Written questions by Kirkham.

If her Department will consider the potential merits of introducing a minimum standard for access to in-person banking services as part of the Access to Banking Services Review.

The Government is committed to ensuring that people who need in-person banking can continue to access essential services. That is why the Government commissioned an independent Review into Access to Banking Services, to assess whether changes to access to in-person banking services are causing consumer detriment, the scale of any detriment, and who it affects. The Review will consider access to in-person banking services for both personal and business customers. As part of this, the Review will consider existing forms of in-person banking provision. The Post Office provides banking services through over 10,000 branches via the Banking Framework agreement and, as such, the provision of services by the Post Office on behalf of banks will be considered as part of the Review. Alongside the Review, the Financial Services and Markets Bill includes a power to allow the Government to take action in future to protect access to banking services, should this be necessary. This power ensures the Government can act swiftly and proportionately, including through future regulation, if the evidence from the Review supports intervention.

Whether her Department has considered the potential merits of using existing public infrastructure, such as the Post Office network, to expand the provision of in-person banking support.

The Government is committed to ensuring that people who need in-person banking can continue to access essential services. That is why the Government commissioned an independent Review into Access to Banking Services, to assess whether changes to access to in-person banking services are causing consumer detriment, the scale of any detriment, and who it affects. The Review will consider access to in-person banking services for both personal and business customers. As part of this, the Review will consider existing forms of in-person banking provision. The Post Office provides banking services through over 10,000 branches via the Banking Framework agreement and, as such, the provision of services by the Post Office on behalf of banks will be considered as part of the Review. Alongside the Review, the Financial Services and Markets Bill includes a power to allow the Government to take action in future to protect access to banking services, should this be necessary. This power ensures the Government can act swiftly and proportionately, including through future regulation, if the evidence from the Review supports intervention.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the change in the Renters' Rights Act from fixed term tenancies to rolling, periodic tenancies on student HMO landlords.

Awaiting answer.

Whether she has considered the merits of introducing a law to compel property owners to have adequate insurance for damage caused by their trees, especially in the context of more frequent storms and extreme weather related to climate change.

Awaiting answer.

If she will review the annual allowance for the Rent a Room Scheme to allow it to catch up with inflation.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the compliance of battery energy storage systems with government guidance, particularly concerning risk assessments and emergency planning.

Awaiting answer.

What funding is available to restore and maintain trust ports.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of further changes to the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate on levels of investor confidence in the automotive and chargepoint sectors.

Awaiting answer.

How many hospital trusts treat people with multiple myeloma; and how many patients they have treated in 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has considered making Disabled Facilities Grants available to social housing tenants due to the long delays they are facing for adaptations due to the depletion of the

Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide Disabled Facilities Grants within statutory timescales to eligible council and other social housing tenants in the same way as any other applicant. Government funding for the Disabled Facilities Grant fun...

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help local authorities reduce their number of out of area placements in temporary accommodation.

Legislation and statutory guidance is clear that local authorities should, wherever possible, place homeless households within their own area. However, in some areas where there is a limited supply of suitable accommodation, it is sometimes necessary to p...

Communities and Local Government, what progress his Department has made on considering responses to its consultation on reforming planning rules to accelerate the deployment of digital infrastructure; and what hi

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 124803 on 20 April 2026.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has assessed the potential merits of including width upgrades to existing mobile masts within future reforms to permitted development rights for digital in

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 124803 on 20 April 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the role of the National Planning Policy Framework in supporting the deployment of digital infrastructure.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 124377 on 17 April 2026.

Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has assessed the potential merits of establishing a national register of mobile mast sites that periodically reports on their number and operational status, inclu

No assessment has been made on the merits of establishing a register of mobile mast sites. However, Ofcom’s Map Your Mobile tool, which was launched in June 2025, helps consumers to determine which mobile network provides the best level of service in thei...

What steps HMRC takes to publicise closing dates for applications for funded childcare.

There are no closing dates for application for the Department for Education’s (DfE) funded hours offer. Parents must apply for a 30 hours code in the term before they want to take up a funded childcare place. This means that they must apply by: 31 August ...

Media and Sport, regarding the Better Youth Spaces Fund, what the timeline is for Phase 2; what the criteria will be; and whether it will include rural and coastal areas.

The Better Youth Spaces programme is currently in the design and development stage. Further details on the eligibility criteria and place selection will be announced in due course.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is fulfilling its youth funding...

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of calculating student loan repayments on an annual basis so that people with fluctuating monthly incomes are not penalised and required to make larger repay

Student loan repayments for borrowers in the UK are collected via the tax system. This means employers deduct repayments from employees' pay checks for each pay period that their earnings exceed the relevant repayment threshold. If at the end of the year,...

What assessment he has made of the number of rural properties that will struggle to reach the minimum EPC C rating by the 2030 deadline for all rental properties.

Government recognises there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to tackling the UK’s diverse building stock. We have set out a range of provisions to ensure the cost and compliance burden is fair and proportionate for landlords. This includes a maximum spe...

What recent discussions his Department has had with NHS England on expanding medical exemption criteria to include people with multiple sclerosis dependent on long-term medication.

There are currently no plans to expand the medical exemption criteria to include people with multiple sclerosis dependent on long-term medication, and no recent discussions have been held with NHS England on this matter.People with multiple sclerosis may ...