Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to extend HS2 beyond Birmingham; and if so, what cost estimates they have made for doing so.

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

We will not reverse the previous Government’s decision to cancel Phase 2 of HS2 and our primary focus is the safe delivery of HS2 between Birmingham and London at the lowest reasonable cost.

We are committed to a long-term approach to infrastructure and investment, taking account of local transport priorities. We will thoroughly review the fiscal position we have inherited before setting out more detailed plans for this in due course.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many criminal prosecutions for non-payment of the BBC licence fee have been undertaken over the past 12 months; and whether they intend to review whether non-payment should be a criminal offence.

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

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.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government when the digitalisation of the property possession process at the Ministry of Justice and Courts will be completed.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of buy-to-let properties that have been sold in the last 12 months, and how this compares with the previous 12 months.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

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

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

To ask His Majesty's Government how the Decent Homes Standard is monitored and implemented.

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

It is imperative that homes are decent, safe and warm. The Decent Homes Standard plays a key role in setting a minimum quality standard that all social homes should meet. The government is extending the Decent Homes Standard to apply to the private rented sector for the first time through the Renters’ Rights Bill.

In the social rented sector, landlords are held accountable for meeting the standard by the Regulator of Social Housing. Once applied in the private rented sector, local authorities will be responsible for enforcing the Decent Homes Standard.

Compliance with the Decent Homes Standard is monitored primarily through the English Housing Survey, which reports annually. The government also reviews a wider range of self-reported monitoring data provided by social housing providers.

The government will launch a consultation on an updated Decent Homes Standard next year.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have carried out an impact assessment for the Renters' Rights Bill on the supply of properties in the private rented sector.

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

The Government published its Impact Assessment for the Renters’ Rights Bill on 22 November 2024, following scrutiny from the Regulatory Policy Committee. The Impact Assessment received a ‘green’ rating, indicating it is ‘fit for purpose’. The Impact Assessment is available at the following link.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of buy-to-let mortgages that have been issued in the last 12 months, and how this compares with the previous 12 months.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

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

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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to regulate property management companies.

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

The Government is committed to ensuring that those living in the rented and leasehold sectors are protected from abuse and poor service at the hands of unscrupulous property agents.

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 21 November 2024 (HCWS244), the Government is looking again at Lord Best’s 2019 report on regulating the property agent sector. As part of our response to this report, the Government will strengthen regulation of managing agents to drive up the standard of their service.

As a minimum, this should include mandatory professional qualifications which set a new basic standard that managing agents will be required to meet. We will consult on this matter next year.