Contributions
2,441 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDNational Planning Policy FrameworkWe have had this debate many times. I will come on to housing targets and the fact that if there is an up-to-date local plan in place, the housing targets do not need to be…16 Jul 2026HANSARDLocal Planning Authority CapacityIt is essential that local planning authorities have the resources and skilled planners they need to provide a proactive, efficient planning service for local communities and…16 Jul 2026HANSARDNational Planning Policy FrameworkIt is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Sir Desmond. I congratulate the hon. Member for Wells and Mendip Hills (Tessa Munt) on securing this important debate, and I thank…16 Jul 2026HANSARDNational Planning Policy FrameworkThat is not quite my reading of the Yatton judgment. The judge confirmed that even if a site fails the formal sequential test for flood risk, elements of the exception test remain…16 Jul 2026HANSARDNational Planning Policy FrameworkIf I remain in post after the summer recess, I will be more than happy to meet the hon. Lady. Where the sequential and exception tests have been applied as necessary and are not…16 Jul 2026HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024: ImplementationThe leasehold system is blighting millions of lives. The leasehold system is a barrier to a fair and efficient modern residential property market. The leasehold system is an…15 Jul 2026HANSARDSocial Housing: Awaab’s LawEvery social housing tenant has the right to live in a safe and decent home, receive services that meet their needs, and have their complaints promptly addressed. Yet far too many…13 Jul 2026HANSARD Point of OrderOn a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I would like to correct an inadvertent error I made earlier today. During the Ninth Delegated Legislation Committee debate on the…08 Jul 2026HANSARDThe Greater Cambridge Development Corporation (Establishment) Order 2026I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the Greater Cambridge Development Corporation (Establishment) Order 2026. It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Dr Huq.…08 Jul 2026HANSARDThe Greater Cambridge Development Corporation (Establishment) Order 2026That is a very good question. In short, although I am more than happy to expand on this response, the development corporation’s boundary does not pre-empt or prejudice the outcome…08 Jul 2026HANSARDThe Greater Cambridge Development Corporation (Establishment) Order 2026That was a long list of perfectly reasonable and fair questions, which I will seek to answer in turn. If I miss any, hon. Members are more than welcome to intervene on me. I will…08 Jul 2026HANSARDCommonhold and Leasehold Reform: Managing AgentsI start by declaring an interest: my wife is the joint chief executive of the Law Commission, whose work I will cite in the course of my remarks. It is a pleasure to respond to…02 Jul 2026HANSARDDraft Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026. It is a pleasure…30 Jun 2026HANSARDDraft Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026That is a fair question. As I set out in my opening remarks, if such an application were to meet the conditions in schedule 2, it would go in front of the chief planning officer,…30 Jun 2026HANSARDDraft Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026I refer the hon. Gentleman to the comments that I have just made. The impact assessment for the Act was published on the basis of a particular scenario, which we have modified. We…30 Jun 2026HANSARDDraft Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026I do not believe so, because local planning authority schemes must adhere to planning regulations and meet the gateway test—in the sense of what can pass a committee—and the…30 Jun 2026HANSARDDraft Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026Planning officers routinely make decisions without applications going to committee. We trust them to do so; they are bound by the requirements that I have just set out. The hon.…30 Jun 2026HANSARDDraft Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026I knew that this instrument would provoke strong feelings, and it has done so, but I very much welcome the scrutiny provided by hon. Members and the considered contributions they…30 Jun 2026HANSARDDraft Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026And we think that is right on schedule 1 applications. They are a very different proposition from schedule 2 applications, which we think members should be able to take a view on…30 Jun 2026HANSARD Houses in Multiple OccupationI start by congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for South Shields (Emma Lewell) on securing this important debate, and I thanking my hon. Friend the Member for Bexleyheath and…25 Jun 2026