Clause 27
Housing and Regeneration Bill
6:14 pm
Nick Raynsford (Greenwich and Woolwich, Labour)
Clause 27 covers the power of the HCA to charge for certain activities. It is obviously appropriate that, where the agency provides services and research, there should be the capacity to make a reasonable charge for that. Indeed, I understand that the existing bodies, the Housing Corporation and English Partnerships, currently do that. My concern is that the power as defined in the clause, certainly in subsection (1), appears to be limited to anything done by virtue of clauses 41, 42 and 47. Clause 42 covers training and advisory services and it looks sensible and straightforward.
Clause 47 needs closer examination because it states that:
“The HCA may provide services in support of a project.”
It defines those services as seconding staff; providing consultants or other manpower resources to a project, or; lending or providing technical, property or other resources. That is all fine in theory, but what is the definition of “a project”? Could that be unduly restrictive? Does a project refer simply to a single housing scheme supported by the new agency, following on from the ability of the Housing Corporation to provide funding for a particular housing scheme, or does it go wider? Could it cover new regeneration initiatives that perhaps will apply in a number of different areas or projects—I am using the plural—that will have different outcomes in different parts of the country? Might that fall foul of a definition that appears to be limited to anything that is done in support of “a project”? I do not know the answer.
I am puzzled by that matter and slightly worried that when we see the agency operating, the definition of “a project” might unduly restrict its ability to offer technical support, consultancy, advice and other assistance to enable worthwhile regeneration or other initiatives to take place. We might all support and regard them as sensible and admirable activities, but they might be prevented if the definition of
“in support of a project”
proves unduly restrictive. I am simply seeking guidance on whether that definition provides for the full range of circumstances in which it would be appropriate for the HCA to provide support and to charge for it in order to defray the costs.