Written questions by Reynolds.

Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to (a) ensure that leaseholders whose leases are approaching the 80–85 year bracket are informed of the implications for lease extension costs and (b) collect (i) email addresses and (ii) other contact details to provide timely reminders.

The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 includes provisions that will make it cheaper and easier for existing leaseholders to extend their lease or buy their freehold.As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244), the government intends to act quickly to provide homeowners with greater rights, powers, and protections over their homes by implementing the Act’s provisions.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. This can be found on gov.uk here.Specialist legal advice should be taken from a solicitor or surveyor when considering enfranchisement or extensions. Leaseholders can also get free information and advice from the Leasehold Advisory Service.

Whether he plans to provide the Small Business Commissioner with additional powers to help tackle persistent late payment by large firms.

This Government is committed to tackling late payments and supporting small businesses and the self-employed.We launched a consultation in July alongside the Plan for Small Business which closes on the 23rd of October which sets out measures we intend to bring forward in a package of primary legislation. As part the package, the Small Business Commissioner will be given stronger powers to ensure that they are able to tackle the poor payment practices head on. The consultation includes additional measures such as setting maximum payment terms and fining businesses that persistently pay their suppliers late.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure compliance with statutory maximum payment terms for suppliers.

This Government is committed to tackling late payments and supporting small businesses and the self-employed.We launched a consultation in July alongside the Plan for Small Business which closes on the 23rd of October which sets out measures we intend to bring forward in a package of primary legislation. This includes proposals for stricter maximum payment terms and providing the Small Business Commissioner with stronger powers. This will be the most significant legislation to tackle late payments in over 25 years and will give the UK the strongest legal framework on late payments in the G7.

What steps her Department is taking to support the night-time economy; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) VAT reductions, (b) business rates reform and (c) National Insurance threshold adjustments on the sustainability of late-night venues.

The Government recognises the importance of the night-time economy and the challenges faced by late-night venues. At the Autumn Budget, a package of measures was introduced to support the hospitality sector, including those operating at night. The Employment Allowance has been more than doubled to £10,500, ensuring that over half of businesses with National Insurance liabilities will either gain or see no change this year. A Tax Information and Impact Note was published alongside changes to employer NICs, and the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts employment levels to increase over the coming years. The small business multiplier has been frozen for 2025-26, and retail, hospitality and leisure business rates relief has been extended for one year at 40 per cent, up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business. The Government intends to introduce permanently lower business rates multipliers for retail, hospitality and leisure properties with rateable values below £500,000 from 2026-27, providing much-needed certainty and support for RHL businesses. The rates for these new multipliers will be set at Budget 2025 so that the Government can take into account the revaluation outcomes, as well as the economic and fiscal context. When the new multipliers are set, HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the effects of the new multiplier arrangements. The Government keeps all areas of the tax system under review and changes to the tax system are made at fiscal events, in line with usual practice.

What structures are in place within the NHS to (a) oversee and (b) manage financial efficiency in healthcare settings; and whether his Department has considered establishing a dedicated executive function to support this work.

Financial efficiency within the National Health Service is managed primarily by integrated care boards (ICBs) and NHS trusts, which are responsible for local financial planning, budget control, and delivery of efficiency savings. Progress is monitored and supported by both NHS England regional and national teams including as part of the new Financial Performance and Improvement Programme. For example, as part of 2025/2026 planning, NHS England provided every provider and system with a tailored and benchmarked productivity and efficiency data pack setting out opportunities to support the development of efficiency and savings schemes.NHS England have also established an executive chaired group to oversee the development of a coherent, organisation-wide strategy and associated policies for delivering programmes to improve productivity and efficiency across the NHS.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of late payment reform on cash flow for small and medium-sized enterprises.

This Government is determined to tackle late payments. On 31st July, alongside the Plan for Small Business, we launched a public consultation to seek views on our proposed legislative measures to ensure companies pay their suppliers quickly and on time. These measures include proposals to set strict maximum payment times at 60 days and to provide the Small Business Commissioner with stronger powers to tackle poor payment practices. As part of the launch of the consultation an impact assessment was published on GOV.UK assessing the impact these measures will have on all businesses across the UK.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of reinstating (a) full public access and (b) navigation at Temple Footbridge in Hurley.

Full navigation access at Temple Footbridge will be reinstated once the central section of the bridge is removed and taken off site for inspection and secure storage. This is now expected to take place in November 2025, at a cost of approximately £450,000. Public pedestrian access will be reinstated once the bridge is either refurbished or replaced. The costs of this will be known once the outline design is completed in March 2026 and the removed central section in fully inspected.

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.

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.

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 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.