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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions she has had with metro mayors and local authorities on further devolution.

Answered by Angela Rayner - Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government

In the first days of this Government, the Prime Minister and I met Mayors in Downing Street to discuss devolution and the critical role for mayors in delivering our Mission of Economic Growth.

Building on the last Labour Government’s legacy of the devolution in Scotland and Wales, the Prime Minister and I are determined to see devolution extended to every corner of England and I have invited local areas without a devolution agreement to come forward.

We will continue to work with local leaders, councils, Members of Parliament and stakeholders to deepen and widen devolution across England.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department plans to take to help (a) younger people and (b) first time buyers onto the housing ladder.

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

The affordability challenges facing prospective first-time buyers mean that too many young people are now locked out of homeownership. In addition to increasing the supply of homes of all tenures, the Government has committed to introducing a permanent, comprehensive mortgage guarantee scheme and to giving first-time buyers the first chance to buy homes.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department plans to take to help support the defence sector in the (a) East of England and (b) UK.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

This Government recognises the vital role Defence plays not only in our national security but also to the economic prosperity and growth of the United Kingdom.

The Government is committed to delivering a new Defence Industrial Strategy, working in partnership with our domestic defence industry across the UK, to support UK innovation and resilience.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to review the (a) efficiency and (b) reliability of postal voting for UK nationals living abroad during the General Election on 4 July 2024.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer my Hon Friend to the answer given to Question UIN 199 on 26 July 2024.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to enable local authorities to bring in rent controls for people in the private rented sector.

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

The Government does not support the introduction of rent controls. We have made clear that we intend to use the Renters’ Rights Bill to provide tenants with greater protections against unreasonable within-tenancy rent increases.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will widen Bilateral Social Security Agreements including index-linked state pensions for UK nationals abroad with Commonwealth countries.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

UK State Pensions are payable worldwide, without regard to nationality.

The policy on the uprating of UK State Pensions paid overseas is a longstanding one.

UK State Pensions are payable worldwide, without regard to nationality, and are only uprated abroad where there is a legal requirement to do so - for example in countries with which we have a reciprocal agreement that provides for up-rating.

There are no plans to widen Bilateral Social Security Agreements to include the uprating of State Pensions paid to recipients abroad.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help improve (a) the physical and mental health and (b) other aspects of the lives of unpaid and kinship carers.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Kinship carers play an extremely important role in both their kin children’s lives and in the children’s social care system.

The government is committed to working in partnership with local government to support children in care, whether they are being looked after by their community or kinship, foster carers and adoptive parents. The department recognises the challenges many kinship carers face. The government will consider how to most effectively transform the children’s social care system so that it is better delivering for children and families. This will include considering how best to support kinship carers and children in kinship care.

The department will recruit the first ever National Kinship Care Ambassador to advocate for kinship carers and work directly with local authorities to improve services. The ambassador will be appointed in 2024 and will support government and local authorities to keep kinship carers at the heart of their services.

The government is extending the delivery of peer support groups, which will sustain over 140 peer support groups across England where all types of kinship carers, including private foster carers, can come together to share stories, support each other, and exchange advice.

The department is also funding a package of in person and online training and support that all kinship carers across England may access. The service went live in April 2024 and is being delivered by the charity, Kinship.