David Simmonds

This government was elected on a mandate to get Britain building again, alongside protecting and restoring the natural environment. We are determined to transform the system to ensure a win-win for people and nature.

The existing nutrient mitigation market plays an essential role in enabling housing to go ahead in areas affected by nutrient neutrality without making pollution worse. The Government is continuing to support mitigation provision through Natural England’s Nutrient Mitigation Scheme and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Local Nutrient Mitigation Fund, which work with and alongside private sector providers.

A healthy natural environment is critical to a strong economy. This government is committed to delivering for nature and will work with stakeholders, including nature conservation organisations, to develop an approach that both restores nature and enables economic growth. We will only legislate where we can confirm to Parliament that the steps we are taking will deliver positive environmental outcomes.

This government has prioritised working to end this conflict and secure the safe release of hostages still cruelly detained by Hamas since day one.  During their joint visit to the region, the Foreign Secretary and French Foreign Secretary Stéphane Séjourné met with Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz to reiterate the need to end the conflict in Gaza and secure the release of hostages. Both the Foreign Secretary and I have met with hostage families with links to the UK whose loved ones have been murdered or taken by Hamas and reiterated our commitment to using all diplomatic avenues to secure their release.

We welcome the tireless efforts of our partners in Qatar, Egypt and the United States, and fully endorse their joint statement calling for the immediate resumption of ceasefire negotiations and a hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas.  This deal is the best way to get the remaining hostages out. We are urging all sides to show flexibility.

The Foreign Secretary noted in his statement to the House of Commons on 19 July 2024, that the UN had taken the allegations that United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) staff were involved in the 7 October Hamas terrorist attack seriously. He is reassured after Catherine Colonna's independent review, that UNRWA is ensuring the highest standards of neutrality.

£1 million of the £21 million of new UK funding to UNRWA will support it to implement the management reforms recommended by the review. We continue to monitor UNRWA's implementation. Separately, a Memorandum of Understanding governs UK financial support to UNRWA. The FCDO carries out due diligence assessments and conducts an annual assessment of UK funding to UNRWA.

The treatment of hostages still cruelly detained by Hamas is a matter of international concern. We are clear in our call - Hamas must release all hostages immediately. This government has prioritised working to end this conflict and secure the safe release of hostages since day one. The Foreign Secretary and I have both recently met with families with links to the UK whose loved ones have been murdered or taken by Hamas and reiterated our commitment to using all diplomatic avenues to secure their release.

We welcome the tireless efforts of our partners in Qatar, Egypt and the United States, and fully endorse their joint statement calling for the immediate resumption of ceasefire negotiations and a hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas. This deal is the best way to get the remaining hostages out. We are urging all sides to show flexibility.

The Department has a dedicated Planning Capability and Capacity programme to support planning reform.

We are currently reviewing how best to deploy additional support made available as a result of our plans to increase the rate of the stamp duty surcharge paid by non-UK residents.

In the recently launched consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and other changes to the planning system, the Government set out proposed changes to planning application fees and also sought views on the localisation of such fees.

The Government is committed to achieving full local plan coverage as part of wider planning reforms. Funding will be made available to support those authorities who will be required to undertake additional work to take account of the updated NPPF once this is published in the Autumn.