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Chris Law:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many Special Mission Immunity certificates have been (a) applied for by and (b) granted to each state since 4 March 2013. \p Catherine West: Government officials from any country can apply for and be granted special mission certificates as part of official visits to the UK. As set out in a Written Ministerial Statement by the former Foreign Secretary dated 4 March 2013, a special mission is a temporary mission, representing a State, which is sent by one State to another with the consent of the latter, in order to carry out official engagements on behalf of the sending State. Since 4 March 2013, the FCDO has received 68 requests for special missions, of which certificates were issued for visits from the following states: Egypt 35 certificates, Iran 1 certificate, Israel 16 certificates, Qatar 2 certificates, Rwanda 1 certificate and Saudi Arabia 3 certificates. Certificates were not issued for visits that did not meet the criteria for special missions, as set out by the former Foreign Secretary in 2013.
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John Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to support Ukraine's efforts to counter Russia's invasion. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK is in constant contact with our Allies to ensure a collective doubling down of support for Ukraine and pressure on Putin’s war machine. The Foreign Secretary spoke to President Zelenskyy on 18 December at a meeting of European leaders hosted by NATO Secretary General Rutte, and reiterated the UK’s unwavering commitment to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. On the 10 January, the Foreign Secretary announced sanctions on two Russian oil giants, Gazprom Neft and PJSC Surgutneftegas, alongside the US. The UK has sanctioned 93 vessels in the Russian shadow fleet.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) restricting foreign aid, (b) restricting visas and (c) using other punitive international measures to encourage the Government of Pakistan to accept the return of people sentenced in the UK for their involvement in Pakistani heritage grooming gangs. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: We recognise and appreciate the great contribution of Pakistani people to the diverse culture of the UK. The UK has transitioned from a traditional aid relationship with Pakistan to a mutually beneficial partnership which underpins UK national interests, and we have regular constructive discussions with Pakistani authorities on a range of topics of vital mutual interest, including criminal justice. Despite significant and complex challenges when seeking to return foreign national offenders, this government is fully committed to making our communities safer by deporting those who break our laws. I raised these issues with Senior Ministers during my visit to Pakistan in November.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his South African counterpart on that country's objectives for the G20 Presidency. \p Anneliese Dodds: The UK welcomes South Africa's G20 presidency; the first African presidency. During the Foreign Secretary's visit to South Africa in November 2024 to co-chair the UK-South Africa strategic dialogue, he met Foreign Minister Lamola to discuss South Africa's objectives for the Presidency and how the UK and South Africa could work together to achieve them.

During my visit to Rio in July, I discussed South Africa's G20 presidency with both my South African and Brazilian counterpart linking the then current and future G20 president countries.

