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To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government consultation outcome report Single construction regulator prospectus: government response, published on 9 July, whether the minimum standards being considered for new home warranties under section 144 of the Building Safety Act 2022 will include...
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government consultation outcome report Single construction regulator prospectus: government response, published on 9 July, whether the minimum standards being considered for new home warranties under section 144 of the Building Safety Act 2022 will include...
The Government recognises the importance of new-build warranties providing effective protection for homeowners.
We expect that warranty providers must ensure that any policy limit is sufficient to meet the full reasonable cost of rectifying covered major defects and restoring affected properties to their pre-defect condition.
We are carefully considering the commencement of the power, created under section 144 of the Building Safety Act, to strengthen warranties, and this position is being kept under review.
In the meantime, where a homeowner is dissatisfied with the service provided, they should follow the warranty provider’s complaints procedure in the first instance. If the matter remains unresolved, they may be able to refer their complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in enabling access to Child Trust Funds on behalf of adults who lack mental capacity.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in enabling access to Child Trust Funds on behalf of adults who lack mental capacity.
My Lords, the Government are considering all potential options to resolve the issue of access to child trust funds. The round table held in July, hosted by my noble friend Lady Levitt, provided valuable perspectives on all options, and officials are moving forward with this work. The Government cannot endorse the banks’ exceptional processes. It is not consistent with the framework established by the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the common-law principles that underpin it. However, we recognise the need to find a solution to this problem so that the money can reach those who own and need it.
My Lords, I am grateful for that reply. Some £250 million is locked up in child trust funds, built up by children who are now adults but have a learning disability. The Government insist that the only way that these sums can be unlocked is by going through the Court of Protection, a cumbersome and at times expensive process that can take between six and 12 months. This deters many applicants and so the benefits are forgone. Will the Minister transform the lives of some 80,000 young people by building on the excellent work of his predecessor, the noble Baroness, Lady Levitt, who recognised that the present system was not fit for purpose, and promote quick and easy access to these funds to bring to an end a manifest injustice?
My Lords, I am grateful for that reply. Some £250 million is locked up in child trust funds, built up by children who are now adults but have a learning disability. The Government insist that the only way that these sums can be unlocked is by going through the Court of Protection, a cumbersome and at times expensive process that can take between six and 12 months. This deters many applicants and so the benefits are forgone. Will the Minister transform the lives of some 80,000 young people by building on the excellent work of his predecessor, the noble Baroness, Lady Levitt, who recognised that the present system was not fit for purpose, and promote quick and easy access to these funds to bring to an end a manifest injustice?
I thank the noble Lord. We understand the seriousness of this problem and remain committed to resolving this long-standing issue of access to child trust funds for young adults who lack mental capacity. This is a high priority for Minister Richards, who has engaged extensively with stakeholders and wants to move quickly towards a practical solution. The Government are very hopeful of making progress in the coming weeks.
To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to commence section 144 (new build home warranties) of the Building Safety Act 2022.
To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to commence section 144 (new build home warranties) of the Building Safety Act 2022.
Section 144 of the Building Safety Act (2022) created a power to mandate a requirement for all new build homes to be sold with a new build warranty. No decision has been made by the government on commencement of this power and this position is being kept under review.
My Lords, there are 15,000 schoolchildren caring for parents and siblings for over 50 hours a week, and of those 3,000 are between the ages of five and nine. Those young carers are most at risk of missing school, being suspended and underachieving, and they are not identified for three years, on average. Will the action plan mentioned by the noble Baroness, Lady Pitkeathley, enable those young carers to be identified much earlier, so they get the help and support they deserve?
My Lords, there are 15,000 schoolchildren caring for parents and siblings for over 50 hours a week, and of those 3,000 are between the ages of five and nine. Those young carers are most at risk of missing school, being suspended and underachieving, and they are not identified for three years, on average. Will the action plan mentioned by the noble Baroness, Lady Pitkeathley, enable those young carers to be identified much earlier, so they get the help and support they deserve?
