Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential security implications for British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean following the US’s intervention in Venezuela.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The UK Government is committed to safeguarding the security of all our Overseas Territories, including those in the Caribbean. The Ministry of Defence undertakes regular assessments of the requirements for Defence support to those Overseas Territories.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with regard to the Animals in Science Regulation Unit Annual Report 2024, published in December 2025, what action her Department took against the provider that re-used mice in a second experiment without project licence approval; and what steps her Department is taking to prevent animals from being used in unlicensed experiments.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Regarding the case of non-compliance in question, Inspector advice was issued to the licensee. The licensee was notified on what provision was breached and what is expected in future to prevent recurrence. All cases of non-compliance and actions taken are published and available here: www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-regulation-unit-annual-reports.

All licensed establishments must fully uphold the required standards for animal welfare as set out in the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) and the Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Bred, Supplied or Used for Scientific Purposes. The Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) conducts audits to assure establishments’ compliance and takes matters of non-compliance very seriously.

ASRU has published its compliance framework (www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-testing-and-research-compliance-with-aspa) which explains how it identifies and investigates potential incidents of non-compliance and decides on appropriate and proportionate measures and remedies where non-compliance has been found to occur.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support her Department is providing to the Turks and Caicos Islands Government for the proposed airport expansion in Providenciales.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is committed to expanding economic cooperation with the Overseas Territories, recognising the importance of sustainable economic prosperity to the whole UK family. The 2025 Joint Ministerial Council included discussions with UK Export Finance regarding their infrastructure offer and credit finance opportunities in the UK, as well as a business engagement session involving UK companies with infrastructure expertise, including airports.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the resilience of UK diplomatic missions’ digital infrastructure against state-sponsored cyber threats.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) maintains a clear and comprehensive strategy to address cyber and information security threats across the global network and continues to deliver an ongoing programme to strengthen resilience and safeguard critical assets. The FCDO's approach aligns with National Cyber Security Centre best practice and includes regular assessments to ensure resilience amid a continuously evolving business, digital and threat landscape.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has had discussions with Commonwealth partners on strengthening trade resilience amid global supply chain disruptions.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

These issues were discussed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government summit (CHOGM) in Samoa in October 2024. Economic resilience is a key area of focus in the Commonwealth Strategic Plan for 2025 - 2030. Since CHOGM we have continued to discuss these issues in international and multilateral fora, and in bilateral conversations with our Commonwealth partners.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many stop notices under section 35C of the Building Act 1984 the Building Safety Regulator issued in 2025.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has identified four Compliance Notices that have been made under Section 35B of the Building Act 1984 in 2025. These include three that are in draft, and one that has been issued.

The BSR has identified that there have been five stop notices made under Section 35C of the Building Act 1984 in 2025. These include three that are in draft, and two that have been issued.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many compliance notices under section 35B of the Building Act the Building Safety Regulator has issued in 2025.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has identified four Compliance Notices that have been made under Section 35B of the Building Act 1984 in 2025. These include three that are in draft, and one that has been issued.

The BSR has identified that there have been five stop notices made under Section 35C of the Building Act 1984 in 2025. These include three that are in draft, and two that have been issued.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to Regulation 11 of The Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (England) Regulations 2023, how many Building Control Applications were received by the Building Safety Regulator for remedial works for transfer slab defects in 2025.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Building Safety Regulator has not identified any emergency work or building control approval applications related to remedial work for transfer slabs in 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to Regulation 10 of The Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (England) Regulations 2023, how many emergency works notices were received by the Building Safety Regulator for remedial works for transfer slab defects in 2025.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Building Safety Regulator has not identified any emergency work or building control approval applications related to remedial work for transfer slabs in 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the impact of emergency dental treatment on NHS hospitals.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England.

We have asked ICBs to commission extra urgent dental appointments to make sure that patients with urgent dental needs can get the treatment they require, therefore reducing the need for patients to go to Accident and Emergency for dental treatment unless necessary. ICBs have been making extra appointments available from April 2025.

Appointments are available across the country, with specific expectations for each region. These appointments are more heavily weighted towards those areas where they are needed the most.

We are committed to delivering fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament. As a first step, on 16 December we published the Government’s response to the public consultation on interim improvements to the NHS dental contract. The changes will be introduced from April 2026. These reforms will put patients with greatest need first, incentivising urgent care and complex treatments. More information is available from the GOV.UK website, at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms/outcome/government-response-to-consultation-on-nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to support local authorities in repurposing derelict sites.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Derelict buildings can blight communities and the government is committed to giving communities the tools to revitalise them. The government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The consultation will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026 and can be found on go.uk here.

