Written questions by Rosindell.

Whether (a) the Government has a planned timetable for the removal of the right for hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords and (b) his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of (i) ending by-elections to the House of Lords and (ii) offering life peerages to incumbent hereditary peers.

As a first step in reform of the House of Lords, the Government has introduced the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill, which will remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords. The Government is committed to other reforms to the House of Lords, including the introduction of a mandatory retirement age, a new participation requirement, and changes to the appointments process, as well as strengthening the circumstances in which disgraced members can be removed. There is also a long-term commitment to replace the House of Lords with an alternative second chamber that is more representative of the regions and nations. Given the nature and potential scale of these reforms, the Government will conduct engagement and consult on proposals for an alternative second chamber, seeking the input of the British public on how politics can best serve them.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the Government’s policy is on engaging with the government of Bangladesh on the matter of the Rohingya people in Bangladesh.

As a leading donor to the Rohingya refugee response, the UK Government has provided over £391 million in Bangladesh to the Rohingya and host communities since 2017. We are committed to supporting the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh including ongoing support to protection services. Our High Commissioner in Dhaka continues to raise this issue with the Interim Government in Bangladesh. We will continue to work closely with UN agencies to provide basic services to Rohingya refugees while they remain in Bangladesh. Despite escalating conflict and ongoing access challenges, we are supporting those most in need through agile local partners.

What steps she is taking to help ensure that high street banks and building societies are incentivised to provide bank hubs.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK’s world-leading financial services sector enables all people to have access to affordable products and services. That’s why the Government is working closely with industry to ensure that 350 banking hubs are delivered by the end of this Parliament. Over 60 banking hubs are already open and Cash Access UK, who oversee banking hub rollout, expect 100 hubs to be open by the end of the year.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to implement procurement deals agreed with the government of Bangladesh.

In August, the UK Government welcomed the appointment of the Interim Government in Bangladesh, led by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus. The British High Commission continues to engage with the Interim Government in Bangladesh on key priorities. The UK Government assesses procurement opportunities in accordance with relevant UK and international legislation and guidance.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the security situation in Israel.

The Foreign Secretary has visited Israel and discussed the security situation with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Katz. We continue to urge Israeli and other regional actors to engage with the US-led discussions to reach a political settlement and resolve tensions diplomatically. A widening of the conflict is in nobody's interest. The Government is working in lockstep with our allies to de-escalate tensions and urge all parties to end the destructive cycle of retaliatory violence.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of heat batteries on decarbonising homes.

Heat batteries are one of the most promising alternative electric heating technologies because they utilise time of use tariffs, do not require outside space and are cheaper to install than heat pumps in some circumstance. However, heat batteries are also less efficient than heat pumps and will therefore use more energy to meet the same heating demand. This can add to the burden on the electricity network, as well as resulting in higher bills for property owners. The Government will continue to make further assessments of heat batteries as the supporting evidence base develops.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has met his Swiss counterpart since 5 July 2024.

The Foreign Secretary and Federal Councillor, Ignazio Cassis, who is head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, had an introductory meeting at the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on 26 and 27 July 2024.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure press freedom in the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Issues relating to media regulation on the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) are a matter for the BIOT Administration.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much his Department has spent on private security companies in the British Indian Ocean Territory in each of the last five years.

The FCDO provides financial support to the BIOT Administration to enable it to discharge its responsibilities. We are not aware of the FCDO itself having spent any money on private security companies in BIOT in the last five years.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to visit British Overseas Territories within the next six months.

The Foreign Secretary is keen to visit the Overseas Territories, where diary demands allow. The Foreign Secretary and the Minister for the Overseas Territories, will continue to engage directly with the Overseas Territories, including during the November Joint Ministerial Council and in future visits to the Territories. In August, the Minister for the Overseas Territories met all of the elected Leaders of the Overseas Territories via video call.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the extent of relations between Hamas and Russia.

