Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tackle increasing levels of mobile phone theft.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
On 6 February the Home Secretary brought together law enforcement and leading tech companies to drive greater collaboration in breaking the business model of mobile phone thieves.
The Summit resulted in clear commitments from attendees to work in partnership, including to significantly boost the sharing of data and intelligence on mobile phone theft to build a comprehensive picture of the problem and better understand the role of organised crime networks.
To aid police investigations and recovery of stolen goods, our Crime and Policing Bill also includes a measure to give police the power to enter and search premises for stolen property that has been electronically geolocation tracked to those premises, where it is not reasonably practicable to obtain a warrant.
Through our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee we will place thousands of additional police officers and police community support officers in neighbourhood policing roles to provide a more visible and effective response, including in response to the activities of mobile phone thieves operating in our communities.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 11 December 2024 (HL3030), what discussions they have had with Transport for London regarding the implementation, including timescale, of a licensing requirement for pedicabs since 11 December; and what assessment, if any, they have made of the impact of pedicabs on London.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport passed the Pedicabs (London) Act 2024 to regulate the Pedicabs industry in London. Following Royal Assent of the Act, Transport for London (TfL) undertook a public consultation earlier this year seeking views on high level policy proposals to regulate pedicabs in London. The consultation closed on 7 March 2025 and TfL is currently analysing the responses with a view to publishing the consultation report and next steps in due course. An impact assessment was published on 7 February 2024 when the Bill was introduced into the House of Commons which assessed the impact of pedicabs on London alongside likely effects of the legislation.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what housing targets they have set for each London borough under the National Policy Planning Framework; whether these targets are mandatory; and whether they plan for them to remain in place for each borough if the overall target for London is met.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The responsibility for the overall distribution of housing need in London lies with the Mayor, who considers an overall strategy for London's growth and development capacity through the statutory London Plan. Local authorities must assess and plan how to meet their local housing targets over the plan period, justified by evidence on land availability and constraints on development.
The National Planning Policy Framework expects strategic policy-making authorities, like the Greater London Authority, to take account of the national standard method when assessing local housing need, which incorporates a baseline of local housing stock adjusted upwards to reflect local affordability pressures. The local housing need for each London borough as calculated through the national standard method can be found here on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - 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 merits of giving local authorities the power to act against short-term lets in London which cause problems, and of requiring short-term lets to obtain planning permission before going on the market.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Primary legislation provides that homes in London that are liable for council tax may be let for temporary sleeping accommodation for up to 90-nights in a calendar year. Planning permission is required to let for more than this number of nights. We have committed to introduce a register of short term lets which will help local authorities to apply and enforce these rules. We understand the challenges presented by short term lets and continue to consider further action.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the people of Myanmar and the wider region following the earthquake on 28 March.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK pledged an initial £10 million worth of life saving support to Myanmar in response to the earthquake. This package will be delivered via long standing UK-funded local partners and through the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which will fund life-saving support to some of the most urgent humanitarian needs. The UK also supports the Disaster Emergency Committee and will match public donations up to £5 million. The UK is providing consular assistance to the small number of British nationals in Myanmar and Thailand affected by the earthquake. On 4 April, we announced a further £10m of funding, bringing our total response to up to £25 million.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will issue local authorities multi-year settlements to enable them to plan more efficiently and secure their long-term future.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We are committed to providing a multi-year funding settlement starting in 2026-27. This will be the first multi-year settlement since 2016 and will provide local authorities with the certainty they need to focus on their priorities.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support is available to landlords who are subject to additional costs imposed by councils under the selective licensing schemes.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Local authorities are responsible for assessing the impact of a selective licensing scheme on their area. This may include the impact of licence fees on local rents.
Local authorities have discretion to charge fees which cover the cost of running selective licensing schemes. They may also offer discounts on fees to reduce costs for landlords. The government expects local authorities to make details of these fees, along with the rationale behind their determination, transparent and readily accessible.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - 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 impact of introducing selective licensing on the cost of renting.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Local authorities are responsible for assessing the impact of a selective licensing scheme on their area. This may include the impact of licence fees on local rents.
Local authorities have discretion to charge fees which cover the cost of running selective licensing schemes. They may also offer discounts on fees to reduce costs for landlords. The government expects local authorities to make details of these fees, along with the rationale behind their determination, transparent and readily accessible.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - 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 impact of landlords leaving the private rental market on the rate of homelessness across London.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The most recent English Housing Survey results, published on 28 November 2024, show that proportion of private rented sector (PRS) households in London which are part of the private rental market has increased from 27.4% in 2018-19 to 31.8% in 2023-24. Over the past 5 years data on dwelling stock shows that there has been an increase in the number of PRS properties in London. Live tables on dwelling stock (including vacants) - GOV.UK
Our Renters’ Rights Bill will deliver our manifesto commitment to transform the experience of private renting, including by ending Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions. The most recent homelessness statistics release reported between April and June 2024, 1,100 Londoners were put at risk of homelessness because they received a Section 21 eviction notice. By implementing the long overdue abolition of Section 21 evictions, this government will give renters much greater security and stability so they can stay in their homes for longer, build lives in their communities, and avoid the risk of homelessness.
However, homelessness levels in London and across the country remain far too high. This is why the government has committed to developing a new cross government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to get us back on track to ending homelessness once and for all. This includes a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, bringing together ministers from across government.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to prevent the closures of, and (2) to support the opening of, Post Offices across London.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Government provides an annual £50m Network Subsidy funding to support the delivery of a minimum number of branches and a geographical spread of branches in line with published access criteria. The Government uplifted the subsidy in FY 24/25 by £37.5 million to further support the Post Office network and the important services it provides. The access criteria ensure that however the network changes, Post Office delivers essential services across the UK via its network of 11,500 branches. The access criteria will ensure that, across London, 99% of the population will continue to live within 3 miles of a Post Office.