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Monday Volume 630 30 October 2017 No. 42 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday 30 October 2017 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2017 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 555 30 OCTOBER 2017 556 House of Commons Landlords and Letting Agents 2. Simon Hoare (North Dorset) (Con): What plans he has to ensure that landlords and letting agents meet Monday 30 October 2017 contractual obligations to tenants. [901463] The Secretary of State for Communities and Local The House met at half-past Two o’clock Government (Sajid Javid): We will make it mandatory for landlords to be part of an ombudsman scheme and we are increasing local authorities’ powers to tackle PRAYERS rogue practices. We also published on 18 October a call for evidence seeking views on regulating all letting and [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] managing agents. Simon Hoare: I refer to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. May I urge the Secretary Oral Answers to Questions of State, in clamping down on rogue practices in the private sector, to keep a weather eye on some of our housing associations, which often seem to think that they are above and beyond the rules and regulations COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT that govern the private sector? Sajid Javid: My hon. Friend is absolutely right to The Secretary of State was asked— raise the profile of social housing tenants. Last month, we announced that there will be a Green Paper on social Coastal Communities: Economic Growth housing, which will be a broad review of issues facing the social housing sector to ensure that tenants’ voices 1. Craig Mackinlay (South Thanet) (Con): What are heard. The Housing Minister is travelling across the steps he is taking to support economic growth and job country to listen to tenants and ensure that we truly creation in coastal communities. [901462] understand all the issues. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Stephen Timms (East Ham) (Lab): Under Newham Government (Sajid Javid): Since 2012, we have invested Council’s excellent landlord licensing, working with the £174 million in 295 projects for the coastal communities police and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs the fund. These are forecast to help to deliver more than council has issued 2,834 notices since January 2013 to 18,000 jobs. In my hon. Friend’s constituency, £2.5 million address and abate serious hazards. The decision on has been provided through the fund to support economic reauthorising the scheme was due seven weeks ago. Will growth and job creation. the Secretary of State assure me that from 1 January he will not deny private tenants in my constituency the Craig Mackinlay: Does my right hon. Friend agree vital protection provided by this scheme? that the coastal communities fund helps to attract more visitors to our coastal communities so that they may Sajid Javid: The right hon. Gentleman will know that thrive? Will he promise to consider very carefully any selective licensing is an important part of ensuring that future bid to the fund to restore the front of Ramsgate we can look after tenants, particularly those who might Royal harbour in my constituency—the only royal harbour be more vulnerable. We consider every application we in the country—to its former glory? get carefully,as we want to make sure that that consideration is proportionate. We will take a careful look at the case Sajid Javid: I do agree with my hon. Friend. The he mentions. £2.5 million already allocated to his constituency will help South Thanet to thrive, and will certainly help to Mr Mark Prisk (Hertford and Stortford) (Con): I attract more visitors. I commend him for the role he has welcome the Government’s plans to reform the lettings played to secure that funding. He is a passionate advocate market and the estate agency market. Given, however, of Royal Ramsgate harbour, and I know he has a that most firms undertake both lettings and sales, will meeting with the Local Growth Minister, the Under- the Government avoid the unnecessary duplication of Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, rules and regulators? After all, separate regulatory regimes my hon. Friend the Member for Rossendale and Darwen could be expensive for business and confusing for (Jake Berry), coming up in which he can discuss his consumers. plans. Sajid Javid: My hon. Friend speaks with experience Alison Thewliss (Glasgow Central) (SNP): The Interreg and makes a good point. Of course we want to avoid North Sea Region Programme is funded by EU grants unnecessary and duplicative regulation, but I think he totalling ¤167 million. What plans has the Secretary of agrees with the Government that it is necessary to State made to replace that funding when the UK leaves regulate letting agents and it is good that we are progressing the EU? with that. Sajid Javid: The hon. Lady will know that we have set John Cryer (Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab): Is not one out plans for a UK shared prosperity fund, which will of the first lines of defence against rogue landlords eventually replace EU funding such as that of the local government, particularly environmental health European regional development fund and the European inspectors? How does taking an axe to local government social fund. finance help tenants? 557 Oral Answers 30 OCTOBER 2017 Oral Answers 558 Sajid Javid: The hon. Gentleman should know that Sajid Javid: My hon. Friend is right to raise this issue. when we changed the law in April 2017 so that local I am not aware of the details, but I would happily meet authorities had more power to intervene against rogue her to discuss it further. landlords, we also provided additional funding of some £12 million. 23. [901486] Wera Hobhouse (Bath) (LD): What progress has the Secretary of State made in introducing compulsory Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet) (Con): What steps electrical safety checks? are the Government taking to encourage private landlords to offer longer tenancies? Sajid Javid: The hon. Lady will know, first, that the Department’s responsibilities in this area are shared Sajid Javid: My right hon. Friend makes an important with other Departments, such as the Department for point. So many more people are renting today than ever Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and I am before, and, as we fix our broken housing market, it is working with my colleague the Secretary of State there important that we listen to them and find ways to to look into this further. Also, the building regulations ensure that more of them are offered longer tenancies. and fire safety review is a broader fire safety review, and That is why I recently announced that the Government I certainly expect it to look at those issues too. are actively looking at the issue, and we will bring forward plans to ensure this in the Budget. Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con): Is it not an irony that it was not that enough money was not spent on Residential Tower Block Safety Grenfell Tower, but that £10 million was spent on it to provide cladding to stop water ingress, and that that caused the whole problem? Is my right hon. Friend 3. Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire) (LD): What aware that, as experts have told me, sprinklers are not progress has been made on improving safety in residential the sole solution to this issue? Sprinklers alone, without tower blocks since the Grenfell Tower fire. [901465] sound fire doors, will not work, and there are other provisions that can be made. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Sajid Javid): We have established a building Sajid Javid: If my hon. Friend will allow me, I will safety programme and identified all unsafe aluminium not speculate on Grenfell Tower and the causes of that composite material cladding on English social housing terrible tragedy—I am sure he understands that. However, buildings over 18 metres. I have also asked all local in terms of his broader point about measures that are authorities in England to identify such cladding on also important, such as fire doors, we found in Camden, privately owned residential tower blocks and to report for example, when fire safety checks were done, that their findings to the Government. This is to ensure that hundreds of fire doors were not in place. There are appropriate action is being taken to keep all residents other measures alongside sprinklers that certainly can safe. be taken and should be taken where necessary. Jo Swinson: I thank the Secretary of State for that Ms Karen Buck (Westminster North) (Lab): What reply, but I want to ask him about other things that can redress will be available to private leaseholders in a be done to prevent fires from claiming lives. We know private residential block that has failed fire safety tests that sprinklers save lives, yet only 2% of council tower where the company does not have the money to carry blocks have sprinkler systems. Is the Secretary of State out that work or goes into dissolution? content with that state of affairs, and if not, four months on from the Grenfell tragedy, when will he stop Sajid Javid: First, the hon. Lady will know that there passing the buck and help local authorities fit sprinklers are redress mechanisms available at the moment. Many in high-rise buildings? of them depend on whether the freeholders or the managing agents are members of a redress scheme. This Sajid Javid: The hon.