Speeches by Pennycook.

“We are not going to set interim annual targets, but I am absolutely confident, for the reasons I have given, that we can hit that target if we take forward every element of our plan. I have said this repeatedly. It is a set menu; it is not à la carte. We have to do every single thing that we are committed to doing as p…”

“We are not going to set interim targets. There is a whole-of-Parliament target for 1.5 million new additional completions, as I said. We will continue to monitor and update Parliament on our progress toward hitting that target.”

“I am Matthew Pennycook MP, Member for Greenwich and Woolwich and the Minister of State for Housing and Planning.”

“We want that ban to come in at the point when the Courts and Tribunals Service is able to implement it, but in short order. We made a commitment in our manifesto to bring it in immediately in a one‑stage process, not the two‑stage process the previous Government proposed, when it was also subject to subjective and not …”

“Yes, the email from the chief executive. It was taken out of context, but he is right that some of the reforms we are taking forward are long term and over multiple Parliaments. That is why next year we are going to set out a long-term housing strategy that takes that longer view, but it is clear from the email that he…”

“If Jo finds it, I am more than happy to read out the email. It was taken completely out of context. What the current chief executive was referring to when he said it was a two-Parliament job was the wider reform agenda around house building. If the Committee wants to take the time to go and read the precise wording of …”

“Not months, I would say, Mr Forster.”

“It will become very clear to the Committee why we have taken time to set out precisely how we intend to proceed at the point that we make an announcement in this area.”

“Some are.”

“You are absolutely right. Managing agents already play a crucial role. In a world in which commonhold is the default tenure, they will play an important role, and we have to ensure they are properly regulated. The Government are looking at how we strengthen regulation of managing agents to ensure they provide a profess…”

“It is a good question. I know you have many leaseholders in your constituency, Mr Powell, as have I. We have an incredible number of new-build blocks that have gone up along the river in recent years, so I get this on a constituency level as well as a ministerial level. I know there is a frustration, it would be fair t…”

“We have not announced a timeline at present. It will be next year in terms of going out to consult on them. It is important for the Committee to know that that will lead to a situation where NDMPs deal with the development control aspects of the planning system and the NPPF is left as essentially a plan-making document…”

“NDMPs are something progressed by the last Government through the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act. We are committed to consulting on those and taking them forward. I will give you more details next year.”

“It will partly be through the actions we have taken. At the Budget we secured a significant amount of money that can be used to provide capacity and capability support for local planning authorities. An important bit comes through planning fees and looking at localising those planning fees, so that local authorities ca…”

“There are a couple of parts to this question. I might bring Jo in on it. One is that 300 planners is not the only thing that is in there. It is important to understand that the Department already has a dedicated planning capacity and capability team under the chief planner in MHCLG. That already does a lot of work. You…”

“On the NPPF, it is very simple. The consultation closed on 24 September. We received over 10,000 responses. Officials have been working through those responses at real pace. We are determined to provide a Government response and publish the revised NPPF before the end of the year. We are on track to do so. In terms of …”

“It is a good question. I am going to be quite careful in the words I choose, because we have not alighted on a final proposition. We absolutely need to take account of that scenario, where the non-devolved authority boundaries do not necessarily match the most appropriate spatial development strategy area, if we go wit…”

“Thank you, Chair. At the outset, let me say thank you for extending the invitation to come and speak to you today about the Government’s plans on housing and planning. On the 1.5 million new homes target, I am convinced it is deliverable and, more importantly, I believe it is essential. I and the Deputy Prime Minister …”

“A regional strategic plan. Yes, we have been very clear about that.”

“No, whatever system we come up with, we are clear that we are going to require universal strategic plan coverage across England, whether it is in devolved areas or non-devolved areas. It is a key part of the solution to getting house building right and getting housing growth in the most appropriate and sustainable plac…”