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Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) Thursday Volume 513 15 July 2010 No. 33 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday 15 July 2010 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2010 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Parliamentary Click-Use Licence, available online through the Office of Public Sector Information website at www.opsi.gov.uk/click-use/ Enquiries to the Office of Public Sector Information, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU; e-mail: [email protected] 1069 15 JULY 2010 1070 what can be done to speed up transactions. I know that House of Commons my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing is looking at ways to speed up the introduction of e-conveyancing. Thursday 15 July 2010 Dr Alan Whitehead (Southampton, Test) (Lab): Why has the Secretary of State decided, alongside the abolition The House met at half-past Ten o’clock of HIPs, that energy performance certificates should no longer be required at the point when a house is initially viewed for purchase? Does he intend to downgrade the PRAYERS importance of those as well? [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] Mr Pickles: Gracious, no—indeed, under our green deal, energy certificates will perform a much more important role. They will be about bringing the price of energy down and ensuring that somebody with a house Oral Answers to Questions that has a good energy certificate does well, because we want to get houses on to the market. We will insist that the energy certificate be commissioned and in place before the sale takes place. It is about speeding things COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT up—the hon. Gentleman is not familiar with that idea. We are in favour of house sales, not bureaucracy. The Secretary of State was asked— Chris Leslie (Nottingham East) (Lab/Co-op): I am Home Information Packs glad to hear that the right hon. Gentleman thought deeply about the consequences of removing the home 1. Jessica Lee (Erewash) (Con): What assessment has information pack arrangement, but in his careful and been made of the effect on providers of home calculated assessment, did he work out the number of information packs of the suspension of the people whose jobs might be affected? Clearly a number requirement for such packs to be produced. [8500] of people across the housing market professions have been gearing up to work in that area and will now no 3. Mr Adam Holloway (Gravesham) (Con): What longer have that employment. How many people? assessment he has made of the effect on the housing market of the suspension of the requirement to provide Mr Pickles: When the hon. Gentleman was in another home information packs. [8502] job, during his brief interregnum between spells in this place, he used to advise me solidly to cut away waste The Secretary of State for Communities and Local and speed things up, and I have followed that advice. Government (Mr Eric Pickles): The suspension of HIPs HIPs were just part of a service that was provided. We has given a much needed boost to the housing market. have just heard from the hon. Member for Southampton, Reports from the industry suggest that the number of Test (Dr Whitehead) about energy certificates, and a new homes coming on to the market has increased by number of such services are available. more than one third since HIPs were suspended. We It has to be said that it is not as though the removal of have also estimated that abolishing HIPs could save HIPs came as a shock. It appeared clearly in the manifestos consumers just short of £900 million over the next of the Conservative party and the Liberal Democrats, 10 years. and in the coalition document. Jessica Lee: Estate agents in Erewash have conveyed Landlords/Agents (Regulation) to me their relief at the home information pack scheme being abolished. Indeed, one estate agent has just described 2. Chris Williamson (Derby North) (Lab): Whether the scheme to me as being a complete barrier to people he plans to introduce a national register of private selling their homes. Can the Secretary of State inform landlords. [8501] the House whether that sentiment is shared by other people working in the housing sector across the country? 14. Lilian Greenwood (Nottingham South) (Lab): Whether he plans to review the regulatory framework Mr Pickles: I am delighted to inform my hon. Friend applying to managing and letting agents. [8513] that joy and happiness among estate agents is not confined to Erewash. Throughout the land, there is a The Minister for Housing (Grant Shapps): The current general understanding that the drag anchor that HIPs legislative framework delivers the right balance of rights were is no longer a constraint on the housing market. and responsibilities between landlords and tenants, so, as I announced to the House on 10 June, we have no Mr Holloway: What further plans does the Secretary plans to add to it, whether through a national register of State have to roll out that happiness and smooth the for landlords or the regulation of managing and letting conveyancing process? agents. Mr Pickles: I am all for spreading as much joy and Chris Williamson: Why is the Minister so indifferent happiness, and indeed love, as I can, where’er I go. It to the rights of private tenants? Is not he worried that was clear even from the trials that HIPs were going to weakening local authorities’ powers will give a green be a real mess. We now need to look to the future and at light to rogue landlords and lead to a surge in the 1071 Oral Answers15 JULY 2010 Oral Answers 1072 number of houses in multiple occupation? I ask him in Robert Neill: I am aware of my hon. Friend’s campaign all sincerity to think again about ditching the plans to and I pay tribute to his work for small businesses in his give private tenants greater protection—or is he happy area. The Government propose to introduce a business to usher in a new era of Rachmanism? growth bonus, which will reward local authorities for giving planning permission for new business premises. Grant Shapps: The hon. Gentleman may not have We are also examining ways to enable local authorities been here when I last addressed this subject, but I am to discount the business rate, and we will ensure that in keen to protect tenants’ rights and to ensure that sufficient areas where business rate supplement is considered, landlords can operate in the market and are not regulated businesses have a proper opportunity to vote on it in a out of it, thereby making rents more expensive for the ballot. very people who want to go into the private rented Dan Byles: Local councils’ powers to help small sector. I looked long and hard for and asked in the businesses in their areas and to help areas in need of Department about the supposed landlords register that economic regeneration, such as the town of Bedworth the previous Government announced. I could not find a in my constituency, are limited. Does the Under-Secretary scrap of paper about it, leading me to conclude that it agree that local councils need more powers, such as the was more a case of a press release than a policy on a ability to vary business rates within a borough or district landlords register. to create local economic regeneration zones, to help new and existing businesses invest in struggling towns Lilian Greenwood: There are almost 11,000 private and villages? tenants in my constituency, many of whom are students, including overseas students, who are particularly vulnerable Robert Neill: That is precisely why the Government to exploitation by rogue landlords—there are numerous propose to introduce the opportunity to discount the examples of that. Does the Minister agree with the rate, to consider the way in which business rate supplement Association of Residential Letting Agents that tenants operates in an area and, above all, to ensure that, at the deserve protection, and that regulation is required to same time as we create the ability to attract housing into drive up standards? an area through our council tax incentive, we give an equal incentive—the business rate growth incentive—to Grant Shapps: I agree absolutely that tenants deserve provide jobs and business in an area. protection and that regulations are, of course, required. Emma Reynolds (Wolverhampton North East) (Lab): However, perhaps the hon. Lady would like to reflect on Given that, regrettably, the Government are downgrading the fact that we have been in government for two benefits to the consumer prices index rather than linking months whereas her party were in government for 13 years. them to the retail prices index, will they be helping There must be a good reason why the previous Government small businesses by linking business rates to CPI rather did not regulate the industry further in that time, and than RPI? there is: many different powers are available to local authorities to ensure that they look after residents. Robert Neill: The most valuable assistance that we Those powers now include HMO-ing, and we will ensure have given is ensuring an extension of the business rate that they apply in areas where local authorities want relief. Moreover, we are assisting small businesses in them, but we no longer need the bureaucracy of their particular and we have increased the threshold for empty applying nationwide. property relief this year to £18,000—all of which the previous Government signally failed to do. Business Rates (Small Businesses) Mr John Denham (Southampton, Itchen) (Lab): The Government often tell us that hard choices must be 4.
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