Written questions by Reynolds.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of publishing the (a) lease length, (b) ground rent (c) service charges and (d) other relevant matters of leasehold tenures (i) online and (ii) on request from all property sales outlets.

On 6 October 2025, the government published a consultation on proposals to improve to the home buying and selling process. It can be found on gov.uk here.The consultation includes proposals to require sellers and estate agents to provide upfront property information. This might include information relating to leasehold terms, property condition, and purchasing chains.Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, property listings must already not omit information that the average consumer needs to make an informed transactional decision.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Environment Agency has allocated funding for the (a) repair and (b) reopening of Temple Footbridge in Hurley.

The Environment Agency (EA) is investing up to £500k this financial year to progress the initial phases of the Temple Footbridge (Hurley) and Marsh Horsebridge (Henley on Thames) projects. This includes the preparation of outline designs, which are expected to be completed by 31 March 2026, along with any further specialist surveys and visualisations that are needed to assist the future delivery of these projects. The outline designs will be used to calculate the indicative costs of the completed projects, and therefore how much partnership funding will be needed alongside any government grant in aid that will be allocated. The EA has been working with local stakeholders to develop a partnership funding strategy for these projects. This will start to be implemented once the outline designs and completion costs are finalised.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to provide additional resources to the Environment Agency to support works to restore full navigation under Temple Footbridge in Hurley.

The Environment Agency (EA) will continue to invest in its Navigation infrastructure. Once the indicative costs of completing the Temple Footbridge project is known, the amount of additional grant in aid available to the EA for this project will be calculated.

What steps his Department is taking to monitor the effectiveness of late payment reforms.

This Government is committed to tackling late payments and will introduce the most significant legislation aimed at tackling late payments in 25 years. Late payments cost the UK economy £11bn per year and close down 38 UK businesses every day.Large businesses are already legally required to publish their payment performance twice yearly through GOV.UK. Analysts at the Department for Business and Trade will be able to determine the effectiveness of these measures through using the data that large businesses submit to check that payment times have improved.

Whether his Department plans to introduce (a) long service (i) awards and (ii) medals and (b) additional forms of formal recognition to support the (A) retention and (B) morale of magistrates.

Magistrates are already recognised for their service through initiatives such as long service certificates, nominations for UK National Honours, and invitations to Royal Garden Parties. Ministers are actively considering options to further recognise the invaluable contribution of magistrates to our criminal justice system.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of HM Land Registry providing registered leaseholders with an annual update of their (a) lease terms and (b) other relevant information by (i) post and (ii) email.

It is essential that leaseholders understand their rights and responsibilities and are able to access information regarding their leasehold arrangements.Leaseholders can view high level information on their lease on the title register or request an official copy of their lease from HM Land Registry (HMLR) using form OC2. A dataset of registered leases is also published by HMLR and can be accessed free of charge for personal use. It can be found on gov.uk here.On 4 July, the government published a consultation on strengthening leaseholder protections over charges and services. It can be found on gov.uk here. For an overview of the proposals set out in the consultation, I refer the hon. Member to the associated Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS780). The consultation closed on 26 September, and we are analysing responses.

Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions his Department has had with local planning authorities on the impact of permitted development for Houses in Multiple Occupation on parking provision.

My Department has not had any such discussions with local planning authorities. Local authorities can remove the permitted development right for smaller Houses in Multiple Occupation to protect local amenity or wellbeing of an area by introducing an ‘Article 4’ direction.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of defined benefit pension schemes for public sector workers on the public purse; and whether she plans to review the balance between defined benefit and defined contribution pension schemes across the (a) public and (b) private sectors.

In line with the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission’s report in 2011, the Government’s central measure of the affordability of public service pensions is long-term public service pension spending as a share of GDP. In its Fiscal Risk and Sustainability Report 2024, the OBR projects that this measure will fall from 1.9% in 2023-24 to 1.4% in 2073-74. The Government has established a new Pensions Commission, to support a strong, sustainable and fair pension system that secures a financially secure retirement for millions of private sector pensioners into the middle of this century.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) reducing and (b) abolishing the (i) £7 fee for obtaining title information and (ii) other leaseholder fees charged by HM Land Registry to leaseholders.

