Written questions by Moon.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of resolving shared ownership arrangements of properties where offshore freehold ownership precludes staircasing.

Leases for shared ownership properties, whether these are grant funded or Section 106 delivery, must follow one of the shared ownership model leases provided by Homes England or the Greater London Authority. These model leases contain a fundamental clause which ensures that staircasing is permitted. In certain types of shared ownership, staircasing is however restricted to below 100%, this is to ensure properties remain as affordable housing in perpetuity. Properties sold by private developers, and without grant funding or through Section 106, are not required to follow a model lease when sold via a shared ownership arrangement.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to reform the Shared Ownership system.

Shared ownership has an important role to play in supporting households into home ownership who would otherwise struggle to purchase a property on the open market that meets their needs. The Government is aware that some people who have entered shared ownership have faced significant challenges with their properties and there is ongoing consideration of what more can be done to improve the experience of shared owners, including consideration of the former Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee’s report recommendations on shared ownership.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of the recommendations set out in the Fifth Report of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee on Shared Ownership, Session 2023-24, published on 26 March 2024, HC 61.

Shared ownership has an important role to play in supporting households into home ownership who would otherwise struggle to purchase a property on the open market that meets their needs. The Government is aware that some people who have entered shared ownership have faced significant challenges with their properties and there is ongoing consideration of what more can be done to improve the experience of shared owners, including consideration of the former Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee’s report recommendations on shared ownership.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the level of risk of eviction of social housing tenants who remain in a property after a joint tenant has served notice to quit (a) in cases involving relationship breakdown and (b) in general.

Joint periodic tenancies can be ended unilaterally by one of the joint tenants.Once one of the joint tenants terminates a joint tenancy, then as a matter of law it ceases to exist and the landlord has a right of possession, though that may be challenged in the Courts.Social landlords, subject to complying with their own allocations policies, have the flexibility to provide a new tenancy to a current resident where a notice to quit is served, either for the same property or for a different property.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of risk assessments for Students' Union activities.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Camborne and Redruth to the answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57705.

What steps her Department is taking to review the legal duty of care between universities and Students' Unions.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Camborne and Redruth to the answer of 8 January 2025 to Question 21514.

What his planned timetable is for the consultation on the British industrial competitiveness scheme.

From 2027, the new British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS) will reduce electricity costs by c.£35-40/MWh for thousands of eligible businesses. These firms will be exempt from paying levies on the Renewables Obligation, Feed-in Tariffs and the Capacity Market. We announced that we would consult on eligibility and design of the scheme. We recognise the need to work quickly and we will publish the consultation and Terms of Reference as soon as we can. We have committed to ensure that the scheme is ready to launch in 2027.

If he will set out the terms of reference for the consultation on the British industrial competitiveness scheme.

From 2027, the new British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS) will reduce electricity costs by c.£35-40/MWh for thousands of eligible businesses. These firms will be exempt from paying levies on the Renewables Obligation, Feed-in Tariffs and the Capacity Market. We announced that we would consult on eligibility and design of the scheme. We recognise the need to work quickly and we will publish the consultation and Terms of Reference as soon as we can. We have committed to ensure that the scheme is ready to launch in 2027.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of including electricity in the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation scheme.

The Department for Transport continues to review all policy options that may support the continued rollout of public electric vehicle chargepoints. This includes reviewing the potential for inclusion of electricity in the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation.

What discussions she has had with insurers on the potential impact of the cost of monthly insurance payments on levels of financial inclusion.

Treasury Ministers and officials have regular meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors, including insurers, on an ongoing basis.Insurers make commercial decisions about pricing and the terms of cover they offer based on their assessment on the likelihood of a claim being made and the cost of those claims. The Government does not set the terms, conditions, or prices for insurance policies. However, the Government is determined that insurers treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules.Last October, the FCA launched a market study on premium finance – a form of credit that allows insurance customers to spread the upfront annual cost of their premium. The FCA noted their concern that premium finance may not represent fair value for some customers. The FCA will publish an update on its work in due course.The Government has also convened a committee of consumer and industry representatives to inform the development of a Financial Inclusion Strategy which will be published later this year. As part of this, the committee is considering barriers consumers face to accessing insurance products.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing (a) discount schemes and (b) subsidies for aviation travel to the Isles of Scilly.

Route subsidies for aviation in the UK are provided through Public Service Obligations (PSOs) which enable the protection of existing domestic routes that are in danger of being lost. It is the responsibility of the relevant Local Authority to submit an application for a PSO to the department for consideration. The Department currently has no plans to introduce a discount scheme for aviation travel to the Isles of Scilly.

