Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
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 press release entitled £2 billion new investment to support biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation, published on 25 March 2025, how many and what proportion of these homes will be social housing for people experiencing homelessness.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
At Spring statement, the government announced an immediate injection of £2 billion to support delivery of the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and contribute to our ambitious Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament. Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 25 March 2025 (HCWS549).
The investment made at Spring statement follows the £800 million in new in-year funding which has been made available for the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme and that will support the delivery of up to 7,800 new homes, with more than half of them being Social Rent homes.
We will set out set details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent.
Homes England and GLA will assess bids received in the usual way before awarding funding. Exact funding to different places and the locations of homes that will be built will depend on the bids received from local authorities and housing associations.
This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership. We have asked HE, GLA and bidders to prioritise homes for social rent, and will publish the number of homes delivered at each tenure in an annual report to Parliament.
Local authorities are responsible for their own allocation scheme within the framework of legislation. By law, people who are homeless must be given ‘reasonable preference’ (priority) and local authorities can give ‘additional preference’ (high priority) to those who have urgent housing needs.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 40020 on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Health Services, whether he has had discussions with the British Association of Clinicians in ME/CFS on the myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome delivery plan; and whether that plan will establish more NHS specialist ME/CFS services.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are engaging with our myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), Task and Finish Group, including the British Association of Clinicians in ME/CFS, seeking their feedback and suggestions as we develop our final delivery plan for ME/CFS. We will use that feedback, alongside the responses to the 2023 consultation on the interim delivery plan, to inform the final delivery plan, which we will publish by the end of June.
The contents of the delivery plan are still being finalised. However, the three key themes will be boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Office for Students’ staff hours were spent on work relating to the Office for Students' regulatory case report for the University of Sussex, published on 26 March 2025 broken down by grade.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to free speech as a non-negotiable, and expects universities to take their responsibilities to upholding it seriously.
The Office for Students (OfS) is an independent regulator responsible for ensuring that higher education (HE) in England delivers positive outcomes for students. While the OfS operates within the broader policy framework set by the department, it maintains operational independence in its regulatory decisions and activities.
Their core regulatory activity is funded primarily through fees paid by registered providers, rather than the public purse. The OfS may also require a provider in relation to which a sanction has been imposed, to pay the costs incurred by the OfS in relation to imposing the sanction.
Investigations on breaches to conditions of registration forms the core regulatory purpose of the OfS, it is therefore not possible to calculate the specific costs for individual investigations.
The OfS’s published policy on monetary penalties, ‘Regulatory advice 19', makes provision for a reduced penalty where a settlement is reached at an early stage of an investigation. This is intended to avoid the OfS and a provider needing to expend resources to complete the detailed work necessary to draft and respond to provisional and final decisions.
Whether the OfS sought external legal advice on any matter, including the investigation into Sussex, is a matter for the OfS, and it is strictly confidential.
The OfS plans to publish further guidance on providers’ duties to take steps to secure free speech shortly, ahead of new duties on HE providers under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 coming into force. This is currently planned for 1 August.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Office for Students' regulatory case report for the University of Sussex, published on 26 March 2025, what was the cost to the public purse of the investigation which led to this report.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to free speech as a non-negotiable, and expects universities to take their responsibilities to upholding it seriously.
The Office for Students (OfS) is an independent regulator responsible for ensuring that higher education (HE) in England delivers positive outcomes for students. While the OfS operates within the broader policy framework set by the department, it maintains operational independence in its regulatory decisions and activities.
Their core regulatory activity is funded primarily through fees paid by registered providers, rather than the public purse. The OfS may also require a provider in relation to which a sanction has been imposed, to pay the costs incurred by the OfS in relation to imposing the sanction.
Investigations on breaches to conditions of registration forms the core regulatory purpose of the OfS, it is therefore not possible to calculate the specific costs for individual investigations.
The OfS’s published policy on monetary penalties, ‘Regulatory advice 19', makes provision for a reduced penalty where a settlement is reached at an early stage of an investigation. This is intended to avoid the OfS and a provider needing to expend resources to complete the detailed work necessary to draft and respond to provisional and final decisions.
Whether the OfS sought external legal advice on any matter, including the investigation into Sussex, is a matter for the OfS, and it is strictly confidential.
The OfS plans to publish further guidance on providers’ duties to take steps to secure free speech shortly, ahead of new duties on HE providers under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 coming into force. This is currently planned for 1 August.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Office for Students' regulatory case report for the University of Sussex, published on 26 March 2025, whether the Office for Students plans to issue guidance to higher education institutions following the report.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to free speech as a non-negotiable, and expects universities to take their responsibilities to upholding it seriously.