In line with my letter of 4 February 2025 to the HM Land Registry (HMLR) Board Chair, which can be found on gov.uk here, I would like to see HMLR fees support government objectives for investing in the accessibility and value of data, increasing the ease of doing business in the property market and providing a simple and efficient customer experience. In addition I would like HMLR to prioritise free access to data, in particular minimising the cost of information services wherever possible. HMLR is reviewing how its fees can be made simpler, fairer and enable better access to data it holds.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring leasehold contracts to (a) include (i) a clear summary of the key terms and conditions and (ii) accessible web links to the full documentation, and (b) require leaseholders to sign to confirm they have read and understood those terms and conditions.

My Department has not carried out an assessment on this specific issue. It is essential that leaseholders understand their rights and responsibilities and are able to access information regarding their leasehold arrangements. Leaseholders can view high level information on their lease on the title register or request an official copy of their lease from HM Land Registry (HMLR) using form OC2. A dataset of registered leases is also published by HMLR and can be accessed free of charge for personal use. It can be found on gov.uk here. On 4 July, the government published a consultation on strengthening leaseholder protections over charges and services. It can be found on gov.uk here. For an overview of the proposals set out in the consultation, I refer the hon. Member to the associated Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS780). The consultation closed on 26 September, and we are analysing responses. On 6 October 2025, the government published a consultation on proposals to improve to the home buying and selling process. It can be found on gov.uk here. The consultation includes proposals to require sellers and estate agents to provide upfront property information. This might include information relating to leasehold terms, property condition, and purchasing chains. Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, property listings must already not omit information that the average consumer needs to make an informed transactional decision.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the cumulative impact of the rollout of digital street infrastructure on (a) public digital connectivity, (b) local amenity, and (c) compliance with telecommunications licensing conditions.

As a result of commercial market and publicly funded rollout, over 88% of UK premises can now access gigabit-capable broadband, up from less than 10% in 2019. In their Connected Nations Spring update, published 8 May 2025, Ofcom reported that as of January 2025, 5G coverage was available outside of 96% of premises across the UK from at least one operator, up from 69% in May 2022.The impact of digital infrastructure on local amenity is assessed by local planning authorities on a case by case basis. Planning conditions in legislation ensure that operators minimise the visual impact of new network development on the surrounding area as much as possible.It is the responsibility of Ofcom to ensure operators comply with their telecommunications licensing conditions.

Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to strengthen the collective rights of (a) leaseholders and (b) residents’ associations to (i) access information, (ii) influence management decisions, and (iii) protect shared funds.

On 4 July, the government published a consultation on strengthening leaseholder protections over charges and services. It can be found on gov.uk here. For an overview of the proposals set out in the consultation, I refer the hon. Member to the associated Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS780). The consultation closed on 26 September and we are analysing responses. The government is committed to enacting remaining Law Commission recommendations relating to the leasehold Right to Manage.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that leaseholders’ reserve funds are (a) legally protected, (b) transparently accounted for and (c) subject to independent oversight.

Landlords and managing agents are responsible for handling billions of pounds of service charge monies each year, including reserve fund monies. Service charge monies are legally protected since they must be held in trust and at a financial institution authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. On 4 July, the government published a consultation on strengthening leaseholder protections over charges and services. It can be found on gov.uk here. For an overview of the proposals set out in the consultation, I refer the hon. Member to the associated Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS780). The consultation closed on 26 September, and we are analysing responses.

What estimate his Department has made of the average annual energy consumption of outdoor digital advertising screens installed in public spaces; and whether his Department has considered the potential merits of introducing (a) minimum energy efficiency standards and (b) restrictions on operational hours for such installations.

Ecodesign regulations for electronic displays, including outdoor screens, came into force on 1 March 2021. These set minimum energy performance standards aimed at improving efficiency and reducing environmental impact. The Department has not estimated the average annual energy consumption of such installations. As the effects of the regulations are only now being realised, the government will keep their impacts under review. This could include assessing the merits of introducing further energy efficiency requirements or restrictions on operational hours, in line with broader efforts to reduce energy demand and support net zero objectives.

