Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2024 to Question 16084 on L3Harris: Export Controls, what the nature of his Department's assessments are of Israel's (a) capability and (b) commitment to International Humanitarian Law.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We have previously assessed that Israel is committed and capable of complying with International Humanitarian Law. We regularly review our assessment.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his timeframe is for publishing the terms of reference for the cross-government delivery board on the (a) 25-year environment plan and (b) environmental improvement plan.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The cross-Government 25 Year Environment Plan (25YEP) Board was established in December 2020. It is responsible for overseeing, coordinating and driving forward action to implement the 25YEP, and associated requirements under the Environment Act 2021. It is the central authority for cross-Government oversight, coordination and action towards the targets, outcomes and commitments of the plan across Government.
The 25 YEP Board is part of wider governance and assurance that includes Defra and cross-Government management of outcomes.
There are no current plans to publish the Terms of Reference.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent estimate he has made of the number of homes for social rent that will be delivered through the Affordable Homes Programme between 2021 and 2026.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes for both rent and to buy right across the country.
The Levelling Up White Paper committed to increasing the supply of social rented homes and a large number of the new homes delivered through our Affordable Homes Programme will be for social rent.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will commission research on the potential (a) social, (b) economic and (c) environmental merits of introducing targeted Government funding to (i) reduce the number of long-term empty homes, (ii) meet national net zero objectives and (iii) increase the supply of social housing.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government has a range of policy and funding commitments across social housing, net zero and long-term empty homes. Details of these are available on gov.uk and include the £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme and the recently expanded Affordable Homes Guarantee Scheme 2020. The Department’s empty homes policy. I also refer the Hon Member to answer given to Question UIN 197506 on 12 September 2023.
On net zero, the Government has implemented a number of measures to meet its net zero objectives for housing, including the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. Details of the Future Homes Standard consultation, closing on 27 March 2024, can be found at the following link.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2024 to Question 12797 on Marine Protected Areas, when his Department expects to publish (a) the outcomes of the Marine Management Organisation’s calls for evidence on the development of byelaws to manage fishing activity impacts in marine protected areas and (b) its public consultation on those outcomes.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) issued a call for evidence for stage 3 of its offshore Marine Protected Area byelaw programme last year and is now preparing draft byelaws for consultation. A further call for evidence on stage 4 of the programme, covering highly mobile species, closed on 13 February 2024. The MMO is analysing the responses received to this latest call for evidence before deciding what byelaws might need to be consulted on. The outcomes of both processes will be published in due course.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps his Department has taken to prevent homelessness upon discharge from a public institution.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
In September 2022, we published our cross-government strategy ‘Ending Rough Sleeping for Good’ setting out how we are investing almost £2.4 billion over three years to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. This sets out a ‘prevention first approach’, including bringing forward investment so that nobody leaves a public institution for the streets, whether that is a hospital, prison, care or the asylum system.
Homelessness and hospital discharge guidance was jointly published by DHSC and DLUHC on 26 January 2024 for staff in care transfer hubs and others involved in planning discharge of patients (including NHS, local authority, housing and other partners). The guidance is available here: Discharging people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he has taken to prevent violence and abuse targeted at people experiencing rough sleeping.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The streets can never be a place of safety for people sleeping rough and accommodation provides the safety and security needed for individuals to engage positively with support services. That is why the Government published the strategy Ending rough sleeping for good in September 2022 and is investing almost £2.4 billion from 2022 to 2025 to prevent homelessness and rough sleeping.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) the Secretary of State for the Home Department and (b) organisations working with people experiencing homelessness on the Criminal Justice Bill.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Office for Environmental Protection’s annual progress report published 18th January 2024, if he will bring the ambient air quality standards in the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 in line with World Health Organisation guidelines.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The World Health Organisation Air Quality Guidelines are intended to inform the setting of air quality standards and are not ready-made targets for adoption. We will continue to keep our targets under review and consider in line with the best available evidence, specific to our national circumstances.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Office for Environmental Protection’s annual progress report published on 18 January 2024, what steps his Department is taking to (a) safeguard vulnerable groups from the impact of air pollution and (b) encourage long-term behaviour change to reduce polluting activity.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Through the Environment Act 2021 we introduced two new targets for fine particulate matter, the pollutant most damaging to human health, setting a maximum annual mean concentration target and a population exposure reduction target. This dual-target approach will improve public health for all by tackling the highest concentrations and ensuring all areas benefit from continuous improvement. Government recognises there is more to do to protect all people in our society and the environment from the effects of air pollution. This is why we are taking the significant and wide-ranging action to drive improvements to air quality as set out in our Environmental Improvement Plan 2023.
Government is undertaking a comprehensive review of how we communicate air quality information to ensure members of the public, and vulnerable groups in particular, have what they need protect themselves and understand how their behaviour impacts on air quality. This review is being undertaken by the Air Quality Information Systems steering group with the aim of publishing the recommendations this summer.