Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will expand eligibility for Winter Fuel Allowance to older people ineligible for Pension Credit who receive (a) Housing Benefit, (b) Local Housing Allowance, (c) Council Tax Support, (d) any benefits related to having a disability, (e) Attendance Allowance and (f) Carer's Allowance.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Winter Fuel Payments will continue to be paid to pensioner households with someone receiving Pension Credit or certain other income-related benefits: Universal Credit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit. They will continue to be worth £200 for eligible households, or £300 for eligible households with someone aged 80 and over.  This means that the Winter Fuel Payment will be better targeted to low-income pensioners who need it most. The Government has no plans to change the eligibility conditions.

The Government wants those eligible for Pension Credit but not currently claiming it to receive the benefits they are entitled to, including their Winter Fuel Payment. As part of this, we have started a new drive to increase take-up of Pension Credit. We know there are low-income pensioners who are not claiming Pension Credit, and we urge those people to apply.

We will shortly be directly contacting approximately 120,000 pensioners who are in receipt of Housing Benefit and who may be eligible for, but not currently claiming, Pension Credit. We will be inviting these pensioners to claim Pension Credit ahead of 21st December so that they may also be entitled to this year’s Winter Fuel Payment.

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 make an assessment of the potential implications for her Department's policies of the report by The Community Land Trust Network entitled Community Housing Fund Delivery Review, published 19th September 2024.

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

The government recognise that community-led housing delivers a wide range of benefits including building affordable homes, increasing community participation and strengthening the co-operative economy. I recently met with the Chief Executive of the Community Land Trust Network and other stakeholders to discuss how the government can best support the growth of community-led housing. This will include drawing on research and experience across the sector, including the Community Housing Fund Delivery Review.

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 make it her policy to release capital investment for community led housing.

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

The government recognise that community-led housing delivers a wide range of benefits including building affordable homes, increasing community participation and strengthening the co-operative economy. I recently met with the Chief Executive of the Community Land Trust Network and other stakeholders to discuss how the government can best support the growth of community-led housing. This will include drawing on research and experience across the sector, including the Community Housing Fund Delivery Review.

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 set out her timetable to bring forward regulations relating to Schedule 3 of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 to allow Community Land Trusts to obtain community housing certificates to exempt homes from leasehold enfranchisement.

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

The government intends to act quickly to provide homeowners with greater rights, powers, and protections over their homes by implementing the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. These include specified exemptions for community-led housing from the ban on new leasehold houses and freehold acquisition. This will be provided the community-led housing provider obtains a certificate from the relevant Tribunal.

The implementation of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 will require an extensive programme of secondary legislation and we will set out the details in due course.

With regard to new leasehold flats, the government is committed to banning their sale and making commonhold the default tenure and we intend to consult on the best way to achieve this.

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 legislative steps to support the continued provision of leasehold flats and houses by (a) Community Land Trusts and (b) other community-led providers.

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

The government intends to act quickly to provide homeowners with greater rights, powers, and protections over their homes by implementing the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. These include specified exemptions for community-led housing from the ban on new leasehold houses and freehold acquisition. This will be provided the community-led housing provider obtains a certificate from the relevant Tribunal.

The implementation of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 will require an extensive programme of secondary legislation and we will set out the details in due course.

With regard to new leasehold flats, the government is committed to banning their sale and making commonhold the default tenure and we intend to consult on the best way to achieve this.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2024 to Question 7923 on Housing Benefit: Young People, if she will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of adjusting the housing benefit taper for people in supported accommodation; and with which stakeholders he plans to consider the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for people residing in supported housing and temporary accommodation.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

As you are aware, there is a challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those residing in supported housing and temporary accommodation. We are considering options to improve work incentives for residents of supported housing and temporary accommodation, while taking into account the views of stakeholders.

We have engaged with a range of stakeholders including Centrepoint, St Mungo’s, BHT Sussex, the Cardinal Hume Centre, Your Place and Homeless Link about this issue and plan to continue conversations with these and other organisations in the future about this issue.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of emissions of nitrogen dioxide from ships at English ports on the annual mean concentration limits set out in the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010.

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

Domestic shipping contributed 11% to total UK nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions in 2022. The Air Quality Plan for NO2 addresses the primary cause of exceedances of the concentration limits set by the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 (AQSR): emissions from road transport.

The UK has been at the forefront of international action to reduce NO2 emissions from shipping through work at the International Maritime Organization, and from 2021 the UK gained additional protection as additional restrictions on NO_x emissions came into force in the North Sea Emission Control Area.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to (a) reduce emissions of harmful air pollutants from ships at ports in England and (b) incorporate the requirements of the environmental principles policy statement into maritime policy.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Greening transport, which includes tackling air pollution, is a key priority for the Secretary of State. The UK has consistently supported ambitious international efforts to limit air pollutant emissions from global shipping at the International Maritime Organization, including adopting the North Sea ECA for SOx emissions in 2005 which was expanded to include NOx emissions in 2021. Since April 2010, the UK has also applied equivalent SOx regulations to inland-water vessels and ships at berth in all ports.

The Department considers the environmental principles policy statement across all policy areas, in line with our legal duty.

Scientific hearing on animal experiments (No. 3)

Paradise Beach Resort in Morocco

Support for endometriosis care

Humanitarian situation in Sudan

Work of St John Ambulance

National insurance increase and the voluntary sector

Value of rural post offices

Disclosure of Special Branch files

Use of swift bricks

World Diabetes Day 2024

Humanitarian situation in Sudan (No. 2)

National insurance increase and the social care sector

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) medication shortages

East Sussex Wildlife Rescue Ambulance Service 40th anniversary

Ticket offices and station staff

Scrutiny of Gulf Cooperation Council trade with Russia

Support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency

Israeli Knesset decision to ban UNRWA

Release of fire appliance and life-saving equipment to Palestine

Access to banking hubs

Islamophobia Awareness Month 2024

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Found: Secretary of State, and (b) Great British Energy. ” Not called _NC2 Adrian Ramsay Pippa Heylings Siân