Results 1-20 of 7,394 for (in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates') speaker:Margaret Beckett

Election of Speaker (22 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: Mr. Williams, when the House was first broadcast, Mike Yarwood, the political impersonator, when asked for his reaction, said, "I hope I never have to face an audience like that." I am very conscious today of facing an electorate who know our strengths as well as we do and our weaknesses rather better. One of mine is a deep reluctance to answer only yes or no to a question that I think calls...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Regional Spatial Strategies (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: Regional spatial strategies have been published for all regions, with the exception of the south-west, where we expect to publish shortly, and the west midlands, which is currently holding an examination in public. All regional planning bodies have agreed timetables for further reviews, and I have put details in the Library.

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Regional Spatial Strategies (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: No, I think that would be a disastrous course of action. The Opposition have said a lot of sweeping things about there being no need for a regional tier of consideration or decision making, but one of the reasons this Government implemented such proposals is because of representations that we received from across the country, including from the business community in particular, about the gap...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Regional Spatial Strategies (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: First, my hon. Friend is entirely right. I hope that everyone in the House recognises the tremendous pent-up demand that exists for new housing and the serious social and economic problems that would be caused if we could not do more to address it. I also entirely accept his other point, although he will know that this Government have a strong record of construction on brownfield sites. I...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Regional Spatial Strategies (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: If the hon. Gentleman is referring, as I think he is, to the proposals currently before the House, may I inform him that what we are basically trying to do is streamline and simplify the system? He will have many opportunities to make his contribution on those issues as the Bill proceeds through the House. However, I am sure that he will know that there is a strong element of participation by...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Regional Spatial Strategies (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: It is certainly our hope that people everywhere across the country will take account of that approach, which is obviously the most desirable from every point of view. My hon. Friend will appreciate that sometimes there are greater difficulties in finding suitable sites that meet those criteria, but the Government certainly retain that approach, and we will encourage local authorities to do so too.

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Regional Spatial Strategies (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: Of course I accept that; I do not think that anyone would dispute it. I simply say to the hon. Gentleman that the reason that people should believe what we say about brownfield sites is that the Government have delivered—in fact, more than delivered—on our targets for brownfield sites. We have had many discussions in the House about the proposals for eco-towns, and he is correct...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Regional Spatial Strategies (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: That is certainly not the case. I am sure that is not what the Prime Minister meant, not least because—as I reminded the Opposition a moment ago—there will be very strong local authority involvement and representation in the new bodies that will consider the proposals. They are, as I have said, elected.

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Regional Spatial Strategies (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: I think that the hon. Lady is subtly trying to work round to the proposals that have been put forward by her party, in which, instead of having overall targets that recognise the substantial unmet housing demand identified a moment ago by my hon. Friend the Member for Sherwood (Paddy Tipping), we should somehow let a thousand flowers bloom and thereby allow local authorities to build up to...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Housing Revenue Account (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: Since the launch of the joint review of council housing finance with the Treasury in March 2008, we have received position papers from key organisations in the sector, approximately 45 written submissions in response to our call for evidence, papers from a number of housing experts and four petitions. We have also received direct representations in face-to-face meetings with housing...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Housing Revenue Account (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: I entirely share my hon. Friend's concern about the barriers that had been put in the way of local government's freedom to provide housing for its local communities by the Conservatives when they were last in government. I can assure him, however, that we are in the last stages of removing those barriers and that local authorities will be able to bid for grant. They will have the special...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Housing Revenue Account (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: As I pointed out a moment ago to my hon. Friend the Member for North-West Leicestershire (David Taylor), we are removing the last of the barriers that obstruct local authorities. I share what I deduce to be the hon. Lady's hope, which I hope in turn is shared across the House, that local authorities of every political shade will take advantage of this opportunity to begin greater...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Housing Revenue Account (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: I cannot put a date on the particular concerns that my hon. Friend raises and I recognise, of course, that there are, sadly, a plethora of uncertainties about some of these issues. We will certainly do our best to resolve them as speedily as possible, and if it is helpful, I will write to him if any further information becomes available.

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Housing Revenue Account (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: It is not 18 months, but never mind. I told the House a few moments ago that we hope to publish some proposals this summer. I fully recognise the justified criticisms of the present system, particularly the volatility and the unfairness, but I view with slight cynicism some of the criticisms we have heard from some Conservative local authorities, which were perfectly happy with the surpluses...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Mortgage Assistance Schemes (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: Our objective is to ensure that repossession is always the last resort. The mortgage rescue scheme and homeowner mortgage support scheme are just part of a comprehensive package of measures that we have put in place to assist families at risk of losing their homes. The MRS has been operational across the country since 1 January 2009. Since its launch, local authorities have reported that...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Mortgage Assistance Schemes (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: As I have just pointed out, thousands of households have approached the relevant authorities to seek advice. [Hon. Members: "Two."] Only two have completed the full process. I also pointed out that more than 70 households—77 to be precise—are now well on the way to receiving a formal offer, and I can also tell the House that a further 10, making 87 in all— [Interruption.] I...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Mortgage Assistance Schemes (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: My hon. Friend is entirely right, and I agree that it would be wise for the Opposition to look carefully at the evidence that has been given to the Select Committee that she chairs. Opposition Members are so busy trying to be clever about this issue that they completely overlook the fact that, for everybody who is being considered for schemes of this kind, there is forbearance of action that...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Mortgage Assistance Schemes (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: I simply say to the hon. Lady that we believe that the pre-action protocol has been really quite effective. I appreciate the point she makes, which is that, sadly, many people could still lose their homes, but she may be aware that even in the best of years over the past decade or so—it was in 2004, as I recall—some 8,000 families lost their homes. There are a variety of reasons...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Mortgage Assistance Schemes (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: I cannot honestly say that everybody was enthusiastic, but the most important thing is that they have been willing to join. As my hon. Friend may know, 50 per cent. of the lenders in the marketplace have joined the home owners mortgage support scheme and taken advantage—or they could take advantage—of the Government's underlying guarantee. Although some major lenders did not feel...

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government: Mortgage Assistance Schemes (2 Jun 2009) has video

Margaret Beckett: We are indeed keeping the schemes under review. The right hon. Gentleman may know that in the Budget we brought forward some extra funding, because early experience of the mortgage rescue scheme suggested that there was a greater problem with negative equity than had been anticipated. So, we have already made that change to the scheme and put forward the funding that will enable us to cover...