Written questions by Opher.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to implement part 10 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023.

The Government is fully committed to rejuvenating our high streets and tackling the issue of persistent vacancy. To achieve this, we will implement new High Street Rental Auctions as set out in Part 10 of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023. This will empower local authorities to require landlords to rent out persistently vacant commercial properties to new tenants. Secondary legislation will be introduced shortly to enable local authorities to exercise this power.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to repeal the 2031 deadline for registering public rights of way.

Ministers are considering the further implementation of the rights of way reform programme.

Whether her Department plans to take steps to regulate driving instructors to help ensure the safety of young women.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) takes the safety of learner drivers extremely seriously and investigates thoroughly any complaints about approved driving instructors (ADI), involving the police if necessary. DVSA encourages pupils to report any incidents of inappropriate ADI conduct, and its complaints procedure is open for anyone to use.DVSA requires every prospective ADI to apply for an enhanced disclosure and barring check before beginning the ADI qualification process, to find out whether an individual has been convicted of a criminal offence or barred from working with children. The role of an ADI is classed as regulated activity, which means that if someone has been barred from working with children, they would be committing an offence by applying for the role. An ADI is required to repeat the disclosure process every four years when they renew their ADI registration.The ADI Registrar has the power to remove an ADI who falls below the standard of fit and proper person, and to suspend an ADI if they have been charged or convicted of a sexual or violent offence. These safeguards protect not just women, but everyone using the services of an ADI.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to support cavity-nesting birds on the Red List.

The Government is considering what action may be appropriate to help red-listed birds, including how to drive up rates of swift brick installation in new build properties.

Whether the independent review of sentencing policy will include sentencing for peaceful protest.

The right to protest peacefully is a fundamental part of our democracy. There is a long tradition in this country of people being able to come together and express their views. This Government remains firmly committed to protecting and preserving this right.The independent Sentencing Review has a broad remit and will evaluate the sentencing framework as a whole to ensure it is up to date and consistent. The Review will examine options following three core principles: punishing offenders and protecting the public, ensuring sentences encourage prisoners to turn away from crime, and expanding the range of tough punishments outside of prison.It will be up to the Chair to decide his areas of focus, but the terms of reference ask it to include: the use and impact of short custodial sentences; community alternatives to prison; use of fines; the role of incentives in sentence management; the framework around longer custodial sentences; approach for specific cohorts including women and prolific offenders; and sentencing for offences primarily committed against women and girls.

If he will bring forward legislative proposals to increase the time limit for access to the Employment Tribunal from three months to six months after an incident of workplace discrimination.

The Government is committed to increasing employment tribunal time limits from 3-6 months, which is in line with the Law Commission recommendation from 2020. Measures to extend the time limit for bringing claims to Employment Tribunals will be added via amendment during the passage of the Employment Rights Bill.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to move the regulation of sludge used on agricultural land from the Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations 1989 into the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016, as outlined in the Environment Agency strategy for safe and sustainable sludge use.

The Government is working with the Environment Agency to assess the regulatory framework for sludge. We recognise the importance of improving the regulatory framework, however, further work is required before any proposal for change may be progressed.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on introducing mandatory reporting for food businesses on (a) health and (b) environmental metrics.

This Government is committed to tackling the challenges faced by our health system with the shift to prevention central to this ambition. Under the Government’s Health Mission we are considering what preventative action is needed to support people live longer, healthier lives, to reduce the amount of time spent in ill health, tackle health inequalities and drive economic growth. We face an obesity crisis and will explore the most impactful interventions to shift food business sales to healthier food. Defra is not planning to introduce a sector-specific legislative requirement for food and drink companies to report metrics related to the environment such as greenhouse gas emissions. This is because the Department for Business and Trade are currently considering the endorsement of the International Sustainability Disclosure Standards, to create UK Sustainability Reporting Standards that may include reporting against some environmental metrics. The Government and Financial Conduct Authority will consider whether to mandate these Standards for certain economically significant entities across all sectors. Through the Food Data Transparency Partnership, Defra is supporting food and drink businesses with greenhouse gas emissions reporting by standardising the data and methods used by the industry. The initial focus has been on GHG emissions, where the science and the reporting requirements are most mature. Moving forwards, the ambition is to consider a broad range of environmental metrics beyond carbon.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing local authorities to prevent developers land banking in their area.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer to Question UIN 900294 on 2 September 2024.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of mandating the use of swift bricks in new build housing.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer to Question UIN 4279 on 12 September 2024.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department plans to take to increase the availability of social housing across England.

