Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, for what reason Written Parliamentary Question 15089 on Project Gigabit: Mid Bedfordshire was not answered by close of business on 7 July 2026.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)

The Department apologies for the delay in responding to the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 July 2026 to Question UIN 15089.

My noble friend Baroness Lloyd of Effra would be happy to meet to discuss this matter in greater detail, if a suitable date can be arranged with her office.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the reduction in waiting lists since July 2024 has been as a result of patients receiving treatment.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department publishes data on Referral to Treatment waiting times. The majority of patients in this data set are considered as having received 'treatment'. A proportion of the removals from the waiting list which appear in this data set as unreported removals, a category which can occur for a variety of data quality and technical reasons, will have been removed for administrative reasons, for example, where a duplicate record was identified. The data is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/

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 an estimate of the cost to the public purse of the forthcoming Clacton by-election.

Answered by Samantha Dixon

The estimated cost of the Clacton by-election is set out in The Parliamentary Elections (Returning Officers’ Charges) Order 2024.

The average (mean) cost of a UK parliamentary by-election between 2021 and 2025 was approximately £343,768, including candidate mailing costs. This figure is estimated from final settled expenditure where available and claimed expenditure for by-elections where the claims process has not yet been completed.

Expenditure accounts for the 2026 parliamentary by-elections have not yet been received from the relevant Returning Officers.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 27 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The State Pension is based on an individual’s National Insurance record and is payable to those who meet the eligibility criteria. Since its introduction in 2016, the new State Pension is designed to provide a consistent foundation level of income in later life.

State Pension entitlement has been based on an individual's National Insurance record since 1948. The Government acknowledges the concerns raised in the Report but has no plans to change the current scheme or the law to implement recommendation 27.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 24 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the honourable Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the immigration system under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 23 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the honourable Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the immigration system under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 22 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the honourable Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the immigration system under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 21 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the honourable Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the immigration system under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 15 of the report by the Hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire entitled Backdoors to Britain, published on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the immigration system under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 19 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the honourable Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the immigration system under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 18 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the honourable Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the immigration system under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 16 of the report by Hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire entitled Backdoors to Britain, published on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the immigration system under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 28 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Home Office keeps the immigration rules under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 30 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Home Office routinely publishes extensive data on the immigration system through the quarterly Immigration System Statistics and the Monthly entry clearance visa applications statistical publications. These are Official Statistics produced by government statisticians, in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics and overseen by the UK Statistics Authority.

The Home Office has previously published Reports on statistics relating to exit checks. Publication was paused following significant changes to the immigration system (such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the UK’s departure from the EU and changes to Home Office systems) which affected the quality of the data. The Home Office is now in the final stages of data improvement work and, as per the Home Secretary’s comments at the Justice and Home Affairs Committee on Tuesday 7 July 2026, intend to resume the publication in Autumn 2026.

The Home Office continues to develop the evidence base on migrant outcomes using linked administrative data from across Government. This includes published analysis of Sponsored Work and Family visa earnings, employment and Income Tax. More broadly, further analytical work is underway to support the development of Earned Settlement policy following the recent public consultation, with further evidence and a full Impact Assessment to be published in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 29 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Home Office routinely publishes extensive data on the immigration system through the quarterly Immigration System Statistics and the Monthly entry clearance visa applications statistical publications. These are Official Statistics produced by government statisticians, in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics and overseen by the UK Statistics Authority.

The Home Office has previously published Reports on statistics relating to exit checks. Publication was paused following significant changes to the immigration system (such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the UK’s departure from the EU and changes to Home Office systems) which affected the quality of the data. The Home Office is now in the final stages of data improvement work and, as per the Home Secretary’s comments at the Justice and Home Affairs Committee on Tuesday 7 July 2026, intend to resume the publication in Autumn 2026.

The Home Office continues to develop the evidence base on migrant outcomes using linked administrative data from across Government. This includes published analysis of Sponsored Work and Family visa earnings, employment and Income Tax. More broadly, further analytical work is underway to support the development of Earned Settlement policy following the recent public consultation, with further evidence and a full Impact Assessment to be published in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 25 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Home Office routinely publishes extensive data on the immigration system through the quarterly Immigration System Statistics and the Monthly entry clearance visa applications statistical publications. These are Official Statistics produced by government statisticians, in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics and overseen by the UK Statistics Authority.

The Home Office has previously published Reports on statistics relating to exit checks. Publication was paused following significant changes to the immigration system (such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the UK’s departure from the EU and changes to Home Office systems) which affected the quality of the data. The Home Office is now in the final stages of data improvement work and, as per the Home Secretary’s comments at the Justice and Home Affairs Committee on Tuesday 7 July 2026, intend to resume the publication in Autumn 2026.

