Written questions by Blake.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to address leasehold issues arising from probate sales of properties which did not qualify for cladding remediation support under the Building Safety Act (2022).

There is a range of support in place for leaseholders, even those whose lease does not qualify for protection under Part 5 of the Building Safety Act 2022. All leaseholders are also protected from cladding remediation and benefit from qualifying status on their main home. All leaseholders are protected from paying towards safety defects associated with the developer or through the developer remediation contract.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is planning to take to ensure that local residents are (a) informed and (b) consulted during the Holocaust Memorial Learning Centre (Victoria Tower Gardens) planning approval process.

Decisions on the redetermination procedure for this application, and any necessary consultation and engagement with local residents, have not yet been taken.

Media and Sport, how many full-time equivalent staff will be needed to enforce the short-term lets database.

Detailed operational requirements, including staffing levels, are being determined as part of the development process.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of using artificial intelligence in the regulatory process for short-term lets.

The Government is committed to being at the forefront of artificial intelligence innovation across public services and regulatory processes. Decisions about which technologies, including potential AI applications, will best support the Short Term Lets registration scheme's effectiveness are being determined during the design phase. Any specific assessment of AI applications in the registration process would be a matter for DCMS as the lead department for this policy area. Public testing on the register is due to start later in 2025 and a full version of the scheme in 2026.

Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's consultation outcome entitled Consultation on a registration scheme for short-term lets in England, updated on 19 July 2024, when she will publish a full response to the consultation.

DCMS has commenced the second phase of digital development, with public testing due to start in September. The full consultation response will be published alongside the necessary secondary legislation.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the tax revenue from ensuring compliance with rules on eligibility of short-term lets for business rates.

Before a short-term let can be assessed as a self-catering accommodation (short-term let) for business rates purposes it must have been available to let for at least 140 days in the past year and demonstrate at least 70 days of actual letting activity in the last year.It is for local authorities to bill and collect business rates. The government does not make an estimate of the number of short-term lets who choose not to be assessed for business rates or do not meet these criteria. However, the government does collect data on the number of short-term lets assessed for business rates. The latest available data from March 2025 shows that there are 65,380 short-term lets assessed for business rates in England.Where a property does not meet these criteria, it will usually be considered domestic, and liable for council tax in the same way as any other domestic property.

What discussions he has had with Westminster City Council on upgrades to the Pimlico District Heating Undertaking.

Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Communities and Local Government, whether the Pimlico District Heating Undertaking has been subject to departmental review.

The department has not conducted any such review.

What oversight his Department provides for investments in heat network infrastructure.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero provides capital funding for heat networks via the Green Heat Network Fund and the Heat Network Efficiency Scheme. The Department is represented on the Investment Committees for these schemes. Successful applicants must sign funding agreements with the Department which require them to provide regular monitoring and reporting updates on their projects as a condition of funding. These are the subject of regular meetings between the respective scheme delivery partners and DESNZ officials.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to a residence-based inheritance tax system on the numbers of UK residents with permanent homes outside of the UK.

A supplementary forecast information release around the costings of reforms to the non-domicile regime, including the move to residence-based inheritance tax system, was published by the Office for Budget Responsibility in January 2025. This costing outlines the certified impact of ending the non-domiciled tax status on revenues to the Exchequer and the underlying behavioural assumptions.https://obr.uk/docs/dlm_uploads/Non-doms-supplementary-release-Jan-2025.pdf

Whether the Government plans go give additional powers to policing forces to deal with allegations of (a) trespassing and (b) modern slavery and human trafficking, in the context of the commencement of the abolition of the Vagrancy Act 1824.

This Government is repealing the outdated Vagrancy Act and introducing new offences which deal with specific risks.Repealing the Vagrancy Act 1824 will leave a gap for the police to tackle organised begging and trespassing, which police have highlighted as a particular concern.We have therefore introduced, in the Crime and Policing Bill, a new offence of facilitating begging for gain and a new criminal offence of trespassing with intent to commit a criminal offence.

What steps her Department is taking to resolve ongoing issues with accessing the legal aid portal.

This is an unprecedented event involving sophisticated organised crime. Every effort is being made to restore systems following the criminal attack on our services. The Legal Aid Agency’s (LAA) digital services have been taken offline to negate the threat and prevent further exposure of legal aid providers and users. We will not reopen the system until the appropriate steps have been taken to enable us to do so. We have been able to return some to internal use, enabling an improved ability to support criminal legal aid applications and payments. The Government are committed to ensuring that operational delivery of legal aid continues. We have put in place contingency plans to ensure that those most in need of legal support can continue to access the help that they need and that those providing vital legal services can be confident they will continue to receive payments whilst systems are offline. Emergency legislation came into force on 27 June enabling the LAA to implement enhanced business continuity arrangements, including increased delegation of decision making to legal aid providers. These enhanced measures are designed to support legal aid providers and prevent a significant case backlog while contingency measures are in place. The recent data breach is the result of serious criminal activity, but it was enabled by the fragility of the LAA’s IT systems as a result of the long years of underinvestment under the last Conservative Government. By contrast, since taking power this Government has prioritised work to reverse the damage of over a decade of under-investment. That includes the allocation of over £20 million in extra funding this year to stabilise and transform the Legal Aid Agency digital services. This investment will make the system more robust and resilient in the face of similar cyber-attacks in future.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Indian counterpart on violations of human rights in India.

