Andrew Stunell

Andrew Stunell in Parliament

On this page you find out all about the work I have done in Parliament, from the questions I have asked, and debates I have participated in, to the Early Day motions I have signed, and my voting record.

Please check back often as the page and its links are updated regularly with my latest contributions.

Westminster Links

• Early Day Motions I Have Signed
• Oral and Written Questions in the House of Commons (TheyWorkForYou.com)
• How I Voted in Parliament

• May 24, 2012:
  • Diamond Jubilee 2012 | Communities and Local Government | Written Answers

    My Department is facilitating A Year of Service by chairing and hosting both the Steering Group for the programme and a Reference Group including individuals from a wide range of faith communities who are working to promote the programme within their respective communities. The latter group allows communities to share experience and helps ensure strong multi faith involvement in volunteering activities.

    My Department and the Cabinet Office have allocated funds totalling £65,000 for the central administration of the programme. We believe that faith communities are recognising the opportunities that A Year of Service offers and are rising to the challenge.

  • Councillors: Disability | Communities and Local Government | Written Answers

    holding answer 23 May 2012

    The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect this information.

    The most comprehensive snapshot of local authority councillors and equality information relating to disability is held by the Local Government Association which represents local authorities in England and Wales and has responsibility to support, promote and improve local government.

    The data held by the Local Government Association are taken from the most recent National Census of Local Authority Councillors in England 2010 but does not provide a complete picture as it excludes parish councillors and does not represent a 100% response rate.

    The Local Government Association website:

    http://www.local.gov.uk/web/guest/local-government-intelligence/-/journal_content/56/10171/100325/ARTICLE-TEMPLATE

    has analysis of data relating to local authority councillors from the 2010 Census including information relating to the number of councillors that reported that they had a long-term illness, health problem or disability that limited the daily activities or work they could do.

• May 23, 2012:
  • Building Regulations | Communities and Local Government | Written Answers

    The Department set out its views on the current enforcement provisions for the Building Regulations along with proposals for changes which would make the arrangements more effective in a consultation document "2012 consultation on changes to the Building Regulations in England: Section four-the building control system" which is available at:

    http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/brconsultationsection4

    The consultation closed on 27 April 2012 and the Department is currently preparing a summary and analysis of the responses which will be published later in the year. Decisions on how to take the proposed changes forward will be made in the light of the responses received.

• May 22, 2012:
  • Local Government: Intellectual Property | Communities and Local Government | Written Answers

    No. The Assets of Community Value provisions give communities a right to nominate a building or other land which is of importance to their community's social well-being or social interests for listing as an asset of community value.

  • Building Regulations | Communities and Local Government | Written Answers

    The Department publishes statistics on the number of housing completions, and quarterly data on the average energy efficiency of new homes. But these figures do not specify which Part L standards new homes are built to, as when the building regulations are changed, transitional arrangements are included to avoid unreasonable disruption, meaning that for a period of time some new homes will continue to be built to the previous standards.

  • Association of Residential Managing Agents | Communities and Local Government | Written Answers

    No discussions have taken place between this Department and the Association of Residential Managing Agents on the regulation of managing agents in the leasehold sector since May 2010.

  • Affordable Housing: Bexley | Communities and Local Government | Written Answers

    There were 219 affordable homes started and 327 completed in the London borough of Bexley between April 2010 and September 2011, the latest period for which data are available, as reported in the Homes and Communities Agency's six monthly National Housing Statistics. Data up to 31 March 2012 will be published by the Homes and Communities Agency on 12 June 2012.

    These statistics only cover affordable housing that is delivered through the Homes and Communities Agency's affordable housing programmes; affordable housing delivered outside these programmes is not included. Housing starts cover new build starts only while completions include both new build and acquisitions.

    Total affordable completions, including those delivered outside the Homes and Communities Agency's programmes are published annually in the Department's Affordable Housing Supply statistics available on the Department's website

    http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/affordablehousingsupply/livetables/

• May 21, 2012:
  • Clause 16 - Extent and short title | Local Government Finance Bill | Commons debates

    If it helps the proceedings, let me say I am happy to acknowledge the factual account the right hon. Gentleman has given, and I am sorry if I gave a misleading impression earlier.

  • New Clause 9 - Regulations about powers to require information, offences and penalties | Local Government Finance Bill | Commons debates

    I am surrounded by lawyers, and the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill), is giving me helpful advice, but let me say that there are two separate categories, which I think the hon. Lady has just restated: dishonestly making a false statement and knowingly making a false statement for the purpose of obtaining council tax benefit. To underline a point I made when introducing the debate, those provisions mirror and replicate the existing situation as far as the council tax benefit fraud prevention scheme is concerned. Another relevant point I made earlier is that we are conducting a full review to ensure that what is put into the new scheme is wholly proportionate to the new situation.

    These proposals are designed to localise council tax benefit and the council tax reduction scheme, are part of a much broader package of localisation to local government and are consistent with the Government's deficit reduction plan. I commend new clause 9 and the other Government amendments and new clauses to the House.

