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 undertake an assessment of the impact of the Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026 on the powers of local councillors.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 13359 on 30 June 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2026 to Questions 11520 on Planning, whether minutes, notes, or records were taken of meetings held with stakeholders on the Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026.

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

Officials in my Department have had regular engagement with a range of stakeholders, including the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Planning Advisory Service (PAS), regarding the regulations in question.

Officials held meetings with the LGA in January and February 2025 following the publication of the working paper on modernising planning committees in December 2024; in June 2025 following the publication of the technical consultation on modernising planning committees in May 2025; and in April 2026 following the publication of the consultation on draft regulations and guidance in March 2026.

PAS have published some recordings and FAQs as part of this process on their website.

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 publish the dates and attendees of meetings held with the Local Government Association regarding the Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026.

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

Officials in my Department have had regular engagement with a range of stakeholders, including the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Planning Advisory Service (PAS), regarding the regulations in question.

Officials held meetings with the LGA in January and February 2025 following the publication of the working paper on modernising planning committees in December 2024; in June 2025 following the publication of the technical consultation on modernising planning committees in May 2025; and in April 2026 following the publication of the consultation on draft regulations and guidance in March 2026.

PAS have published some recordings and FAQs as part of this process on their website.

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 has made an assessment of the compatibility of the Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026 with Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

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

The government considers that the regulations in question, as well as the enabling powers for them contained in the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025, are compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2026 to Questions 11520 on Planning, for what reason his Department did not make an assessment of the potential impact of the Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026 on democratic rights.

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

In developing the regulations in question, the government gave careful consideration to the implications of the National Scheme of Delegation for local communities and their ability to influence development in their areas.

We recognise the essential role that planning committees play in ensuring that decisions about what to build and where are shaped by local communities and reflect the views of local residents. However, in providing essential local democratic oversight of planning decisions, it is important that planning committees operate as effectively as possible, focusing on those applications which require member input and not revisiting the same decisions.

The regulations in question do not alter existing requirements to consult on planning applications. Nor do they remove the right of residents and their elected representatives in any given local planning authority area to submit representations and make objections in respect of planning applications. Where such comments are made, they must be taken into consideration when determining applications regardless of the decision maker.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2026 to Questions 11040, 11042, 11044, 11045 and 11520, if he will publish a list of all stakeholders with whom (a) he and (b) officials in his Department met to discuss the Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026 and the the date, attendees, and whether minutes or notes were taken for each meetings.

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

My Department does not routinely publish details of meetings between officials and stakeholders and has no plans to do so in respect of the regulations in question.

Ministerial meetings are published quarterly. The latest publication is available 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 his Department's planned timetable is for the publication of best practice guidance on where tenants can access information on furniture provision to supplement the Decent Homes Standard.

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

We will publish the guidance in due course.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to DBT’s ministerial meetings, April to June 2025, published 30 September 2025, whether any actions, commitments or policy changes were agreed or initiated following the meeting with Bowmer and Kirkland on 30 April 2025.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is the government’s front door for business and its Ministers carry out a wide range of engagement with stakeholders across their portfolios, this includes construction. All meetings and their purpose are recorded and published via quarterly transparency returns.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what issues relating to building regulations were discussed at the meeting between the Minister of State for Industry and Bowmer and Kirkland on 30 April 2025.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is the government’s front door for business and its Ministers carry out a wide range of engagement with stakeholders across their portfolios, this includes construction. All meetings and their purpose are recorded and published via quarterly transparency returns.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what was the process for arranging a meeting with Bowmer and Kirkland on 30 April 2025.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is the government’s front door for business and its Ministers carry out a wide range of engagement with stakeholders across their portfolios, this includes construction. All meetings and their purpose are recorded and published via quarterly transparency returns.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the application process was for appointing trustees to the Tate in 2026.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

Appointments to the Board of the Tate are made by the Prime Minister. These appointments are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and vacancies are advertised on the Public Appointments digital service, where candidates can submit applications. Trustees are appointed in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. A full-term reappointment and three nine-month extensions for Trustees were announced on 05 June 2026 to ensure continuity on the Board.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Ministerial Transparency data, if she will publish a list of all meetings held between Ministers, special advisers or senior officials in her Department and representatives of Bowmer and Kirkland since 2010, including dates, attendees and the stated purpose of each meeting.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Details of meetings with external organisations are regularly published for all Departments on the transparency pages of gov.uk.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions (a) she, (b) Ministers in her Department and (c) officials in her Department have had with representatives of (i) environmental organisations, (ii) consumer groups and (iii) non-governmental organisations in the last three months regarding (A) electric vehicles and (B) the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government maintains ongoing engagement across a wide range of stakeholders including the automotive and electric vehicle charging sectors, industry bodies, environmental organisations, consumer groups, and NGOs regarding electric vehicles and the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions (a) she, (b) Ministers in her Department and (c) officials in her Department have had with representatives of (i) vehicle manufacturers and (ii) automotive industry bodies in the last three months regarding (A) electric vehicles and (B) the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government maintains ongoing engagement across a wide range of stakeholders including the automotive and electric vehicle charging sectors, industry bodies, environmental organisations, consumer groups, and NGOs regarding electric vehicles and the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what criteria were used to determine the need for ministerial engagement with Bowmer and Kirkland on building regulations on 30 April 2025.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is the government’s front door for business and its Ministers carry out a wide range of engagement with stakeholders across their portfolios, this includes construction. All meetings and their purpose are recorded and published via quarterly transparency returns.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what is the evidential basis for determining that there is a clear need for Environmental Delivery Plans; whether that evidence will be published; and what assessment she has made of the value for money of Environmental Delivery Plans.