The government’s Pride in Place programme will provide up to £5bn to help the most deprived communities thrive. The programme will put local neighbourhoods back in control, with 244 across the country given up to £20m of flexible funding over 10-years to unlock the potential of the place they call home. Restoring derelict buildings is one of the options available to those neighbourhoods, amongst other local priorities.

The government has also introduced High Street Rental Auction powers, giving councils the power to auction the lease of long-term vacant properties.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his Department’s policy to review the Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions (England) General Regulations 2007.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local Authority parking is governed by legislation including the Traffic Management Act 2004 and related regulations. The Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions (England) General Regulations 2007 has been revoked primarily through The Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions (Approved Devices, Charging Guidelines and General Provisions) (England) Regulations 2022.

The 2022 regulations were made under powers in the Traffic Management Act 2004. The Traffic Management Act 2004 places a duty on local authorities to make sure traffic moves freely and quickly on their roads and the roads of nearby authorities. It gives councils tools to manage parking policies; coordinate street works and enforce some moving traffic offences.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to ensure that new infrastructure projects protect the green belt in a) Essex and b) Romford constituency.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is committed to preserving Green Belts which have served England's towns and cities well over many decades, not least in terms of checking the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas and preventing neighbouring towns merging into one another.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that inappropriate development in the Green Belt, including infrastructure, should not be approved unless justified by very special circumstances.

The government is currently consulting on a new NPPF that includes clearer, rules- based policies for plan-making and decision-making. The consultation includes revisions to Green Belt policy.

The consultation on changes to the NPPF is available on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to ensure the physical safety of public transport workers in (a) London and (b) Romford constituency.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

My Department is committed to ensuring that public transport workers are safe at work. As transport in London is devolved, it is for the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) to work with the British Transport Police (BTP) and the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to ensure the physical safety of their workers is maintained.

BTP continue to take robust action to ensure the physical safety of rail workers in London, including Romford. Their approach is intelligence led, focusing resources on areas and individuals identified through crime data and repeat offending patterns. They work closely with TfL and other rail operators to improve incident reporting, to ensure that all forms of abuse, whether physical, verbal or threatening, are recorded. This partnership strengthens intelligence and enables more effective operational planning.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to regulate dynamic pricing structures within the private hire vehicle sector.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Pricing structures are a commercial matter for private hire vehicle operators. All private hire vehicle journeys must be booked in advance and so passengers are able to compare services on price and other factors before making a booking.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will encourage local authorities to introduce enhanced discretion in the dispensing of civil enforcement penalties.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

It is for local authorities to decide how they dispense civil enforcement penalties.

Under the Traffic Management Act 2004, local authorities must ensure that their parking policies are proportionate, support town centre prosperity, and reconcile competing demands for space whilst ensuring traffic moves freely and quickly on their roads and the roads of nearby authorities.

Statutory guidance for local housing authorities on civil penalties for various housing offences can be found here. Revised draft statutory guidance for offences committed from 1 May 2026 following commencement of relevant provisions in the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, can be found here.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants of universal credit received additional consideration due to (a) racial, b) ethnic and (c) religious data in each of last three years.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The department does not hold the information requested.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing Royal Naval presence in the North Sea.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Royal Navy maintains a persistent and agile presence in UK waters, including the North Sea, and we keep force posture under continual review in light of the threat and operational demand. We will continue to work with allies and partners to deter hostile activity, protect critical national infrastructure, and respond rapidly where required.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will prohibit insurers from a) increasing premiums and b) removing no-claims discounts for hit-and-run victims in motor vehicle accidents.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Insurers make commercial decisions about pricing and the terms of cover, they offer, including no claims discounts, based on their assessment of the relevant risks. The government does not generally intervene in these decisions by insurance companies and has no plans to add to existing legislation at this time.

However, the government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value, meaning the price paid by consumers should be reasonable compared to the overall benefits received. FCA rules also require insurers to handle claims fairly and promptly, provide appropriate guidance throughout the claims process, avoid unreasonable rejection, and settle claims promptly once terms are agreed.

