Every parliamentary written question tabled by Suella Braverman this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 50 · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
What mechanisms exist to ensure that local authorities provide timely access to historical care records for former looked‑after children who make such requests.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
What assessment she has made of the prevalence of missing or incomplete historic records relating to children’s homes and local authority care files.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the processes used by Richmond upon Thames Council when responding to individuals who come forward with disclosures relating to historic abuse that occurred while in the Council’s care.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Whether her Department has issued guidance to local authorities on engaging directly with survivors of historic abuse rather than referring them to external insurance solicitors.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
What steps her Department is taking to ensure that survivors of historic abuse are supported in a trauma‑informed manner when approaching local authorities for (a) information and (b) redress.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of record‑keeping by Richmond upon Thames Council relating to looked‑after children in the 1970s and 1980s.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to introduce penalties for developers who (a) fail to notify local authorities of proposed remedial works and (b) provide incorrect information to homeowners regarding the status of such works.
Work to an existing home is considered a material alteration, and therefore falls within the definition of building work, if changes to the structural, fire safety, or accessibility features of that building are made as part of the work. Unless work is covered by a Competent Persons Scheme (CPS), all building work requires an application to local authority building control or a private sector Registered Building Control Approver. Local authorities have existing powers to prosecute those who breach the building regulations or carry out building work without authorisation and can require that work that breaches the regulations is altered or removed. These powers were strengthened in the Building Safety Act 2022. Where work has been carried out without a building control application the person carrying out the work can also apply to the local authority to have the work regularised. The competence, conduct, and performance of the building control profession is regulated by the Building Safety Regulator. The Building Control Independent Panel is considering how building control is delivered and the performance of building control bodies; it will report in due course.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) warranty and (b) redress mechanisms in resolving cases involving structural defects in properties built by Vistry.
The government has legislated for a series of future measures to strengthen the clarity and enforceability of developers’ obligations during the early years of new home ownership. Sections 144 and 145 of the Building Safety Act, once commenced, will require every new build home to be sold with a warranty that meets mandated minimum standards, and will enable the government to impose penalties of up to 10 per cent of the sale value or £10,000 on those who sell a new home without a compliant warranty. These powers will ensure developers’ responsibilities in the early years are clearer and more consistently enforced. The government believes that existing redress mechanisms for those buying a new home are inadequate. We are therefore working with the devolved administrations to implement the statutory UK-wide New Homes Ombudsman (NHO) scheme and an accompanying Code to investigate and resolve complaints and will bring forward the necessary secondary legislation in due course. Once enacted all developers will be required to be a member of the statutory NHO. The Department does not hold the requested data related to individual developers. Where developers are responsible for remediation, including structural defects, we expect them to take prompt action to remediate buildings. We are not considering bringing forward statutory timescales for developers to complete remedial works.
Communities and Local Government, whether he has considered the potential merits of establishing statutory timescales for developers to complete remedial works following the identification of structural defects.
The government has legislated for a series of future measures to strengthen the clarity and enforceability of developers’ obligations during the early years of new home ownership. Sections 144 and 145 of the Building Safety Act, once commenced, will require every new build home to be sold with a warranty that meets mandated minimum standards, and will enable the government to impose penalties of up to 10 per cent of the sale value or £10,000 on those who sell a new home without a compliant warranty. These powers will ensure developers’ responsibilities in the early years are clearer and more consistently enforced. The government believes that existing redress mechanisms for those buying a new home are inadequate. We are therefore working with the devolved administrations to implement the statutory UK-wide New Homes Ombudsman (NHO) scheme and an accompanying Code to investigate and resolve complaints and will bring forward the necessary secondary legislation in due course. Once enacted all developers will be required to be a member of the statutory NHO. The Department does not hold the requested data related to individual developers. Where developers are responsible for remediation, including structural defects, we expect them to take prompt action to remediate buildings. We are not considering bringing forward statutory timescales for developers to complete remedial works.
Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to improve the clarity and enforceability of developers’ obligations during the first two years of new‑home warranty cover.
