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 expanding Housing First provision across England in the forthcoming cross-government homelessness strategy.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Our homelessness strategy will put prevention at its core, including setting out that interventions should be tailored to the individual needs of people at risk of homelessness.

Councils can use our homelessness funding flexibly to meet those needs, including by commissioning Housing First services which evidence has shown can transform the lives of people with complex needs.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his planned timetable is for publishing the forthcoming cross-government homelessness strategy.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The cross-government homelessness strategy will be published shortly.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made on ending the use of asylum hotels; and what the savings will be for a) Southport, b) the North West and c) the UK.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

At its peak under the previous government, around 400 hotels were used to accommodate asylum seekers – costing £9 million per day. That figure is now under 200, and the government remains committed to closing every hotel by the end of this Parliament. We have already saved £700 million in hotel costs. Now we are recouping millions more in excess profits. And, by the end of this parliament, we will have closed every asylum hotel.

The Home Office publishes all available information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (opens an new tab).

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending company law to move from shareholder primacy towards a stakeholder-governance model.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Under Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006, directors have a fiduciary duty to have regard in their decision-making to the interests of employees, customers and suppliers, and to the impact of the company’s operations on the community and the environment. Section 172 enshrines in law the principle of “enlightened shareholder value”, which recognises the relevance of stakeholder interests to the long-term success of a company. This contrasts with the “shareholder maximisation” model adopted in other jurisdictions, in which directors’ sole duty is to maximise returns to shareholders. The Government has no plans to amend Section 172.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when her Department plans to bring forward secondary legislation required under the Building Societies Act 1986 (Amendment) Act 2024 to enact provisions around the disapplication of the wholesale funding limit for funds held for prudential purposes.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government is committed to supporting the growth of building societies in line with the manifesto commitment to double the size of the mutual and co-operative sector. As part of this, the government is committed to ensuring that building societies can operate in a modern and supportive legislative environment.

On 14 October 2024, the government introduced two statutory instruments to modernise the 1986 Act. The Building Societies Act 1986 (Amendment of Small Business Turnover Limit) Order 2024 came into force on 4 November 2024 and the Building Societies Act 1986 (Modifications) Order 2024 came into force on 6 January 2025.

The government will look to give effect to the further powers enabled through the Building Societies Act 1986 (Amendment) Act 2024 in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to implement the recommendations set out in the Social Impact Investment Advisory Group’s final report; and what steps he is taking to establish the proposed Temporary Accommodation Impact Investment Facility.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is carefully considering the full set of recommendations in the report, including moving swiftly with the launch of the new Office for the Impact Economy.

We are committed to considering the best way to sustainably fund good-quality temporary accommodation and drive down the use of poor-quality temporary accommodation.