The government launched a cross-government Motor Insurance Taskforce in October 2024 to address the rising costs of motor insurance, identifying short and long-term actions aimed at stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover. The Taskforce’s final report, setting out actions being taken by government, regulators and industry to help reduce premium costs, was published in December 2025.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her department’s policy to introduce a mandatory excess reimbursement for innocent parties in motor vehicle accidents.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Insurers make commercial decisions about pricing and the terms of cover, they offer, including no claims discounts, based on their assessment of the relevant risks. The government does not generally intervene in these decisions by insurance companies and has no plans to add to existing legislation at this time.

However, the government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value, meaning the price paid by consumers should be reasonable compared to the overall benefits received. FCA rules also require insurers to handle claims fairly and promptly, provide appropriate guidance throughout the claims process, avoid unreasonable rejection, and settle claims promptly once terms are agreed.

The government launched a cross-government Motor Insurance Taskforce in October 2024 to address the rising costs of motor insurance, identifying short and long-term actions aimed at stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover. The Taskforce’s final report, setting out actions being taken by government, regulators and industry to help reduce premium costs, was published in December 2025.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she has taken to ensure that the Financial Conduct Authority’s proposed motor finance consumer redress scheme is proportionate.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the central role of the motor finance industry in helping consumers and businesses access vehicles and in supporting the wider automotive sector. Ensuring that consumers can access motor finance on manageable and affordable terms is therefore of vital importance and the Government wants to see this issue resolved in an efficient and orderly way that provides certainty for consumers and firms.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as the independent regulator, has consulted on proposals for a motor finance consumer redress scheme. Throughout the consultation period, which closed on December 12, the Government encouraged all stakeholders to fully engage with the process so that their views can be considered by the FCA. The FCA has indicated it will finalise the rules of the scheme in February or March.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has reviewed the Financial Conduct Authority’s proposed motor finance consumer redress scheme.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the central role of the motor finance industry in helping consumers and businesses access vehicles and in supporting the wider automotive sector. Ensuring that consumers can access motor finance on manageable and affordable terms is therefore of vital importance and the Government wants to see this issue resolved in an efficient and orderly way that provides certainty for consumers and firms.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as the independent regulator, has consulted on proposals for a motor finance consumer redress scheme. Throughout the consultation period, which closed on December 12, the Government encouraged all stakeholders to fully engage with the process so that their views can be considered by the FCA. The FCA has indicated it will finalise the rules of the scheme in February or March.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she has taken to support the motor finance industry.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the central role of the motor finance industry in helping consumers and businesses access vehicles and in supporting the wider automotive sector. Ensuring that consumers can access motor finance on manageable and affordable terms is therefore of vital importance and the Government wants to see this issue resolved in an efficient and orderly way that provides certainty for consumers and firms.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as the independent regulator, has consulted on proposals for a motor finance consumer redress scheme. Throughout the consultation period, which closed on December 12, the Government encouraged all stakeholders to fully engage with the process so that their views can be considered by the FCA. The FCA has indicated it will finalise the rules of the scheme in February or March.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to support the recruitment of (a) apprentices and (b) graduates to the British defence industry.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence already supports over 460,000 jobs and 24,000 apprenticeships across the UK, providing sustainable, high-quality, well-paying jobs. As part of the Defence Industrial Strategy, the Ministry of Defence has announced a £182 million skills package which includes a range of initiatives that will support apprentices and graduates. These include Defence Technical Excellence Colleges, the Defence Universities Alliance and the Graduate and Apprentice Clearing System.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce instances of type 2 diabetes.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to tackling preventable ill health, such as type 2 diabetes, head-on and at the earliest opportunity. Excess weight and obesity are key risk factors for type 2 diabetes and we are taking decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on the National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.

We have delivered on our commitment to restrict junk food advertising on television and online and are delivering a ban on the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16 year olds. We are limiting volume price promotions such as “buy one get one free” on less healthy food and drink and have put in place a nationally standardised Behavioural Support for Obesity Prescribing service to ensure weight loss medicines are delivered safely and effectively. We will also double the number of patients able to access the NHS Digital Weight Management programme.

In addition, we continue to support the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme (NHS DPP), which has offered support to over 2.4 million people who are at risk of type 2 diabetes since its establishment in 2016. The NHS DPP is highly effective and has been found to reduce attendee’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 37% compared to those who did not attend.

We continue to deliver the NHS Health Check, a core component of England’s cardiovascular disease prevention programme, which aims to detect those at risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and kidney disease aged between 40 and 74 years old.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his Department’s policy to introduce mandatory NHS testing for paediatric type 1 diabetes.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for providing guidance and quality standards on the treatment and care of diabetes in England. The NICE guideline NG18, for type 1 and 2 diabetes, provides clinical guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment, and care of children and young people. Children with suspected type 1 diabetes should receive a blood test that checks blood glucose, or sugar, levels.

