Written questions by Blake.

How many adults living in temporary accommodation receive the Shared Accommodation Rate of Local Housing Allowance.

The shared accommodation rate does not apply in temporary accommodation.Temporary Accommodation is defined as housing that a claimant has been placed in by a local authority or housing association to meet the local authority’s statutory homelessness duty or to prevent homelessness.Costs for housing support to those in private rental accommodation are subject to the Local Housing Allowance. The Shared Accommodation Rate (SAR) applies to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit claimants who are under 35 years of age, living on their own, and renting privately.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of existing and planned heat network regulation for protecting consumer interests.

We are aware that some consumers on heat networks are not currently getting a fair deal, which is why DESNZ is introducing heat network regulation which aims to provide consumers with comparable protections to existing gas and electricity regulations. The first part of this new regulatory framework was signed into law earlier this year, establishing Ofgem as the market regulator with consumer interests as its highest priority. When Ofgem formally commence this role in January 2026, they will have powers to investigate unfair pricing, require suppliers to institute protections for vulnerable consumers, and establish guaranteed standards of performance to ensure that a minimum quality of service is provided at all times.

Communities and Local Government, what her timetable is for consulting on mandatory qualifications for managing agents.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 41307 on 2 April 2025.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Written Statement of 21 November 2024 on Leasehold and Commonhold Reform, HCWS244, what her planned timeline is for (a) reforms of and (b) consultations on the leasehold system.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November (HCWS244).

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the First-Tier Tribunal.

This Government inherited a broken justice system with record and rising court backlogs. The Lord Chancellor recently announced that for 2025-26, the Ministry of Justice will provide a total budget of £2,538 million.We have continued investment this year in the recruitment of up to 1,000 judges and tribunal members across all jurisdictions. This includes recruitment targeted at First-tier Tribunal chambers with the greatest business need.HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) continues to invest in improving tribunal productivity through the deployment of Legal Officers to actively manage cases, the development of modern case management systems, and the use of remote hearing technology.As a result, the Lord Chancellor was able to announce on 5 March the sitting day allocations for the First-tier Tribunal for 2025/26, which will enable all chambers of the First-tier Tribunal to sit at, or near, their maximum capacity for the year.We recognise that there remain significant challenges for the performance of the First-tier Tribunal. We are therefore continuing to monitor demand on the Tribunal and are working with the Judiciary, HMCTS and relevant Government Departments on the further actions needed to alleviate pressures on the Tribunal system, improve efficiency and reduce waiting times to ensure timely access to justice for all parties.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the merits of reforming linked estate charges.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November (HCWS244).

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of the independent report entitled Regulation of Property Agents: working group report, published on 18 July 2019.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 41307 on 2 April 2025.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of resourcing for agencies enforcing the UK's sanctions regime.

Resourcing decisions for the next 4 financial years are to be taken at the upcoming Spending Review, with this due for publication in June this year. At Budget 2024, it was confirmed that the 2025-26 Settlement for HM Treasury ensures that sanctions implementation work will “continue to be supported through the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI)”.

What steps she plans to take to support former officers of the British Transport Police who are experiencing psychological trauma linked to their service, in the context of the 20th anniversary of the 7 July 2005 terrorist attacks.

I am grateful to all those who stepped into danger to keep Londoners safe and we will all remember the tragic deaths of 52 innocent people. Former British Transport Police officers are entitled to support from the Police Care UK charity who specialise in providing services for retired and serving officers including psychological support and therapy. The families of officers can also access this support.

What steps her Department is taking to improve paediatric continence services for disabled children.

The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever. This involves ensuring that children receive the appropriate care and support whenever they need it.NHS England published Excellence in Continence Care on 23 July 2018, bringing together evidence-based resources and research for guidance for commissioners, providers, and health and social care staff. This guidance covers both urinary and bowel, also known as faecal, incontinence, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/excellence-in-continence-care/In 2023, NHS England published the guidance, National clinical constipation pathway for primary care for children, for clinicians for the prevention and management of constipation in children and young people. This work involved developing the national constipation pathway alongside ERIC, The Children’s Bowel and Bladder Charity, with the final guidance available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-clinical-constipation-pathway-for-primary-care-for-children/To make children’s services better, we are changing the National Health Service through our 10-Year Health Plan to make it fit for the future. The plan will be published in June.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce pollution from plastic cigarette butts.

Cigarette butts are the most littered item according to a survey commissioned by Defra. Littered filters are not just an eyesore, they can also release toxins into the environment. The best way to reduce cigarette litter is to reduce smoking rates and we continue to support all measures that do so. We will however continue to monitor the available evidence on the prevalence of littered cigarette filters. Dropping litter, including cigarette butts, is a crime and councils can issue fixed penalty notices of up to £500. An effective and proportionate local enforcement strategy can deter people from littering.

