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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of new social homes built across London; and what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for affordable housing in London.

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

I refer my Hon Friend to my answer to Question UIN 11383 on 31 October 2024.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to incentivise private developers to build more (a) social and (b) affordable homes.

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

The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December includes a number of changes to planning policy designed to support social and affordable housing delivery.

The government is also committed to strengthening the existing system of developer contributions to ensure new developments provide necessary affordable homes and infrastructure. Further details will be set out in due course.

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 his international counterparts about (a) the role the UK will play in restarting Syria’s political process and (b) a timeline for political transition that enables free elections.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is speaking regularly to regional and other partners about the situation in Syria. The Foreign Secretary has spoken to the UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria and a number of regional counterparts. I have also discussed developments in Syria with regional partners and Syrian civil society actors.

The focus of discussions has been on protecting civilians, including minorities, and moving quickly to a political transition. It is essential that this transition is inclusive, comprehensive and most importantly determined by the Syrian people themselves. The UK will continue to engage closely with Syrian contacts, international and regional partners to support a peaceful political transition.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Written Statement of 12 November 2024 on the UK’s 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution emissions reduction target under the Paris Agreement, HCWS206, what steps his Department is taking to assess the potential health impacts of different pathways for implementing mitigation ambitions.

Answered by Kerry McCarthy - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The UK’s 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions by at least 81% on 1990 levels is an economy-wide target, covering all greenhouse gases, sectors and categories and aligned with limiting global warming to 1.5c. Our NDC is aligned with the advice of the independent Climate Change Committee (CCC) and consistent with the effort required to deliver our ambitious Carbon Budget 6 (2033-2037). In providing advice on pathways to meet CB6 and the UK’s 2050 Net Zero target, the CCC emphasised the host of health benefits attached to the net zero transition and appointed an expert advisory group on Health to support their advice.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for (a) his policies and (b) the IPCC’s seventh assessment cycle of negotiations on the Global Stocktake at COP29 in Baku.

Answered by Kerry McCarthy - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The UK is fully committed to taking forward the outcomes of the Global Stocktake, including through our recently announced 1.5 aligned Nationally Determined Contribution of at least 81% reduction in emissions by 2035 based on 1990 levels. We are disappointed that COP29 failed to follow up on historic commitments made at COP28 and will champion ambition to ensure that COP30 delivers on implementation of the Global Stocktake. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is expected to agree the scope and timeline for the publication of its Seventh Assessment Report at its next plenary in February 2025.

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 adequacy of (a) regulations and (b) enforcement mechanisms to hold landlords accountable for non-compliance with housing standards in the student sector.

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

The government is committed to improving housing quality for students and will apply a Decent Homes Standard (DHS) to the private rented sector (PRS) for the first time to ensure homes are safe, secure and hazard free. This will include homes let to students on assured tenancies. The Renters’ Rights Bill is the means by which this will be done.

The Renters’ Rights Bill will also provide local authorities with effective enforcement powers for the DHS. Where a local authority serves a notice and the landlord fails to make the necessary improvements to meet the DHS, the local authority will be able to prosecute the landlord or alternatively impose on them a financial penalty of up to £40,000 – the proceeds of which it must use for future PRS enforcement action. Tenants (and local authorities, where any rent has been paid via Universal Credit) will also be able to take direct action in such instances by pursuing a rent repayment order, meaning the responsible landlord will need to pay the tenant (or local authority) up to two years’ rent.

The Bill will exempt Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) from the assured tenancy system if the landlord is signed up to a government approved code of management practice. Such accommodation will therefore not be subject to the DHS, but landlords will need to meet rigorous standards set by the codes which are tailored to the needs of PBSA. This includes maintaining the safety of the accommodation, ensuring the property is well-managed and making sure there is an effective working relationship between tenants and managers. Members of the codes must also have robust procedures in place for handling complaints and remedying issues raised by students. Failure to meet these standards will result in membership being terminated, meaning the property will then be subject to the DHS.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to extend funding for independent, non-profit, specialist advice for families involved with the (a) child welfare and (b) family justice systems beyond March 2025.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is currently undertaking business planning to consider spending plans for the 2025/26 fiscal year following the Budget on 30 October. National Helpline services will form part of those considerations.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with representatives of the mobile phone industry on (a) using technology to prevent stolen phones from being re-used and (b) the adequacy of security on banking phone apps.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

A series of meetings have already been held, and we will be holding a Home Office Mobile Phone Theft Summit, drawing together representatives from the mobile phone industry, including tech companies, and law enforcement to see what more can collectively be done to break the business model of mobile phone thieves.

As part of our Safer Streets Mission, this government is determined to crack down on theft and other crimes that make people feel unsafe in our communities, including strengthening neighbourhood policing, tackling anti-social behaviour and restoring public confidence.

Found: Q23 Uma Kumaran: Sorry. My question was not on the competition.

Found: Q23 Uma Kumaran: Sorry. My question was not on the competition.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Emily Thornberry (Chair); Aphra Brandreth; Uma Kumaran; Blair McDougall

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Emily Thornberry (Chair); Aphra Brandreth; Dan Carden; Uma Kumaran

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Emily Thornberry (Chair); Aphra Brandreth; Dan Carden; Uma Kumaran

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Emily Thornberry (Chair); Aphra Brandreth; Dan Carden; Uma Kumaran

No description available

This inquiry will explore the extent and effectiveness of the UK’s soft power in what is an increasingly challenging global environment. The inquiry will consider the UK’s unique soft power strengths and ask how the UK might best measure and actualise the benefits it accrues from its soft power. This inquiry will also scrutinise the work of the Government’s new Soft Power Council and any subsequent strategy to strengthen UK soft power.

Submit Evidence (by 24 Feb 2025)

Misinformation and disinformation campaigns are increasingly weaponised by hostile state and non-state actors and this inquiry will seek to understand which actors are primarily responsible, and which channels and technologies are being used. It will seek to map motivations, sources and locations of the most pressing disinformation threats to democracy, and to understand the impact of artificial intelligence. The inquiry will examine how the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) can work with allies and multilateral organisations to combat the spread of disinformation that seeks to undermine democratic values and institutions. The inquiry will also ask how the Government can coordinate its counter-disinformation work across departments and best work with private organisations. This inquiry will take a regional approach by examining disinformation campaigns within Europe, the Americas, Indo-Pacific and Africa, to understand how the UK can better counter disinformation from malign actors.