What plans her Department has for the funding of staffing for future council-run bus services.

The government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. As part of the £955 million, each local transport authority (LTA) will receive funding specifically to support their capacity and capability, providing them with sufficient funding to employ at least one additional bus officer. Future funding for buses will be announced following the conclusion of the multi-year spending review. In addition to funding, the Department is engaging with LTAs to understand what further support they need to deliver effective bus improvements, improving an established programme of support. For example, the Department is working to actively support to local authorities who may, following Royal Assent of the Bus Services No.2 Bill, wish to explore the option of establishing a bus company. We will work with local leaders to ensure this support reflects their needs and priorities.

What assessment he has made of potential merits of increasing domestic critical mineral capacity for UK defence supply chains.

The recent Strategic Defence Review recognised the UK's dependence on "intricate global supply chains to meet the UK's demand for critical minerals", (SDR 25 Page 32). Although Defence capabilities are dependent on a wide range of critical minerals Defence is a small consumer of these materials. As such, the MOD works closely with DBT and UK Industry partners to consider the potential for "on-shore" sourcing of critical minerals and with DBT, FCDO and NATO to consider resilient supply of these materials from overseas partners. The MOD recognises the potential of recycling and recovery of critical minerals from defence equipment to reduce dependency on imported critical minerals.

What steps her Department is taking to assess the UK’s economically recoverable reserves of geothermal energy.

The Government has supported research on geothermal in which some assessment of the UK potential is made. This includes funding a 2023 evidence-based assessment of the UK opportunity (https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/new-report-assesses-deep-geothermal-energy-in-the-uk/); and commissioning additional research projects which will be published this summer. Together they will provide an update on geothermal energy generation cost estimates and make accessible currently disparate technical sources of geothermal data and information. The Mining Remediation Authority has also released opportunity maps for mine water heat (https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/0a4d95c1-5977-41a1-9c35-83017b871d22/mine-water-heat-opportunity-mapping-for-10-cities-in-england).

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to maximise critical mineral recovery from (a) Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment and (b) lithium-ion batteries.

This Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy. We have convened a Circular Economy Taskforce, comprising experts from industry, academia, and civil society, to help develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England. To support this transition, the Circular Economy Taskforce will start with six priority sectors including electronics and transport, which includes electric vehicle batteries. Interventions, including on critical minerals, will be considered as part of the roadmaps for these sectors. We are also considering regulatory levers to increase battery collection rates and encourage best practise in end-of-life management. The UK’s Critical Minerals Strategy will set the long-term ambition of secure supply of critical minerals UK and harnessing our competitive advantage in midstream processing and recycling. It will also outline how the ambition will be achieved through optimising domestic production and through strategic international collaboration.

What progress his Department has made in developing an online consumer advice service for retrofit.

The Government recognises that access to trusted and impartial energy efficiency and clean heat advice is crucial. The Government runs several digital services on GOV.UK, supported by a national phoneline, aimed at households. We are now streamlining these services into a single user journey to make it even easier for households to access information, including funding options and trusted installers. We encourage SMEs to visit the UK Business Climate Hub, which provides information and advice to SMEs on how to reduce energy use and carbon emissions.

What steps her Department plans to take to enable the inspection of multi academy trusts.

Inspection of multi-academy trusts is a complex proposal, and it is essential that we get it right to make the system fairer, more transparent and to enable direct intervention where necessary. The department is engaging with the education sector and working with Ofsted to support the development of our proposals.We remain committed to bringing multi-academy trusts into the inspection system, as set out in the government’s manifesto.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of adopting EU Battery Regulation 2023/1542 as part of the Circular Economy Strategy.

This Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy. The Circular Economy Strategy will be supported by a series of roadmaps detailing the interventions that the government will make on a sector-by-sector basis, supporting government’s Missions to kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower. We are considering the evidence for sector-specific interventions right across the economy, including for batteries, as we develop our Strategy, including considering international best practices and regulations in other jurisdictions, including the EU.

What steps his Department is taking to reform dental contracts.

To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of National Health Service dentists. There are no perfect payment systems and careful consideration needs to be given to any potential changes to the complex dental system, so that we deliver a system better for patients and the profession.We are continuing to meet the British Dental Association and other representatives of the dental sector to discuss how we can best deliver our shared ambition to improve access for NHS dental patients.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2025 to Question 49523 on Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund, what her planned timetable is for making available the equalities impact assessment.

The equalities impact assessment will be deposited in the Libraries of both Houses as soon as possible.