The Home Office continues to develop the evidence base on migrant outcomes using linked administrative data from across Government. This includes published analysis of Sponsored Work and Family visa earnings, employment and Income Tax. More broadly, further analytical work is underway to support the development of Earned Settlement policy following the recent public consultation, with further evidence and a full Impact Assessment to be published in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 26 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the immigration rules under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 17 of the report by Hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire entitled Backdoors to Britain, published on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the immigration system under review.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason a) Stotfold Garden Village, b) Tempsford and c) Milton Keynes scored differently for Objective 2 of the New Towns Programme methodology.

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

Building on the work of the independent New Towns Taskforce, my Department carried out its own assessment of potential locations for new towns.

The full methodology and outcome of this assessment can be found at Annex C of the New Town Draft Programme which was consulted on between 23 March and 19 May 2026. That Annex can be found on gov.uk here.

Table 1 in Annex C sets out the objectives, sub-criteria and guidance that was applied to the longlist of locations that were assessed. Table 2 sets out the reasons why longlist locations, including Stotfold Garden Village, did not meet the programme objectives.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to adopt Recommendation 20 of the report Backdoors to Britain, published by the honourable Member for Mid Bedfordshire on 4 March 2026.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Government keeps the immigration system under review.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the average income of social housing tenants in England.

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

The English Housing Survey (EHS), which can be found on gov.uk here, collects and publishes data on tenure trends.

In 2023-24 (the most recent data currently available), the average weekly income of social renters (household reference person and partner) was £442 in England. The relevant data can be found in Table FA1321 here.

In 2024-25, the average length of time social renters spent in their current home was 12.2 years. The relevant data can be found in the Annex Table 3.6 to the Headline Report here.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the average tenure of social housing tenants in England.

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

The English Housing Survey (EHS), which can be found on gov.uk here, collects and publishes data on tenure trends.

In 2023-24 (the most recent data currently available), the average weekly income of social renters (household reference person and partner) was £442 in England. The relevant data can be found in Table FA1321 here.

In 2024-25, the average length of time social renters spent in their current home was 12.2 years. The relevant data can be found in the Annex Table 3.6 to the Headline Report here.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government intends for a) nationally-set housing targets or b) housing targets set out in Local Plans to be used for the calculation of five year land supply in circumstances where a Local Plan was prepared under national targets set prior to December 2024.

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

Housing requirement figures identified in Local Plan policies should be used for calculating the 5-year housing land supply figure (5YHLS) where: the plan was adopted in the last 5 years, or has been reviewed within the last 5 years and found not to require updating. In other circumstances, 5YHLS will be measured against the area’s local housing need calculated using the standard method.

Further information on 5YHLS and the Housing Delivery Test can be found on gov.uk here.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of a) water and b) sewage capacity in areas with high housing targets.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 6660 answered by the Minister for Water and Flooding on 10 June 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of its proposals on density around train stations on the provision of a) station parking and b) green space.

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

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, set out a number of proposals to support development in sustainable locations, including a “default yes” for suitable proposals that develop land around stations within existing settlements, and around ‘well-connected’ stations outside settlements, including on Green Belt land.

The consultation also included proposals relating to green space, and provisions to ensure that transport issues, such as parking, should be considered from the earliest stages of plan-making and development proposals, to support delivery of well-designed and sustainable places. Further, it included proposals to ensure that applications for development should address the needs of people with disabilities and reduced mobility in relation to all modes of transport.

We are currently analysing the responses received to these proposals and will publish our response in due course.

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 policy not to include train stations which do not have step free access in his planning policies on development around train stations.

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

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, set out a number of proposals to support development in sustainable locations, including a “default yes” for suitable proposals that develop land around stations within existing settlements, and around ‘well-connected’ stations outside settlements, including on Green Belt land.

The consultation also included proposals relating to green space, and provisions to ensure that transport issues, such as parking, should be considered from the earliest stages of plan-making and development proposals, to support delivery of well-designed and sustainable places. Further, it included proposals to ensure that applications for development should address the needs of people with disabilities and reduced mobility in relation to all modes of transport.

We are currently analysing the responses received to these proposals and will publish our response in due course.

Found: Sarah Dyke Jayne Kirkham Josh Newbury Andrew Pakes Jenny Riddell-Carpenter Henry Tufnell Blake Stephenson

Found: Richmond Park) Tristan Osborne (Labour; Chatham and Aylesford) Michael Payne (Labour; Gedling) Blake Stephenson

Found: Richmond Park) Tristan Osborne (Labour; Chatham and Aylesford) Michael Payne (Labour; Gedling) Blake Stephenson