Lord Truscott

The Government is consulting on proposals to increase minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector. Current regulations include a number of exemptions to ensure minimal disruption to tenants and the number of homes available in the private rented sector, including exemptions for listed buildings where compliance would unacceptably alter the character or appearance of the existing building. We are looking to ensure appropriate exemptions are in place for any new standards.

The Government recognises challenges with energy performance certificates (EPCs) and is consulting on proposals for improvements to the EPC system, including on how to make them more accurate and reliable.

As part of this, the Government is overhauling the methodology underpinning EPCs with the Home Energy Model. An initial consultation on the Home Energy Model closed in March 2024, which will be followed by a technical consultation on a revised EPC methodology in due course.

The Department is working closely with industry and Ofgem to reduce the proportion of smart meters not operating in smart mode. Data on this is included in the statistics the Government publishes every quarter on the progress of the smart metering rollout. These are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/smart-meters-statistics and at Gov.UK. This shows that over 90% of smart meters are functioning in smart mode and that the proportion of meters operating in ‘traditional’ mode is steadily reducing. Smart meters operating in traditional mode continue to record energy usage accurately but do not send automatic readings to energy suppliers.

Digital identities already exist. The digital verification services provisions in the Data (Use and Access) Act look to enable people and organisations to use secure digital identities with greater confidence, they don’t create new digital identity documents.

The government plans to introduce digital versions of existing government-issued documents through the GOV.UK Wallet, a secure digital service for storing government-issued credentials on users’ smartphones. People will be able to use these documents to help prove things about themselves, such as eligibility to access services within government and more widely. The rollout begins this summer with the Veterans Card, followed by driving licences later in the year. All central government credentials are expected to be available by 2027. The GOV.UK Wallet is not, however, creating new identity documents.

The Advanced Research and Invention Agency’s (ARIA) ‘Exploring Climate Cooling’ programme, backed by £56.8 million, has been designed to build an evidence base which will enable scientists to better understand and properly assess whether or not Earth cooling approaches could help to mitigate climate change safely.

ARIA is an independent research body, and they are conducting cautious, controlled research aimed at improving understanding of the risks and impacts of Solar Radiation Modification. This will produce important information for decisions around the world.

ARIA have put in place an independent oversight committee, made up of international experts, to support effective governance of outdoor experiments and communication of their findings. Projects with field trial components will be subjected to risk and impact assessment by an independent team of experts and subjected to a degree of co-design with local communities; the results of both exercises will be publicly available prior to any outdoor experiment taking place. An independent assessment will also take place on completion of any outdoor experiment, also to be made publicly available.

The Ministry of Justice currently publishes the annual number of prosecutions, convictions, and sentencing outcomes for non-payment of the TV licence fee as part of their criminal justice quarterly publications, which are available online. In 2023, the number of prosecutions for non-payment of the TV licence fee was 34,084.

As part of the next Charter Review, the government will engage with the BBC and others to consider how to ensure the BBC thrives well into the next decade and beyond. This will include discussions on a range of important issues, including future funding models for the BBC, and their enforcement.

In 2023 the Government consulted on a registration scheme for short-term lets. Parliament then legislated for such a scheme in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023. We are committed to the introduction of such a scheme as soon as possible.

We are now in the initial phase of digital development, which will enable us to test and refine the possible options for design and delivery of the scheme. We will set out further detail on how the scheme will work as soon as practicable, including a full response to the consultation, as well as further information on the legislative process that will bring the scheme to life.

Short-term lets are an important part of what the UK offers visitors in terms of accommodation and the government recognises that they bring a range of benefits to the visitor economy.

The government wants people living in our major tourism destinations, especially in coastal and rural villages and towns, to benefit from a thriving tourism industry without losing the spirit of their community when the holiday season ends.

Parliament legislated for a registration scheme for short-term lets in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023. This government is exploring the introduction of such a scheme.

The Statutory Nuisance Regime under Section 79 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA) is designed to provide protection from nuisances including noise, odour, smoke, fumes, artificial light, infestations and accumulations.

Local authorities are responsible for investigating nuisance problems brought to their attention under the EPA. If they agree that a statutory nuisance is happening, has happened or will happen in the future, councils must serve an abatement notice (usually on the person responsible). This could result in an unlimited fine if the recipient does not follow the rules of the abatement notice. It could also result in prosecution and an additional fine if found guilty in a Magistrates Court.

Local Authority Environmental Health Officers are qualified to make decisions on what can be considered a statutory nuisance within the local context and issue an abatement notice immediately. At this present time, there are no plans to change the regime.

We recognise the scale of the challenges highlighted by James Stewart and we accept his findings on HS2 in full. This Government is committed to implementing these recommendations and applying the lessons learned to improve its approach to infrastructure delivery, including on HS2.  In addition, the Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Secretary to consider the implications for the Civil Service and wider public sector of the issues raised in the report, including whether further action of investigation is warranted.

The Department for Transport takes the impact of excessive noise on health, wellbeing and the natural environment seriously. Strict noise regulations for motorbikes are harmonised at an international level and require vehicles to demonstrate compliance before being placed on the market. Replacement silencers that are to be used on the road must also meet strict noise limits that are aligned with those of the original vehicle.

The Department published the results of roadside trials of noise camera technology last year and continues to keep a keen interest in this technology. However, it is ultimately for local authorities and the police to consider what the most appropriate enforcement routes may be within their area, based on their knowledge of the issue locally. The Department has limited means for influencing local decision making on enforcement priorities.

