Results 1-20 of 1,961 for (in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates') speaker:Grant Shapps

[Robert Key in the Chair] — Affordable Housing (Rural Areas) (3 Nov 2009)

Grant Shapps: With regard to the Minister's plea to keep regional spatial strategies, is she aware that in both her constituency and mine it is now the RSS that is delaying homes from being built?

[Robert Key in the Chair] — Affordable Housing (Rural Areas) (3 Nov 2009)

Grant Shapps: Will the Minister give way?

[Robert Key in the Chair] — Affordable Housing (Rural Areas) (3 Nov 2009)

Grant Shapps: I congratulate the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Tim Farron) on securing this excellent debate, which has been of far better quality than some housing debates I have attended in this Chamber. I also congratulate the Minister, whose constituency of Stevenage neighbours my own, on her new role; it is not an easy job because the problems of rural housing, as hon. Members have...

[Robert Key in the Chair] — Affordable Housing (Rural Areas) (3 Nov 2009)

Grant Shapps: I have visited the community land trust project in the hon. Gentleman's constituency. It is most impressive and could deliver 70 or maybe even 100 homes. Does he agree that following English Partnerships' insistence on repeating the work already carried out by the community land trust by re-surveying all local residents, at a cost to the public of about £100,000, it could be argued that...

[Joan Walley in the Chair] — Housing and the Credit Crunch (16 Jul 2009)

Grant Shapps: I am intervening because the Minister seems to be trying to paint a picture that suggests that, for all sorts of reasons, it does not matter that just six families are being helped through, for example, the mortgage rescue scheme. Is he aware that the real reason for that is it is almost impossible to jump through the required hoops to qualify for the scheme? I invite him to comment on that?

[Joan Walley in the Chair] — Housing and the Credit Crunch (16 Jul 2009)

Grant Shapps: The Minister is being generous in giving way. He rushed through the £1.5 billion pledge without mentioning where the money will come from. Could I push him on that point?

[Joan Walley in the Chair] — Housing and the Credit Crunch (16 Jul 2009)

Grant Shapps: You have not.

[Joan Walley in the Chair] — Housing and the Credit Crunch (16 Jul 2009)

Grant Shapps: You are the ones in Government.

[Joan Walley in the Chair] — Housing and the Credit Crunch (16 Jul 2009)

Grant Shapps: Again, this needs to go on the record. The Minister talks about the housing pledge, and the additional homes to be built as a result of the £1.5 billion, but is he aware that in launching that pledge, the Government, without having ever mentioned it anywhere else, automatically downgraded their previous target of 70,000 homes?

[Joan Walley in the Chair] — Housing and the Credit Crunch (16 Jul 2009)

Grant Shapps: Talk about housing.

[Joan Walley in the Chair] — Housing and the Credit Crunch (16 Jul 2009)

Grant Shapps: I congratulate the hon. Member for Milton Keynes, South-West (Dr. Starkey), the Chairman of the Committee, on two excellent reports, particularly the first report. The second report is a very good update—it is bang up to date—on the situation and includes information about the Government's most recent "Building Britain's Future" announcements. They provide a good basis for the...

[Joan Walley in the Chair] — Housing and the Credit Crunch (16 Jul 2009)

Grant Shapps: If the hon. Gentleman would be so gracious, I shall come to that. I am on only the first page of my four pages of notes, and the last page describes precisely what we will do to get more from less, as he describes it.

[Joan Walley in the Chair] — Housing and the Credit Crunch (16 Jul 2009)

Grant Shapps: The Government are obsessed with the idea that they have failed miserably after 12 years to build enough social houses because of someone else, but they are misleading themselves. To answer the hon. Lady directly, I believe that local communities will accept much more housing, and much more affordable housing, if there is something in it for them. She asked how my constituents would feel. As...

[Joan Walley in the Chair] — Housing and the Credit Crunch (16 Jul 2009)

Grant Shapps: For £87 million, I am not surprised that not every single person who took up the scheme has ended up buying, but I am surprised that not a single family has been able to buy. Incidentally, the scheme costs £33,000 on average and has not helped a single person into their own home, whereas the homebuy direct scheme costs only £24,000 and has proved at least slightly more...

[Joan Walley in the Chair] — Housing and the Credit Crunch (16 Jul 2009)

Grant Shapps: I certainly understand the point that the hon. Lady makes, and I know that the evidence gathered by the Select Committee will have been considered thoughtfully. As we are debating the reports and the Government's response to the first one, let me give my criticism. Why was the Select Committee not slightly more forensic in its questioning about the outcomes and success of the schemes?...

[Joan Walley in the Chair] — Housing and the Credit Crunch (16 Jul 2009)

Grant Shapps: You have got to love those targets. The simple fact is that targets have not worked, so what is the point of putting more targets in place? There is almost an obsession with targets. I know that they are comforting and that people feel better when there is a target, but it is cruel to have a target that is not delivered because it disappoints people. For example, twice as many homeless...

[Joan Walley in the Chair] — Housing and the Credit Crunch (16 Jul 2009)

Grant Shapps: I can answer that directly and simply: the measure will be whether we have built more homes. If we do, we will reduce the housing waiting list. That simple measure is far more meaningful than targets, initiatives and programmes. If hon. Members are not satisfied that the programmes are not working, I can run through a list of more that are not helping people but are raising expectations. That...

[Joan Walley in the Chair] — Housing and the Credit Crunch (16 Jul 2009)

Grant Shapps: I have spent most of my time speaking about the schemes that are outlined in the Select Committee report. As I said, I do not think that the analysis is of sufficient detail to demonstrate that the outcomes of the schemes have met the intentions behind them. I do not believe that targets are of any benefit on a national level, although local authorities will know what they plan to achieve...

[Joan Walley in the Chair] — Housing and the Credit Crunch (16 Jul 2009)

Grant Shapps: For the sake of completeness on policies that the new Minister could adopt quickly, I shall discuss those policies in a moment. First, let me say that mobility is crucial and that I hope the Select Committee will get the chance to look into that issue. There is no doubt, according to research that we carried out the week before last, that one reason why there is such a great waiting list for...

[Joan Walley in the Chair] — Housing and the Credit Crunch (16 Jul 2009)

Grant Shapps: That point gives me the opportunity to put on record that I want the absolute best, A-class service as far as representation for tenants is concerned. However, the TSA is not even doing the 1 million council houses yet, nor the ALMOs; it has focused only on registered social landlords. That will not come until 2010, so the picture is incomplete. I am concerned that it is taking so long to get...