What steps his Department is taking to increase the recruitment of magistrates from (a) younger age groups and (b) ethnic minority communities.

The Ministry of Justice is committed to building a strong and sustainable magistracy that reflects the diversity of the communities it serves. Marketing materials are specifically designed to attract younger and more ethnically diverse candidates, and the Department keeps the recruitment process under review to ensure it supports applications from diverse applicants. In 2024-25, ethnic minority individuals constituted 23% of all magistrate appointments; and 41% of magistrate appointments were aged under 50.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people can effectively exercise their legal right to object to the use of their personal data for direct marketing.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published information on the right to object to the processing of personal for the purpose of direct marketing here: Right to object | ICO.Anyone concerned about the handling of their personal data by any organisation has the right to complain to the ICO. The ICO has a range of tools to tackle the unlawful processing of personal data, including powers to issue substantial monetary penalties for serious breaches of the data protection legislation. Information about the ICO’s enforcement action can be found at: https://ico.org.uk/action-weve-taken/.

What steps the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is taking to ensure transparency in the (a) operation and (b) maintenance of the UK orphan medicines register.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care and regulates medicine, medical devices and blood components for transfusion in the UK, with responsibility for ensuring medicines meet appropriate standards of safety, quality and efficacy.The United Kingdom Orphan Register is publicly available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/orphan-registered-medicinal-products/orphan-registerThe register is updated by the MHRA when a new orphan medicinal product or new orphan indication is authorised or their market protection expires. A process of checks to be carried out on the register on a periodic basis has been implemented to ensure that accuracy of the website is maintained.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of (a) digital advertising screens, (b) digital telecommunications hubs and (c) other digital street infrastructure on (i) street clutter and (ii) pedestrian accessibility in urban areas; and whether his Department plans to issue updated guidance to local planning authorities on managing the cumulative impact of such installations on (A) public spaces and (B) the streetscape.

The advertisement control regime seeks to control the impact of advertisements by reference to their effect on amenity and public safety. Responsibility for the application of the legislation rests with local planning authorities and they are best placed to consider the impact of specific advertisements. My Department has not made any assessment of the impact of digital advertising screens and we have no current plans to issue guidance to local planning authorities on the cumulative impact of such installations.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence not having updated its methods on evaluating the wider societal costs of rare diseases since 2017.

There are no plans to introduce a separate evaluation process for orphan medicines. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether all new licensed medicines, including medicines for rare diseases, should be routinely funded by the NHS based on an assessment of their costs and benefits. NICE operates a separate highly specialised technologies programme for the evaluation of a small number of treatments for very rare, very severe diseases which uses a much higher cost-effectiveness threshold that recognises the challenges of bringing treatments for very rare diseases to market.NICE’s methods have been proven to be suitable for the evaluation of rare disease medicines, where companies are willing to price their medicines fairly. NICE’s approval rate for medicines for rare diseases is in line with its overall approval rate for new medicines, and from April 2024 to April 2025, NICE recommended all 15 of the rare disease drugs that it evaluated through its standard technology appraisal programme.

Whether his Department plans to examine options for a separate evaluation process for orphan medicines claiming significant benefit over existing treatments.

There are no plans to introduce a separate evaluation process for orphan medicines. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether all new licensed medicines, including medicines for rare diseases, should be routinely funded by the NHS based on an assessment of their costs and benefits. NICE operates a separate highly specialised technologies programme for the evaluation of a small number of treatments for very rare, very severe diseases which uses a much higher cost-effectiveness threshold that recognises the challenges of bringing treatments for very rare diseases to market.NICE’s methods have been proven to be suitable for the evaluation of rare disease medicines, where companies are willing to price their medicines fairly. NICE’s approval rate for medicines for rare diseases is in line with its overall approval rate for new medicines, and from April 2024 to April 2025, NICE recommended all 15 of the rare disease drugs that it evaluated through its standard technology appraisal programme.