I thank the noble Lord for his work in this area, and I appreciate his raising this very important point. The carers action plan has a whole section on children and young carers, and the action plan overall is split into three sections, the first of which is: recognise. To the noble Lord’s point, we understand how easy it is for children and young people, in particular, to go under the radar. A cross-ministerial group will be working on this, including Minister Waugh, who is responsible for early education years, and Minister McGovern, as well as colleagues from DWP and the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.
Recognition of carers, whichever part of the life phase they are in, is profoundly important, and we recognise that young carers make a particular contribution. As the noble Lord said, the consideration of children, particularly those aged five to nine—which is incredibly young—raises a different range of concerns, which we wish to respond to. We recognise that children and young people should not be expected to undertake excessive or inappropriate caring responsibilities, which can really affect their educational prospects, as the noble Lord said. It is important that the whole family can access the right support at the right time.
My Lords, has the Minister read the report, published by one of your Lordships’ Select Committees last week, called New Towns: Commit and Build and what it says about modern methods of construction?
“Standardisation and modern methods of construction could also mean that houses are built faster than ever before”.
Will she use this new generation of new towns to capitalise on the possible benefits of modern methods of construction, higher standards, lower costs and improved safety?
My Lords, has the Minister read the report, published by one of your Lordships’ Select Committees last week, called New Towns: Commit and Build and what it says about modern methods of construction?
“Standardisation and modern methods of construction could also mean that houses are built faster than ever before”.
Will she use this new generation of new towns to capitalise on the possible benefits of modern methods of construction, higher standards, lower costs and improved safety?
I was very grateful to the Built Environment Committee, which also published the final recommendations of its three-part inquiry. I am sure the noble Lord will have heard me say before that I am a great advocate for modern methods of construction: they mean faster delivery, better standards because they can be standardised better, and, in a country where it is normally raining all the time—unusually, this year, it has not done it so much—the vast majority of the construction can take place in a factory. I am very keen on that. There were some financing and insurance obstacles to get over, but we need to work through those and make sure MMC is a clear part of our construction for the future.
My Lords, of the 560,000 homes in the mayor’s plan, 340,000 are designated as affordable, but he has got the resources for only 50,000, as a result of which he is asking the Government for a lot more money. Given the response to the Health Secretary when she asked for more money, what are the prospects of the mayor getting the money he needs for affordable homes?
My Lords, of the 560,000 homes in the mayor’s plan, 340,000 are designated as affordable, but he has got the resources for only 50,000, as a result of which he is asking the Government for a lot more money. Given the response to the Health Secretary when she asked for more money, what are the prospects of the mayor getting the money he needs for affordable homes?
The money that has been put aside for social and affordable houses is a £39 billion pot, and I reassure the House that a significant amount of that—over £11 billion—will be spent in London. That is a significant example of the commitment that this Government are making to social and affordable housing.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in reaching their target of building 1.5 million homes in this Parliament.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in reaching their target of building 1.5 million homes in this Parliament.
My Lords, we are driving progress through our bold planning reforms: the £39 billion social and affordable homes programme fund, and our new £16 billion National Housing Bank, which is expected to support over 500,000 homes. Alongside programmes such as the New Homes Accelerator and Small Sites Aggregator, we are working with industry and local authorities to deliver the homes this country needs. The latest statistics, published in June, show that an estimated 392,400 net additional homes have been built this Parliament, with a 15% increase in starts and a 54% increase in outlying planning proposals.
My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for her reply, but only Ministers believe that the 1.5 million target is achievable; even the National Audit Office said that the chances are slim. The Prime Minister has recently decided to channel public money for housing away from housing associations and through local authorities. First, does the Minister agree that this means we will get fewer social homes, because housing associations can top up public money with private borrowing while the local authorities cannot? Will she urge him to change direction? Secondly, does she agree that many of those renting could afford a mortgage if they had some help with a deposit? Has she read today’s Financial Times, which indicates that the previous Secretary of State urged the Government, before he was sacked, to introduce a successor to Help
to Buy? Will she urge the Prime Minister to continue with that, as this will give the market the confidence it so badly needs?