The Ministry of Defence continues to assess the international relationships of terrorist organisations on regional and global security, alongside the potential policy implications.

What discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the security situation in Israel.

The Secretary of State for Defence has regular discussions with his Israeli counterpart regarding the security situation in Israel.

Whether he has met his Australian counterpart since 5 July 2024.

The Secretary of State for Defence met his Australian counterpart, the Hon. Richard Marles MP, on 13 July 2024 when the Minister joined the Secretary of State on a visit to Sheffield Forgemasters.

What recent discussions her Department has had with Transport for London on staff shortages.

Transport in London is devolved and is the responsibility of the Mayor of London and TfL. DfT Officials work closely with TfL on a range of issues.

If her Department will grant heat batteries Energy Saving Material status.

The installation of qualifying energy-saving materials in residential accommodation and buildings used solely for a relevant charitable purpose benefits from a temporary VAT zero rate until March 2027, after which they will revert to the reduced rate of VAT at five per cent. This support aids households and charities in improving the energy efficiency of their buildings, helping to reduce carbon emissions. Last year, a Call for Evidence (CfE) seeking views on additional technologies to potentially include within this relief was run. Heat batteries were one of the technologies put forwards by respondents. As set out in the Government response to the CfE, at that time, the Government was unable to identify sufficient independent data regarding the efficiency of heat batteries, making it difficult to assess the technology’s energy-saving properties objectively.The Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the policy making process. Changes to the tax system are announced at fiscal events in the usual way.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to regulate services provided by management agencies to leaseholders.

The Government will 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, including those designed to increase service charge transparency.Over the course of this Parliament, the Government will further reform the leasehold system. We will enact remaining Law Commission recommendations relating to enfranchisement and the Right to Manage, tackle unregulated and unaffordable ground rents, reinvigorate commonhold through a comprehensive new legal framework, and ban the sale of new leasehold flats so commonhold becomes the default tenure.The Government has made clear it intends to publish draft legislation on leasehold and commonhold reform in this session so that it may be subject to broad consultation and additional parliamentary scrutiny. We will announce further details in due course.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to support artificial intelligence projects.

The DSIT Secretary of State is committed to enabling the public sector to better adopt AI safely and in a way that saves people time, and the department’s role as the Digital Centre of Government is critical to that. There is a range of expertise within DSIT to support this ambition, including the Incubator for AI (i.AI), the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), and Government Digital Service (GDS). The Secretary of State also asked Matt Clifford to draft an AI Action Plan to grow the AI sector and ensure AI can be deployed across the economy to improve people’s lives.

Whether she has had discussions with her Swiss counterpart on the potential merits of direct rail connections between London and Basel.

The Government fully supports the growth of international rail passenger services, including potential new direct connections, and recognises the socio-economic benefits that these provide for UK citizens and businesses. DfT officials regularly engage with their Swiss counterparts to discuss the potential merits of direct rail connections between the UK and Switzerland, as well as supporting the work of industry partners to explore their feasibility. The Secretary of State and the Rail Minister hope to discuss this shortly with Swiss counterparts, including exploring plans to formalise our cooperation on this matter.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to ensure that British citizens are prioritised in social housing allocation.

The Government published a response to the consultation on reforms to social housing allocations on 2 September. It is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-reforms-to-social-housing-allocations/outcome/government-response-to-the-consultation-on-changes-to-social-housing-allocation-tests

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish a timetable for consulting on the activities that should fall within the activity regulations under the Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023.

The Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023 provides a framework for the introduction of future bans on the advertising and offering for sale, in England and Northern Ireland, of low-welfare animal activities abroad. We are considering our next steps and future bans will be evidence based and subject to parliamentary scrutiny. Evidence will support why any specific advertising ban is needed and relevant stakeholder engagement will be undertaken to ensure future bans will not prohibit high welfare tourist activity. The Government will introduce the most ambitious programme for animal welfare in a generation. We are considering the most effective ways to deliver these commitments and will be setting out next steps in due course.