The Office for Students (OfS) is an independent regulator responsible for ensuring that higher education (HE) in England delivers positive outcomes for students. While the OfS operates within the broader policy framework set by the department, it maintains operational independence in its regulatory decisions and activities.
Their core regulatory activity is funded primarily through fees paid by registered providers, rather than the public purse. The OfS may also require a provider in relation to which a sanction has been imposed, to pay the costs incurred by the OfS in relation to imposing the sanction.
Investigations on breaches to conditions of registration forms the core regulatory purpose of the OfS, it is therefore not possible to calculate the specific costs for individual investigations.
The OfS’s published policy on monetary penalties, ‘Regulatory advice 19', makes provision for a reduced penalty where a settlement is reached at an early stage of an investigation. This is intended to avoid the OfS and a provider needing to expend resources to complete the detailed work necessary to draft and respond to provisional and final decisions.
Whether the OfS sought external legal advice on any matter, including the investigation into Sussex, is a matter for the OfS, and it is strictly confidential.
The OfS plans to publish further guidance on providers’ duties to take steps to secure free speech shortly, ahead of new duties on HE providers under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 coming into force. This is currently planned for 1 August.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Office for Students commissioned external legal counsel in relation to their (a) regulatory case report for the University of Sussex, published on 26 March 2025 and (b) investigation which led to that report.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to free speech as a non-negotiable, and expects universities to take their responsibilities to upholding it seriously.
The Office for Students (OfS) is an independent regulator responsible for ensuring that higher education (HE) in England delivers positive outcomes for students. While the OfS operates within the broader policy framework set by the department, it maintains operational independence in its regulatory decisions and activities.
Their core regulatory activity is funded primarily through fees paid by registered providers, rather than the public purse. The OfS may also require a provider in relation to which a sanction has been imposed, to pay the costs incurred by the OfS in relation to imposing the sanction.
Investigations on breaches to conditions of registration forms the core regulatory purpose of the OfS, it is therefore not possible to calculate the specific costs for individual investigations.
The OfS’s published policy on monetary penalties, ‘Regulatory advice 19', makes provision for a reduced penalty where a settlement is reached at an early stage of an investigation. This is intended to avoid the OfS and a provider needing to expend resources to complete the detailed work necessary to draft and respond to provisional and final decisions.
Whether the OfS sought external legal advice on any matter, including the investigation into Sussex, is a matter for the OfS, and it is strictly confidential.
The OfS plans to publish further guidance on providers’ duties to take steps to secure free speech shortly, ahead of new duties on HE providers under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 coming into force. This is currently planned for 1 August.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the (a) spend was up to and including the 2023-24 financial year and (b) forecast spend is for the 2024-25 financial year on the T level programme.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Spend on the T Level programme was £994 million up to and including the 2023/24 financial year. Forecast spend for the 2024/25 financial year on the T Level programme is £253 million.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the report by the Institution of Civil Engineers entitled Paying for Britain’s Infrastructure System, published on 25 February 2025.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The government is committed to delivering a cross-cutting 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy communicating to the public its approach to housing, economic and social infrastructure, alongside a pipeline to give industry a clear sense of the government’s long-term priorities.
The government has been engaging openly with industry – including the Institution of Civil Engineers – as it develops this Strategy to ensure that it is credible and deliverable.
As part of this engagement, in January the government published a working paper setting out the government’s plans for the Strategy and some key areas under consideration.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to (a) engage and (b) communicate with the public about major infrastructure projects.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The government is committed to delivering a cross-cutting 10 year infrastructure strategy communicating to the public its approach to housing, economic and social infrastructure, alongside a pipeline to give industry a clear sense of the government’s long-term priorities.
The government is seeking to engage collaboratively with the public, including the construction sector, its supply chain, major investors and other key industry stakeholders as it develops the Strategy to understand how it can support investment in and the delivery of shared objectives for infrastructure.
As part of this engagement, in January the government published a working paper setting out the government’s plans for the Strategy and some key areas under consideration.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
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 Written Statement of 21 November 2024 on Leasehold and Commonhold Reform, HCWS244, what her planned timetable is to (a) consult and (b) bring measures into force on the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024’s provisions on (i) service charges and (ii) legal costs.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement in question, the government will consult this year on the Act’s provisions on service charges and on legal costs, bringing these measures into force as quickly as possible thereafter.