Contributions
2,186 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDSubsidy Control BillI thank hon. Members across the House for the informed debate on the Bill and will try my best to respond to their comments in the few moments that I have. A number of amendments…13 Dec 2021HANSARDCommercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill (Third sitting)It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Murray. Many businesses are still on the long road to recovery following the pandemic, particularly in the sectors that have…09 Dec 2021HANSARDCommercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill (Third sitting)Clause 8 sets out the statutory functions of arbitration bodies approved by the Secretary of State to carry out arbitration services. It is key to enabling the arbitration market…09 Dec 2021HANSARDCommercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill (Third sitting)I thank the hon. Lady for her summary of the amendments. The Bill aims to resolve protected rent debt quickly and support commercial tenants and landlords to return to normal…09 Dec 2021HANSARDCommercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill (Third sitting)I hope that, in my opening remarks, I made clear our reasons for asking the hon. Lady to withdraw the amendment.09 Dec 2021HANSARDCommercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill (Third sitting)A party that wants to take their dispute to arbitration must first go through a process of notifying the other party and allowing the other party to respond. The clause sets out…09 Dec 2021HANSARDCommercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill (Third sitting)I am not aware that we have made a specific assessment. We have made assessments on the businesses that come within scope and would otherwise go to arbitration because they have…09 Dec 2021HANSARDCommercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill (Third sitting)The clause requires the party making a reference to arbitration to include with that reference a formal proposal and supporting evidence. The other party may respond with their…09 Dec 2021HANSARDCommercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill (Third sitting)We will continue to work with the arbitration services that have expertise in this area, especially as the measure is based on systems specifically targeted at smaller businesses…09 Dec 2021HANSARDCommercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill (Third sitting)Statements of truth confirm the veracity of written statements submitted to the arbitrator, and they will be required to verify any written statements provided to the…09 Dec 2021HANSARDCommercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill (Third sitting)The clause provides clarity with regard to which payments owed by a business tenant to their landlord under their tenancy contract will be considered to be rent for the purpose of…09 Dec 2021HANSARDCommercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill (Third sitting)Yes, I can confirm that tenancies to which part 2 of the 1954 Act applies are covered by the Bill, including where parties have agreed to exclude certain provisions of part 2 of…09 Dec 2021HANSARDCommercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill (Third sitting)The clause defines “protected rent debt”, a key concept of the Bill, so that landlords and tenants have certainty about what is in the scope of arbitration. The definition for…09 Dec 2021HANSARDCommercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill (Third sitting)Indeed, guidance will be really important to ensure that arbitral services and bodies have all the information that they need to make a correct definition. As the hon. Lady says,…09 Dec 2021HANSARDCommercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill (Third sitting)Clause 4 is essential. It establishes which businesses can access arbitration and the Bill’s temporary moratorium on other measures. We appreciate that the pandemic has been…09 Dec 2021HANSARDCommercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill (Third sitting)The purpose of the clause is to specify the time limit for which arbitration under the Bill will be available. It will encourage landlords and tenants to engage and attempt to…09 Dec 2021HANSARDCommercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill (Third sitting)I think we all acknowledge the fact that this is not a perfect science: some businesses that were suffering through the lockdown will continue to have a slow recovery. This is a…09 Dec 2021HANSARDCommercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill (Third sitting)Clause 5 sets out the protected period from which rent can be referred to arbitration. The Government are committed to supporting landlords and tenants to resolve rent that has…09 Dec 2021HANSARDCommercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill (Third sitting)The hon. Lady is right: this is a focused Bill, looking at the first period of the pandemic. However, as I have said, we will continue to listen to various sectors and work with…09 Dec 2021HANSARDCommercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill (Third sitting)The clause sets out the two questions that the arbitrator must decide before considering what, if any, relief should be given to the tenant. That is important because it ensures…09 Dec 2021