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House of Commons

Wednesday 20 October 2004

The House met at half-past Eleven o'clock

PRAYERS

[Mr. Speaker in the Chair]

Oral Answers to Questions

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

The Deputy Prime Minister was asked—

Park Homes

1. Richard Younger-Ross (Teignbridge) (LD): If he will make a statement on further reform of legislation on park homes. [192476]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Phil Hope): The Housing Bill contains key measures to improve the position of park home owners, which have been widely welcomed on both sides of the House. We are currently consulting on secondary legislation to take forward the provisions in the Housing Bill. We will consult further in the coming months on additional measures recommended by the park homes working party.

Richard Younger-Ross: I thank the Minister for that response. I praise the Government for the measures that they have put in place and the fact that there will be a consultation process, which I understand will reopen the debate about the 10 per cent. fee that is charged on the sale of park homes. Will he confirm that that is the case and that there will be consultation with both residents and park home owners on the matter?

Phil Hope: I am glad that the hon. Gentleman appreciates the work that the Government are doing to improve the situation for park home owners. I have visited a manufacturer of park homes in my constituency and I am aware of the concerns that residents and site owners have. He is right to say that there is still a lack of transparency in the payment regime. Although the Bill addresses some of those problems, I confirm that we will examine the 10 per cent. commission payments further in consultation later this year.

Shona McIsaac (Cleethorpes) (Lab): I too welcome the measures in the Bill, because they will protect my constituents from Barton-Upon-Humber who are residents of Barton Broads from the frankly unscrupulous and intimidatory activities of owners such as Avondale Park Homes. We have the consultation ahead of us, but when will the new rules come in? The
 
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residents of Barton Broads want to know when they will have the same rights and protections in law as other home owners.

Phil Hope: My hon. Friend is right to press for early action. The Bill will help to prevent unscrupulous—as she puts it—site owners from exploiting and harassing park home owners, many of whom are elderly or vulnerable. I am pleased to say that the secondary legislation will come into force next year. There is more to be done and we will consult further on the other recommendations in the working party's report. We want to ensure that the rights of residents on those sites are clearly protected.

Mr. Peter Luff (Mid-Worcestershire) (Con): I am afraid that I must strike a slightly discordant note. Although what the Government are doing is welcome, it is too little, too late for people such as the residents of—[Interruption.]

Mr. Speaker: Order. Let the hon. Gentleman speak.

Mr. Luff: Labour Members seem to forget that they have been in power for seven years—some things are actually their fault now.

Will the Government set a timetable for the secondary legislation and the further consultation that they promise, because the lot of park home owners in this country is still desperate?

Phil Hope: The hon. Gentleman makes a mistake by suggesting that we have acted insufficiently quickly. The Conservatives were in power for 18 years, but we are amending the Mobile Homes Act 1983. There is consensus throughout the House that all parties involved—owners and residents—should have clear, fair, consistent and proper protection. We see a positive future for park homes, not least because of the way in which they can provide affordable housing throughout the country. However, we want to ensure that site owners are given decent protection in law.

Mr. Hilton Dawson (Lancaster and Wyre) (Lab): Park home owners from throughout the country write to me about the excellent progress that the Government are making. They know exactly who is responsible for the improvements to the law and who neglected the issue for decades. My hon. Friend the Minister talked about the positive future for park homes. Does he agree that there is a real future for a responsible park home sector, run under proper legislation, that can provide affordable, secure, safe and adaptable accommodation, especially for older people and those with disabilities?

Phil Hope: My hon. Friend is right to stress the benefits that park homes bring to people who choose to live in them. It is important for those people to have adequate protection in law, but the previous, Conservative Government failed to give them that. The reform package significantly strengthens the rights of residents of park homes and puts in place a regulatory framework to ensure that park homes may play their part in meeting the growing need for good quality, affordable housing.
 
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Bob Spink (Castle Point) (Con): There has been a lack of balance so far on the question. Does the Minister accept that the majority of park home operators are decent people who give a good and much needed product to park home residents? Does he accept that there are controversial matters to deal with, such as the retrospective aspect of legislation? Will he take a breath and ensure that he does not destroy the income streams that enable good park owners to reinvest and to maintain park homes to a decent standard for their residents? Will he look again at what he is doing?

Phil Hope: We recognise that site owners have concerns about the proposals that are out for consultation. They have not been finalised. We are in consultation and want to know their views. I am aware that the hon. Gentleman has written to my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning about the Kings residential park in his constituency. A reply is on its way and he can look forward to the possibility of meeting my right hon. Friend to discuss his concerns. There is cross-party support for the need to get the balance right between the needs and interests of the home owners and the park residents, and that is what the legislation is designed to do.

Housing

2. Mr. David Drew (Stroud) (Lab): What plans he has to encourage co-operative options for housing provision with particular reference to (a) community land trusts and (b) community gateway. [192477]

The Minister for Housing and Planning (Keith Hill): We have no immediate plans to pursue community land trusts. However, the Housing Partnership, the joint unit of the Housing Corporation and English Partnerships, is holding discussions with proponents of a community land trust model. The community gateway is an approach to housing stock ownership and management that gives tenants, where they want it, more involvement and control over their homes. We are currently supporting the community gateway model in two local authorities.

Mr. Drew: I thank my right hon. Friend for that answer. I also thank him for coming to Stroud to listen to its tenants. Could he not be a little more enthusiastic, however, because we need to find alternatives to the problem of a lack of affordable housing, especially in rural areas? The co-operative model, and community land trusts and the community gateway in particular, is a way to take that forward. I look forward to working alongside him to ensure that that happens.

Keith Hill: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for referring to my visit to Stroud, which was a good visit. During that visit my hon. Friend asked about the possibility of using a community gateway model in the options appraisal process in Stroud. I said that that was a perfectly legitimate approach and I am sure that we will work with the community housing task force to take that further as part of the stock options appraisal.

On community land trusts, the Housing Partnership is holding discussions with CDS Co-operatives to develop proposals for a demonstration project. The aim
 
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would be to use the demonstration project to develop good practice for partners and to simplify delivery, using the model for the future.

Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York) (Con): May I press the Minister on the quality of the schemes, in particular the £60,000 affordable homes? Does he share the view of the experts that the quality might be mediocre and not necessarily what tenants or residents need? If his approach is not predict and provide, does he agree that it is dictate and provide?

Keith Hill: That is a curmudgeonly response to the Government's initiative to provide £60,000 homes for first-time buyers who so desperately need them. Of course those properties, on which we have consulted in depth with the industry, will be built to the highest design standards and will certainly meet all the required building regulations.

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