The UK Government takes all allegations of human rights violations very seriously. The UK Government has a broad, deep and respectful partnership with the Government of India. This includes sharing perspectives on human rights and minority issues and finding common ground, including at Ministerial level. In 2024, I held a roundtable with stakeholders to discuss Freedom of Religion in India.Our High Commission in New Delhi and our network across India monitor human rights across the country. This includes raising issues of concern where we have them.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in India on protecting minority rights.

The UK Government takes all allegations of human rights violations very seriously. The UK Government has a broad, deep and respectful partnership with the Government of India. This includes sharing perspectives on human rights and minority issues and finding common ground, including at Ministerial level. In 2024, I held a roundtable with stakeholders to discuss Freedom of Religion in India.Our High Commission in New Delhi and our network across India monitor human rights across the country. This includes raising issues of concern where we have them.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the amount of revenue lost through tax avoidance in relation to illegal subletting of homes as short-term lets in each of the last five years.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimates the size of the tax gap, which is the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid to HMRC, and what is actually paid. The tax gap statistics and details of the estimate methodologies are published annually and are available at: Measuring tax gaps 2024 edition: tax gap estimates for 2022 to 2023 - GOV.UK. The latest estimate of the tax gap arising from ‘moonlighters’ in the hidden economy is £0.9 billion for tax year 2022 to 2023. This figure includes an estimate of around £350 million from individuals in employment who have not paid tax on lettings. The lettings tax gap figure is not separately published due to methodological uncertainties and provides only a broad indicator of the tax gap. HMRC does not separately estimate the tax gap due to tax avoidance in relation to illegal subletting of homes as short-term lets.

What plans her Department has to review the countries eligible for (a) the Registered Traveller service and (b) automatic use of e-gates.

eGates continue to provide a safe, secure and efficient way for millions of British and Irish citizens, and nationals of the EU/EEA, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the USA and Registered Traveller service members to enter the UK each year. The Government keeps eGate and Registered Traveller service eligibility under review to ensure we are balancing border security with passenger flow.As set out in the ‘Restoring Control over the Immigration System White Paper’, we have an ambitious vision to revolutionise the UK Border by using technology and increasing the use of automation to make visible changes to border security, flow and the passenger experience.

What steps his Department is taking to minimise conflicts of interest within the medical profession.

The General Medical Council (GMC) is the regulator of all medical doctors, anaesthesia associates (AAs), and physician associates (PAs) practising in the United Kingdom. It sets and enforces the standards all doctors, AAs, and PAs must adhere to. The GMC is independent of the Government, is directly accountable to Parliament, and is responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties.The GMC’s core guidance, Good medical practice, sets out what is expected of all registrants, including ‘Acting with honesty and integrity’ and ‘Sharing information with patients’ which requires that medical practitioners be ‘open and honest with patients about any interests’ that may affect, or could be seen to affect, the way they propose, provide, or prescribe treatments, or refer patients. This guidance is made under powers in the Medical Act 1983. The GMC can take action against professionals who fail to meet these requirements, and serious or persistent breaches that pose a risk to patient safety and/or public trust may put a registrants’ registration at risk. The GMC’s core guidance, Good medical practice, is available at the following link:https://www.gmc-uk.org/-/media/documents/good-medical-practice-2024---english-102607294.pdfAlthough the Department is not currently taking steps to minimise conflicts of interest, all medical professionals are expected to be open and transparent about any relevant interests, to enable patients to make informed decisions about their treatment and care.

What steps his Department is taking to increase transparency around the awarding of contracts to private healthcare companies.

Transparency and value for money are key priorities in elective care, including where care is delivered by independent sector providers. Contracts between commissioners and providers have to comply with the NHS Payment Scheme, a set of prices and rules used to deliver the most efficient, cost-effective care to patients. These unit prices are consistent across independent providers and National Health Service providers.Contracts are awarded to independent sector providers in line with the NHS England Provider Selection Regime (PSR). The PSR was introduced by regulations made under the Health and Care Act 2022, and it helps us ensure that these decisions are made in the best interest of patients and service users. Further information on the NHS England PSR is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/how-commissioning-is-changing/nhs-provider-selection-regime/Where a contract is awarded, commissioners are mandated to adhere to the NHS Standard Contract. Where a PSR direct contract is awarded, the award notification must be published as part of the tender process, ensuring the process is transparent. Further information on the NHS Standard Contract is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/nhs-standard-contract/Where patient choice applies to a service, commissioners cannot restrict the number of providers that contracts are awarded to. Any contract awarded in relation to a service that is within the scope of patient choice must be done so under the Direct Award Process B of the PSR Regulations, and commissioners must comply with the transparency notice publication requirements set out in those regulations.

What steps his Department is taking to improve protections for private renters with pre-paid energy metres.

The Government is committed to ensure energy is affordable for all households, including those who are on prepayment meters. For some consumers, prepayment meters are a useful tool for managing budgets. In 2023, Ofgem introduced stringent rules for the involuntary installation of prepayment meters. Under these rules, energy suppliers are required to make at least 10 attempts to contact an indebted customer, carry out a site visit prior to any involuntary installation, and refrain from installations in households where a vulnerable person is present. Energy suppliers are only able to restart involuntary prepayment meter installation when they can demonstrate to Ofgem that they are able to comply with the new rules.

Whether he is taking steps to encourage whistleblowing in the business community.

My Department is responsible for routinely updating the Prescribed Persons Order, a list of relevant bodies to which a worker can make a protected disclosure about a wrongdoing. Recent whistleblowing disclosures have been highly concentrated in health, public administration, and the financial and insurance sectors. We continue to regularly review the list and address gaps to support more workers to qualify for whistleblowing protections.