Written questions by Moon.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to prioritise the release of surplus public land to (a) councils and (b) housing associations for affordable housing projects at discounted rates.

This government has made significant progress in respect of the release of surplus and underutilised public land for new homes. On 27 March 2025, we announced the establishment of a new taskforce to unlock surplus public defence land for development. On 30 July, we announced a new company, Platform 4, to kickstart the delivery of up to 40,000 new homes on surplus rail land across the UK. While it is for individual Departments to set the prices at which they are willing to dispose of their assets, we are taking a joined-up approach and working across government to promote shared objectives, including building more social and affordable homes, and maximise broader public value.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has considered the potential merits of introducing loan guarantees for joint ventures between housing associations and local authorities to support affordable housing delivery.

My Department already operates guarantee schemes that support affordable housing delivery. Subject to eligibility criteria, joint ventures between Registered Providers (such as housing associations) and Local Authorities can qualify for these schemes.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the merits of introducing (a) ring-fenced grants and (b) bonuses for local authorities that exceed (i) affordable and (ii) sub-market housing delivery targets.

The government does not believe that the New Homes Bonus is an effective incentive. It often rewards authorities for housebuilding that would have occurred in the absence of any incentive, and its efficacy is further blunted by the interactions with the remainder of the Settlement.

What assessment has her Department has made of the adequacy of provision of school uniform for children with physical disabilities.

Decisions regarding school uniform policies are the responsibility of school governing boards and they should consider the needs of all pupils when developing their policies on school uniform. To support schools, the department has published non-statutory guidance on developing and implementing their school uniform policy, which includes advice on meeting their equality obligations. This guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform/school-uniforms.The guidance states that a school uniform should be inclusive, and we expect schools to be considerate when implementing their policy so that their uniform can be worn by all pupils.The guidance also states that schools should be willing to allow for some individual variations to their uniform policy, where necessary, to avoid indirect discrimination. For instance, reasonable adjustments must be made, as appropriate, for pupils with a disability.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing an electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme for civil service departments.

Currently electric vehicle salary sacrifice schemes are not available for central Civil Service departments. HM Treasury approval would be required for any such scheme to be implemented. HM Treasury keeps all policies under review and will consider carefully any requests which are made for scheme expansion.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department issues to local planning authorities on anonymisation of public comments on planning applications.

My Department has not issued guidance in respect of this matter.The Planning Advisory Service has published guidance to help local planning authorities adhere to the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation in exercising their planning duties. It can be found here.

What support her Department is providing to small independent funeral directors in response to market pressures from large direct cremation providers.

The government provides comprehensive support for small businesses across all industries, including the UK funeral sector. Resources such as the Business Growth Service, via business.gov.uk, and local Growth Hubs can support small independent funeral directors as they face market pressures from large direct cremation providers.In addition, the recently announced Small Business Plan sets out this Government’s approach for economic transformation alongside the Modern Industrial Strategy and Trade Strategy. The Plan includes proposals to tackle the scourge of late payments, modernise the tax system, improving access to finance, revitalise high streets and equip small businesses with digital skills.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has considered requiring the installation of public access defibrillators in new housing developments as part of (a) planning guidance and (b) building regulations.

The Government recognises the importance of improving access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces.We have no current plans to require the installation of public access defibrillators in new housing developments through planning guidance or building regulations. However, we keep planning policies, guidance and building regulations under review.The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government regularly engages with other government departments on matters relating to planning policy and guidance.

Communities and Local Government, if he will issue guidance to local planning authorities and neighbourhood planning groups on encouraging the inclusion of public access defibrillators in new housing developments.

The Government recognises the importance of improving access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces.We have no current plans to require the installation of public access defibrillators in new housing developments through planning guidance or building regulations. However, we keep planning policies, guidance and building regulations under review.The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government regularly engages with other government departments on matters relating to planning policy and guidance.

What steps his Department is taking to help support people who were underpaid wages by their former employers.

The Government takes enforcing the minimum wage very seriously. We are clear that anyone entitled to the minimum wage should receive at least the correct minimum wage rate based on their age or apprenticeship status.HMRC enforces minimum wage regulations on behalf of DBT and considers all complaints from workers. Workers do not need to be currently employed to raise concerns and can complain about underpayments by former employers. If an underpayment of wage is found, HMRC will order employers to pay the workers their money back, and a penalty to the government. HMRC will investigate any underpayments from the last 6 years.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has held discussions with the Department of Health and Social Care on integrating public access defibrillators into housing infrastructure planning.

The Government recognises the importance of improving access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces.We have no current plans to require the installation of public access defibrillators in new housing developments through planning guidance or building regulations. However, we keep planning policies, guidance and building regulations under review.The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government regularly engages with other government departments on matters relating to planning policy and guidance.

What steps his Department is taking to regulate advertising by direct cremation companies to ensure transparency about the handling and care of the deceased.

