Clause 29
Housing and Regeneration Bill
6:14 pm
Iain Wright (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Communities and Local Government; Hartlepool, Labour)
Let me provide some clarity. Sections 126 to 128 of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 give the Secretary of State the power to give financial assistance in respect of expenditure on activities that contribute to the regeneration or development of an area. In simple terms, that means that the agency can step into the shoes of the Secretary of State and give financial assistance in support of regeneration or development activities in particular areas; it is appointed as an agent by the Secretary of State.
However—I return to this point time and again—the agency must act in accordance with the terms and conditions of its appointment, as set out by the Secretary of State, and crucially it will still need to act within the confines of its objects as stated in clause 2. In practice, the agency will be enabled to administer regeneration funding programmes, which are currently delivered by the Department for Communities and Local Government. The power will enable the Secretary of State to appoint the Homes and Communities Agency to perform a number of functions that are currently performed by the Department.
On Thursday, we had a debate about the vision of the Department and it providing a strategic role on what is needed in respect of housing and regeneration, with the HCA being one of the delivery agents. Many of the delivery functions currently performed by the Department are being transferred to the agency. We are doing something similar in clause 19 in order to build on that. The Government believe that it is vital that investors have clarity on the arrangements for delivering those commitments, and I hope that we have provided that clarity.
I hope that I have provided some certainty for the hon. Member for North-East Bedfordshire—but he looks slightly confused.