Speeches by Smith.

“17. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of recent changes to the early release scheme on the demand for housing provided by local authorities.”

“I have a point on which I would appreciate clarification. Increasingly, local authorities are purchasing properties to act as temporary accommodation because of a shortage of private rented accommodation. I am interested in whether it is within the scope of the Bill to look at how we would ensure that local authorities…”

“I wonder—forgive me, because this is also my first Public Bill Committee—how this will work in a house in multiple occupation compared with a dwelling house, and who will have to have the insurance. If a HMO is operated on a joint-licence basis, who is responsible for the insurance and the indemnity that goes with it? …”

“I want to build on the point that my hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner has just made. It may not quite fit at this point in the consideration of the Bill, but it has come to mind while we have been talking about this. I am sure that we all have been contacted by a tenant and then found out that t…”

“Derriford hospital needs an emergency care centre. Further to a similar online petition approaching 1,000 signatures, I am presenting this petition on behalf of my constituents and those who rely on Derriford hospital in Plymouth. The petition states: The petition of residents of the United Kingdom, Declares that follo…”

“Clearly, people need a home to be able to furnish it in the first place, so what action is being taken across Government to address the barriers that care-experienced young people face in accessing the private rented sector, including through guarantor and deposit schemes?”

“That is fine; thank you.”

“Q This is a question mostly for Timothy. At the beginning of your contribution, you mentioned the unintended consequences we see from the Bill, and you gave the example of landlords departing the market. I know there is often the argument that they are still providing a home somewhere else if those properties get purch…”

“Q I have a quick question. One of the things that came up with several witnesses was the issue of parity between privately rented social housing and housing associations, in particular with the increasing standards. That came through particularly strongly on the rural piece. Great things have been done to decarbonise s…”

“Q I am interested in the experience you have on regeneration. Social housing ends up with quite a lot of funding going towards regeneration in a way that the private rented sector would not necessarily automatically qualify for, in my understanding. What do you think the provisions of the Bill would be on regeneration—…”

“Q My question slightly expands on what David said earlier about the burden on local authorities. The new building safety legislation, for example, was really good news, but it had an impact on the level of staffing available to carry out roles, because of the conflict with the private sector, which might offer people h…”

“T5. Building Digital UK has recently classified Devon, including rural areas such as Dartmoor national park, as type C procurement under Project Gigabit. However, there are concerns about how agile and timely its delivery will be. Will the Minister meet me to discuss the speedy roll-out of broadband in Dartmoor nationa…”

“My experience has been that this does impact on the market. That is why the market in Plymouth has failed, in the words of the chief executive of the city council, because those properties often get bought by a family who may not have been—[Interruption.] No, let me finish. Such a family may have been in a privately ow…”

“I will.”

“The hon. Member makes a very good point, and that brings me on nicely to the next section of my speech. One of my constituents has recently written to me to say that he is very sadly, having been a landlord for the same tenants for 25 years, selling his entire portfolio of 89 properties. Sometimes, we do actually see—[…”

“I congratulate the hon. Member for Rushcliffe (James Naish) on his maiden speech. He may be the first triplet I have ever met, so he can add that to his list of firsts. I speak recognising that we want, understandably, to keep tenants safe and to ensure that those in the private rented sector have the security that we …”

“Yes, the hon. Lady is correct. That is part of the problem, and I go back to my point: it is why in cities such as Plymouth the private sector market is failing. Those temporary homes are needed for those who have been evicted from the private rented sector, and then we end up with them staying in temporary accommodati…”

“11. What support her Department is providing to victims of domestic abuse.”

“Devon and Cornwall-based domestic abuse charity First Light south-west, and national domestic abuse charity Hourglass, which works specifically with older victims, have highlighted to me the challenges that they face with short-term funding streams for their work. The current year-on-year funding model results in issue…”

“Nearly 22,000 of my constituents will lose their winter fuel payments. Currently, only 1,500 will receive it. That is a massive cliff edge for those 22,000 residents. While many of them may feel that they do not require that payment, as has been mentioned by other hon. Members, the vast majority of those pensioners fal…”