Contributions
802 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform Bill (Sixth sitting)Well, maybe. I am not a mind reader, either of the mind of the shadow spokesperson or the mind of the great British public. They will make their decision at the next election and,…23 Jan 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform Bill (Fifth sitting)I am listening carefully to the Minister and sort of accept what he says, but may I make a couple of points? First, he has talked about how the Bill has to go through the House of…23 Jan 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform Bill (Fifth sitting)I want to speak briefly in support of the third point made by the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich, in which he addressed the interaction of the Bill…23 Jan 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform Bill (Sixth sitting)Does the Minister accept that the absence of knowing what will be in the Secretary of State’s mind about what rate he or she may set affects the analysis of what is being done…23 Jan 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform Bill (Sixth sitting)Will the Minister explain why it is right to give the decision on those rates to the Secretary of State?23 Jan 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform Bill (Sixth sitting)It is a good to see you in the Chair, Dame Caroline. We are blessed on this Committee to have three people who have been Housing Ministers, the great experience and expertise of…23 Jan 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform Bill (Sixth sitting)I am grateful to the Minister for his summary, which I think is very accurate. Given that the Government have assessed that there is something real there, and decided that they…23 Jan 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform Bill (Sixth sitting)The Minister just mentioned that schedule 2 eliminates marriage value. He will be aware, from the impact assessment, that there is a financial value associated with marriage…23 Jan 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform Bill (Fourth sitting)You are a lawyer. Philip Rainey: Yes, and one tends to avoid the philosophical points. Clearly, from a legal perspective the Bill interferes in an extremely significant way with…18 Jan 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform Bill (Third sitting)Q We have been talking a bit about regulation, which is often seen as some sort of answer to problems and frequently is not—or, at least, is different from simplification or…18 Jan 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform Bill (Third sitting)Q When you say “regulated”, do you mean they should have a qualification—that they can tick a box to say, “I was qualified to do this”—or redress, as in, there is a regulatory…18 Jan 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform Bill (Third sitting)Q My questions are for Professor Hodges. We have to deal with the Bill as it is—on the commonhold thing—so, “Get it done” is not particularly helpful, if I may say. It might be a…18 Jan 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform Bill (Third sitting)I will come to that in a minute. But just in here, on this Bill, is there anything that we should look out for? Professor Hodges: As far as the detail is concerned, there is…18 Jan 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform Bill (Third sitting)Okay, so more generally then, on regulators—Ofgem on energy prices and Ofwat on sewage and water—that approach seems not to provide the outcomes that perhaps were originally…18 Jan 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform Bill (Third sitting)Rules, codes, systems, data, penalties, redress, different organisations—this is your answer as a better solution to caveat emptor? Professor Hodges: Yes, absolutely. Now, let me…18 Jan 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform Bill (Third sitting)In all circumstances or specifically on this Bill? Well, we ought to stick to the Bill. I just want to be clear: you have just outlined the solution—this Bill is going part of the…18 Jan 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform Bill (Fourth sitting)Q I want to follow on from the point made by my colleague, Mike Amesbury, about your November report. When it looked at estate management charges, there was a litany of abuses…18 Jan 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform Bill (Fourth sitting)Q My concern is that you are going to finish your report, quite rightly, in the fullness of time—that will be February—and this Committee will not be sitting in February; heaven…18 Jan 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform Bill (Fourth sitting)Q Let me attempt to get back on to Conservative territory, rather than Barry’s territory. There are many experts in this field, and campaigners have done some fantastic work. I am…18 Jan 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform Bill (Fourth sitting)Q That did not quite answer my question. My question was: is marriage value a real thing? It could be large or small. Can you describe what it is and do you perceive that it is a…18 Jan 2024