My Lords, Amendment 476, proposed by the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman of Ullock, looks to give a minimum height for letterboxes. It is important to ensure that doors in homes include letterboxes at a height that does not cause injury, risk or inconvenience. We have researched the safety and accessibility of letterbox heights to establish the evidence with which to amend existing statutory guidance applicable in England. The Government are committed to reviewing their building regulations statutory guidance and any references to third-party guidance on the position of letterboxes. We intend to include the recommended height for letterboxes in statutory guidance.
I turn to Amendment 487 in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Taylor of Stevenage. Clause 124 and Schedule 11 to the Bill introduce the infrastructure
levy in England. The new infrastructure levy will aim to capture land value uplift at a higher level than the current system of developer contributions, meaning that there will be a greater contribution from developers towards the type of infrastructure to which the noble Baroness referred. Under new Section 204Q in Schedule 11, local authorities will be required to produce infrastructure delivery strategies. These strategies will set out how they intend to spend their levy proceeds. In preparing these strategies, local authorities will be expected to engage with the relevant infrastructure providers to understand what infrastructure will be needed to support new development in their areas. In this way, local authorities will be able to take a more strategic view of the infrastructure that will be required to support development in their areas.
On Amendments 489, 490, 491, 493, 494 and 495, in the names of the noble Baronesses, Lady Taylor of Stevenage and Lady Hayman of Ullock, the Government agree that regeneration is important in our new towns, coastal towns and market towns and recognise the contribution that markets can make to the vibrancy and diversity of our high streets, which is essential to levelling up the country. In this legislation, we are committed to going further in supporting places to tackle blight and to revive our high streets within these areas. The legislation builds on a far-reaching existing support package for high streets and town centres, including £3.6 billion investment in the towns fund, £4.8 billion investment in the levelling-up fund and £2.6 billion in the shared prosperity fund, along with support from the high streets task force.
On Amendment 496 tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman of Ullock, this Government have recently set ambitious new targets for air quality through the Environment Act 2021. These will drive action to reduce PM2.5 where concentrations are highest—often within our busiest towns and cities—reducing disparities as well as reducing average exposure across the country. The Environment Act 2021 established a framework for setting these and any future environmental targets. There is already a comprehensive legal framework governing air pollution, which works in a coherent and complementary way with established national emissions ceilings and concentration targets for a wide range of air pollutants from a variety of sources.
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On Amendment 497, the UK has a plan for meeting net zero and the transition will provide huge opportunities for jobs, investment, innovation and exports. The UK is leading the world on tackling climate change and developing green jobs. Between 1990 and 2021, we have cut emissions by 48% while growing our economy by 65%. In 2020, there were over 400,000 green jobs in low-carbon businesses and their supply chains across the country. The Government are committed to delivering a clean, secure and independent energy system for the long term, demonstrated by the British energy security strategy. The Government have published their formal response to Chris Skidmore MP’s independent net-zero review. Through the Budget and the net-zero growth plan, the Government have acted decisively to the historic opportunity that the review set out. Our plans
for net zero go hand in hand with the levelling-up agenda. The Government’s major economic growth programmes, such as the levelling-up fund and the shared prosperity fund, have guidance that indicates that proposed projects should be aligned to and support net-zero goals.
On Amendment 501, tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman of Ullock, the Government are already implementing measures that will increase public access to nature, many of which are targeted towards disadvantaged communities. All public authorities already have a legal duty to consider what action they can take to conserve and enhance biodiversity and to take that action. Additionally, local authorities and local planning authorities must publish biodiversity reports every five years, outlining the action that they have taken. Defra has published guidance to help authorities to comply with the duty. In the environmental improvement plan published by Defra in January, there is a commitment to work across government to ensure that everyone, including those in deprived areas, lives within a 15-minute walk of a green or blue space.
On Amendment 503, tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman of Ullock, the Government’s Places for Growth programme is relocating 22,000 roles from London to locations across the UK by 2030. It will also ensure that 50% of UK-based senior civil servants will be based outside London by 2030. Places for Growth is contributing towards the Government’s levelling-up agenda by providing an economic boost in cities and towns across the UK through the relocation of civil and public service roles. It will bring a range of benefits in the context of levelling up as a greater number of roles are relocated over time. These benefits are being considered as part of the delivery of the programme. A full impact assessment will be carried out when the greater concentration of roles has been relocated, towards the end of the programme.
Amendment 504A, tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman of Ullock, seeks to make it easier for local authorities to provide childcare directly. Where local authorities identify a childcare need that cannot be met by other means, or that they deem more appropriate to provide themselves, they are already able to establish their own provision under the powers contained in the Childcare Act.
On Amendment 504GD in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman of Ullock, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is working within a new delegation approach with the Treasury, which involves Treasury sign-off on new capital spend. Reports that DLUHC requires approval from HM Treasury for new capital projects will not impact on the levelling-up agenda. The recent change relates only to new projects, and there is no change to the decision-making framework for existing capital programmes. Moreover, noble Lords will be aware that in the usual course of departmental business the majority of programmes would require HMT approval in any case.
On Amendment 504GE in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman of Ullock, the levelling up fund supports the missions set out in the White Paper through investment in infrastructure that improves
everyday life for local residents across the country. The Government have published significant amounts of information relating to the assessment and decision-making process used in the first two rounds of the levelling up fund.
On Amendment 504GG in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Ravensdale, and the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman of Ullock, we appreciate the intent behind encouraging partnership working but that can be incentivised more effectively through non-legislative mechanisms; for example, partnership working could be a requirement for high street funding or support, as envisaged in the recently announced high street accelerator pilot programme. The Government already provide generous business rates relief to high street businesses. As a result of small business rates relief, over 700,000 businesses pay no rates at all. Furthermore, in 2023-24 eligible retail, leisure and hospitality businesses will receive 75% off their bills, up to a maximum of £110,000 per business.
Regarding Amendment 504GJ in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman of Ullock, the levelling up White Paper set out the importance of investment in human capital—that is, the knowledge, skills and experience of the workforce—and the need for investment in skills to boost living standards and support the transition to net zero.
We are rolling out local skills improvement plans. They will bring together colleges and other providers, employers, Jobcentre Plus and other local players to identify skills needs and the capacity that the area has to deliver them. We are also building on the success of our flagship apprenticeships programme by putting employers at the heart of the system. By summer 2023 most of the country will have an LSIP development approved by the Secretary of State for Education. The Bill already sets out clear timescales for when Parliament and the public will be able to scrutinise the missions via the statement of missions, as well as progress towards them via the annual report.
Amendment 504GJH, in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Pinnock, raises the important issue of school and hospital safety. The NHS publishes annually the Estates Returns Information Collection, which already provides detailed information on levels of backlog maintenance across the estate—the main metric used to quantify hospital building conditions.
The Department for Education sent qualified surveyors into nearly every school in England to assess their condition. It has shared reports with the schools and published summary findings. The department plans to publish more detailed data at school level as soon as possible. A new data collection is under way to provide updated information. So moving to a three-monthly review process, as the amendment proposes, would represent a significant increase in the reporting burden that currently falls on NHS trusts and the school sector, for little gain.
With these reassurances, I hope the noble Baroness will feel able to withdraw her amendment.