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 prohibits unfair commercial practices. These include misleading actions and omissions, that are likely to impact the average consumer’s transactional decisions. Traders who engage in commercial practices that are misleading omissions, or misleading actions, may be committing a criminal offence.In July 2025, the final report of the independent inquiry into the issues raised by the David Fuller case recommended the introduction of a statutory regulatory regime for those caring for the deceased. The Department will publish an interim update on progress in winter 2025 and a final response by summer 2026. This will include updates on the recommendations for the funeral sector which set out that direct cremation businesses should also be considered in this context, and mandatory standards to protect the security and dignity of the deceased should be applied to these businesses and to any emerging new models of delivery of care for the deceased.

What regulatory safeguards are in place to protect consumers from excessive premium increases following the transfer of life insurance policy liabilities.

Insurers make commercial decisions about the pricing of insurance policies following an assessment of the relevant risks. However, the Government expects that insurers deliver good outcomes to consumers and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. These rules require firms to ensure their products offer fair value. This means the price paid by consumers must be reasonable compared to the benefits they receive. The FCA monitors firms and has robust powers to act against firms that breach its rules. The FCA and the Prudential Regulation Authority review the terms of transfers of business between insurance providers to ensure an appropriate degree of consumer protection, and the views of both regulators are considered by the Courts as part of the transfer process. The FCA would, for example, expect to see evidence that policyholders would not be adversely affected by any changes to the way their policies will be administered (including with respect to pricing) after a transfer.

What steps her Department is taking to regulate the pricing of legacy life insurance policies following provider transfers.

Insurers make commercial decisions about the pricing of insurance policies following an assessment of the relevant risks. However, the Government expects that insurers deliver good outcomes to consumers and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. These rules require firms to ensure their products offer fair value. This means the price paid by consumers must be reasonable compared to the benefits they receive. The FCA monitors firms and has robust powers to act against firms that breach its rules. The FCA and the Prudential Regulation Authority review the terms of transfers of business between insurance providers to ensure an appropriate degree of consumer protection, and the views of both regulators are considered by the Courts as part of the transfer process. The FCA would, for example, expect to see evidence that policyholders would not be adversely affected by any changes to the way their policies will be administered (including with respect to pricing) after a transfer.

What steps she is taking to tackle the backlog of cases at the Financial Ombudsman Service.

The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is non-governmental body and is independent from the Treasury. The Financial Conduct Authority’s rules on how the FOS should handle complaints state that ‘the ombudsman will attempt to resolve complaints at the earliest possible stage’. The FOS should deal with all cases in a timely manner. Ensuring timely outcomes is one of the FOS’s main priorities for 2025-26, as outlined in its annual Plans and Budget published on 1 April 2025. A number of factors may affect the time it takes for the FOS to resolve complaints that are referred to it. In 2023-24, the FOS resolved over half of its cases within three months. The FOS regularly publishes data on its casework, including progress against its annual performance targets. The latest complaints data is available at https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/data-insight/our-insight and its Annual Reports and Accounts can be found at https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/who-we-are/governance-funding/annual-reports-accounts My officials will continue to raise the important issue of waiting times in their regular meetings with the FOS.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made on implementing a ban on the use, sale, and possession of snare traps in England; and whether she has a planned timeline for legislative action.

The Government will introduce the most ambitious programme for animal welfare in a generation. As outlined in our manifesto, we will bring an end to the use of snare traps in England. We are considering the most effective way to deliver this commitment and will be setting out next steps in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of adding seals to Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

The GB Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (GBCBs) acting through the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) have carried out the latest quinquennial review of species afforded legal protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (WCA). JNCC submitted the resultant advice to the previous government. We continue to consider the evidence for making legislative change to protect our endangered species. This includes consideration of the proposals submitted by the JNCC in their advice to amend the lists of species afforded protection by the WCA, to include the grey and harbour seal.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of banning animal testing.

The Government is committed to supporting alternatives to animals in science and will publish a strategy to support their adoption. It is not yet possible to replace all animal use due to the complexity of biological systems, so the carefully regulated use of animals in science remains necessary for improving the understanding of how biological systems work, in the development of safe new medicines and in testing chemicals. The legal framework in the UK requires that animals are only ever used in science where there are no validated alternatives available.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the illegal importation of puppies and kittens.

As outlined in our manifesto, the Government is committed to ending puppy smuggling. That is why we are supporting the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill. The Bill successfully completed its Second Reading in the House of Lords on 5 September 2025. We are fully supportive of this Bill and would like to see it pass through the House of Lords as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

What will be in the terms of the Carr Hill review.

The review will consider how health needs are reflected in the distribution of funding through the GP contract, drawing on a range of evidence and advice from experts.Arrangements for the Carr-Hill review are being finalised. Further details will be confirmed in due course.