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, what assessment he has made of the impact of levels of Local Housing Allowance on a) poverty b) homelessness among Universal Credit claimants in North East Hertfordshire.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum financial support available for renters in the private rented sector.
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions reviews LHA rates annually, including poverty impacts and future decisions will be based on government priorities.
The causes of homelessness are multi-faceted and often complex and they interact dynamically. DWP continues to work closely with MHCLG to make sure interactions with homelessness are considered.
Renters receiving housing support who face a shortfall in meeting their rent costs can apply for a Crisis and Resilience Fund Housing Payment from local authorities in England.
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, what assessment she has made of the contribution that National Lottery funding has made and will make toward delivery of targets under the Environment Act 2021, the Environmental Improvement Plan, and the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environmental Improvement Plan is a cross-government plan. We will be working with DCMS/National Lottery to capture their contributions.
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, by which date she intends to enact section 102 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government response to the proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system consultation, which was published on 17 August and can be found on gov.uk here, confirmed that we intend to implement section 102 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023. Further details will be announced in the usual way in due course.
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, with reference to her Department's joint guidance entitled Biodiversity net gain, updated on 31 July 2026, what assessment she has made of the potent impact of changes to evidential requirements for claiming the de minimis exemption on the number and type of applications that will be eligible for the exemption.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As set out previously in Government consultation responses, any changes to the de minimis exemption for biodiversity net gain will be considered in the round and alongside other BNG reforms. The new 0.2-hectare exemption which came into force on 6 August 2026 is expected to significantly reduce the number of developments claiming the de minimis exemption. Planning Portal data for August 2026 shows that use of the de minimis exemption more than halved, from 81% in July 2026 to 37% in August 2026 following the introduction of the 0.2-hectare exemption. The Government expect similar trends going forward. Prior to 6 August, roughly 80% of planning applications have been exempt from BNG, with around 80% of those exempt claiming the de minimis exemption
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, what proportion of planning applications under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 have claimed the de minimis exemption from biodiversity net gain each year since 2024.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As set out previously in Government consultation responses, any changes to the de minimis exemption for biodiversity net gain will be considered in the round and alongside other BNG reforms. The new 0.2-hectare exemption which came into force on 6 August 2026 is expected to significantly reduce the number of developments claiming the de minimis exemption. Planning Portal data for August 2026 shows that use of the de minimis exemption more than halved, from 81% in July 2026 to 37% in August 2026 following the introduction of the 0.2-hectare exemption. The Government expect similar trends going forward. Prior to 6 August, roughly 80% of planning applications have been exempt from BNG, with around 80% of those exempt claiming the de minimis exemption
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, 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.
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, 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.
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, 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.
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, 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.
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 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.