Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help meet (a) climate and (b) nature targets.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK fully supported the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) and has already submitted to the Convention on Biological Diversity National Targets that are fully aligned with the Framework. We will publish the full UK National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) in due course, and we will provide an assessment of our progress in the implementation of the KMGBF, including progress towards the national targets, in our seventh and eighth national reports in February 2026 and June 2029, respectively.

The UK’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 2030 and 2035 targets – to reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% and 81% respectively on 1990 levels – are a fair and ambitious contribution to global action on climate change, in line with the Paris Agreement temperature goal, and remains in place.

We are absolutely committed to our climate targets. That is why making Britain a clean energy superpower is one of the five missions of this Government - delivering clean power by 2030 and accelerating the transition to net zero across the economy. This will make it easier and affordable for people across the country to move towards sustainable lifestyles.

The UK was the first major economy to halve its emissions, cutting them by around 53% between 1990 and 2023, while growing our economy by 79%.

The UK over-achieved against the first, second and third Carbon Budgets, and we will deliver an updated cross-economy plan in due course, which will outline the policies and proposals needed to deliver carbon budgets 4-6 and the 2030 and 2035 NDCs on a pathway to net zero.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of right to rent checks on non-UK passport holders on (a) the private rental sector and (b) levels of homelessness in Battersea.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The Right to Rent Scheme was introduced to ensure only those lawfully in the United Kingdom can access the private rented sector, and to tackle unscrupulous landlords who exploit vulnerable migrants, sometimes in very poor living conditions.

The Scheme applies equally to everyone, including British and Irish citizens seeking accommodation in the private rented sector in England. There is an extensive list of documents that tenants can use to prove their right to rent. The Scheme has been independently evaluated twice.

Statistics on levels of homelessness are overseen by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The latest official data on statutory homelessness in England can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statutory-homelessness-in-england-july-to-september-2024.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take to mitigate the impact of the destruction of educational and cultural facilities in Gaza.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We are deeply alarmed by the disproportionate impact of the conflict on children in Gaza. Most students have not had access to education since the 7th of October 2023 and at least 88 per cent of school buildings need full or major reconstruction. Education is a priority sector, and we are engaging with partners to ensure children's needs are integrated into Gaza's recovery. Through UK support, over 14,000 children in Gaza now have access to education materials. The destruction of cultural facilities is also highly concerning. We engage regularly with NGOs and civil society, who are best placed to communicate needs and rebuild their communities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Oral Statement of 26 February 2025 on Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 Report, Official Report, whether she plans to take steps to enforce personal emergency evacuation plans for disabled residents living in high-rise (a) social housing and (b) privately rented accommodation.

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

Residential personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs) for which my Rt Hon Friend the Home Secretary currently retains responsibility until the Machinery of Government change comes into effect on 1 April will be introduced through legislation yet to be laid before Parliament. We expect that enforcing authorities under the Fire Safety Order, including Fire and Rescue Authorities, who have a duty to enforce Responsible Persons’ compliance with their duties will also enforce duties in relation to Residential PEEPs.

Under the Building Safety Act, Accountable Persons are required to assess and manage the building safety risks in their building. In doing this they are required to consider the impacts on residents, carry out engagement with residents, and set out in the Residents’ Engagement Strategy and Safety Case report the arrangements for how residents will respond to emergency situations, which can be expected to include the arrangements for putting in place and managing Residential PEEPs once required.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterparts on Israeli settler attacks on (a) schools, (b) higher education facilities and (c) cultural institutions in the West Bank.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We remain very concerned at the disproportionate impact of violence on children, including in the West Bank: education is a priority sector. Any destruction of cultural facilities is also highly concerning. We engage regularly with non-governmental organizations and civil society, who are best placed to communicate needs and rebuild their communities. The Foreign Secretary and I have emphasised the importance of stability throughout all the Occupied Territories to our Israeli counterparts. The Foreign Secretary raised Israel's ongoing operation in Jenin and highlighted the risk that this undermines the Palestinian Authority when he spoke to Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 22 January. The Foreign Secretary also noted the need for violent settlers to be held accountable.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help prevent fraudulent fire safety certificates.

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

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to Question UIN 27050 on 3 February 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of making the NHS Accessible Information Standard mandatory in all NHS England health and social care settings on the ability of (a) deaf and (b) visually impaired people to access healthcare.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Following commencement of the regulations made under the Health and Care Act 2022, new arrangements will come into effect to make information standards mandatory. Existing standards will need to go through a new process to become mandatory, and once a standard becomes mandatory, organisations will be expected to comply. The timing for the Accessible Information Standard will be considered along with those of the other existing standards. These arrangements are expected to happen this year, once the regulations have been approved by Parliament.

The intent of making information standards mandatory is to improve the rigour of standards, and the consistency of their application. The implementation of Section 95 should have a beneficial impact on those using services, by contributing to the effective operation of the health and care sector. The Accessible Information Standard is intended to improve the accessibility of information, while other standards often specify the technical basis for ensuring that data flows through the system in a usable and standardised form, improving the quality of care and patient outcomes. Information standards do not affect people’s rights.

NHS England commissioned the North of England Commissioning Support Unit to review compliance with the Accessible Information Standard, prior to reviewing the standard. Their findings matched the independent reviews undertaken by Sign Health and Healthwatch, that implementation was inconsistent. NHS England has considered how to strengthen compliance with the standard, including the requirement to identify local implementation leads, and the development and testing of a self-assessment framework.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of expediting the implementation of section 95 of the Health and Care Act 2022 on the rights of disabled people.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Following commencement of the regulations made under the Health and Care Act 2022, new arrangements will come into effect to make information standards mandatory. Existing standards will need to go through a new process to become mandatory, and once a standard becomes mandatory, organisations will be expected to comply. The timing for the Accessible Information Standard will be considered along with those of the other existing standards. These arrangements are expected to happen this year, once the regulations have been approved by Parliament.

The intent of making information standards mandatory is to improve the rigour of standards, and the consistency of their application. The implementation of Section 95 should have a beneficial impact on those using services, by contributing to the effective operation of the health and care sector. The Accessible Information Standard is intended to improve the accessibility of information, while other standards often specify the technical basis for ensuring that data flows through the system in a usable and standardised form, improving the quality of care and patient outcomes. Information standards do not affect people’s rights.

NHS England commissioned the North of England Commissioning Support Unit to review compliance with the Accessible Information Standard, prior to reviewing the standard. Their findings matched the independent reviews undertaken by Sign Health and Healthwatch, that implementation was inconsistent. NHS England has considered how to strengthen compliance with the standard, including the requirement to identify local implementation leads, and the development and testing of a self-assessment framework.

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