The UK looks forward to working closely with South Africa on its themes of solidarity, inequality and sustainability as Ministers across government visit over the coming year. South Africa's G20 presidency will also provide a platform to advance and focus our shared priorities on addressing climate change, promoting economic growth and promoting an open and stable international order.
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Anna Sabine:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that UK international climate finance reaches (a) children and (b) communities most vulnerable to climate change. \p Anneliese Dodds: Our international climate finance continues to prioritise support to the most vulnerable communities who are experiencing the worst impacts of climate change, including children. In addition, we are committed to amplifying the voices of the most marginalised, empowering them as decision-makers, advocates and leaders in the climate response, ensuring gender and other factors including age and disability are a key part of our policy and programming. At COP29, I championed gender-responsive and inclusive international climate finance and policy, announcing over £5.8 million to support women's economic empowerment and social norms change and to build the resilience of women's rights organisations against climate threats.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with (a) international and (b) NGO partners to remove blocks on humanitarian aid entering Sudan. \p Anneliese Dodds: The UK continues to work with international partners, including the UN and NGOs, to press for improved access for the delivery of aid into and across Sudan and consistently calls for the removal of all bureaucratic and administrative impediments to ensure aid can reach those in need. We raised the critical importance of increased humanitarian cross-border access at open briefings at the UN Security Council on 19 December 2024 and 6 January 2025 and have engaged directly with the new Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, on the UN response. On 25 November, the Foreign Secretary chaired a Sudan meeting with G7 and Arab Quint Foreign Ministers to discuss joint steps to improve humanitarian access and increase aid. On 18 October, the UK, along with 10 other donors, released a joint statement condemning the deliberate obstruction of humanitarian efforts by the warring parties. On 15 October, Lord Collins and I met with a range of NGOs to discuss humanitarian access in Sudan.
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Claire Young:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to help tackle extra-judicial imprisonment. \p Anneliese Dodds: The UK is committed to working with partners bilaterally, and at the UN, to end arbitrary detention, advocate for those who have been arbitrarily detained, and demand accountability. The UK is a vocal supporter of the Canadian initiative against the use of arbitrary detention in state-to-state relations. Minister Falconer recently met the US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs to discuss this issue. Through the Rule of Law Expertise (ROLE UK) programme the FCDO is working in partnership with stakeholders across the legal, judicial and development sectors to promote and strengthen the rule of law around the world.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 19310 on Syria: Religious Freedom, what recent discussions he has had with his Syrian counterparts on protecting freedom of religion or belief in that country. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The Foreign Secretary underlined the importance of an inclusive political process with interim Foreign Minister Al Shaybani during a meeting in Riyadh on 12 January. In December, senior Foreign Office officials met with the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the interim Foreign Minister. They highlighted the need to protect the rights of all civilians, including religious minorities. We are closely monitoring the treatment of ethnic and religious minorities. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We will continue to advocate for the right of Freedom of Religion or Belief in Syria and for an inclusive political transition.
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Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help secure the release of Alaa Abd El-Fattah. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: We are committed to securing Mr El-Fattah’s release so he can be reunited with his family and we continue to raise his case at the highest levels of the Egyptian government. The Prime Minister wrote to President Sisi on 26 December 2024 and 8 January 2025. The Foreign Secretary and National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell raised this case with Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdelatty on 12 January and 2 January respectively.
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Mary Glindon:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department’s policies of the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The situation in Syria remains fluid, and clearly has wide-ranging implications for UK policy. Our top priorities have been to prevent further escalation, especially in the North East; support an inclusive Syrian-led political transition; and ensure continued humanitarian access.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help support the rights of women in Afghanistan. \p Anneliese Dodds: We condemn the Taliban’s destruction of nearly every element of women and girls’ freedoms. FCDO officials engage with the Taliban to urge them to reverse their barbaric decisions and we work with our international partners to maintain collective pressure. The UK uses its prominent position in multilateral forums, such as the UN Security Council, to hold the Taliban to account for their deeply repressive policies.
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Chris Webb:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of recognising a Palestinian state. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: On 13 January, the Foreign Secretary sat down with President Abbas to talk about the Labour Party’s longstanding support for the Palestinian cause. Palestinians must be given a credible route to a Palestinian state which is the right of the Palestinian people. We will recognise a Palestinian state at a time that is most conducive to making statehood a reality, and we are working with partners to support a two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Palestinian and Israeli people.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans an audit of the UK’s relationship with China. \p Catherine West: Work on the audit is underway, due to conclude in spring 2025. The China audit will examine the UK's interests with respect to China. This will improve our ability to understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities China poses. Parliament will be informed of the findings once the audit has concluded.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many times Ministers in his Department have engaged with the leadership of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) since 5 July 2024. \p Catherine West: The Foreign Secretary spoke with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General, Dr Carla Barnett, on 15 August. The Foreign Secretary expressed solidarity with the Caribbean following Hurricane Beryl. They also discussed the situation in Haiti and reaffirm the deep UK-CARICOM relationship, including the need to advance the UK-CARICOM Memorandum of Understanding. During visits to Grenada and Barbados, the Minister for Latin America and the Caribbean had a bilateral meeting with the then Chair of CARICOM, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell of Grenada. They discussed a number of issues, including disaster preparedness, climate finance and the ongoing challenges in Haiti.
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Alex Easton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Australian counterpart on (a) the arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne and (b) changes in the level of antisemitic incidents in Australia,. \p Catherine West: We regularly discuss issues relating to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) with Australia. We condemn antisemitism globally and welcome the Australian government's condemnation of the global rise in antisemitism, as well as specific incidents in Australia. We will continue to work closely with allies like Australia to counter the rise of antisemitism in our own societies and globally.
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Satvir Kaur:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Brazilian counterpart on the (a) protection of the Amazon rainforest and (b) restoration of rainforest habitats destroyed by wildfires. \p Catherine West: The UK government is boosting its relationships with Brazilian ministers to prioritise the protection of the Amazon. The Foreign Secretary and Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero regularly underline our shared climate ambitions, including protection of the Amazon rainforest, with their counterparts in calls and meetings. The UK also supports a variety of programmes aimed at preventing deforestation and restoring rainforests destroyed by wildfires. In Ecuador and Peru, we are contributing up to £12.3 million through the Andes-Amazon Biodiverse Landscape Fund and in Brazil, through the Amazon Fund (£80 million contributed, £35 million committed).
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) engagement and (b) consultation he (i) has had and (ii) plans to have with parliamentarians on the treaty with Mauritius on the British Indian Ocean Territory. \p Stephen Doughty: As well as responding to numerous parliamentary and urgent questions regarding negotiations with Mauritius around the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) treaty. In December 2024 I met with the Chagos All party Parliamentary Group (APPG) where I briefed members of both houses on the deal. That month Baroness Chapman briefed Liberal Democrat Peers and Harriet Matthews, deputy chief negotiator for the BIOT treaty, briefed the Foreign Affairs Committee. In November 2024 the Foreign Secretary also appeared before the commons select committee on Foreign Affairs.