The Government is committed to the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation. Our aspiration is to ensure that, in the first full financial year of this Parliament (2025-26), the number of Social Rent homes is rising rather than falling.Our proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework include setting a clear expectation that housing needs assessments must consider the needs of those requiring Social Rent homes, and that local authorities should specify their expectations on Social Rent delivery as part of broader affordable housing policies.We have asked Homes England and the Greater London Authority to maximise the number of Social Rent homes in allocating the remaining Affordable Homes Programme funding. The Government has started to review the increased Right to Buy discounts introduced in 2012, on which we will bring forward more details and secondary legislation to implement changes in the autumn. We have also announced new flexibilities for how councils can use their Right to Buy receipts to deliver replacement homes; these flexibilities will be in place for an initial 24 months, subject to review.We are committed to setting out details of future Government investment in social and affordable housing at the Spending Review.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of giving asylum seekers the right to work whilst their application is being processed.

Asylum seekers who have had their claim outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own, can apply for permission to work. Those permitted to work are restricted to jobs on the Immigration Salary List. This list is based on expert advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee. Whilst we keep all policies under review, there are no immediate plans to change the existing policy. It is important that we distinguish between individuals who need protection and those seeking to work here who can apply for a work visa under the Immigration Rules. The Government is determined to restore order to the asylum system after it has been put under unprecedented pressure. We will ensure that the system operates fairly and with quicker processing of claims. This will see recognised refugees being able to work, whilst failed asylum seekers can be removed.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of finding alternative accommodation for the 88 asylum seekers due to be housed at Tricorn House in Stroud.

The Home Office has a statutory obligation to support and accommodate destitute asylum seekers whilst their asylum claims are considered.We work with local authorities to ensure housing is procured in a fair and equitable manner across England, Scotland and Wales. For the safety and security of those we accommodate and our staff, the Home Office does not comment publicly on sites which may or may not be utilised to accommodate asylum seekers.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of repealing the Illegal Migration Act 2023.

The Government has made clear the that the Migration and Economic Development (MEDP) Policy with Rwanda will end. We will bring forward a new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill as promised in the King’s Speech.

What plans he has to reduce the waiting list for ADHD diagnosis.

The Department is currently considering next steps to improve access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including ADHD assessments, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England is establishing to look at ADHD service provision and its impact on patient experience. The taskforce will bring together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the National Health Service, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD and to help provide a joined-up approach in response to concerns around rising demand.Alongside the work of the taskforce, NHS England will continue to develop a national ADHD data improvement plan, carry out more detailed work to understand the provider and commissioning landscape, and capture examples from local health systems which are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services to ensure best practice is captured and shared across the system.

By what criteria asylum seekers are housed in detention centres.

Asylum seekers may be detained for immigration purposes only in accordance with Home Office detention policy, as set out in the Detention General Instructions, the Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention guidance and the Detained Asylum Casework guidance. There are various factors which influence a decision to detain, as set out in published policy. In asylum cases concerning Foreign National Offenders, there may be a higher risk of absconding and harm to the public on release and therefore it will normally be appropriate to detain as long as there is a realistic prospect of removal with a reasonable timescale.

If he will suspend permission for non-surgical filler injections for gluteal fat grafting procedures.

The Government is currently considering what steps may need to be taken in relation to the safety of non-surgical cosmetic procedures, including filler injections. The Government will set out its position at the earliest opportunity.

What steps his Department is taking to help vaccinate children against chicken pox.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended a universal varicella chickenpox vaccination programme be introduced as part of the routine childhood schedule. The JCVI statement is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childhood-varicella-vaccination-programme-jcvi-advice-14-november-2023/jcvi-statement-on-a-childhood-varicella-chickenpox-vaccination-programmeMinisters have accepted the JCVI recommendation, and the Department is in discussions with NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency on the potential implementation of the recommendation.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of utilising veterans with specific skill sets in emergency services immediately on re-entering civilian life without extensive training.

This is a Government of service that will always stand up for those who serve our country. We are committed to making sure veterans make full use of the skills, qualifications and capabilities they gained in the military after they leave the Armed Forces. An aligned employment support offer for veterans and their families is key to achieving this, bringing together the newly refreshed Career Transition Partnership, Veterans’ Sector-Based Employment Pathway and Defence Relationship Management, as well as partners across Government and civil society. For example, the NHS recognise the range of benefits that veterans and members of the Armed Forces community have to offer their organisation, as demonstrated through the dedicated ‘Step into Health’ recruitment pathway across NHS England.