Part of 2. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children – in the Senedd at 2:49 pm on 18 October 2017.
Dawn Bowden
Labour
2:49,
18 October 2017
Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. As you’ll be aware, the use of section 21 notices—the so-called no-fault eviction notices—can be served at any time on a tenant who is not protected by a fixed-term contract. The notice can be served without any grounds being given or proven and can bring an abrupt end to tenancies and total disruption to the lives of tenants. Not surprisingly, the increase in the use of section 21 notices is causing concern to Shelter and other housing and homelessness organisations. Whilst this is a pre-devolution piece of legislation that is still applied in Wales, can I ask the Cabinet Secretary if he would give consideration to reviewing the operation of section 21 of the Housing Act 1988, and, if necessary, more to disapply its provision in Wales so as to remove the unfairness and to provide greater security for such tenants?
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