The government has legislated for a series of future measures to strengthen the clarity and enforceability of developers’ obligations during the early years of new home ownership. Sections 144 and 145 of the Building Safety Act, once commenced, will require every new build home to be sold with a warranty that meets mandated minimum standards, and will enable the government to impose penalties of up to 10 per cent of the sale value or £10,000 on those who sell a new home without a compliant warranty. These powers will ensure developers’ responsibilities in the early years are clearer and more consistently enforced. The government believes that existing redress mechanisms for those buying a new home are inadequate. We are therefore working with the devolved administrations to implement the statutory UK-wide New Homes Ombudsman (NHO) scheme and an accompanying Code to investigate and resolve complaints and will bring forward the necessary secondary legislation in due course. Once enacted all developers will be required to be a member of the statutory NHO. The Department does not hold the requested data related to individual developers. Where developers are responsible for remediation, including structural defects, we expect them to take prompt action to remediate buildings. We are not considering bringing forward statutory timescales for developers to complete remedial works.
Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of statutory requirements applying to developers to notify the relevant Building Control authority before commencing structural remedial works relating to subsidence, foundation movement, or other ground‑stability defects.
Work to an existing home is considered a material alteration, and therefore falls within the definition of building work, if changes to the structural, fire safety, or accessibility features of that building are made as part of the work. Unless work is covered by a Competent Persons Scheme (CPS), all building work requires an application to local authority building control or a private sector Registered Building Control Approver. Local authorities have existing powers to prosecute those who breach the building regulations or carry out building work without authorisation and can require that work that breaches the regulations is altered or removed. These powers were strengthened in the Building Safety Act 2022. Where work has been carried out without a building control application the person carrying out the work can also apply to the local authority to have the work regularised. The competence, conduct, and performance of the building control profession is regulated by the Building Safety Regulator. The Building Control Independent Panel is considering how building control is delivered and the performance of building control bodies; it will report in due course.
Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that developers comply with statutory obligations to obtain Building Control approval for significant remedial works on completed homes.
Work to an existing home is considered a material alteration, and therefore falls within the definition of building work, if changes to the structural, fire safety, or accessibility features of that building are made as part of the work. Unless work is covered by a Competent Persons Scheme (CPS), all building work requires an application to local authority building control or a private sector Registered Building Control Approver. Local authorities have existing powers to prosecute those who breach the building regulations or carry out building work without authorisation and can require that work that breaches the regulations is altered or removed. These powers were strengthened in the Building Safety Act 2022. Where work has been carried out without a building control application the person carrying out the work can also apply to the local authority to have the work regularised. The competence, conduct, and performance of the building control profession is regulated by the Building Safety Regulator. The Building Control Independent Panel is considering how building control is delivered and the performance of building control bodies; it will report in due course.
Communities and Local Government, if he will hold discussions with Homes England on the quality of new‑build shared‑ownership homes delivered by Abri in the last five years.
Housing associations are independent bodies responsible for the management of their properties and for resolving disputes with their residents. Where such disputes cannot be resolved through a landlords’ complaints procedure, the Housing Ombudsman can investigate concerns relating to housing management, including access issues, repairs, and complaint handling. Homes England does not have a role in overseeing the quality of homes delivered by individual providers once completed. The government expects all housebuilders to deliver good quality homes, and we know that the vast majority do so. When things do go wrong, the government expects housebuilders to make things right. To help customers resolve issues with new homes which developers have been unable or unwilling to fix, the government has committed to establishing a statutory UK-wide New Homes Ombudsman to investigate and resolve complaints and provide new home buyers with effective redress. We will set out further details in due course.
Communities and Local Government, if he will hold discussions with Homes England on the identification of snagging defects in new‑build shared‑ownership properties built by Abri.
Housing associations are independent bodies responsible for the management of their properties and for resolving disputes with their residents. Where such disputes cannot be resolved through a landlords’ complaints procedure, the Housing Ombudsman can investigate concerns relating to housing management, including access issues, repairs, and complaint handling. Homes England does not have a role in overseeing the quality of homes delivered by individual providers once completed. The government expects all housebuilders to deliver good quality homes, and we know that the vast majority do so. When things do go wrong, the government expects housebuilders to make things right. To help customers resolve issues with new homes which developers have been unable or unwilling to fix, the government has committed to establishing a statutory UK-wide New Homes Ombudsman to investigate and resolve complaints and provide new home buyers with effective redress. We will set out further details in due course.
