Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure that Hamas is disarmed in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have always been clear that Hamas must disarm and have no role in the future governance of Gaza, and we are continuing to support international efforts towards that goal, as part of the wider transition process set out in Phase 2 of the Gaza Peace Plan.
We encourage all parties to work towards a stable and phased security transition including demilitarisation of armed groups, deployment of a new police force under the leadership of the Palestinian National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, and the withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2026 to Question 106177, on Rents: Appeals, whether any programmes of works detailed in that Answer are estimated not to be completed before the implementation of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 on 1 May 2026.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
All the programmes of work detailed in the answer to Question 106177 are expected to be completed by implementation of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 on 1 May 2026. This includes recruitment exercises for additional administrative staff, establishment of a centralised operational hub, updates to operational processes, availability of suitable estates capacity for hearings and enhancements to technology systems.
Recruitment of judges and members for the Property Chamber is ongoing, with further recruitment exercises planned throughout 2026.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she make an assessment of the feasibility of repurposing disused prisons or other redundant public-sector sites as dedicated asylum reception and processing centres.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Asylum Accommodation estate is kept under constant review. We are moving at pace to fulfil the Government’s commitment to close every asylum hotel by the end of this parliament. Work to facilitate this exit is ongoing, and the Asylum Accommodation Taskforce is working across Government to deliver alternative asylum accommodation.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment has been made of the potential merits of co-locating asylum casework, legal services, healthcare provision and integration support within centralised reception hubs.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Current reforms prioritise restoring order and control to the asylum system, including ending the use of hotels, enhancing fairness, and improving efficiency, rather than moving to a single end-to-end co-located reception hub model.
We are committed to ensuring that asylum reforms are considered carefully so that they support creation of a system which is both fair and sustainable. As with all significant policy changes, the impacts will be subject to assessment.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with NHS England on the provision of on-site primary healthcare services within asylum reception facilities.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office has engaged with NHS England in the development of large sites established in England under the Asylum Accommodation Programme. Further engagement with health partners including the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England will be undertaken to support suitable provision for future sites.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has had discussions with his Scottish counterpart on the experience of Rent Services Scotland to inform the development of (a) an alternative body and (b) mechanism to make initial rent determinations in cases of Section 13 rent appeals.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Officials in my Department engage regularly with a range of stakeholders, including officials working in Rent Services Scotland.
Subject to a final viability assessment, the government intends to establish an alternative body or mechanism to the First-tier Tribunal to make initial rent determinations. We will confirm further details in due course.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress his Department has made in undertaking a viability assessment for the use of (a) an alternative body and (b) a mechanism to make initial rent determinations in cases of Section 13 rent appeals.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Officials in my Department engage regularly with a range of stakeholders, including officials working in Rent Services Scotland.
Subject to a final viability assessment, the government intends to establish an alternative body or mechanism to the First-tier Tribunal to make initial rent determinations. We will confirm further details in due course.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the cumulative costs associated with the RRA on the new PRS supply.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the Question UIN 108214 on 3 February 2026.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his department has made of the need for the PRS database to allow block-registrations to accommodate large-scale landlords.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is considering how data might be collected with a view to minimise administrative requirements on private landlords.
I refer the hon. Member to the roadmap for implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025 published on 13 November 2025 which can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with Local Government organisations on the administration of Selective Licensing schemes and how learnings from those schemes are informing development of the PRS database.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Selective licensing schemes and the Private Rented Sector Database have entirely different purposes. Unlike the Database, individual selective licensing schemes enable more intensive proactive enforcement strategies to address specific local issues.
My Department has engaged extensively with local authorities in respect of the development of the Database. We are considering all relevant insights they have provided, including their experience of administrating selective licensing schemes. We will review any learnings from this engagement as we finalise the design of the service and refine the way the two systems work together.