    Question put and agreed to .

    New clause 9 accordingly read a Second time, and added to the Bill.

  • New Clause 9 - Regulations about powers to require information, offences and penalties | Local Government Finance Bill | Commons debates

    That is exactly why we produced the statements of intent-to give local authorities and their providers the longest possible time to understand how they might best design and develop a scheme. That is also why we have provided a significant sum of money to assist them in doing that.

    The hon. Member for Warrington North also asked about criminal offences being created by the Bill. The Social Security Administration Act 1992 creates several criminal offences in relation to council tax benefit, including an offence of dishonestly making a false statement and one of knowingly making a false statement for the purpose of obtaining council tax benefit. There is a different standard of proof for each offence, as I suspect that the hon. Lady knows better than I do. Greater penalties apply if it can be shown that a person has acted dishonestly.

  • New Clause 9 - Regulations about powers to require information, offences and penalties | Local Government Finance Bill | Commons debates

    The flexibility on discounts will apply to all empty homes from day one, not just to those that have been empty for two years. The two-year condition relates to the empty homes premium, which is a separate provision that is being put in the hands of councils by the Bill.

    The hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones) made some interesting points, but he did not seem to be aware that, whereas Wokingham has the capacity to generate £700,000 extra income, Wigan, which he mentioned specifically, has the capacity to generate £2.2 million from the discounts. If Wigan chose to implement those measures, that would completely offset the funding gap he talked about.

    To be clear, much of the shroud-waving from the Opposition is completely misplaced. It was strange that the hon. Member for North Durham argued-although he tried to back out of it-for additional cuts in council tax benefit for pensioners, because he wants councils to have the flexibility to switch their spending on pensioners to others whom he thinks are more worthy of protection. That is a point of view, but it is not one that the Government share.

    I have a lot of time for the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey). He served time in the Treasury, during which I believe he was party to the introduction of the 10p tax rate-[ Interruption. ] We all have skeletons we wish we could keep in the cupboard. When it comes to protecting the low-paid, it is this Government who have raised tax thresholds for low-paid people, many of whom are women, of course, and will take 2 million people out of tax over the next three years.

    The right hon. Gentleman did get round to welcoming the localism measure, but-not for the first time-he wants localism, but not yet. The Opposition do not have a strong track record on localism, but they have realised just how important it is to the people we represent. They now pay lip service to it at every opportunity, but I see no sign that it goes beyond lip service to their agreeing to implement localism in practice. At every turn, they try to delay, dismantle and divert the successful attempts of the Government to localise decision making and give local communities the power to take decisions about their services.

    I answered the right hon. Gentleman regarding Rotherham's figures. He mentioned Barnsley, and its figures are an almost exactly equal balance, just slightly in favour of Barnsley, with £1.6 million in each direction. He also waxed lyrical about the new clause 2 single

    person discount. Some 29% of households are single person, and another 7% are single-parent households. I do not believe that he would want to put those people under additional pressure. The Government do not accept that new clause 2 is the way forward.

    The right hon. Gentleman also made an interesting point, of the kind that only a former Secretary of State might make, about what would happen if a council tax referendum failed and the impact that would have on the scheme. The scheme that a local authority sets up by 31 January each year will have statutory force and cannot be changed for the following 12 months, so it would be required to be considered in any reduced budget. Of course, when a local council sets up its scheme, it will be with the full knowledge of its intended settlement. As I say, the right hon. Gentleman welcomes localism, but he does not want it yet.

    I draw to the attention of the hon. Member for Warrington North (Helen Jones) one of the documents we published last week, "Localising Support for Council Tax: Vulnerable people-key local authority duties", which sets out clearly the factors that a local authority needs to have in mind when it exercises its discretion and introduces a scheme. When she studies that, she will find that many of the questions that she raised are answered and her concerns are dealt with.

    The hon. Lady commented on the introduction of the Welsh Assembly clauses. She will know from what the Government said previously that we took the time to consult with our colleagues in the Welsh Administration, and it is at their behest that the clauses take their present form. That is an example of the Government taking a measured approach, consulting with the relevant bodies and introducing proposals entirely in accordance with the Welsh Administration's views.

    The hon. Lady also drew attention to an amendment on consulting with those affected. There is a requirement on local authorities, when they have drawn up their scheme, to consult with those whom they believe will be affected. That clearly will involve a consultation with all the groups the hon. Lady mentioned.

  • New Clause 9 - Regulations about powers to require information, offences and penalties | Local Government Finance Bill | Commons debates

    I am happy to give way to the hon. Gentleman, even though he could not find the time to be present earlier.

  • New Clause 9 - Regulations about powers to require information, offences and penalties | Local Government Finance Bill | Commons debates

    Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I am sure that the opportunity to give way will arise, and I shall certainly do so in due course to those who think that there is anything to be said against our view that the Bill represents a significant localisation for local government and local communities. The return of business rates to local authorities, the capacity to set council tax without having capping limits set by the Secretary of State, and the transfer of the benefits system to local authorities are all significant measures.

