Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to (a) Business Property Relief and (b) Agricultural Property Relief on the level of resources required at HMRC.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
On 21 July 2025 HMRC published a policy paper on the agricultural property relief and business property relief reforms for Inheritance Tax. The summary of impacts includes an estimate of HMRC’s costs to deliver the measure. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reforms-to-agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken through the education system to educate young people on the harms of radicalisation.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
All schools are under a statutory duty to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being radicalised into terrorism.
Every school should actively promote the shared values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs. Promoting shared British values is a way of building pupils’ resilience to radicalisation and enabling them to identify and challenge extremist views.
The department publishes comprehensive advice and has made a range of resources freely available on our Educate Against Hate website, supporting teachers across all sectors to educate children and young people about the risks of extremism and radicalisation. This includes talking about Prevent and discussing controversial issues with children to raise awareness of and build resilience to radicalisation.
We have a team of regional co-ordinators who work directly with education institutions across all sectors in England to provide advice, support and training to ensure providers are well equipped to prevent children and young people from being drawn into terrorism.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of permitted development on the number of Houses of Multiple Occupation in Hertsmere constituency.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has made no such an assessment.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's announcement Railway stations awarded Access for All accessibility funding, published on 24 May 2024, what her planned timetable is for the completion of Access for All construction at Bushey Railway Station.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In May 2024, the previous government identified 50 stations, including Bushey, for initial feasibility work to assess their potential for future upgrades under the Access for All programme. Network Rail has now completed this initial feasibility work. We plan to provide an update to stakeholders in due course.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 58611 on Railways: Access, when her Department will fund Network Rail to undertake the next round of feasibility studies.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Network Rail has completed initial feasibility work for the 50 projects being considered for inclusion in the Access for All programme within the 2025 Spending Review funding period.
We plan to update stakeholders in due course.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support she is providing to local authorities to help them prevent people from being radicalised.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
All Local Authorities in England, Scotland and Wales receive dedicated support from the Home Office to deliver the Prevent duty effectively and in proportion to the level of local risk and threat. This support includes expertise from a network of region-based Home Office Prevent Advisers who work closely with partners to raise Prevent delivery standards. Prevent Advisers also deliver an annual assurance exercise, assessing the extent to which local authorities are meeting the Prevent duty and identifying areas for further support and improvement.
Currently, the 28 highest threat areas in England and Wales receive Home Office Prevent funding which supports the provision of dedicated Prevent posts within these local authorities. Some of these local authorities also receive additional funding to support regional working and share their Prevent expertise with other neighbouring local authorities.
All local authorities have access to the Preventing Radicalisation Fund. This is a central fund into which local authorities can make bids to support the delivery of targeted Prevent projects in their local area. These projects aim to identify and mitigate local radicalisation risks, including the risk from Islamist Extremism, Extreme Right-Wing and other emerging threats.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to help prevent the radicalisation of young people.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK’s counter-terrorism strategy is set out in CONTEST, most recently updated in 2023. Prevent is one of four pillars of that strategy. Prevent seeks to intervene early and provide support to stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.
Channel focuses on providing support at an early stage to people who are at risk of radicalisation, with a significant number of young people referred to Prevent for support. In the year ending 31 March 2024, individuals aged 11 to 15 accounted for the largest proportion of the 6,884 referrals to Prevent (2,729; 40%) where age was known, and a slightly larger proportion of both those discussed at a Channel Panel (374; 42%) and those adopted as a Channel case (254; 50%).
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
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 the United Nations on UNRWA neutrality.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK welcomes the active work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in implementing recommendations of the Colonna report. £1 million of the £41 million support for UNRWA in Financial Year 24/25 was earmarked to support implementation of the Colonna report and in June the UK was updated on implementation progress from UNRWA. The Minister of State for International Development met with UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini on 12 May where she reiterated support for the organisation and its critical role in delivering desperately needed aid and services to Palestinians. Israel must immediately allow the UN and aid partners to safely deliver all aid at scale to save lives, reduce suffering and maintain dignity.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
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 the oral contribution from the Leader of the House in response to a question from the Rt hon. Member for Hertsmere on 5 June 2025, Official Report, col 462, how the Renters' Rights Bill will increase the power of local authorities to limit houses in multiple occupancy.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) can play an important part in the housing market, providing relatively low-cost accommodation for rent.
Local planning authorities already have powers to limit the proliferation of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) through ‘Article 4’ directions.
In addition to the manatory licensing of large HMOs, local areas can also choose to require smaller HMOs to be licenced to ensure such properties are safe and well managed, and that the character of local communities are protected.
Local authorities have robust powers to ensure landlords of HMOs comply with all relevant regulations. This includes powers to issue civil penalties, prosecute landlords and obtain banning orders.
No recent assessments of the potential impacts of increases in demand for HMOs, or of the potential impacts of such increases on specific local communities, have been made.
The Renters’ Rights Bill introduces reforms to improve the regulation of private rented sector properties, including HMOs, and drive-up standards within the sector. This includes a Decent Homes Standard and new enforcement powers for local authorities.
My Department will continue to engage with local authorities on a range of local issues, including matters relating to HMOs and we will keep the regulation of HMOs under review.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
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 her Department has had with Hertsmere Borough Council on houses in multiple occupation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) can play an important part in the housing market, providing relatively low-cost accommodation for rent.
Local planning authorities already have powers to limit the proliferation of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) through ‘Article 4’ directions.
In addition to the manatory licensing of large HMOs, local areas can also choose to require smaller HMOs to be licenced to ensure such properties are safe and well managed, and that the character of local communities are protected.
Local authorities have robust powers to ensure landlords of HMOs comply with all relevant regulations. This includes powers to issue civil penalties, prosecute landlords and obtain banning orders.
No recent assessments of the potential impacts of increases in demand for HMOs, or of the potential impacts of such increases on specific local communities, have been made.
The Renters’ Rights Bill introduces reforms to improve the regulation of private rented sector properties, including HMOs, and drive-up standards within the sector. This includes a Decent Homes Standard and new enforcement powers for local authorities.
My Department will continue to engage with local authorities on a range of local issues, including matters relating to HMOs and we will keep the regulation of HMOs under review.