Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department will meet bodies other than social landlords to discuss best practice guidance for furniture provision.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
People living without essential furniture can access support through their local authority, including via the Household Support Fund until 31 March, and from April, the Crisis and Resilience Fund, to provide discretionary help with essential items such as furniture.
In 2025, the government consulted on proposals to reform the Decent Homes Standard for both the social and private rented sectors. As part of this, we sought views on how furniture provision could be addressed within best practice guidance.
Our response to the consultation was published in January 2026, confirming our commitment to issue guidance relating to furniture provision. The consultation response can be found on gov.uk here.
As we progress work in this area, my Department will continue to engage with a range of stakeholders including tenant organisations, charities and landlords who already provide essential items to tenants in need.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has evaluated the effectiveness of the new Crisis and Resilience Fund at tackling furniture poverty in Cornwall.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Crisis and Resilience Fund launched in April 2026, and therefore no evaluation has taken place yet.
The Department is planning to evaluate the Crisis and Resilience Fund across England, including the full range of discretionary support provided through the Fund, such as assistance with essential furniture and white goods. This evaluation is expected to launch by September 2026.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to incorporate (a) ponds, (b) small lakes, (c) headwater streams and (d) other small waters into the Water Framework Directive as part of ongoing reforms to the regulatory framework for water.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We committed in the recently published Water White Paper to explore setting new ambitious targets for the water environment. As part of these explorations, we are considering a wide range of suggestions from stakeholders, including calls to monitor small water bodies and to set high ecological status objectives.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating a High Ecological Status target for the highest-quality waterbodies in England, as part of upcoming reforms to Water Environment targets.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We committed in the recently published Water White Paper to explore setting new ambitious targets for the water environment. As part of these explorations, we are considering a wide range of suggestions from stakeholders, including calls to monitor small water bodies and to set high ecological status objectives.