Written Statements

Wednesday 17th May 2023 Written Statements

Wednesday 17 May 2023

War Widows Ex-gratia Payment Scheme

Wednesday 17th May 2023 Written Statements

[The Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families (Dr Andrew Murrison)]

The armed forces covenant is a unique commitment by the nation in recognition of the sacrifices that members of our armed forces and their families make for our security. A key principle of the covenant is that special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most, such as the injured and the bereaved. Under old rules in several armed forces schemes, a cohort of bereaved armed forces spouses, civil partners and eligible partners, whose bereavement was attributable to service, forfeited their pensions if they remarried or cohabited before the rules were changed in 2015. It is not possible to restore those pensions, but the MOD and HM Treasury are deeply conscious of the sacrifice these bereaved individuals have made. The Government are therefore pleased to announce today that it is establishing a scheme to make one-off payments to members of this group, in recognition of their sacrifice.



The Government will pay £87,500 to each eligible widow/er. The scheme is scheduled to be ready to receive applications from winter 2023.



We hope that this payment will offer some acknowledgement and gratitude to those who were affected and encourage all those eligible to apply.

[HCWS777]

Regulation Update

Wednesday 17th May 2023 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Suella Braverman)]

I can inform the House that the Government are taking action to seek alternatives to animal testing for worker and environmental safety of chemicals used exclusively as cosmetic ingredients. We are therefore announcing a licensing ban with immediate effect.

The Government are committed to replacing animals used in science wherever scientifically possible and are confident that the UK science sector and industry have the talent to provide the solutions.

The cosmetic regulations require manufacturers to demonstrate that their products are safe for use by consumers. Animal testing for consumer safety of cosmetics and their ingredients was banned in the UK in 1998. This ban remains in force.

Under chemicals regulations, the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals regime (REACH), chemicals manufacturers and importers must demonstrate the hazards to human health and the environment of the chemicals they place on the market. This includes chemicals used as ingredients in cosmetics. In some cases, where there are no validated alternatives, this has in the past required testing on animals as a last resort.

The REACH regime is separate from, and has a different purpose to, the consumer cosmetics regulations, which is why it has been possible that a chemical used in cosmetics production may be required to be tested on animals. This has been reflected in the issuing of a small number of time-limited licences between 2019 and 2022. The Government recognise the public concern around the testing on animals of chemicals used as ingredients in cosmetics, and the new opportunities available to us to depart from the EU testing regime.

I can confirm, therefore, that from today no new licences will be granted for animal testing of chemicals that are exclusively intended to be used as ingredients in cosmetics products.

The Government are also engaging with the relevant companies to urgently determine a way forward on these legacy licences.

In addition, the Government are undertaking work to review at pace the effective administration of the ban over the longer term, including the legal framework for this. This would also have due regard of the needs of the science industry, the need to ensure worker and environmental safety, and the need to protect animals from unnecessary harm.

Modern alternatives mean there are opportunities to design non-animal testing strategies for these chemicals so that worker and environmental safety is unlikely to be compromised, and potentially enhanced. In this way, working with industry, the Government are seeking to improve safety by the application of new non-animal science and technology.

[HCWS779]

Reforming the Private Rented Sector

Wednesday 17th May 2023 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (Michael Gove)]

The Renters (Reform) Bill, introduced into Parliament today, will deliver the Government’s 2019 manifesto commitment to “bring in a Better Deal for Renters”, including abolishing “no fault” (section 21) evictions and reforming landlord possession grounds. Alongside these reforms, we are reforming court processes to make this process faster and more efficient, so landlords have strengthened rights and means of possession. As we promised in the 2019 commitment our Bill “will create a fairer rental market: if you’re a tenant, you will be protected from revenge evictions and rogue landlords, and if you are one of the many good landlords, we will strengthen your rights of possession.”

The Bill builds on the strong progress this Government have made over the last decade to increase protections for tenants, such as giving councils stronger powers to drive out criminal landlords by introducing banning orders through the Housing and Planning Act 2016; action to stop retaliatory evictions (in relation to housing conditions) through the Deregulation Act 2015; and shielding tenants from excessive deposits and fees with the Tenant Fees Act 2019.

A healthy private rented sector is a vital part of our housing market—providing much-needed flexibility and in many cases serving as a stepping stone towards home ownership. The overall number of privately rented properties has doubled since 2004— peaking in 2016 and remaining roughly stable since. Some renters face a precarious lack of security as a result of section 21 “no fault” evictions. Short notice moves worsen children’s educational outcomes, make it challenging to hold down stable employment, and prevent families from putting down roots and investing in their local area.

The Government remain fully committed to improving the court system for landlords and tenants. Following the recommendation of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee, we will align the abolition of section 21 and new possession grounds with court improvements. This includes end-to-end digitisation of the process and our work with the courts to explore the prioritisation of certain cases, including antisocial behaviour.

It is wrong, too, that nearly a quarter of private rented homes do not meet basic decency standards. The tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak shone a light on the unacceptable state of this damp, cold and dangerous housing—but these problems are not limited to the social rented sector. The Government intend to tackle these issues in the private rented sector by legislating to apply a decent homes standard. These dilapidated and dangerous homes are costing the NHS an estimated £340 million per annum and are holding back local areas, making them less attractive places to live and work.