NG18 recommends that children and young people with suspected type 1 diabetes are referred immediately, on the same day, to a multidisciplinary paediatric diabetes team with the competencies needed to confirm diagnosis and provide immediate care.

NHS England has published the RightCare toolkit which supports good quality diabetes care for children and young adults and includes guidance on timely and accurate diagnosis.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for providing guidance and quality standards on the treatment and care of diabetes in England. The NICE guideline NG18, for type 1 and 2 diabetes, provides clinical guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment, and care of children and young people. Children with suspected type 1 diabetes should receive a blood test that checks blood glucose, or sugar, levels.

NG18 recommends that children and young people with suspected type 1 diabetes are referred immediately, on the same day, to a multidisciplinary paediatric diabetes team with the competencies needed to confirm diagnosis and provide immediate care.

NHS England has published the RightCare toolkit which supports good quality diabetes care for children and young adults and includes guidance on timely and accurate diagnosis.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she has taken to support businesses with the movement of small parcels between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to ensuring the smooth flow of goods within the UK internal market. On 1 May, the Government introduced important new arrangements for freight and parcels movements to ensure that goods can continue to move smoothly from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, and ahead of these new arrangements, HMRC had an extensive readiness programme to support businesses.

These new arrangements ensure that parcels sent to or from consumers will not be subject to customs declarations or duty.

Guidance for businesses sending parcels from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is available at: www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-send-parcels-from-a-business-in-great-britain-to-a-private-individual-or-a-business-in-northern-ireland

Parcels that move from Northern Ireland to Great Britain continue to be able to benefit from unfettered access.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to Section 21 of The Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (England) Regulations 2023, how many change control applications were (a) received and (b) approved in 2025 by the Building Safety Regulator; and what was the average time taken by the regulator to approve the applications.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) can confirm that in 2025 there were 159 Regularisation Applications received with 47 approvals being delivered. The average time in which an approval was made was 33 weeks.

In 2025 BSR received 2335 Completion Certificate Applications, granting 664 approvals. The average time in which an approval has been made was 28 weeks.

The BSR can confirm that in 2025 there were 514 Change Control requests received with 148 of these marked as complete. The average time taken by the BSR to approve the applications cannot be determined as the Change Requests do not have a definitive outcome date.

Last June, MHCLG announced a new phase for the BSR, including strengthened leadership, steps to address operational challenges to speed up decision making, and plans for a new body for the BSR.

Enhanced operating models are delivering significant progress. A new Innovation Unit has dramatically reduced processing time for new build applications, with the highest quality applications approved within the 12-week target, whilst the BSR continues to make strong headway tackling cases already in the system.

BSR continue publish performance data monthly to support transparency and accountability.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to Section 40 of The Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (England) Regulations 2023, how many completion certificate applications were (a) received and (b) approved in 2025 by the Building Safety Regulator; and what was the average time taken by the regulator to approve these applications.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) can confirm that in 2025 there were 159 Regularisation Applications received with 47 approvals being delivered. The average time in which an approval was made was 33 weeks.

In 2025 BSR received 2335 Completion Certificate Applications, granting 664 approvals. The average time in which an approval has been made was 28 weeks.

The BSR can confirm that in 2025 there were 514 Change Control requests received with 148 of these marked as complete. The average time taken by the BSR to approve the applications cannot be determined as the Change Requests do not have a definitive outcome date.

Last June, MHCLG announced a new phase for the BSR, including strengthened leadership, steps to address operational challenges to speed up decision making, and plans for a new body for the BSR.

Enhanced operating models are delivering significant progress. A new Innovation Unit has dramatically reduced processing time for new build applications, with the highest quality applications approved within the 12-week target, whilst the BSR continues to make strong headway tackling cases already in the system.

BSR continue publish performance data monthly to support transparency and accountability.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to Section 47 of The Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (England) Regulations 2023, how many regularisation certificate applications were (a) received and (b) approved by the Building Safety Regulator in 2025; and what was the average time taken by the regulator to approve these applications.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) can confirm that in 2025 there were 159 Regularisation Applications received with 47 approvals being delivered. The average time in which an approval was made was 33 weeks.

In 2025 BSR received 2335 Completion Certificate Applications, granting 664 approvals. The average time in which an approval has been made was 28 weeks.