Answered by Mary Creagh

The NRF will focus on enabling development in areas where it has stalled due to specific environmental obligations. The first EDPs will focus on nutrient neutrality, which currently affects approximately 8% of housing. The Planning and Infrastructure Act requires that EDPs must include monitoring measures sufficient to track the effectiveness of conservation measures and the effect of the EDP in general. These reporting requirements will provide transparency around the environmental improvements that each EDP has delivered and whether they represent good value for money.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Government plans to publish its assessment of the effectiveness of Environmental Delivery Plans; what criteria will be used to evaluate their success; and whether further Environmental Delivery Plans will be introduced only following publication of that assessment.

Answered by Mary Creagh

An initial assessment of Environmental Delivery Plans will take place following the making of the first nutrient pollution EDP. EDPs covering other issues will only be made after a statement on the findings of this assessment has been made to Parliament. Over the longer-term, success of the NRF programme will be regularly assessed against a range of criteria as part of a monitoring programme to determine the extent to which EDPs enable development and deliver measurable environmental improvements.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement on the UK's capacity to warn and sanction states that are non-cooperative in tackling illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK’s Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Regulation prohibits the import of seafood linked to IUU fishing and includes measures to warn and sanction states identified as non-cooperative in tacking IUU fishing. IUU is out of scope of the UK-EU SPS Agreement and the UK will maintain robust checks and controls to ensure imported seafood complies with our IUU requirements.

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 set out her Department's priority areas for improving fisheries transparency (a) domestically and (b) in the UK's international seafood supply chains.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to improving fisheries transparency as part of its efforts to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Domestically, we are strengthening IUU documentation requirements by requesting additional information for seafood imports and planning enhancing digital checks and controls at the border. Internationally, the UK is promoting greater information exchange through the FAO Global Information Exchange System and Global Record, in line with our commitments under the Agreement on Port State Measures, to help prevent IUU-caught fish entering global seafood supply chains. This includes work to establish connections with Regional Fisheries Management Organisations’ electronic systems.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the latest available figure is for Housing Revenue Account debt owed to the Public Works Loans Board by local authorities, including (a) the collective figure for all local authorities and (b) the debt for individual local authorities.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government publishes data on loans issued by the Public Works Loan Board lending facility here Historical Data and here Current Data, which includes loans taken out under the Housing Revenue Account discounted interest rate in place since 15 June 2023. Total debt attributable to the Housing Revenue Account is submitted to Government by local authorities as part of capital data returns and published here Local authority capital expenditure, receipts and financing - GOV.UK. Local authorities also provide the Government with data on their borrowing, including source of borrowing. The data can be found on gov.uk Live tables on local government finance - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed appropriate prioritisation approach within Environmental Delivery Plans on environmental harm; and what framework will be used to assess value for money under that approach.

Answered by Mary Creagh

The mitigation hierarchy remains at the heart of the Nature Restoration Fund. These Regulations require Natural England, where appropriate, to prioritise avoidance measures over mitigation and compensation measures, and mitigation over compensation measures, whilst also considering value for money.

These Regulations require Natural England to consider value for money as part of their consideration of whether it is appropriate to depart from this hierarchy. What constitutes value for money will depend on the circumstances of a particular EDP, and Natural England may also take into account any other factors relevant to determining whether it is appropriate to depart form the hierarchy. Any resulting EDP will be subject to consultation and approval by the Secretary of State

The potential impacts of the Nature Restoration Fund were assessed through the Impact Assessment published alongside the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take through defence spending to improve national resilience.

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

As the Strategic Defence Review makes clear, the threats facing the UK are growing and evolving. That is why we are investing heavily in homeland defence through the Defence Investment Plan, including £790 million in air and missile defence, £2.5 billion in cyber capabilities, £330 million to protect critical national infrastructure, and £4.2 billion in our Reserve Forces.

Underpinning this is our NATO First approach: our strength lies in our allies, and our commitment to NATO means we will never stand alone.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, published on 18 June 2026.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 6 July to Question 13226.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her Israeli counterpart on Palestinian children in detention.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 20 January in response to Question 907383.

Nature rights

Autonomy’s report entitled Cleaning Up Politics

Technology companies and crimes against Palestinians

Five-year indefinite leave to remain pathway for Skilled Worker visa holders (No. 2)

Arrest of Dr Mazen Al-Rantisi and Israeli action against Palestinian civil society

Toxicity testing on animals

Found: Perkins (Chair); Olivia Blake; Julia Buckley; Jonathan Davies; Barry Gardiner; Alison Griffiths; Chris Hinchliff

Found: Perkins (Chair); Olivia Blake; Julia Buckley; Jonathan Davies; Barry Gardiner; Alison Griffiths; Chris Hinchliff

Found: Q73 Chris Hinchliff: Thank you. That tees me up nicely for my second question.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Toby Perkins (Chair); Julia Buckley; Jonathan Davies; Chris Hinchliff

Found: Liberal Democrat; Chippenham) Alison Griffiths (Conservative; Bognor Regis and Littlehampton) Chris Hinchliff

Found: Perkins (Chair); Olivia Blake; Julia Buckley; Jonathan Davies; Barry Gardiner; Sarah Gibson; Chris Hinchliff

Found: Perkins (Chair); Olivia Blake; Julia Buckley; Jonathan Davies; Barry Gardiner; Sarah Gibson; Chris Hinchliff

Found: Letter dated 04/06/2026 from Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill to Chris Hinchliff MP regarding the Railways

Found: Letter dated 04/06/2026 from Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill to Chris Hinchliff MP regarding points raised