My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for her reply, but only Ministers believe that the 1.5 million target is achievable; even the National Audit Office said that the chances are slim. The Prime Minister has recently decided to channel public money for housing away from housing associations and through local authorities. First, does the Minister agree that this means we will get fewer social homes, because housing associations can top up public money with private borrowing while the local authorities cannot? Will she urge him to change direction? Secondly, does she agree that many of those renting could afford a mortgage if they had some help with a deposit? Has she read today’s Financial Times, which indicates that the previous Secretary of State urged the Government, before he was sacked, to introduce a successor to Help
to Buy? Will she urge the Prime Minister to continue with that, as this will give the market the confidence it so badly needs?
On the noble Lord’s first question, the Prime Minister was talking about support between local authorities and housing associations. It is important that we have good collaboration between the two partners in delivering social housing. I look forward to a very productive relationship between local government and our registered providers. I do not believe that it will lower the number of houses that can be delivered, particularly as we now have the National Housing Bank that this Government brought in. I will write to the noble Lord on his second question.
My Lords, the House of Lords Select Committee on Social Mobility produced a report in which we looked at the careers service. In the words of our report, we found it very patchy across the country. We also looked at the careers service in schools and found it to be enormously varied and fragmented. To what extent will this new structure deal with those issues of uneven quality of service across the country?
My Lords, the House of Lords Select Committee on Social Mobility produced a report in which we looked at the careers service. In the words of our report, we found it very patchy across the country. We also looked at the careers service in schools and found it to be enormously varied and fragmented. To what extent will this new structure deal with those issues of uneven quality of service across the country?
The merger does not affect provision in schools—that remains the responsibility of the Department for Education—but I will make sure my colleagues have seen the report from the House of Lords committee and are addressing it. The merged service will be in a single place, so, for example, a work coach who meets somebody coming into a jobcentre who needs help then has the capacity to refer them directly, if that is what they most need, because the colleagues providing those services will also be working for DWP. That will make a difference. We will also be in a position to set clear performance standards and expectations across the whole of our network, so I hope that will address some of the issues the noble Lord has described.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proportion of private renters spending more than 30 per cent of their income on housing costs; and how this proportion compares with previous years.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proportion of private renters spending more than 30 per cent of their income on housing costs; and how this proportion compares with previous years.
My Department collects data on income and rent for households via the English Housing Survey and regularly reports on income in relation to housing costs. The latest published data can be found in the 2024-25 Headline Report Annex Table 2.5. and the 2023-24 Rented Sectors Report Annex Table 1.11.
Data for older years is also available at English Housing Survey - GOV.UK
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of local authorities which have increased enforcement action against landlords in the private rented sector in each of the last five years; and what assessment they have made of the resources available to local authorities for enforcement.
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of local authorities which have increased enforcement action against landlords in the private rented sector in each of the last five years; and what assessment they have made of the resources available to local authorities for enforcement.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) does not currently collect data that would enable an assessment of changes in enforcement activity against landlords at local authority level over the last five years. From April 2027 we intend to require local authorities to provide MHCLG with a suite of data on the private rented sector in their local area. We expect that data to include, for example, the number of formal enforcement notices issued; the number of civil penalties issued by category of offence; revenue received from civil penalties; total number of staff in private rented sector enforcement teams; and total spend on private rented sector enforcement.
Through the Renters’ Rights Act, the government is strengthening local authorities’ enforcement powers and extending and increasing ring-fenced civil penalties to support a ‘polluter pays’ approach to enforcement in the private rented sector.
In accordance with the new burdens doctrine, we will ensure additional net costs on local authorities resulting from the Act are fully funded. To that end, the Department is providing £41.12 million to local housing authorities for this financial year to help them undertake their new enforcement responsibilities. This funding is in addition to the £18.2 million provided in 2025/26.
Our intention is to use fees from the Private Rented Sector Database to provide funding over the long term for local authorities to use on work to improve compliance in the private rented sector.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the average age at which first-time buyers purchase a home in England; and what assessment they have made of the impact of housing affordability on younger households.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the average age at which first-time buyers purchase a home in England; and what assessment they have made of the impact of housing affordability on younger households.
I refer the Noble Lord to the English Housing Survey, available on GOV.UK (here), which shows that the average (mean) age of first-time buyers in England was 34 in 2024-25.