The BSR can confirm that in 2025 there were 514 Change Control requests received with 148 of these marked as complete. The average time taken by the BSR to approve the applications cannot be determined as the Change Requests do not have a definitive outcome date.

Last June, MHCLG announced a new phase for the BSR, including strengthened leadership, steps to address operational challenges to speed up decision making, and plans for a new body for the BSR.

Enhanced operating models are delivering significant progress. A new Innovation Unit has dramatically reduced processing time for new build applications, with the highest quality applications approved within the 12-week target, whilst the BSR continues to make strong headway tackling cases already in the system.

BSR continue publish performance data monthly to support transparency and accountability.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason her department collects data on (a) race and (b) ethnicity and c) religion from benefit claimants.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The purpose of collecting race and ethnicity data is because it they are protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

All public bodies have a requirement under the Public Sector Equality Duty to pay due regard to the impacts of policies to those who share protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act.

To do so requires that meaningful data be collected in a harmonised form, as set out by the Cabinet Office. Claimant declarations of their protected characteristics are optional, and not mandatory.

Data collected on protected characteristics is solely used for analytical and statistical purposes in aggregate form and has no part in decisions relating to benefit claims.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to support the (a) mental and (b) physical health of the homeless population in (i) England and (ii) Romford constituency.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Our National Plan to End Homelessness sets out action to improve health access for people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping, in alignment with the 10-Year Health Plan for England. As part of this, we will establish Neighbourhood Health Centres in areas with the lowest healthy life expectancy, acting as ‘one-stop shops’ for patient care and hubs for multi-disciplinary teams delivering holistic, trauma-informed services.

We will test a new model of community care for people for people living with severe mental illness through 24/7 Neighbourhood Mental Health Centres in six pilot sites and 16 associate sites, to improve access to mental health support, including for people experiencing homelessness or rough sleeping.

We will invest £185 million from 2026-29 and continue to fund the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol treatment programme.

Councils can also use their Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant 2025/26 funding flexibly to meet the needs of people in their areas, including by delivering specialist mental and physical health services. Havering Council received £379,926 funding through this grant this year.

To support the health of families in temporary accommodation, we will introduce a new duty on homelessness teams in local councils to notify schools, health visitors and GPs that a child is in temporary accommodation, helping ensure that they are appropriately supported.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will have discussions with the Mayor of London on introducing a statutory right to the Older Person's Freedom Pass for eligible residents in areas served by Transport for London.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Transport in London is a devolved matter for London, and it is for the Mayor of London to make decisions on eligibility of concessionary fares on the TfL network.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support local authorities in providing permanent housing for victims of domestic abuse.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Statutory guidance strongly encourages local authorities to give priority for social housing to victims and their families who have escaped abuse and are being accommodated in a refuge or temporary accommodation.

Local authorities are also encouraged to give additional priority to people who are homeless and require urgent rehousing as a result of domestic abuse.

The government has also taken action to remove barriers for victims of domestic abuse to access social housing. Regulations, which came into force on 10 July 2025, mean that victims of domestic abuse moving as a result of that abuse will no longer need to meet a local connection or residency test in order to access social housing.

We also intend to work with partners to update statutory guidance on social housing allocations to ensure that allocations reflect local need and effectively support vulnerable households, such as those with victims of domestic abuse.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to support local authorities to make use of disused buildings in a) England and b) Romford constituency.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is committed to supporting local authorities to bring disused buildings back into use. Through the introduction of High Street Rental Auction powers in this parliament, we gave local authorities the power to auction the lease of long-term vacant commercial properties, putting tools in local hands to take action on empty properties.

The government is also supporting wider regeneration efforts, providing up to £5 billion nationally to help the most deprived communities to thrive through the Pride in Place Programme. This includes up to £20 million to Harold Hill East, which the neighbourhood may choose to use for local regeneration efforts.

In addition, we are consulting on a revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which includes policies on the reuse of buildings and is currently open for responses until 10 March.

Honour and gratitude for British armed forces

Burns Night 2025 and the legacy of Robert Burns

British forces on the front line in Afghanistan

Edinburgh Zoo’s veterinary achievements and Poly the northern rockhopper penguin

Audley Festive 5k Run

200 years of St Mark’s Parish Church, Portadown

Big Garden Bird Watch 2026

35th anniversary of the no fly zone in Iraqi Kurdistan

Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce research funding

McKeever Group 40th anniversary

Representation of Northern Ireland at the 2026 Commonwealth Games

Enniskillen Remembrance Day attack

Commonwealth Games

Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Week