Contributions
1,571 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDSouth-west of England: Levelling upFair enough, but the Government Whip here, my noble friend Lady Scott of Bybrook, was for 16 years—not just six—leader of Wiltshire Council.07 Apr 2022HANSARDSouth-west of England: Levelling upMy Lords, I too congratulate the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Exeter on securing this debate. He was known as Robert Atwell when he was chaplain during my early years as…07 Apr 2022HANSARDSouth-west of England: Levelling upWe have someone here who was leader of Wiltshire County Council for 16 years. Take that one away.07 Apr 2022HANSARDBuilding Safety BillMy Lords, a significant number of the provisions in the Building Safety Bill apply to England and Wales and a number also apply to Scotland and/or Northern Ireland. Throughout the…04 Apr 2022HANSARDBuilding Safety BillThat the Bill do now pass.04 Apr 2022HANSARDBuilding Safety BillMy Lords, the Grenfell Tower tragedy resulted in the largest loss of life in a residential fire since the Second World War. On 14 June 2017, 72 people died and 70 more were…04 Apr 2022HANSARDBuilding Safety BillMy Lords, I beg the indulgence of noble Lords: as my noble friend Lord Young and the noble Earl, Lord Lytton, asked pretty much the same question, I thought I would respond to…04 Apr 2022HANSARDLocal Government (Disqualification) BillMy Lords, I want to add the Government’s support. I once again thank my noble friend—and my political mentor in many ways in local government—for all his work in sponsoring this…01 Apr 2022HANSARDHousebuilding: TargetFrom April 2019 to March 2020, more than 242,000 homes were delivered—the highest level for over 30 years. Despite the pandemic, we enabled construction sites to stay open,…30 Mar 2022HANSARDHousebuilding: TargetMy noble friend has extensive experience of housing. The department recognises the importance of modern methods of construction, both volumetric and non-volumetric as well as…30 Mar 2022HANSARDHousebuilding: TargetMy Lords, I recognise the important role that registered providers have played in building affordable housing but also note that, increasingly, councils are building council homes…30 Mar 2022HANSARDHousebuilding: TargetMy Lords, I cannot give that particular statistic; what I can say is that we recognise the importance of getting these standards right. We have consulted very recently on options…30 Mar 2022HANSARDHousebuilding: TargetMy Lords, we seem to be going around every type of housing that we could possibly build, but it is very important to recognise that we have a future homes standard, that we have…30 Mar 2022HANSARDHousebuilding: TargetI thank my noble friend for all the sterling work she does on the Built Environment Committee. I recognise that there is a problem around local plans. Indeed, it is the planning…30 Mar 2022HANSARDHousebuilding: TargetI look at whatever it takes to support councils in being able to build and shape their areas. An increasing number of councils are doing precisely that. This Government have…30 Mar 2022HANSARDHousebuilding: TargetMy Lords, of course we want to ensure that we get both men and women, and particularly women, involved in construction, but, as the Building Safety Minister, what I want to see…30 Mar 2022HANSARDHousebuilding: TargetI can, because it is an unprecedented amount of money: £11.5 billion for the affordable homes programme. In this programme, more than double the number of homes, 180,000 homes,…30 Mar 2022HANSARDHousebuilding: TargetMy Lords, there is quite a lot of noise today, but what I will say in answer to the noble Viscount’s question is that local authorities need to think about how to develop their…30 Mar 2022HANSARDHousebuilding: TargetThat is an incredibly good point, because the wider public sector counts for about a third of the money that is spent in the construction industry in any given year. We need to…30 Mar 2022HANSARDHousebuilding: TargetMy Lords, the House will be unsurprised to know that I do understand the difference between types and tenures of housing. What I said in response to a previous question was that…30 Mar 2022