Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will launch an independent inquiry into the potential role of Peter Mandelson in negotiating contracts between the UK Government and Palantir; and if he will make it his policy to publish the results of that inquiry.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Details of central government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force on 24 February 2025, are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on transparency and corporate capture detailed in the InfluenceMap report entitled Corporate Capture and the UN International Civil Aviation Organization, published in September 2025; and if she will make representations on that issue ahead of the ICAO Council meeting on 23 March 2026.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The United Kingdom is an active and influential member of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The UK sits on the elected ICAO Council and participates in committees and working groups across the organisation, as we seek to maintain and improve the safety, security and sustainability of international aviation.
The UK, in our capacity as a Council member, has been actively involved in ICAO’s transformation programme which seeks to improve the accountability and transparency of the organisation.
With regard to the Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP), this is an expert body which provides ICAO with technical analysis and advice on environmental measures. Representatives of a range of industry groups and other stakeholders participate as observers, in support of the Committee’s membership of States. CAEP has a long history of collaboration to deliver strong technical outcomes, including standards for aircraft CO2, noise and pollutant emissions. In February 2025, CAEP recommended an updated CO2 standard requiring new aeroplane designs to reduce emissions by 10% after 2031, following an analysis that relied on industry data and expertise.
CAEP operates with enhanced safeguards due to the handling of commercially sensitive technical data, however the UK fully supports improving CAEP’s transparency where possible and further strengthening of governance arrangements.
The UK appreciates the collaborative working relationship between States and industry at ICAO, as we collectively seek to decarbonise the aviation sector.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2025 to Written Question UIN 80759, how many Access to Work claims have been processed since 10 October 2025; what the extent is of the backlog of outstanding claims; and what steps he is taking to reduce that backlog.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are committed to reducing waiting times in Access to Work so that people can access the support they need. We prioritise applications from customers who are due to start work within the next four weeks, as well as renewals for existing grants, to minimise disruption to employment.
In March 2025, the Department published the Pathways to Work Green Paper, launching a consultation on the future of Access to Work and how the scheme can better support disabled people in employment. We are reviewing all aspects of the programme as we develop plans for reform following the conclusion of the consultation.
From the period 10/10/2025 to 23/02/2026 51,924 Access to Work claims have been processed. As of the 23/02/2026 there were 66,749 applications awaiting a decision.
Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.
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, whether he plans to take steps to support local authorities seeking to build social housing to access finance to purchase land being sold by NHS Trusts.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is not taking any specific action to support local authorities to purchase land being sold by NHS Trusts.
However, in January we announced that we would extend the ‘preferential’ borrowing rate for council housebuilding from the Public Works Loan Board for another year until the end of March 2027. This will provide councils with greater certainty to increase their supply plans, including through land-led development.
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, what recent discussions he has had with Homes England about access to grant funding for small housing providers.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Small housing providers can bid for grant funding through the government’s new 10-year £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme.
Guidance to bidders from Homes England can be found on gov.uk here, and to bidders from the Greater London Authority here. The government’s policy statement to accompany this guidance can be found on gov.uk here.
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, what steps he is taking to help ensure affordable housing for young people.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 113747 on 2 March 2026.
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, whether he plans to support local authorities to fast-track planning applications that deliver 100% affordable housing.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has no specific plans to fast-track planning applications that deliver 100% affordable housing.
We have already taken a number of steps to streamline planning processes generally.
We are currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework, that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making. The consultation will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to bring the harms experienced by girls under 16 into the scope of the monitoring and accountability metrics of the Freedom from Violence and Abuse Strategy.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Children and girls under 16 who experience sexual abuse and exploitation are considered throughout the Strategy, with specific commitments aimed at tackling the appalling crimes of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The key way we’ll measure progress against our ambition to halve VAWG is through a combined prevalence estimate of the proportion of people (aged 16 and over) who experienced any of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking in the previous 12 months, as measured by the Crime Survey for England and Wales. However, as the CSEW does not survey people under the age of 16, we cannot include them in this combined headline measure.
We do though recognise the importance of understanding the experiences of children and young people. As such the performance framework in the Strategy includes a sub-metric on the prevalence of VAWG among children and young people and we are considering the best way of measuring this.
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, if he will (a) confirm how many local council external auditors' annual reports identified serious financial sustainability issues, as well as the number of local authorities considered at serious threat of a Section 114 notice being issued, and (b) what steps he is taking to monitor the impact of central government financial awards to councils not complying with the requirements for statutory spending.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The department engages closely with local authorities, including in relation to any serious concerns raised through the external audit process. The issuing of a Section 114 notice is a local decision for a council’s statutory Section 151 officer and government has no role in the process. The government has been clear that any council that has concerns about its ability to set or maintain a balanced budget should approach the department in the first instance.
The government is delivering fairer funding for local government, targeting money where it is needed most through the first multi-year Settlement in a decade. However, delivering reform will take time, and the government recognises the challenging financial context for local authorities as they continue to deal with the legacy of the previous flawed system. There will continue to be a support framework in place to support councils in the most difficult positions ahead of 2026-27 as councils start the transition to new funding allocations. Details of Exceptional Financial Support were announced on 23 February 2026 and published on GOV.UK.
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, what recent discussions he has had with Brighton and Hove City Council on the external auditor’s report findings on (a) the risk of a Section 114 notice being issued and (b) demand for statutory services.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In the multi-year Local Government Finance Settlement, the Government made available a Core Spending Power increase for Brighton of 14.2% between 2024-25 and 2028-29, worth £47.6m – coming good on our promise of reforming the funding system.
We know that recovering from the legacy of the local government finance system overseen by previous governments will take time. On 23 February, this government announced £15m of in-principle Exceptional Financial Support for Brighton and Hove City Council. The department continues to engage with the council on a confidential basis to support them to transform their services.