise local areas to want to see the new towns that Sir Michael and his taskforce suggest come forward, so we are keeping that position under review. I s…”

“I do like to reflect. Do you want a Minister who does not reflect?”

“That is what I just said. Our current position is that the homes delivered through the new towns programme will be over and above LHN. That is partly because many of these sites will not start building out until the later years of this Parliament. Some will not start building out in this Parliament at all. We are takin…”

“I would say two things. We very deliberately set up the taskforce so that we had independent expert advice as to what the appropriate locations were, which is a complex task for it to come up with answers to. Therefore, our expectation is that, when we see that report, it is a very considered and detailed piece of work…”

“What deadlines?”

“I might bring Will and Jo in after, but I suppose I would say two things in that regard. This is where it is important not to reify locations brought forward through the new towns programme. There may have been sites that were offered up to us by local areas and communities across the country that Sir Michael does not …”

“We will progress a new towns programme, yes.”

“This is where it is really important to understand what we tasked the taskforce to do on our behalf, which is to recommend appropriate locations. Government may ultimately accept all the locations Sir Michael recommends. It may take a view that it can accept only some of those locations, but we need to see what those l…”

“You are assuming that Sir Michael is recommending a substantial number of sites, as you put it.”

“I am not sure I can be any clearer than I have been. We expect the taskforce to submit its final report this summer. When it does so, in a sensible timeframe, we will publish it alongside a government response.”