Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the estimate in the Knight Frank report UK Multifamily Market Outlook, published in March, that there will be an additional 1.5 million individuals living in rental accommodation by 2050; and what plans, if any, they have to ensure sufficient rental housing is available for that estimated figure.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
My Department has made no such assessment.
Our £3.5 billion Private Rented Sector Guarantee Scheme was reopened in March 2025 to new applicants for another three years and makes loan guarantees available for Build-to-Rent operators to support housebuilding.
We have also announced that the National Housing Bank, backed by up to £16 billion of finance, will be launched in April 2026. Its detailed investment approach will be outlined in due course.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of John Lewis's decision not to build 1,000 build-to-rent homes, in particular the implications for the viability of the build-to-rent sector.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We do not comment on commercial decisions.
The government recognises the important role Build to Rent plays in the housing sector, delivering high quality homes for those who rent, and supporting the delivery of 1.5m homes in this Parliament. We are supporting the sector with changes to the National Planning Policy Framework and with financial support through our £3.5 billion Private Rented Sector Guarantee Scheme, £2 billion Home Building Fund, and the new £16 billion National Housing Bank.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to support consumers with energy price increases as a result of the war in Iran.
Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises that families and businesses across the country will see the recent global events and once again be concerned about the impact on their energy bills. We continue to monitor the situation closely and we are looking at what further support may be needed. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Chancellor has announced £53m for low income families, who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices. This funding will be available to the Northern Ireland Executive, Wales, and Scotland. More information can be found here: Over £50 million to help families struggling with soaring heating oil costs - GOV.UK
At the Autumn Budget we committed to taking money off energy bills and we have. Ofgem has confirmed that the price cap will fall by 7% or £117 annually for the period covering April to June. The price cap for that period is fixed and will not change.
In addition to this, around 6 million families are benefitting from the expansion of the £150 Warm Home Discount, and through the Warm Homes Plan the Government is delivering the biggest investment in home upgrades in British history.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of replacing the BBC licence fee with a household tax.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As part of the BBC Charter Review, we are looking at a range of options to support the BBC with sustainable and fair funding, including how the BBC can operate more efficiently, generate more commercial revenue, and how the licence fee could be reformed including the scope of services for which a TV licence is required.
The BBC licence fee is a tried and tested public funding model, we have ruled out funding the BBC through general taxation or another form of public funding, such as a household tax.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether construction work is continuing on the cancelled routes of HS2; and if so, what is the cost of that work.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department is not continuing construction on the cancelled Phase 2a or Phase 2b routes of HS2.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop an anti-ballistic programme to protect the UK.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Ballistic Missiles are one of several threat categories that are managed through our Integrated Air and Missile Defence enterprise.
Integrated Air and Missile Defence investments will be prioritised appropriately against the threat as part of the future Integrated Force. Work to deliver the Strategic Defence Review recommendations, including of up to £1 billion on Homeland on Integrated Air and Missile Defence, will be prioritised appropriately against the assessed threat picture as part of the future Integrated Force and will be set out in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given, if any, to abolishing stamp duty.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has no plans to abolish Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). SDLT continues to be an important source of Government revenue, raising around £14 billion each year to help pay for the essential services the Government provides.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to encourage a reduction in remote working as part of their growth strategy.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Flexible working can lead to happier, healthier and more productive employees. This is good for workers and good for businesses.
Businesses can reject requests for remote working on business grounds, set out in legislation, including high costs or limited ability to meet customer demand.
Changes through the Employment Rights Act will encourage conversations between employers and employees about where flexibility might be possible.
In 2025, we published our modern Industrial Strategy which will support creating good jobs and higher incomes across the country, including £1.2 billion of additional investment in skills per year by 2028-29.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 26 February (HL14639), how many fixed penalty notices have been issued to cyclists and scooter riders for (1) jumping red lights, and (2) riding on pavements, in England in the past 12 months; and whether they have plans to introduce legislation to reduce those practices.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not collect or hold specific data on the number of fixed penalty notices issued to cyclists or scooter riders.
The Home Office’s annual publication Police Powers and Procedures: Roads Policing - the most recent edition of which is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-roads-policing-to-december-2023 - provides statistics on fixed penalty notices and other outcomes for motoring offences, all of which apply exclusively to motor-vehicle drivers. Cyclists are therefore excluded from the scope of the published figures.
It is an offence for a cyclist to jump a red light and to cycle on a pavement, and the Government is determined to go further to make our streets safer for pedestrians by introducing new cycling offences through the Crime and Policing Bill, which will tackle instances where victims have been killed or seriously injured by irresponsible cyclists, ensuring parity of enforcement powers against dangerous behaviour on our roads, for all road users.
The Crime and Policing Bill will also give police greater powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour involving e-scooters, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizure. This will allow police to put an immediate stop to offending.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to make functioning CCTV mandatory on trains, buses and coaches and associated stations.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The installation and use of CCTV on vehicles and at stations is an operational decision with many operators and local authorities choosing to install CCTV on their networks.
As of March 2024, 96% of buses used by local operators in England were equipped with CCTV, some coach operators already use CCTV on their vehicles, and most new train procurements since 1996 have included CCTV provision.
On the railway, where CCTV is installed, National Rail Contracts and Service Agreements require operators to comply with relevant industry guidance and standards. This includes ensuring that CCTV equipment is properly maintained and remains in working order, and that recorded images are securely stored and retained so they are available to support investigations when required. Train operators are expected to follow the Rail Safety and Standards Board’s Rail Industry Standard for on‑train camera monitoring systems, which covers matters such as system performance, image quality, secure storage and retention.
The Department recently announced nearly £17 million of funding for a project to connect railway station CCTV directly to the British Transport Police and is exploring expanding the provision and use of CCTV on the bus network, to increase feelings of safety and reduce the length of police investigations.