Contributions
2,215 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD HomelessnessI speak regularly with my colleagues at the DWP, including the Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my hon. Friend the Member for Colchester (Will Quince), who is…29 Jan 2020HANSARD HomelessnessMy right hon. Friend is absolutely right and I do not understand the chatter from Opposition Members. The street homelessness challenge that this country faces is not simply a…29 Jan 2020HANSARD HomelessnessI think I have answered that question. We do not recognise some of the figures that we have heard. In fact, the evidence that I have seen has suggested that rent arrears have…29 Jan 2020HANSARD HomelessnessAs the hon. Lady may know, we are reviewing the Act; we are very aware of that and want to see it changed. We are determined to build on the work of our Housing First programme…29 Jan 2020HANSARD HomelessnessThe hon. Lady makes an important point. Anybody who has spent time meeting rough sleepers, particularly those who slept rough for a longer period, will know that a dog can be an…29 Jan 2020HANSARD HomelessnessI assure the hon. Gentleman that we are working together very closely—I regularly meet my colleagues in the DWP, and in fact we will meet this week. All our proposals will be…29 Jan 2020HANSARD HomelessnessI am very happy to praise anybody who has been involved in Housing First. As I said, a few days before Christmas I visited a Housing First pilot in Walsall and was tremendously…29 Jan 2020HANSARD HomelessnessI will make some progress, as I think Madam Deputy Speaker asked me to. The question of funding seems to have been at the heart of the debate so far. We are backing our commitment…29 Jan 2020HANSARD HomelessnessThank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. As I said, the figures for the past year suggest we are seeing a reduction in street homelessness—a modest reduction, I admit, of 2%, but a…29 Jan 2020HANSARD HomelessnessI should be happy to meet the hon. Gentleman. He will not be surprised to hear that we have already met a range of stakeholders, including representatives of Shelter and other…29 Jan 2020HANSARD HomelessnessI will give way in a moment, if I may. The strategy that we published in 2018, backed at that time by a £100 million package, is a vital step towards our shared goal. The strategy…29 Jan 2020HANSARDENABLE Build Guarantee SchemeToday, I am laying before Parliament a departmental minute setting out the details of a contingent liability that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government intends…29 Jan 2020HANSARD HomelessnessMy hon. Friend speaks with great personal experience and she is right; we must all beware of resorting to simple explanations for this complex challenge. It is about bringing…29 Jan 2020HANSARD HomelessnessI am sure that my right hon. and learned Friend is absolutely right. I am very happy to pay tribute to the fantastic work of St Mungo’s. As I said, it pioneered bringing together…29 Jan 2020HANSARDRough Sleeping InitiativeToday, I am announcing provisional allocations of up to £112 million for a third year of rough sleeping initiative and rapid rehousing pathway funding. This funding covers around…28 Jan 2020HANSARDGrenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 1 ReportI will certainly make that commitment to the bereaved, to the survivors, and to the community of north Kensington. I have met a number of those groups on a number of occasions…21 Jan 2020HANSARDGrenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 1 ReportI beg to move, That this House has considered the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s Phase 1 Report. It is now over two and a half years since the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower, and I…21 Jan 2020HANSARDGrenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 1 ReportI will come to that issue in a moment. The right hon. Lady and I have worked together on this and she has been a strong advocate for her constituents after the fire in Barking.…21 Jan 2020HANSARDGrenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 1 ReportI cannot give the hon. Lady an exact timetable, but it is worth saying that we have already—I will come on to this in my remarks—made available £600 million for building owners in…21 Jan 2020HANSARDGrenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 1 ReportThe question at the heart of my hon. Friend’s remarks is what the judge will determine in the second phase of the inquiry. What went wrong that led to that cladding being on…21 Jan 2020