• Reference: 2012/0136
• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 25 January 2012

Do you believe London needs more exhibition space?

• Reference: 2012/0135
• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 25 January 2012

How have you worked with the boroughs to ensure they are prepared for the changes to Local Housing Allowance and what measures have you taken to minimise the impact on those affected?

• Reference: 2012/0134
• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 25 January 2012

From this month the Local Housing Allowance changes will begin pushing low income families from inner to outer London and beyond. What resources and services will you make available to help these households?

• Reference: 2012/0133
• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 25 January 2012

You are right to say the primary objective of the Local Housing Allowance reforms is not to reduce rents (MQ 3967/2011). However, you and your colleagues in government have long told the public that landlords will reduce their rents as a result of these reforms. Will you now acknowledge this is unlikely to happen in London?

• Reference: 2012/0132
• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 25 January 2012

You said in MQ 3968/2011 that you had gained four concessions from the government (more time for existing claimants, more funding for local authorities, incentives for landlords to reduce their rents through Discretionary Housing Payments and exemptions for former homeless people from the shared accommodation rate). How many and what other concessions did you ask from the government?

• Reference: 2012/0131
• Question by: Navin Shah
• Meeting date: 25 January 2012

In your Draft Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Guidance you state that 'boroughs should ensure that they do not constrain affordable housing delivery (particularly for family housing) through their approach to affordable housing definitions and targets (for example by confining the sub-market rent element solely to conventional social rented housing)'. Do you agree with me that this would clearly prevent boroughs from delivering social rented housing? Why have you taken this decision?

• Reference: 2012/0130
• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 25 January 2012

Do you agree with the Housing Minister (Inside Housing, 6 January 2012) that the 'rewards' of social rented housing have been reaped by 'those who know how to play the system best'? Or do you agree with the President of the Chartered Institute of Housing, who believes the Government is 'pitting household against household, profession against profession, pointing the finger of blame for housing problems at the people who live in and manage a scarce resource'?

• Reference: 2012/0129
• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 25 January 2012

Do you agree with the Government's position that there should be no grant funding for social rented housing?

• Reference: 2012/0128
• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 25 January 2012

You state in your Draft Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Guidance that 'Government is clear that there will be no grant funding for social rented housing in the 2011-15 spending round and that funding for most new affordable housing will be provided as affordable rent'. The Mayor will take over the responsibilities of the Homes and Communities Agency from 1 April 2012. What remit will your office have to direct funding under this arrangement? Are you constrained to only funding certain tenures?

• Reference: 2012/0127
• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 25 January 2012

Do you believe that Affordable Rent and social rented housing meet the same housing needs?