Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the latest cost estimates for the proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The National Audit Office letter of 24 March 2025 set out that forecast costs for completing the programme stand at £146.6 million.
The Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre is the subject of a planning application. MHCLG applicant and decision-maker roles in this case are entirely separate; this question has been answered on behalf of the applicant. Handling arrangements have been published on the MHCLG website: Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre: MHCLG handling note - GOV.UK (attached).
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many units of social housing there were in the last year for which figures are available; and what estimate they have made of the number of social housing units that will be available in 2035.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Figures published by the Regulator of Social Housing show there were 4,263,202 social rent and affordable rent units owned by local authority registered providers and private registered providers on 31 March 2025. This number includes both units of general needs homes and supported housing units. These figures can be found on gov.uk here (attached).
The department does not have an estimate of the number of units that will be available in 2035.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to take steps to ensure that new buildings in central London that have been empty for over six months can be acquired by the Government and used for social or economic purposes.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government wants to see more empty homes brought back into use across the country.
Local authorities have strong powers and incentives to tackle empty homes. They have the discretionary powers to charge additional council tax on properties which have been left unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for one or more years. The maximum premium that a council can apply increases, depending on the length of time that the property has been empty for, with a premium of up to 300% on homes left empty for over ten years. They can also access funding through the Affordable Homes Programme and Local Authority Housing Fund.
Local authorities can also use powers to take over the management of long-term empty homes to bring them back into use in the private rented sector. Local authorities can apply for an Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) when a property has been empty for more than two years, subject to the production of evidence that the property has been causing a nuisance to the community and evidence of community support for their proposal. More information can be found on gov.uk here.
The government outlined its intent to strengthen local authorities’ ability to take over the management of vacant residential premises in the English Devolution White Paper published in December 2024 which can be found here. Further details will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of higher‑risk buildings remaining unregistered with the Building Safety Regulator on resident safety.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) investigates all matters relating to the registration status of higher risk buildings (HRBs) that are brought to its attention through residents’ complaints or by other enforcing authorities, including fire and rescue services, local authorities, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. All investigations and any subsequent enforcement actions are undertaken in accordance with the provisions of the Building Safety Act 2022.
In addition to responding to concerns that may be raised, the BSR’s Intelligence team proactively identifies and investigates potentially unregistered buildings.
Any HRB which is not registered with the BSR nevertheless must comply with the provisions of the Building Safety Act and, as of February 2024, the Principal Accountable Person for that building has a duty to properly assess and manage the safety risks associated with their building. Thus, non-registration does not, in itself, mean that a building is unsafe or is being inappropriately managed.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of (1) Holocaust Memorial Day, (2) the Imperial War Museum London's Holocaust Galleries, and (3) the National Holocaust Centre, in reducing antisemitism; and whether they will commission research to assess the potential impact of the planned Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens on reducing antisemitism.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government highly values the work of many UK institutions raising awareness and understanding of the Holocaust. The proposed national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, prominently located in Westminster, will enable millions more to learn the facts of the Holocaust and its roots in antisemitism. Such knowledge cannot alone eliminate antisemitism but is a necessary foundation.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help identify the number of higher-risk buildings that have not yet been registered with the Building Safety Regulator.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) investigates all matters relating to the registration status of higher risk buildings (HRBs) that are brought to its attention through residents’ complaints or by other enforcing authorities, including fire and rescue services, local authorities, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. All investigations and any subsequent enforcement actions are undertaken in accordance with the provisions of the Building Safety Act 2022.
In addition to responding to concerns that may be raised, the BSR’s Intelligence team proactively identifies and investigates potentially unregistered buildings.
Any HRB which is not registered with the BSR nevertheless must comply with the provisions of the Building Safety Act and, as of February 2024, the Principal Accountable Person for that building has a duty to properly assess and manage the safety risks associated with their building. Thus, non-registration does not, in itself, mean that a building is unsafe or is being inappropriately managed.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many houses threatened by repeated flooding have been purchased by public authorities in England to enable residents to move to more secure premises in the past 12 months.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
My Department does not hold the requested information.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2025 to Question 30336 on Parking: Regulation, what steps he is taking to (a) consult and (b) assess the potential impact of the measures contained in the proposed Government code on standards of parking operator (i) practice and (ii) behaviour.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government consulted on its proposals to raise standards across the private parking industry between 11 July 2025 and 26 September 2025. All responses are now being analysed. The government’s response to the consultation, together with the impact assessment of the measures contained in the new Code on the industry, will be published in due course.
The consultation document can be accessed on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of trends in the number of people over 65 owed a statutory homelessness prevention and relief duty by local authorities in England since July 2024.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Homelessness is far too high, including amongst people over the age of 65. The government publishes homelessness data, including the age of the main applicant owed a prevention and relief duty on gov.uk here.
Our National Plan to End Homelessness sets out that councils should design accessible, inclusive and culturally-sensitive services, supported by targeted interventions, which meet the needs and experiences of all people who need their help, including older people.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help ensure local authorities design local homelessness support services that meet the needs of older people when they experience homelessness.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Homelessness is far too high, including amongst people over the age of 65. The government publishes homelessness data, including the age of the main applicant owed a prevention and relief duty on gov.uk here.
Our National Plan to End Homelessness sets out that councils should design accessible, inclusive and culturally-sensitive services, supported by targeted interventions, which meet the needs and experiences of all people who need their help, including older people.