Written questions by Beavers.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 4.59 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, what proportion of the additional funding for homelessness in 2025/26 has been (a) allocated and (b) spent to date for (i) temporary accommodation and (ii) homelessness prevention.

Funding allocations for homelessness and rough sleeping in 2025/26 were published on 18 December 2024 here. In line with grant funding conditions, local authorities will report their spending at the end of financial year.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing mandatory fare meters in private hire vehicles.

Licensing authorities have the power to set maximum taxi fares for journeys within their area. Regulated fares provide an important element of customer protection in the rank and hail market where passengers do not have a choice over which vehicle they hire. A uniform set of tariffs enables taxi meters to be used to ensure taxi fares are accurately calculated. Licensing authorities have no power to set fares for private hire vehicles (PHVs). Fares for PHVs, which must be pre-booked with a licensed operator, are set by the PHV operator. The competitive pre-booked market allows PHV operators to compete on price as well as other factors such as quality of service. Apart from in London, meters can be fitted to PHVs and these would need to reflect the relevant PHV operator’s tariff. As different PHV operator tariffs may vary this could have the effect of restricting the range of operators which drivers could work with. Mandating the fitting of meters in PHVs would reduce the flexibility in the PHV sector and potentially affect the availability of vehicles for passengers and the way in which drivers can work to maximise their earnings.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that Uber accounts are not used by unlicensed taxi drivers.

Enforcement of the private hire vehicle licensing regime is a matter for licensing authorities and the police. Any licensed private hire vehicle operators found to be enabling the use of unlicensed drivers or vehicles to carry passengers may be prosecuted and risk revocation of their licence.

Whether her Department plans to strengthen regulations on out-of-area working of private hire Uber vehicles.

The Department is considering options to improve the current regulatory position in respect of taxis and private hire vehicles and will consult shortly on whether to make all local transport authorities, including Strategic Authorities, responsible for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing. We believe administering taxi and private hire vehicle licensing across a larger footprint would increase the consistency of standards and enable more effective use of enforcement powers across a whole functional economic area and facilitate integrated local transport planning. Greater economies of scale should also increase the efficiency in taxi and private hire vehicle licensing and the sector. This should reduce the factors that induce people to license out of their usual working area. This would be a significant change for the sector, and responses to the consultation will help inform the final decision.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending the deadline for applications to the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

I understand the Honourable Member’s interest here and I thank her for her letter to the Attorney General’s Office on this issue.Parliament intended the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme to be an exceptional power but it is important for victims and offenders that there is finality in sentencing.The Law Commission has helpfully launched a consultation on reforms to the Scheme which runs until 30 May.

If he will take steps to bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Electricity Act 1989 to ensure that the use of sub-meters in domestic properties is subject to the same consumer protections as electricity provided by licensed suppliers in domestic properties.

Under the Electricity Act 1989 all electricity meters used for billing must be of an approved design and be accurate. Those who charge anyone through submeters, such as landlords, in domestic properties ultimately have the same legal obligations as licensed energy suppliers.In the event of a dispute over the accuracy of a meter, the law gives consumers the right to have their electricity meter independently checked and tested.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the minimum salary threshold for the Skilled Worker visa to provide exemptions for (a) the manufacturing sector and (b) other sectors with a shortage of workers.

The salary thresholds are in place to ensure that resident workers’ wages should not be undercut and to protect overseas workers from being used as low-cost labour. The thresholds are set at the median levels according to the Office for National Statistics Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.The Government’s objective is to bring net migration down, linking migration with wider labour market policies, so that immigration is not used as an alternative to training or tackling workforce problems in the UK.These objectives are also why this Government has maintained the current salary the Skilled Worker route.As the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has said, salaries generally need to rise in response to shortages, which challenges the suggestion that shortages could be eased by paying lower wages. The MAC has also consistently advised against regional salary thresholds, on the basis that this could exacerbate existing regional pay differences.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of applying regional weighting for the minimum salary threshold for the Skilled Worker visa.

The salary thresholds are in place to ensure that resident workers’ wages should not be undercut and to protect overseas workers from being used as low-cost labour. The thresholds are set at the median levels according to the Office for National Statistics Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.The Government’s objective is to bring net migration down, linking migration with wider labour market policies, so that immigration is not used as an alternative to training or tackling workforce problems in the UK.These objectives are also why this Government has maintained the current salary the Skilled Worker route.As the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has said, salaries generally need to rise in response to shortages, which challenges the suggestion that shortages could be eased by paying lower wages. The MAC has also consistently advised against regional salary thresholds, on the basis that this could exacerbate existing regional pay differences.