    I want to restate my point about the return to local authorities of the ability to set council tax discounts. If every local authority chose to exercise the changes that are being passed into their hands, that would generate for English local authorities a total of more than £400 million. There is no direct connection in the Bill, but I want to make it clear that, whatever might be said about the proposals in the Bill, that discount change will be of significant benefit to local authorities.

    I shall deal with some of the points raised in the debate. The right hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Mr Raynsford) suggested that we ought to accept at least some of his amendments, simply because they were already in the Government's plans. Well, it is because they are already in the Government's plans that we do not need to accept them. Some of his other amendments were intended to dismantle the Bill and its provisions, but I made it clear that this is not just a localism measure but a component part of putting our finances right. At no point have we disguised the fact that localisation and deficit reduction are both involved in the proposals.

  • New Clause 9 - Regulations about powers to require information, offences and penalties | Local Government Finance Bill | Commons debates

    No, I am not going to give way.

  • New Clause 9 - Regulations about powers to require information, offences and penalties | Local Government Finance Bill | Commons debates

    I should like to remind the House that, contrary to some of the wild assertions from the Opposition, the Bill represents a major step towards bringing power back to local government and local communities. The business rates retention scheme, the localisation of the council tax benefit system and the return of the power to set discounts and reductions in council tax for empty homes and second homes are all measures that the previous Government failed to introduce, notwithstanding a lot of hot air about what they might have done or would not do, as the case may be-

  • New Clause 9 - Regulations about powers to require information, offences and penalties | Local Government Finance Bill | Commons debates

    I was going to intervene on the right hon. Gentleman's last point, but I am happy to respond to the other one as well. On the last point, it is absolutely not the case that the Government have made explicit anything relating to disadvantaging working recipients. On the contrary, the statement of intent-I appreciate that he might not have got to this section-makes it clear that it is important for schemes devised by local authorities to link with universal credit and preserve exactly that protection.

    On the other point, Rotherham council, according to the figures it submitted to the Department, will lose approximately £1.8 million of funding, but the discounts and exemptions that it will be able to recover in future will amount to £1.9 million. That is all in the Bill before the House today. Whether the council chooses to join those two things together is a matter for it, but it is absolutely the case that, taking the Bill as a whole, the council will in fact have a greater capacity to meet the needs of the people it serves.

  • New Clause 9 - Regulations about powers to require information, offences and penalties | Local Government Finance Bill | Commons debates

    rose -

  • New Clause 9 - Regulations about powers to require information, offences and penalties | Local Government Finance Bill | Commons debates

    I understand the hon. Lady's point, but in Rotherham the funding gap is £1.8 million and the total value of discounts and exemptions granted by the Bill £1.9 million. To be clear, a 10% reduction for Rotherham is easily covered by the discounts and exemptions in the Bill. That is not true of every local authority, but it perhaps illustrates that there is a good deal of unnecessary trouble stirring by the Opposition. They are paid to do it, I understand that; but sometimes it is important to refer to the facts. In particular, I noticed that one of the leading financial officials on whom the Local Government Association draws for advice is the chief finance officer of Rotherham, so I am sure that those figures, which he submitted to the Department, are correct.

    I am extremely sorry to have detained the House for so long, but I hope that I have provided a good foundation for the debate. The Government believe these to be important and significant reforms that will return power and responsibility to local government and take them out of Whitehall. We believe that is the right direction in which to head. I commend the Government's proposals to the House and urge right hon. and hon. Friends and Members not to support the other amendments and new clauses.

  • New Clause 9 - Regulations about powers to require information, offences and penalties | Local Government Finance Bill | Commons debates

    My hon. Friend makes a very good point. For some rural areas, especially tourist-focused ones, a significant fraction of the housing stock may be occupied-or perhaps unoccupied-as second homes, which makes it very difficult for those who live and work in the areas to secure accommodation. I am sure he has taken note of our changes to the second home

    discount provisions, which give local authorities in those areas the opportunity to bring their council tax bills up to 100%. His new clause proposes a premium on top of that. I am sure that, in the years ahead, he and I will work jointly on proposals for a Liberal Democrat Government beyond 2015, and I look forward to working with him on that proposition.

  • New Clause 9 - Regulations about powers to require information, offences and penalties | Local Government Finance Bill | Commons debates

    It is completely unnecessary. The right hon. Gentleman could have tabled an amendment that said today is Monday, and I would have resisted it on the grounds that we already know that. We do not need it.

    New clause 7 was tabled by my hon. Friends on the Liberal Democrat Benches. It would introduce a premium on second homes that is an exact mirror of the Government's proposal for the council tax premium on empty homes. The empty homes premium came from the Liberal Democrat stable and I am pleased that it is in the Bill. I am sure that my hon. Friends will be eloquent in supporting their proposition, but I have to tell them that the Government believe that it is right to invest heavily in bringing empty homes back into use, and that is why we are using the policy levers available to us. Certainly, there are difficulties in the second home sector; we fully acknowledge that and we fully understand the concerns that my hon. Friends have expressed.