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 make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring at least 10% of social housing stock to be let as furnished.

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

From 2 July to 12 September last year, we consulted on a reformed and modernised Decent Homes Standard for social and privately rented homes.

As part of that consultation, we sought views on how guidance might be used to encourage and support landlords to go further in improving quality including in relation to the provision of furniture.

Over recent months we have been analysing the responses submitted and will set out our response in the near future.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to protect women and girls from violent offenders who have been released.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

This Government was elected with a landmark mission: to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. The ‘Freedom from violence and abuse: a cross-government strategy’ sets out stronger perpetrator management, including the commitment to nationally rollout Domestic Abuse Protection Orders across all police forces in England and Wales, which is critical in meeting this government ambition.

The Probation Service robustly manages offenders released from custody with a range of tools in the community and can respond to any breaches of licence with recall to prison where appropriate. The Sentencing Bill strengthens this by giving new powers to Probation to prohibit offenders from driving, attending public events and entering pubs, clubs and bars. It also introduces restriction zones, which will limit the movements of serious sexual and violent offenders to a specific geographical area, where appropriate, giving victims the peace of mind they deserve.

Further, regarding Electronic Monitoring (EM), the Domestic Abuse Perpetrators on Licence (DAPOL) pilot operates across eight probation regions, allowing Probation Practitioners to impose electronically monitored licence conditions on eligible prison leavers at the point of release from custody where necessary and proportionate. Conditions may include curfews, exclusion zones, required attendance at specified appointments, and GPS trail monitoring, with multiple applied risk assessments support it. DAPOL can also run alongside Alcohol Monitoring on Licence (AML) where alcohol misuse is linked to risk. Evaluation findings indicate that DAPOL provides reassurance to victims, with Victim Liaison Officers reporting that the ability to evidence breaches quickly helps reduce victim anxiety and strengthens confidence in the justice system.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help improve the working conditions of PHV drivers working for large national operators such as Uber.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Department for Transport Ministers and officials engage with operators, trade representation groups, and trade unions on the regulation of the taxi and private hire vehicle sector.

Thanks to the Government’s Employment Rights Act, over 18 million workers are set to benefit from greater fairness and security at work. Our reforms will also strengthen the voices of people in the workplace.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to engage with PHV drivers employed by large national operators on their terms and working conditions.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Department for Transport Ministers and officials engage with operators, trade representation groups, and trade unions on the regulation of the taxi and private hire vehicle sector.

Thanks to the Government’s Employment Rights Act, over 18 million workers are set to benefit from greater fairness and security at work. Our reforms will also strengthen the voices of people in the workplace.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, what discussions she is having with the Ministry of Justice on expanding the Unduly Lenient Sentencing Scheme to include victims of technology-assisted child sexual abuse.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Protection of Children Act 1978 already includes ‘pseudo’ images of children within the definition of indecent images. Therefore, any sexualised images of children produced by AI will already be covered by the legislation surrounding indecent images, and consequently already fall within ULS scheme.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to take steps to regulate the service fee charges (commission) charged by large national PHV operators that they draw from their drivers' journeys.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Subject to any obligations under employment law, the commercial terms under which drivers and operators contract are a matter for those parties.

Safe sleep standards in early years settings

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Steff Aquarone; Dr Scott Arthur; Mrs Elsie Blundell

Submit Evidence (by 13 Mar 2026)

The Government has published a new Road Safety Strategy setting out the Government’s approach to reducing death and serious injury. The Transport Committee is launching an inquiry to examine its potential effectiveness.