Tag: Hugo Swire

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will assess the merits of increasing the penalty charged to developers who regularly build without planning permission.

Gavin Barwell

Legislative changes which came into effect in March 2015 mean that both the magistrates’ and the crown court can already impose an unlimited fine on conviction for the most serious enforcement related offences – non compliance with enforcement notices, temporary stop notices and stop notices and for giving false or misleading response to a planning contravention notice. In determining the amount of the fine, the courts are required to “have regard to any financial benefit which has accrued or appears likely to accrue to him in consequence of the offence”.

In addition, where a local planning authority achieves a successful conviction for failure to comply with an enforcement notice, they can apply for a Confiscation Order, under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, to recover the financial benefit obtained through unauthorised development.

We believe these penalties remain appropriate and have no plans to amend them at this time.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of indefinitely vacant properties.

Gavin Barwell

Our strong record on the economy has created a strong buoyant housing market where owners of empty properties are bringing these homes back into use without government intervention. As a result the number of empty properties are at their lowest since records began.

Local authorities have powers and incentives to tackle empty homes. Through the New Homes Bonus they earn the same financial reward for bringing an empty home back into use as building a new one. Councils may also charge up to 150% council tax for homes empty over two years. We have extended permitted development rights to make it easier to convert property from business to residential to give life to thousands of empty buildings.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will assess the merits of requiring developers who need retrospective planning permission to refund the costs incurred by the planning authority.

Gavin Barwell

The enforcement of planning control is a statutory function of local authorities for which they need to budget and the costs of which are not generally recoverable.

The primary purpose of a retrospective planning application is to give those who have made a genuine mistake the opportunity to rectify the matter. Introducing additional charges would penalise those people unfairly and might deter them from submitting applications.

We believe this remains the right approach and have no plans to amend it at this time.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of retrospective planning applications to local councils in (a) Devon and (b) the UK in the last five years.

Gavin Barwell

The Department does not collect the data requested.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of whether retrospective planning permission is more likely to be granted if the development in question is occupied.

Gavin Barwell

The Department has not made such an assessment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the cost of a retrospective planning application is covered by the (a) applicant and (b) local authority.

Gavin Barwell

The Department does not collect the data requested.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to increase the number of officials of his Department who work on issues related to the Commonwealth.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

​We have already begun building up an enlarged Commonwealth team to deliver an ambitious, UK-hosted Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2018, both in policy and event management terms. We will continue to use our network of High Commissioners overseas in the other 51 Member States, bilateral desks in London, together with close cross-Departmental working to further our efforts on issues related to the Commonwealth.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to change the proportion of the cost of retrospective planning applications currently paid by developers.

Gavin Barwell

A nationally set fee is payable where a retrospective planning application is submitted to regularise a breach of planning control, to support the council with the costs of determining the application. We are clear that unauthorised development is unacceptable and unfair to the majority who abide by the rules. However, the retrospective planning application process is there to give those who have made a genuine mistake the opportunity to rectify the situation. We have no plans to review the way fees are calculated for retrospective applications at this point.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will have discussions with the Commonwealth Secretary-General on the Maldives leaving the Commonwealth.

Alok Sharma

As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) said on 13 October, the UK is disappointed that the Maldives Government has decided to withdraw from the Commonwealth. We believe in the Commonwealth and its commitment to improving the lives of people across all its member states. It is an organisation dedicated to developing free and democratic societies, and to promoting peace and prosperity.

There are no current plans for Ministers to discuss the Maldives with the Commonwealth Secretary-General. Officials are in regular contact with the Commonwealth Secretariat.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-09-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to discuss the political situation in the Maldives with the UN Secretary General.

Alok Sharma

The Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) has not discussed the Maldives with the UN Secretary General. Ministers and senior officials have met the Secretary-General’s Envoy for the Maldives, Mr Tamrat Samuel. Mr Samuel’s role is to encourage inclusive political dialogue in the Maldives, and we continue to call for all parties to engage constructively in that process. The British High Commissioner also met the UN Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs when he visited Colombo earlier this month.