Asked by: Lord Young of Cookham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government consultation outcome report Single construction regulator prospectus: government response, published on 9 July, whether the minimum standards being considered for new home warranties under section 144 of the Building Safety Act 2022 will include a requirement that a policy's indemnity limit is sufficient to meet the full reinstatement cost of the building it covers.
Answered by Baroness Blake of Leeds - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government recognises the importance of new-build warranties providing effective protection for homeowners.
We expect that warranty providers must ensure that any policy limit is sufficient to meet the full reasonable cost of rectifying covered major defects and restoring affected properties to their pre-defect condition.
We are carefully considering the commencement of the power, created under section 144 of the Building Safety Act, to strengthen warranties, and this position is being kept under review.
In the meantime, where a homeowner is dissatisfied with the service provided, they should follow the warranty provider’s complaints procedure in the first instance. If the matter remains unresolved, they may be able to refer their complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Asked by: Lord Young of Cookham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to commence section 144 (new build home warranties) of the Building Safety Act 2022.
Answered by Baroness Blake of Leeds - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Section 144 of the Building Safety Act (2022) created a power to mandate a requirement for all new build homes to be sold with a new build warranty. No decision has been made by the government on commencement of this power and this position is being kept under review.
Asked by: Lord Young of Cookham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of planning consents for residential development which have expired without construction beginning in each of the last five years; and what assessment they have made of the reasons for non-delivery.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department does not collect the requested data and has made no such estimate.
Asked by: Lord Young of Cookham (Conservative - 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 average age at which first-time buyers purchase a home in England; and what assessment they have made of the impact of housing affordability on younger households.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Noble Lord to the English Housing Survey, available on GOV.UK (here), which shows that the average (mean) age of first-time buyers in England was 34 in 2024-25.
This government recognises that the affordability challenges facing prospective first-time buyers mean that too many people are now locked out of homeownership. In addition to increasing the supply of homes of all tenures, the government is supporting people into home ownership, including through the shared ownership scheme and the Lifetime ISA, and is consulting on a new first-time buyer ISA product.
First time buyers also benefit from paying no Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) up to £300,000 and are able to claim relief on purchases up to £500,000. The government has also introduced a new, permanent Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, available to support and sustain availability of low deposit mortgage products for prospective buyers.
Additionally, the Bank of England has been easing the loan-to-income limit, enabling up to 36,000 additional first-time buyers in the first year. The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) ongoing review of the mortgage market means many buyers can now borrow 10% more towards a property purchase.
Asked by: Lord Young of Cookham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether current housebuilding rates are delivering the correct balance of market, affordable, and social, housing required to meet household need.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to boosting the supply of homes of all tenures as part of its commitment to build 1.5m safe and decent homes in England in this Parliament.
We are supporting the housing sector to deliver these with our major planning reforms, through our new £16bn National Housing Bank to deliver 500k homes and £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme to get the homes families and communities need built
The revised National Planning Policy Framework includes policies designed promote mixed tenure development. The type of housing delivered, and those delivering it, will vary depending on the needs of a local area and how development has been planned for. It is for local planning authorities, to assess the housing need of their communities. This should be informed by a local housing need assessment, conducted using the government’s revised standard method.
Asked by: Lord Young of Cookham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of local authorities which have increased enforcement action against landlords in the private rented sector in each of the last five years; and what assessment they have made of the resources available to local authorities for enforcement.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) does not currently collect data that would enable an assessment of changes in enforcement activity against landlords at local authority level over the last five years. From April 2027 we intend to require local authorities to provide MHCLG with a suite of data on the private rented sector in their local area. We expect that data to include, for example, the number of formal enforcement notices issued; the number of civil penalties issued by category of offence; revenue received from civil penalties; total number of staff in private rented sector enforcement teams; and total spend on private rented sector enforcement.
Through the Renters’ Rights Act, the government is strengthening local authorities’ enforcement powers and extending and increasing ring-fenced civil penalties to support a ‘polluter pays’ approach to enforcement in the private rented sector.
In accordance with the new burdens doctrine, we will ensure additional net costs on local authorities resulting from the Act are fully funded. To that end, the Department is providing £41.12 million to local housing authorities for this financial year to help them undertake their new enforcement responsibilities. This funding is in addition to the £18.2 million provided in 2025/26.
Our intention is to use fees from the Private Rented Sector Database to provide funding over the long term for local authorities to use on work to improve compliance in the private rented sector.
Asked by: Lord Young of Cookham (Conservative - 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 proportion of private renters spending more than 30 per cent of their income on housing costs; and how this proportion compares with previous years.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department collects data on income and rent for households via the English Housing Survey and regularly reports on income in relation to housing costs. The latest published data can be found in the 2024-25 Headline Report Annex Table 2.5. and the 2023-24 Rented Sectors Report Annex Table 1.11.
Data for older years is also available at English Housing Survey - GOV.UK
Asked by: Lord Young of Cookham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relationship between local housing allowance rates and the availability of affordable accommodation in the private rental sector.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum financial support available for renters in the private rented sector. LHA rates are not intended to meet all rents in all areas.
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions reviewed LHA at the 2025 Autumn Budget and announced that rates would be maintained at their current levels for 2026/27. A range of factors, such as rent levels and the housing markets across the country were considered against the fiscal context and the level of housing support that Government provides overall.
Renters receiving housing support who face a shortfall in meeting their rent costs can apply for a Crisis and Resilience Fund Housing Payment from local authorities in England.
Asked by: Lord Young of Cookham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask The Leader of the House when she expects a Written Answer to be given to the question asked by Lord Young of Cookham on 11 June (HL905).
Answered by Baroness Smith of Basildon - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The question was answered by the Department for Education on the 14th July 2026. I apologise for the delay and have reminded the department of the need to meet the response target of 10 working days.
Asked by: Lord Young of Cookham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will respond to the House of Lords Social Mobility Policy Committee report Social Mobility: Local Roots, Lasting Change, published on 18 November 2025.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The House of Lords Social Mobility Policy Committee report 'Social Mobility: Local Roots, Lasting Change' will be responded to by 23 July 2026.