Communities and Local Government, whether his Department holds data on the number of occasions Vistry has undertaken structural remedial works without obtaining the necessary Building Control approval in each of the last five years.
The information is not held. MHCLG collects quarterly data from developers who have signed the developer remediation contract. This data covers buildings requiring life critical fire safety remedial works, however no data is collected in relation to structural remedial works.
Communities and Local Government, whether his Department holds data on the number of defects, snagging issues or complaints raised in relation to homes developed by Hampshire Homes and managed by Abri since 2019.
My Department does not hold data or information requested.
Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that registered providers complete remedial works within reasonable timescales when defects are identified in newly constructed homes.
The government has no current plans to introduce new statutory timescales for registered providers to complete remedial works on new‑build homes. There are already a range of legal and contractual protections in place to ensure defects are addressed promptly. Developers and landlords have duties under the Defective Premises Act 1972 to ensure homes are fit for habitation when completed. Many new‑build homes are also covered by warranties and the Consumer Code for Home Builders, which set standards for quality and provide routes for redress. In addition, landlords remain legally responsible for meeting their repair obligations under Awaab’s Law, which requires them to investigate and remedy serious damp and mould and emergency hazards within statutory timeframes. The government expects all housebuilders to deliver good quality homes, and we know that the vast majority do so. When things do go wrong, the government expects housebuilders to make things right. To help customers resolve issues with new homes which developers have been unable or unwilling to fix, the government has committed to establishing a statutory UK-wide New Homes Ombudsman to investigate and resolve complaints and provide new home buyers with effective redress. We will set out further details in due course.
Communities and Local Government, whether his Department holds information on the average time taken by Abri to complete defect‑rectification works on shared‑ownership homes in the past three years.
My Department does not hold data or information requested.
Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to introduce statutory timescales for registered providers of social housing to complete remedial works following the identification of defects in new‑build homes.
The government has no current plans to introduce new statutory timescales for registered providers to complete remedial works on new‑build homes. There are already a range of legal and contractual protections in place to ensure defects are addressed promptly. Developers and landlords have duties under the Defective Premises Act 1972 to ensure homes are fit for habitation when completed. Many new‑build homes are also covered by warranties and the Consumer Code for Home Builders, which set standards for quality and provide routes for redress. In addition, landlords remain legally responsible for meeting their repair obligations under Awaab’s Law, which requires them to investigate and remedy serious damp and mould and emergency hazards within statutory timeframes. The government expects all housebuilders to deliver good quality homes, and we know that the vast majority do so. When things do go wrong, the government expects housebuilders to make things right. To help customers resolve issues with new homes which developers have been unable or unwilling to fix, the government has committed to establishing a statutory UK-wide New Homes Ombudsman to investigate and resolve complaints and provide new home buyers with effective redress. We will set out further details in due course.
Communities and Local Government, whether his his Department has issued guidance on effective communication between housing associations and developers for resolving defects.
The government has no current plans to introduce new statutory timescales for registered providers to complete remedial works on new‑build homes. There are already a range of legal and contractual protections in place to ensure defects are addressed promptly. Developers and landlords have duties under the Defective Premises Act 1972 to ensure homes are fit for habitation when completed. Many new‑build homes are also covered by warranties and the Consumer Code for Home Builders, which set standards for quality and provide routes for redress. In addition, landlords remain legally responsible for meeting their repair obligations under Awaab’s Law, which requires them to investigate and remedy serious damp and mould and emergency hazards within statutory timeframes. The government expects all housebuilders to deliver good quality homes, and we know that the vast majority do so. When things do go wrong, the government expects housebuilders to make things right. To help customers resolve issues with new homes which developers have been unable or unwilling to fix, the government has committed to establishing a statutory UK-wide New Homes Ombudsman to investigate and resolve complaints and provide new home buyers with effective redress. We will set out further details in due course.