This government recognises that the affordability challenges facing prospective first-time buyers mean that too many people are now locked out of homeownership. In addition to increasing the supply of homes of all tenures, the government is supporting people into home ownership, including through the shared ownership scheme and the Lifetime ISA, and is consulting on a new first-time buyer ISA product.
First time buyers also benefit from paying no Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) up to £300,000 and are able to claim relief on purchases up to £500,000. The government has also introduced a new, permanent Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, available to support and sustain availability of low deposit mortgage products for prospective buyers.
Additionally, the Bank of England has been easing the loan-to-income limit, enabling up to 36,000 additional first-time buyers in the first year. The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) ongoing review of the mortgage market means many buyers can now borrow 10% more towards a property purchase.
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of planning consents for residential development which have expired without construction beginning in each of the last five years; and what assessment they have made of the reasons for non-delivery.
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of planning consents for residential development which have expired without construction beginning in each of the last five years; and what assessment they have made of the reasons for non-delivery.
My Department does not collect the requested data and has made no such estimate.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether current housebuilding rates are delivering the correct balance of market, affordable, and social, housing required to meet household need.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether current housebuilding rates are delivering the correct balance of market, affordable, and social, housing required to meet household need.
The government is committed to boosting the supply of homes of all tenures as part of its commitment to build 1.5m safe and decent homes in England in this Parliament.
We are supporting the housing sector to deliver these with our major planning reforms, through our new £16bn National Housing Bank to deliver 500k homes and £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme to get the homes families and communities need built
The revised National Planning Policy Framework includes policies designed promote mixed tenure development. The type of housing delivered, and those delivering it, will vary depending on the needs of a local area and how development has been planned for. It is for local planning authorities, to assess the housing need of their communities. This should be informed by a local housing need assessment, conducted using the government’s revised standard method.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relationship between local housing allowance rates and the availability of affordable accommodation in the private rental sector.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relationship between local housing allowance rates and the availability of affordable accommodation in the private rental sector.
The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum financial support available for renters in the private rented sector. LHA rates are not intended to meet all rents in all areas.
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions reviewed LHA at the 2025 Autumn Budget and announced that rates would be maintained at their current levels for 2026/27. A range of factors, such as rent levels and the housing markets across the country were considered against the fiscal context and the level of housing support that Government provides overall.
Renters receiving housing support who face a shortfall in meeting their rent costs can apply for a Crisis and Resilience Fund Housing Payment from local authorities in England.
To ask The Leader of the House when she expects a Written Answer to be given to the question asked by Lord Young of Cookham on 11 June (HL905).
To ask The Leader of the House when she expects a Written Answer to be given to the question asked by Lord Young of Cookham on 11 June (HL905).
The question was answered by the Department for Education on the 14th July 2026. I apologise for the delay and have reminded the department of the need to meet the response target of 10 working days.
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will respond to the House of Lords Social Mobility Policy Committee report Social Mobility: Local Roots, Lasting Change, published on 18 November 2025.
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will respond to the House of Lords Social Mobility Policy Committee report Social Mobility: Local Roots, Lasting Change, published on 18 November 2025.
The House of Lords Social Mobility Policy Committee report 'Social Mobility: Local Roots, Lasting Change' will be responded to by 23 July 2026.
My noble friend Lord Effingham is one of the politest men in your Lordships’ House. Would the Minister disassociate herself from the accusation that he is “strident”?
My noble friend Lord Effingham is one of the politest men in your Lordships’ House. Would the Minister disassociate herself from the accusation that he is “strident”?
I have a very good relationship with the noble Earl and I think he might be slightly flattered to be described as “strident”. I rest my case.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to promote home ownership for first time buyers.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to promote home ownership for first time buyers.
My Lords, the Government are reforming the broken home-buying and home-selling system to slash delays, cuts costs and stop sales falling through. Last week—it was on Friday, so it may not have got the attention it deserved, like my noble friend’s announcement—we published a road map setting out actions the Government are taking. Our new changes will cut home-buying times by around four weeks and save first-time buyers an average of £650.We are supporting first-time buyers through a range of routes, including shared ownership and the lifetime ISA, while addressing the root causes of unaffordability by increasing house supply and investing in affordable homes.