Whether she plans to take steps to improve the usability for the UK Visas and Immigration Sponsor Management System.

The Home Office is currently investing in an ambitious programme of transformation to improve efficiency and effectiveness, which includes the sponsorship I.T system.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle the practice of off-rolling.

The government is clear that off-rolling is an unacceptable practice and the department continues to work with Ofsted to tackle it.Ofsted takes any use of unlawful exclusions and off-rolling very seriously. Where evidence of off-rolling is found by inspectors, it will impact the school’s leadership and management judgement.This government is committed to reforming Ofsted to enhance the inspection regime by replacing a single headline grade with a new report card system telling parents clearly how schools are performing and introduce a new annual review of safeguarding, attendance, and off-rolling.

What steps her Department is taking to increase the availability of practical driving tests in Blackpool North and Fleetwood constituency.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards. Measures in place to reduce waiting times for customers at all driving test centres (DTC), include the recruitment of new driving examiners (DE), conducting tests outside regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays, and buying back annual leave from DEs. DVSA also continues to deploy DEs from areas with lower waiting times into those where waiting times are longer. Blackpool's current DTC is a temporary base. DVSA has identified a new location for Blackpool DTC and has been working through the planning process. If successful in opening a new DTC at this site, this should allow an increase in capacity in the number of DEs, with an overall capacity of 10 DEs. As part of recent recruitment at DTCs that serve the Blackpool North and Fleetwood constituency, DVSA has three potential new examiners currently in training.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of banning further licenses for coastal landfill sites.

The Secretary of State does not currently have plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of banning further licences for coastal landfill sites. The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations provide an integrated framework for the regulation of activities that could harm the environment or human health. The Environment Agency issues permits only if pollution risks are acceptable and requires coastal landfill operators to prevent waste release, considering future climate risks. Local planning authorities have responsibility for providing planning consent for facilities such as landfill sites and decide upon future landfill locations.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to require landfill operators to publish regular information on the (a) types and (b) quantities of waste deposited at each of their sites.

The waste data for landfills in England is publicly available through the Environment Agency. Operators must report waste types and quantities, which are part of a public register accessible via the Environment Agency and published annually on GOV.UK: How to access waste management data for England - GOV.UK The most recent data can be found online through the 2023 Waste Data Interrogator - data.gov.uk webpage.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to simplify the process for the issuance of abatement notices by the Environment Agency.

Defra is responsible for the domestic legislation covering Statutory Nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, whilst Local Authorities environmental health departments are the main enforcers of the Statutory Nuisance regime and associated legislation. It is Local Authorities, not the Environment Agency, that issue abatement notices if a statutory nuisance is found to have happened; is happening, or will happen in the future.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has taken recent steps to strengthen the Environment Agency's due diligence processes for (a) awarding and (b) transferring environmental permits.

Guidance on due diligence checks for a) awarding and b) transferring environmental permits under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 are set out in the legal and operator competence guidance and the relevant convictions guidance published on GOV.UK. The legal and operator competence guidance was last updated in 2019 (/www.gov.uk/guidance/legal-operator-and-competence-requirements-environmental-permits) and the relevant convictions guidance in July 2023 (www.gov.uk/government/publications/relevant-conviction-guidance-for-permit-applications-for-waste-activities-and-installations-only). Defra works closely with the Environment Agency to monitor its performance and ensure it enforces environmental protection laws and delivers for the public. Defra also continuously evaluates the effectiveness of the environmental permitting framework in upholding environmental and human health protections. The most recent Post Implementation Review published in June last year (www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/1154/pdfs/uksiod_20161154_en_003.pdf) found that the regulations appeared to be functioning effectively.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has had discussions with the Health Lottery on fulfilling its social responsibility duties.

The Health Lottery has social responsibility duties and requirements to provide information to the Gambling Commission about proceeds and how these are split between prizes, expenses and good causes under its licence from the Gambling Commission. The Department has not held discussions with the Health Lottery on fulfilling its social responsibility duties, and does not hold data on its proceeds and the proportion it allocates to good causes.More information on the responsibilities of large lotteries can be found on the Gambling Commission’s website here.

Media and Sport, whether her Department holds data on the amount the Health Lottery (a) makes in profit and (b) spends on social endeavours.

The Health Lottery has social responsibility duties and requirements to provide information to the Gambling Commission about proceeds and how these are split between prizes, expenses and good causes under its licence from the Gambling Commission. The Department has not held discussions with the Health Lottery on fulfilling its social responsibility duties, and does not hold data on its proceeds and the proportion it allocates to good causes.More information on the responsibilities of large lotteries can be found on the Gambling Commission’s website here.