The police have powers to deal with noisy vehicles on a continuing basis. Under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 they can take action if they suspect a vehicle is being driven in a manner that makes excessive noise which is avoidable through reasonable driver care. In the same Regulations, exhausts and silencers are required to be maintained in good working order and not modified so as to increase noise.

All modes and vehicle types have a part to play in meeting net zero, including motorcycles. The Government will set out any plans to decarbonise motorcycles in due course. To encourage uptake of zero emission motorbikes, the Government has a plug-in motorcycle grant which is available until at least March 2025 and offers up to £500 off the cost of a zero-emission motorcycle.

The Government has no plans to ban all petrol and diesel motorcycles.

Resolving the longstanding problems and missed opportunities of micromobility and e-scooters is a priority for the Department for Transport and we will work with colleagues across Government to tackle this as soon as possible.

No decisions have been made on the future regulation of e-scooters and the Government will consult before any regulations come into force

According to UK Finance’s latest quarterly Buy-to-Let statistical release (published 22 October), in Q2 2024 there were 51,459 new buy-to-let loans advanced in the UK, worth £8.9 billion. This was up 26% by number (27.7% by value) compared with the same quarter in the previous year.

There is a wide variety of data and statistics about the mortgage market in the UK available from the Bank of England [1] , the Financial Conduct Authority [2] and UK Finance [3].

[1] https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/statistics

[2] https://www.fca.org.uk/data

[3] https://www.ukfinance.org.uk/data-and-research/data

According to UK Finance’s latest quarterly Buy-to-Let statistical release (published 22 October), in Q2 2024 there were 51,459 new buy-to-let loans advanced in the UK, worth £8.9 billion. This was up 26% by number (27.7% by value) compared with the same quarter in the previous year.

There is a wide variety of data and statistics about the mortgage market in the UK available from the Bank of England [1] , the Financial Conduct Authority [2] and UK Finance [3].

[1] https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/statistics

[2] https://www.fca.org.uk/data

[3] https://www.ukfinance.org.uk/data-and-research/data

The Home Office collects and publishes data on fixed penalty notices and other outcomes for motoring offences, including noise offences, as part of its annual ‘Police Powers and Procedures: Roads policing’ statistical release.

In 2023, the latest year for which published data are available, excluding offences that were subsequently cancelled, there were 1,073 noise offences recorded by the police in England and Wales. Of these, 973 resulted in a fixed penalty notice.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on fixed penalty notices and other outcomes for motoring offences, including noise offences, as part of its annual ‘Police Powers and Procedures: Roads policing’ statistical release.

In 2023, the latest year for which published data are available, excluding offences that were subsequently cancelled, there were 1,073 noise offences recorded by the police in England and Wales. Of these, 973 resulted in a fixed penalty notice.

The Energy Performance of existing homes is assessed through the model known as the RdSAP, which enables EPC assessors to record instances of secondary glazing so this can contribute towards a higher EPC score for the dwelling. Infrared heaters are currently treated as a standard direct electric heater under this methodology. Although infrared heating is not modelled as its own category, the Government acknowledges its potential to offer efficiency benefits over other direct electric heating appliances. The ‘Appendix Q’ process enables the recognition of additional technologies such as infrared heating and manufacturers or industry groups can pursue that route for recognition in RdSAP subject to the completion of appropriate testing.

Currently buildings protected as part of a designated environment or because of their special architectural or historical merit are exempt from the requirements to have an energy performance certificate insofar as compliance with minimum energy performance requirements would unacceptably alter their character or appearance.

We have recently consulted on EPC Reform and we are proposing that all heritage buildings are required to have an Energy Performance Certificate. The act of obtaining an EPC does not have any effect on the building materially and even if obtaining an EPC were to bring a heritage building into scope of the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, there are relevant exemptions if consent by the relevant authorities cannot be obtained, or if any of the recommendations on the EPC that need to be made, devalue the property by more than 5%. We would plan for this to be further balanced by ensuring EPC recommendations are tailored appropriately to consider the nature of the buildings.

I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given to Question UIN HL 3047 on 10 December 2024.

There are already protections in place to ensure that both tenants and landlords are treated fairly by letting agents. This includes the Tenant Fees Act 2019 which bans most letting fees and caps tenancy deposits paid by tenants in the private rented sector.

In addition, the Renters’ Rights Bill will prohibit landlords from requiring more than one month's rent in advance from tenants looking to secure a tenancy. This unfair practice can encourage prospective tenants to stretch their finances to the limit or prevent them from accessing the private rented sector altogether.

This measure does not apply to the fee structures agreed between landlords and property agents.

We have no plans to remove restrictions on short-term lets for residential flats. The Renters’ Rights Bill includes a provision to ensure landlords will not be able to evict tenants simply to turn the property into a holiday let. We are considering what additional powers we might give local authorities to enable them to respond to the pressures created by short-term lets.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on sentencing outcomes for a wide range of offences including Television Licence Evasion in England and Wales between 2020 and June 2024 in the Outcomes by Offences data tool. This can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly: June 2024.

In the last five years there have been no sentences of immediate custody for Television Licence Evasion in England and Wales.

The Government is committed to supporting all parties to access justice when making or defending a possession claim through the county courts. To support this, HMCTS is developing a digital service for possession claims. Plans for the delivery of this service are currently under development.