Later this month I will be briefing the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories APPG where I will further answer questions around the treaty.
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Mary Glindon:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps he has taken to encourage a ceasefire in Gaza. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: Since day one, this government has been clear that we need to see an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages cruelly detained by Hamas, better protection of civilians, significantly more aid consistently entering Gaza, and a path to long-term peace and stability. The UK has been clear that Israel must act in accordance with international humanitarian law and protect civilians. The war must end, and both sides need to show flexibility and do a deal now. We support the efforts of the US, Egyptian and Qatari negotiators and call on the parties to return to the negotiation table in a meaningful way. The Foreign Secretary met with Foreign Minister Sa'ar in Israel on 13 January, and stressed to him the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire with all restrictions on aid to Gaza lifted. We continue to raise issues of international humanitarian law compliance in Gaza with the Israeli Government. I raised this with the Israeli Government on 27 December.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with international partners to facilitate mediation between parties to reduce conflict in the Middle East. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK works closely with regional and international partners to reduce conflict in the Middle East. The UK is at the forefront of the response to fast moving events in Syria, engaging regularly with international partners to support a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition process leading to an inclusive, non-sectarian and representative government and reduced conflict. The UK supports political efforts to achieve a lasting solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The Foreign Secretary met Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar in Israel on 13 January, and stressed to him the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire with all restrictions on aid to Gaza lifted. In Lebanon, UK support to the Lebanese Armed Forces underpins the ceasefire conditions agreed in November 2024 and seeks to implement UNSCR 1701. In Yemen, the UK supports the UN Special Envoy's office work on dialogue and mediation. With Qatar, the UK will host a forum to exchange conflict resolution and mediation expertise to further our joint commitment to peace in the Middle East.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2024 to Question 16604 on 11 Downing Street: Art Works, if she will publish a corresponding list of the reference numbers of Government Art Collection works that have been (a) added and (b) removed from the (i) 10 Downing Street and (ii) the Prime Minister’s Ministerial residence since 4 July 2024. \p Chris Bryant: No. It is standard practice, as followed by the previous government, for new ministers to select works from the Government Art Collection for their ministerial offices. All such changes of displays of works from the Government Art Collection constitute 'business as usual' for the Collection. All artworks in the Government Art Collection are on the website and their present locations can readily be searched and identified. The Collection does not publish the history of the locations of artworks.
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John Glen:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2024 to Question 8809 on 11 Downing Street: Art Works, what was the cost to the public purse of removing the artworks. \p Chris Bryant: It is standard practice, as followed by the previous government, of which he was a member, for new ministers to select works from the Government Art Collection for their ministerial offices. All such changes of displays of works from the Government Art Collection constitute 'business as usual' for the Collection, so all costs are met from within existing budgets. All the newly installed artworks are part of the Government Art Collection, and no works have been acquired or procured for this new display. The whole collection, which is about to celebrate its 125th anniversary, shows great British art at its best in ministerial offices, departments, museums, galleries, embassies and consulates. Its diversity is a key part of its appeal and its championing of British art at home and abroad.
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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the level of contribution of coaches to the tourism industry. \p Chris Bryant: Coaches are a really important part of the tourism industry, enabling millions of people every year to go on day-trips, visit heritage sites, go to the theatre or travel around the UK, often at affordable prices. We remain committed to collaborating with stakeholders to strengthen our partnerships and promote sustainable growth within the sector.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the scheduled ending of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme in March 2025 on local projects aimed at restoring listed places of worship; and what alternative sources of support her Department plans to provide to ensure the continued preservation and restoration of historic buildings. \p Chris Bryant: The Department monitors the implementation and impact of the grant scheme through the regular reporting of the grant administrator. Since 2010, the grant scheme has returned over £350 million to listed places of worship. We are aware of the importance of the scheme to local projects and listed places of worship across the UK.

Departmental settlements have been set following the Budget announcement on October 30. We will announce the outcomes of the Business Planning process, including for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme soon.
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Helen Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help councils reduce the (a) need for and (b) costs of temporary accommodation. \p Rushanara Ali: Local authorities in England report revenue and expenditure on an annual basis. Data on council spending on temporary accommodation is contained in the Revenue outturn housing services (RO4) tables, accessible here. The drop down can be used to access data for each local authority, as well as for groups of local authorities including London Boroughs. The net current expenditure column contains data on the net cost of temporary accommodation to local authorities, after they have accounted for income such as from housing benefit.

The Government recognises that homelessness levels are far too high and that this can have a devastating impact on those involved, as well as placing financial strain on councils. We must address this and deliver long term solutions. The Government is looking at these issues carefully and will develop a new cross government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to get us back on track to ending homelessness once and for all.

We are already taking the first steps to get back on track to ending homelessness. As announced at the Budget, funding for homelessness services is increasing by £233 million compared to last year (2024/25). This increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping. This brings the total spend on homelessness and rough sleeping to nearly £1 billion in 2025/26, a record level of funding.

In December, MHCLG also announced the Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots, backed by £5 million in overall funding to work with 20 local authorities with the highest use of bed & breakfast (B&B) accommodation for homeless families, to test innovative approaches and kickstart new initiatives to reduce the use of B&Bs.

More widely, we are taking action to tackle the root causes of homelessness, including:
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Mike Amesbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Joint plan to accelerate developer-led remediation and improve resident experience, published on 2 December 2024, whether Viva Midco has been asked to sign the agreement. \p Alex Norris: Yes. The department has invited all signatories to the Developer Remediation Contract to also sign up to the joint plan to accelerate developer-led remediation and improve resident experience. The full list of contract signatories can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/developer-remediation-contract.

The full list of developers that have signed up to the joint plan can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/joint-plan-to-accelerate-developer-led-remediation-and-improve-resident-experience.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2024 to Question 15443 on Government departments: trade unions, which recognised trade unions in her Department have their membership subscriptions collected via check-off; and how many staff members have their memberships so collected for each union. \p Alex Norris: 120 members of staff pay their trade union membership subscriptions via check off, all are members of PCS.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question 15832 on Labour: Civil Servants, whether her Departments holds information on how many civil servants other than special advisers were permitted to attend last year’s Labour Party conference. \p Alex Norris: Guidance on Party Conferences is published on gov.uk and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-servants-and-party-conferences-guidance.

Information on the number of civil servants who attended last year's Labour party conference is not held by the department centrally, in line with the guidance. There is no record in MHCLG of any breach of the guidance.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2023 to Question 15517 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Consultants, if she will publish the savings made on consultancy fees in her Department since 5 July 2024. \p Alex Norris: MHCLG publishes spend on consultancy as part of its annual report and accounts, at which point the savings achieved in financial year 2024/25 will be confirmed.
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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the (a) Rough Sleeping Initiative, (b) Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme and (c) Night Shelter Transformation Fund will continue in 2025-26. \p Rushanara Ali: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced funding allocations for homelessness and rough sleeping on gov.uk in December 2024.

This includes funding for sector support to strengthen the capacity of the voluntary sector, the Homelessness Prevention Grant, the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme and the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant, which consolidated the previous Rough Sleeping Initiative and Accommodation for Ex Offenders grants.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question 15929 on Local Government: Standards, what her definition is of regional government; and what the statutory basis is of regional government in England. \p Jim McMahon: The proposed reforms to the local government standards and conduct framework in England would apply to all relevant authorities as defined by Section 27(6) of the Localism Act 2011. This includes bodies such as combined authorities, combined county authorities, and the Greater London Authority.

We want to see all of England access this devolved power by establishing Strategic Authorities that can make the key decisions to drive economic growth. Outside of London, these Strategic Authorities should take the form of Combined or Combined County Authorities over areas of genuine strategic scale. The English Devolution Bill will establish in statute a standardised framework of powers for Strategic Authorities.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the funding gap for district councils in Lincolnshire in the next two years. \p Jim McMahon: The provisional Settlement for 2025-26 makes available £69 billion for local government, which is a 3.5% real terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. The final Settlement will increase further, to incorporate the £515 million of funding announced for National Insurance Contributions.

The Department works closely with local government and other government departments to understand specific demand and cost pressures facing local government on an ongoing basis. This involves looking at a range of cost and demand data, as well as regular engagement with local authorities.

Future funding for local government and the timings of the Local Government Finance Settlement are bound by the spending review cycle. The government has committed to a multi-year Spending Review in Spring 2025. We are committed to delivering the first multi-year Settlement in 10 years in 2026-27, which will distribute funding based on an updated assessment of need. We are fully consulting with the sector on our funding reform proposals.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, through what mechanism small business rate relief is financed; and how local authorities are reimbursed for the cost. \p Jim McMahon: The cost to local authorities of providing small business rate relief was taken into account when setting up the business rates retention system. The Government has also compensated local authorities through additional grants to reflect changes to the small business rates relief scheme since 2013.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2024 to Question 15203 on Council Tax: Probate, whether the 12 month period for marketing for sale and let is in addition to the 12 month period for first becoming an empty dwelling before being liable for a premium. \p Jim McMahon: The government’s guidance sets out that the one-year period of marketing for sale or let will begin to run from when the dwelling has first been marketed for sale or let. This period may therefore run concurrently to or immediately following the one-year period during which a dwelling has been empty before the empty homes premium applies.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answers of 3 December 2024 to Question (a) 15923 and (b) 15934 on Mayors: Elections, for what reason Greater Lincolnshire is not listed as having a mayoral election in 2025. \p Jim McMahon: Questions UIN 15923 and UIN 15934 concerned combined authorities. Greater Lincolnshire will be established as a combined county authority under legislation currently before Parliament. When that legislation is approved by Parliament, and made, the Greater Lincolnshire mayoral election will be added to the published list of elections.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

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Ian Byrne:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to include the perspectives of people with lived experiences of homelessness in the cross-government strategy to end homelessness. \p Rushanara Ali: Homelessness levels are far too high. This can have a devastating impact on those affected.

The Deputy Prime Minister is leading cross-government work to deliver the long-term solutions we need to get us back on track to ending all forms of homelessness. This includes chairing a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, bringing together ministers from across government to develop a long-term strategy.

We have also established an Expert Group to bring together representatives from across the homelessness and rough sleeping sector, local and combined authorities and wider experts. The role of this expert group is to provide knowledge, analysis and challenge to help Government understand what is working well nationally and locally and where improvements are needed.

As well as work on the Inter-Ministerial Group and Expert Group we are also working closely with the sector to deliver a number of lived experience forums to ensure that the voices of those with lived experience are reflected in the homelessness strategy. We will continue to meet with a range of stakeholders, including mayors and MPs, to make sure the strategy is informed by a range of expertise.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_224

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the increase in the number of veterans able to vote due to the introduction of the Veterans ID card as voter ID. \p Rushanara Ali: All veterans eligible to vote already have the opportunity to do so. If they do not have one of the accepted forms of identification, they are able to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate, free of charge, or they can choose to vote by post or by proxy.

The Veteran Card has been issued to approximately 250,000 former service personnel, and they will be able to use these as ID at the polling station from May 2025 onwards. We have no data on the number of those veterans who do not possess another form of accepted voter ID.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_225

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress her Department has made on setting up the Inter-Ministerial Group on ending homelessness. \p Rushanara Ali: The Government is committed to deliver long term solutions to end homelessness and will develop a new cross government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country.

The Deputy Prime Minister chaired the first Inter-Ministerial Group on Homelessness in November to bring together ministerial colleagues across government to help get us back on track to ending homelessness.

The Group will continue to meet as required.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_226

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the consultation entitled Reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings regime, published on 4 December 2024, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of these proposals on the rating of an average dwelling with an EPC rating of C. \p Alex Norris: The average cost of an energy performance certificate (EPC) is estimated to be £70 for domestic properties and £400 for non-domestic properties. The average costs for private sector landlords who need to make improvements to their domestic properties as a result of the consultation proposal are between £1,500 - £2,500, with estimated lifetime savings of £6,400. An Impact Assessment has been published alongside the consultation (impact assessment).

The EPC is an information tool designed to support people making decisions at the point of buying, renting and retrofitting their properties. The changes in the proposal are intended to help people manage their energy costs and reduce their carbon emissions. Adding new metrics for fabric performance, heating system type and smart readiness to the EPC will provide further information for people about how to reduce their costs and transition to low carbon heating. These new metrics will potentially highlight additional areas for improvements, even for those who have already achieved an EPC C rating under the current system.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_227

Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the policy paper entitled Plan for Change, published on 5 December 2024, CP1210, how her Department plans to measure progress towards the target to raise living standards in every part of the UK; and if she will make it her policy to publish data on changes in real household disposable income per head in each local authority. \p Alex Norris: A range of metrics are needed to understand progress towards raising living standards across the UK. The Department has worked with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to increase the granularity of a variety of statistic publications such as Gross Value Added (GVA) and Gross Disposable Household Income (GDHI) at small area geographies including local authorities.

These data are also available through ONS’s Explore Local Statistics (ELS) service. This means that anyone can find, compare and visualise statistics about places in the UK using over 70 indicators.

The Department is continuing to work with ONS to identify possible future metrics to monitor the progress of raising living standards across the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_228

Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the next round of the Community Ownership Fund will open for applications. \p Alex Norris: Following the announcement of Round 4 Window 1 outcomes on 23 December 2024, the Community Ownership Fund (COF) is now closed.

There will be no further application windows on the COF programme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_229

Melanie Ward:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of funding from the most recent round of the Community Ownership Fund was allocated to bids from Scotland. \p Alex Norris: In Round 4 Window, this government awarded £36.2 million to 85 projects across the UK, with £5 million allocated to 11 projects in Scotland.

The full list of successful projects can be found on GOV.UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_230

Jim Shannon:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to help tackle disability discrimination in workplaces. \p Anneliese Dodds: The Government is fully committed to the Equality Act 2010 (the Act), which protects disabled people from discrimination in the workplace. The Act prohibits direct and indirect disability discrimination and requires employers to make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees and jobseekers to ensure that they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to their non-disabled colleagues. This could include improving access to premises for wheelchair users, through installing ramps or other auxiliary aids or services.

The failure of an employer to make reasonable adjustments could amount to direct disability discrimination. However, the Act also recognises the need to strike a balance between the needs of disabled employees and the circumstances of their employers. What is ‘reasonable’ will therefore depend on the circumstances of each case.

Strong legal remedies are available to employees and applicants who feel that they have experienced disability discrimination by an employer. Guidance and codes of practice have been published by The Equality and Human Rights Commission and Acas, to help employers follow the law and employees and applicants understand their rights.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_231

David Chadwick:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many properties are not connected to the national (a) gas and (b) electricity grid in Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe constituency. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Department publishes estimates of the number of domestic properties not connected to the gas network in Great Britain by constituency. In 2023, an estimated 19,000 domestic properties (41%) in Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe constituency were not connected to the gas network. Equivalent figures for the electricity network are not published.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_232

Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to deliver a consultation on technical issues associated with renewable liquid heating fuel under Section 159 of the Energy Act 2023. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: As sustainable biomass is a limited resource, the Government expects to prioritise its use in sectors like aviation which have fewest options to decarbonise. Renewable liquid heating fuels (RLHF) are also much more expensive to use than other heating solutions.

Before taking decisions on whether to support the use of RLHFs, like hydrotreated vegetable oil, in heating, the Government would require stronger evidence on their affordability for consumers, and the availability of sustainable feedstocks.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_233

Mohammad Yasin:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the boiler upgrade scheme to social housing tenants. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides support to property owners in England and Wales to replace their existing fossil fuel boiler with a low carbon alternative by providing grants to reduce the total cost of the installation.

Other government schemes provide support for low-income households including social housing tenants to get a heat pump, such as the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and Warm Homes: Local Grant, Energy Company Obligation, Local Authority Delivery and Home Upgrade Grant.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-14 conversation_234

Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to page 6 of the publication entitled Plan for Change: Milestones for mission-led government, what metrics his Department will use to track the commitment to generate at least 95% clean power by 2030. \p Michael Shanks: The Government will take a whole-system approach towards measuring progress towards our Clean Power 2030 target, including tracking power generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure, in addition to the development of flexible power production, consumption and smart demand.