Communities and Local Government, what support her Department is providing to occupants of shared ownership properties with cladding remediation costs.

The responsibility for undertaking cladding remediation and, in the majority of cases, paying for the works will rest with the landlord of the building. This is correct for both shared ownership and for owner occupiers. Where a responsible developer cannot be identified, traced, or held responsible, leaseholders can benefit from the funding available for cladding repairs on residential buildings over 11 metres in height in England. The Building Safety Fund still provides funding for some buildings over 18m in height in the Greater London Area.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has issued on the apportionment of cladding remediation costs between occupants of shared ownership properties and full owner occupiers where properties of both tenures exist within the same building.

The responsibility for undertaking cladding remediation and, in the majority of cases, paying for the works will rest with the landlord of the building. This is correct for both shared ownership and for owner occupiers. Where a responsible developer cannot be identified, traced, or held responsible, leaseholders can benefit from the funding available for cladding repairs on residential buildings over 11 metres in height in England. The Building Safety Fund still provides funding for some buildings over 18m in height in the Greater London Area.

What support his Department is providing to small businesses with high energy costs.

The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently. The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy with less reliance on volatile international energy markets and help in our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030. Non-domestic consumers with contracts agreed at higher prices may benefit from approaches such as ‘blend and extend’ contracts where the original, higher, unit rate is ‘blended’ with a new lower rate, spreading the cost over the course of a longer contract. Since 19 December 2024, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with fewer than 50 employees have also been able to access free support to resolve issues with their energy supplier through the Energy Ombudsman. This means that 99% of British businesses can now access this service with outcomes ranging up to £20,000 in financial awards.

What assessment his Department has made of changes which need to be made to the NHS Dental contracting framework.

To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to National Health Service dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS 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 with 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.

Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of by-laws in the Royal Parks on the operations of policing services.

The Royal Parks are Crown Land managed on behalf of the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport by The Royal Parks Charity (TRP). The current principal regulations relating to the parks are The Royal Parks and Other Open Spaces Regulations 1997. These help balance the needs of all park users and support the maintenance and conservation of the parks’ natural and built environments.The operation of policing services in the Royal Parks and enforcement of by-laws and regulations, was undertaken by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), through a dedicated Parks Operational Command Unit (OCU). As part of wider changes to MPS operations, an option to close the OCU is being considered. TRP are working directly with the MPS to understand any implications arising from the potential closure of the OCU, on the enforcement of by-laws within the Royal Parks.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to (a) lower the threshold for right to manage applications and (b) increase the maximum proportion of commercial property permissible for right to manage applications to occur.

The government has commenced the Right to Manage measures in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. They came into effect on 3 March 2025.These changes implement the Law Commission recommendation to increase the non-residential floorspace limit from 25 to 50 per cent for Right to Manage claims. This means that more leaseholders in mixed-use buildings will qualify for the right to manage, gaining control over the management of their building. Further changes mean that leaseholders making right to manage claims will no longer have to pay their freeholder’s process costs for that claim.Over the course of this Parliament, the government will enact remaining Law Commission recommendations relating to the Right to Manage. We do not plan to lower the participation requirement or further increase the non-residential limit for the Right to Manage at this time but will continue to evaluate how the Right to Manage operates following the recent changes.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential reasons for housing associations selling homes previously let out for social rent.

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) publishes annual statistics relating to the social housing stock owned and managed by Private Registered Providers in England, including information on stock lost from the sector. Sales for non-social use in 2023/24 were recorded as 4,341 homes. Further information can be found on gov.uk here.RSH’s analysis suggests that providers are undertaking fixed asset sales for a variety of reasons. These include stock rationalisation and disposal of uneconomic properties, as well as generating receipts to support reinvestment in new and existing stock.

Communities and Local Government, what support she is providing to housing associations, in the context of costs associated with the Building Safety Act 2022.

Social landlords, including Housing Associations, can apply to the Building Safety Fund and the Cladding Safety Scheme where the cost of remediating a building would threaten the financial viability of the landlord or to cover costs which - without the protections of the Building Safety Act - could have been passed on to leaseholders and shared owners.  As of November 2024, social landlords had been allocated £568 million by government remediation schemes. From April 2025, we will increase funding for social landlords applying for government remediation funding so that remedial works can start sooner. We are working with the sector to develop a long-term social housing remediation strategy.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an estimate of costs for housing associations related to the remediation of aluminium composite material cladding.

In 2018, government estimated that the cost of removing and replacing unsafe ACM cladding on 18m+ social residential buildings would be approximately £400 million. As of March 2025, 144 high rise buildings had entered the Social Sector ACM Fund. To date, government schemes approved allocation of c.£297 million towards remediating those buildings, including c.£101 million for buildings owned by Housing Associations.