The current system of regulation for the private rented sector is also failing responsible landlords. They face challenges when evicting tenants who wilfully do not pay rent or exhibit antisocial behaviour. They also suffer by being undercut by a minority of criminal landlords. We should celebrate the overwhelming majority of landlords who do a good job and give them peace of mind that they can repossess their property when a tenant is behaving badly, or their circumstances change. We have and will continue to work closely with representative organisations such as the National Residential Landlords Association, as well as groups such as Shelter, and local government when developing measures in this Bill.

Measures on the face of the Renters (Reform) Bill

The Renters (Reform) Bill will address these failures for both the 11 million private renters and 2.3 million landlords in England. Our reforms have been developed in consultation with landlord and tenant groups over the past five years. As set out in the “A Fairer Private Rented Sector” White Paper, we will:

Abolish section 21 “no fault” evictions and move to a simpler tenancy structure where all assured tenancies are periodic—providing more security for tenants and empowering them to challenge poor practice and unfair rent increases without fear of eviction;

Introduce more comprehensive possession grounds so landlords can still recover their property (including where they wish to sell their property or move in close family) and to make it easier to repossess properties where tenants are at fault, for example in cases of antisocial behaviour and repeat rent arrears;

Provide stronger protections against backdoor eviction by ensuring tenants are able to appeal excessively above-market rents which are purely designed to force them out. As now, landlords will still be able to increase rents to market price for their properties and an independent tribunal will make a judgement on this, if needed. To avoid fettering the freedom of the judiciary to make full and fair decisions, the tribunal will continue to be able to determine the actual market rent of a property;

Introduce a new privately rented sector ombudsman for private landlords which will provide fair, impartial, and binding resolution to many issues and. prove quicker, cheaper, and less adversarial than the court system;

Create a private rented property portal to help landlords understand their legal obligations and demonstrate compliance (giving good landlords confidence in their position), alongside providing better information to tenants to make informed decisions when entering into a tenancy agreement. It will also support local councils—helping them target enforcement activity where it is needed most; and

Give tenants the right to request a pet in the property, which the landlord must consider and cannot unreasonably refuse. To support this, landlords will be able to require pet insurance to cover any damage to their property.

Further measures we will legislate for in this Parliament

Working closely with landlord, tenant and local government groups we will deliver further measures set out in the 2022 White Paper. We will bring forward legislation at the earliest opportunity to:

Apply the decent homes standard to the private rented sector to give renters safer, better value homes and remove the blight of poor-quality homes in local communities. This will help deliver the Government’s levelling up mission to halve the number of non-decent rented homes by 2030. We will update this decent homes standard in consultation with stakeholders over the coming months to ensure it is fit for purpose and proportionate;

Make it illegal for landlords and agents to have blanket bans on renting to tenants in receipt of benefits or with children—ensuring no family is unjustly discriminated against when looking for a place to live; and

Strengthen local councils’ enforcement powers and introduce a new requirement for councils to report on enforcement activity—to help target criminal landlords.

I look forward to the further discussions which will take place as we debate and scrutinise the Renters (Reform) Bill.

[HCWS778]

Temporary Jobcentres: Decommissioning

Wednesday 17th May 2023 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mims Davies)]

Jobcentres provide an important and necessary presence for those looking to, or wanting to, progress in work. This Department continues its commitment to provide local personalised support for customers and families, and remains committed to striking the right balance between providing these essential services and delivering value for money for the taxpayer.

As part of its transformational programme, the Department is also committed to improving its estate to provide a better environment for colleagues and customers, which will improve the opportunities, services and environments of many of the jobcentres we are retaining and enhancing.

In the written statement of 8 February 2023, the Department announced the decommissioning of 20 temporary jobcentres (phase 1). These temporary jobcentres —or the expansion of space in established jobcentres—were put in place in direct response to the anticipated pressures on the labour market during the pandemic. The Department secured time-limited funding to rapidly introduce this additional space to deliver a temporary expansion to the existing network of 639 established jobcentre sites and provide more work coaches to support claimants. The temporary expansion of the jobcentre estate enabled us to drive forward our Plan for Jobs, helping people back into the labour market right across the UK.

In that written statement, the Department reaffirmed its commitment to reducing its jobcentre estate back to pre-pandemic levels by decommissioning temporary jobcentres—or the additional space in established jobcentres—in a phased approach, where the increased capacity is no longer needed. Several of the temporary sites, where they offer better, more suitable accommodation than our existing offices—and provide better value for money for the taxpayer—will be retained. Established jobcentres will move into these buildings.

The Department is now in a position to announce the second phase of decommissioning, which consists of the 19 sites listed below. The majority of these sites are expected to be decommissioned by the end of June 2023, with London Hackney slightly later. Subsequent phases will follow throughout 2023 and 2024, and we will keep Parliament updated.

Letters are being sent to each MP with changes in their constituency to explain what this means for their local jobcentre, its staff and their constituents. The decommissioning of these temporary jobcentres will not reduce our levels of service or access to face-to-face appointments. Customers will return to being served by their established jobcentre and there will be no reduction in the number of work coaches serving customers as a result of the decommissioning.

This Department remains committed to updating Parliament on our work to ensure that both our staff and customers are operating in buildings and environments fit for the future.

The 19 temporary jobcentres to be formally decommissioned are: