Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the RAC's estimate that there were over one million potholes on UK roads in 2023, as set out in the RAC Pothole Index, published on 23 April 2024; what plans they have to review and identify the most effective methods of road construction for reducing the number of potholes that form; and what plans they have to review and identify the optimum techniques and technologies available for filling in potholes when they do occur.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

RAC’s pothole estimate was based on 81 local authority responses to a Freedom of Information request carried out in 2023. The Department agrees that pothole formation occurs more frequently in the winter months, where increased water and ice cause ingress and subsequent road defects to occur.

Whilst the Department does not require notification when highway authorities discover, receive reports of, or repair individual defects on the local highway network, local highway authorities are required to provide road condition information to the Department annually as part of the data obligations set out in the Single Data List. The Department publishes this information on gov.uk as part of its annual statistical releases.

This Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network. At Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced an extra £500 million for local highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year, an increase of nearly 50% compared to the current financial year. The Government will confirm funding allocations to English local highway authorities in due course.

The Department for Transport (DfT) allocates this funding to local highways authorities so they can most effectively spend this funding on maintaining and improving their respective network, based upon their local knowledge, circumstances, and priorities. It is up to the respective highway authority how best to spend this funding to fulfil their statutory duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, but the DfT strongly advocates a risk-based whole lifecycle asset management approach to local authority highways maintenance programmes. This considers all parts of the highway network, such as bridges, cycleways, and lighting columns, and not just the fixing of potholes.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the (1) design, and (2) safety of major roundabouts with multiple lanes, entrances and exits.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

Whether a roundabout is suitable for any location is entirely a matter for the relevant highway authority to decide upon, taking into account local factors including safety. They are also responsible for reviewing any such installations should concerns arise. National Highways publishes detailed advice on the design of roundabouts in the ‘Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB)’. Use of DMRB is mandatory for the Strategic Road Network, but is available as guidance for all highway authorities.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 16 September (HL576), when they expect to announce what percentage of the 1.5 million homes will be social housing.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government has committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation. At the Budget we said that at the multi-year Spending Review next spring, we will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and home-ownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for Social Rent. This funding will secure the pipeline of affordable homes and put us on the right path to delivering 1.5 million homes over this Parliament.

As part of the consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system, the Government is seeking views on implementing golden rules to ensure development in the Green Belt is in the public interest. These rules include a target of 50% affordable housing on land released from the Green Belt for residential development, which includes social housing. The consultation closed on the 24 September and officials in my department are currently analysing responses.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to establish a public inquiry into how the Church of England has responded to allegations of paedophilia.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse was established to consider whether important institutions — including the Anglican Church — had taken seriously their duty of care to protect children from sexual abuse. The Inquiry published a report, entitled “The Anglican Church - Safeguarding in the Church of England and the Church of Wales”. The report, published in October 2020, is available on the Inquiry’s website, alongside the response to its recommendations from the Church of England and the Church of Wales. The response by the Church of England was considered by the House of Bishops on 19 October 2020 and a unanimous vote supported and accepted all of the Inquiry’s recommendations, particularly the two most significant themes arising from the report; firstly, proper redress for victims and survivors, and secondly, greater independence in safeguarding decision making.

The Chair of the Inquiry, Professor Alexis Jay, subsequently conducted an independent review, on behalf of the Church of England, into the future of Church Safeguarding, which was published in February 2024. The Government does not plan to establish a further inquiry.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to provide bridging support to Drax in advance of a contractually binding commitment from Drax to introduce carbon capture and storage.

Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

A consultation was held under the previous administration on whether a transitional, or ‘bridging’, support should be provided for large-scale biomass generators when their current subsidies end. No decision has been taken on proposed support. Any decision will be subject to robust analysis and the Government is considering a range of factors to inform its decision.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to require all providers of publicly available electric vehicle charging points to enable contactless payment.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Government is committed to ensuring that public charging is accessible for all, and it is vital that consumers can charge hassle-free. Under the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 chargepoint operators are required to offer contactless payment options for all new chargepoints of 8 kW and above, as well as all chargepoints of 50 kW and above, old and new.

These regulations have been designed to ensure that contactless payment methods are available across a large part of the public charge point network, where they will bring most significant and immediate benefits to consumers.

Found: possible bids for select committees, one on Skills and Lifelong Learning from Lord Aberdare and Lord Birt

Found: After Clause 56 BARONESS BRADY LORD BIRT 271_ After Clause 56, insert the following new Clause

Found: After Clause 56 BARONESS BRADY LORD BIRT 271_ After Clause 56, insert the following new Clause

Found: After Clause 56 BARONESS BRADY LORD BIRT 271_ After Clause 56, insert the following new Clause

Found: After Clause 56 BARONESS BRADY LORD BIRT 271_ After Clause 56, insert the following new Clause

Found: 56, page 46, line 29, leave out “62” and insert “63” After Clause 56 BARONESS BRADY LORD BIRT