Clause 40
Housing and Regeneration Bill
9:45 am
George Young (North West Hampshire, Conservative)
I think that clause 40 is the first part of the Bill where the regulator of social housing is mentioned. We will have a much more substantive discussion about his role later on. This is rather like Beethoven’s opera, “Fidelio”, in which the hero does not appear until the second act. However, can the Minister, who has announced the chief executive of the HCA, say anything about who the regulator is? Has he been announced? If not, how far have the Government got in the process of appointing him?
The clause states that the HCA must co-operate with the regulator. At present, the regulator and the investor share the same building. Is it envisaged that the HCA and the regulator will be co-located, or that they will be separately accommodated? Furthermore, will the Minister shed some light on clause 40(2), which states that
“the HCA must consult the regulator on matters likely to interest the regulator.”?
What does that mean? We are imposing a statutory duty on the HCA, and in fairness to it we should shed some light on what information it will be legally obliged to pass on to the regulator.