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Monday Volume 699 19 July 2021 No. 36 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday 19 July 2021 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2021 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 647 19 JULY 2021 Oral Answers 648 action to protect people sleeping rough or at risk of House of Commons doing so. This saved lives and achieved huge reductions in the number of people sleeping rough: a 37% decrease Monday 19 July 2021 in the latest statistics. Our ambition to end rough sleeping within this Parliament still stands. We are taking into The House met at half-past Two o’clock account the lessons learned from our ongoing pandemic response,including Everyone In and the Protect programme, PRAYERS to inform our long-term plans. Layla Moran [V]: The Everyone In scheme has [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] undoubtedly been a success and led to incredible stories Virtual participation in proceedings commenced (Orders, of lives being turned around in a housing-first approach 4 June and 30 December 2020). that has support from all sides of the House. However, [NB: [V] denotes a Member participating virtually.] several councils have reported that the Government have instructed them, through the terms of the rough Speaker’s Statement sleeping initiative funding allocations, to end the use of emergency accommodation for those sleeping rough, so Mr Speaker: I wish to make a short statement about signalling the end of the Everyone In scheme. To make working safely on the parliamentary estate and the matters worse, the rough sleeping strategy is still in need wearing of face coverings. With the increase in infection of updating following the pandemic. Were local authorities levels in the community and with people having to instructed to end Everyone In? If so, have charitable isolate, I strongly advise that everyone on the estate and third-sector groups been made aware so that they should wear face coverings when moving around, accessing can fill in the gaps? When can we expect to see the catering venues and areas they consider crowded, including updated rough sleeping strategy and, indeed, the promised the Chamber. We have four sitting days before the review of the Vagrancy Act 1824? House rises and I really want us to behave safely and responsibly during those few days. None of us wants to Eddie Hughes: As is so often the case, the Lib Dems risk taking covid back to our families, staff or constituents, are more focused on two things: making plans—rather and I am sure we want everyone working on the estate than taking action—and scaremongering. It is categorically to feel safe and secure and to ensure that the business of not the case that either charities or local councils have this House continues. We certainly have a large number been instructed as the hon. Member suggested. Indeed, of people who have been contacted, so I am worrying funding through the rough sleeping initiative continues about the outcome. With four days to go, I want us all to fund people in emergency accommodation. More to have a good break and enjoy our holidays, so I hope importantly, we should note that that is a temporary we will take this seriously and not push the limits for the form of accommodation and it is incredibly important sake of it. that we get people moved on to more permanent forms of accommodation. That should be the objective of all ROYAL ASSENT of us. Mr Speaker: I have to notify the House, in accordance Somerset: Unitary Local Government with the Royal Assent Act 1967, that Her Majesty has signified her Royal Assent to the following Act: Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater and West Somerset) Supply and Appropriation (Main Estimates) Act 2021. (Con): How many people who responded to the Government’s consultation on unitary local government in Somerset supported (a) One Somerset and (b) Stronger Oral Answers to Questions Somerset. [902851] The Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL (Luke Hall) [V]: The Secretary of State expects to GOVERNMENT announce his decisions on the unitary proposals before the summer recess. Alongside those decisions, he will The Secretary of State was asked— publish a summary of the consultation responses. I assure my hon. Friend that that will include all the detail he Rough Sleeping seeks and much more alongside it. Layla Moran (Oxford West and Abingdon) (LD): Mr Speaker: Let us go to the one and only Ian With reference to the Government’s commitment to end Liddell-Grainger. rough sleeping by 2024, whether he has plans to update the rough sleeping strategy to set out how that commitment Mr Liddell-Grainger [V]: That is the most pathetic will be met. [902850] answer I think I have heard in 20 years. The Government’s consultation for the unitary was finished months ago. I The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, have asked parliamentary questions and written to the Communities and Local Government (Eddie Hughes): Minister—I have tried everything. If on 13 December Our focus in the last year has rightly been on managing 2019 the returning officer in Thornbury and Yate had the response to the pandemic and supporting tens of stood up to announce that a total of 52,000 votes had thousands of the most vulnerable people across our been cast but refused to declare the winner, there would society. During the pandemic, we took unprecedented have been outrage. Why will the Government not come 649 19 JULY 2021 Oral Answers 650 clean over this? Why are they holding it back? Why on The Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government earth has this become an issue? Let us just hear who (Luke Hall) [V]: We are working across Government won the Government’s consultation. Please tell us now and with the waste sector to better understand the and tell the House. issues facing waste-collection vehicle staffing levels. We are working with the industry and have already taken Mr Speaker: Let me remind the Member that I am action on HGV driver shortages, including by ramping not responsible for the answer, and I am certainly not up vocational test capacity and funding apprenticeships. taking the blame for Bridgwater and Somerset. Minister, please pick that one up. Greg Clark: The Minister was good enough to meet me to discuss the poor performance of Urbaser, the Luke Hall: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank my hon. company that has the contract for waste with Tunbridge Friend for his question. There is no broken commitment. Wells and Tonbridge and Malling. Will he update my We always said that we would publish the outcome constituents on what action he has taken since our before the summer recess, and we are absolutely on meeting so that we can see a rapid improvement to their track to do that. We received more than 5,500 responses service? to the consultation on local government reorganisation in Somerset and, when we publish the information, Luke Hall: I thank my right hon. Friend for raising which will be on schedule, as promised, we will show the his concerns again about the performance of Urbaser proportion of respondents who supported the different and for taking the time to meet me to explain in detail proposals, together with a summary of their expressed the concerning situation that his constituents face. It is views. I assure him that we are on track to publish something that we take extremely seriously. Following before the summer recess. our meeting, I have written to Urbaser to ask how it Rough Sleeping intends to address the concerns that he has relayed. I certainly urge it to use every tool at its disposal to meet Sir David Amess (Southend West) (Con): What steps its contractual commitments and I look forward to his Department is taking to reduce the number of rough working with him to continue to monitor this important sleepers. [902852] situation. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Planning System Modernisation Communities and Local Government (Eddie Hughes): I am proud that my Department is leading a cross- Dean Russell (Watford) (Con): What steps he is taking Government drive to eliminate rough sleeping by the to modernise the planning system in England. [902854] end of this Parliament. We are spending £750 million over the next year to tackle homelessness and rough Rob Butler (Aylesbury) (Con): What steps he is taking sleeping. That includes the largest ever investment in to modernise the planning system in England. [902864] long-term move-on accommodation, with 6,000 homes pledged in this Parliament. Our efforts are paying off: Chris Clarkson (Heywood and Middleton) (Con): recent data shows that rough sleeping has fallen by What steps he is taking to modernise the planning 43% under this Administration, with a 37% fall in the system in England. [902876] last year alone. Laura Trott (Sevenoaks) (Con): What steps he is Sir David Amess [V]: And now for something completely taking to modernise the planning system in England. different: Southend. Will my hon. Friend join me in congratulating Southend on reducing the level of rough [902877] sleeping by nearly 90% since November 2017, which is well above the national average? Local organisations The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and such as HARP and Off the Streets have done a magnificent Local Government (Robert Jenrick): We will modernise job under really difficult circumstances, so I urge him the planning system, ensuring a simpler, faster and and his Department to continue to support local charities more predictable system that delivers more homes, more with this important and valuable work.