Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to send military personnel to Greenland.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As noted by the Defence Secretary last week, one UK military officer joined a reconnaissance visit to Greenland, in an observational capacity, at the request of the Danish Government. This was not a deployment of forces to Greenland, but a military recce ahead of future Danish-led exercise activity. These sorts of visits are a routine part of military planning ahead of exercises and operations, and we regularly join allies on their recces. Discussions are ongoing between Allies on how NATO can step up to bolster security in the High North to rapidly address the increasing threat from Russia.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question
To ask The Senior Deputy Speaker how much has been spent to date on Parliament’s Renewal and Restoration project since April 2020.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The total cost of the R&R Programme, from 2020-21 until the end of 2024-25, is £470m. This includes the costs of the Parliamentary Works Sponsor Body and Restoration and Renewal Delivery Authority which were established in April and May 2020 respectively (including £5m of costs in April 2020 before the Delivery Authority was formally incorporated). It also includes the costs of Restoration and Renewal Client Team, which took over the sponsor function for the programme from the Sponsor Body in January 2023, and Strategic Estates’ costs of developing the enhanced maintenance and improvement option (one of the three R&R delivery options being developed). These costs cover all planning, procurement, design and preparatory survey works for the Programme in this period.
The total agreed budget for the current financial year (2025-26) is £74m, which includes the costs of the Delivery Authority, the R&R Client Team, the House of Lords R&R team and Strategic Estates’ costs of developing the enhanced maintenance and improvement option.
The Delivery Authority’s Main Estimate for 2026-27 is currently subject to parliamentary scrutiny and approval. As well as parliamentary approval being required for the initial budget provision, the Delivery Authority’s expenditure is subject to regular scrutiny and challenge throughout the financial year including by the R&R Client Team and House finance teams, Delivery Authority Board, R&R Programme Board, R&R Client Board and Parliamentary Works Estimates Commission.
The Delivery Authority’s funding is based on what is required to deliver the key activities tasked to it by the R&R Client Team. The Delivery Authority seeks to ensure that its expenditure remains taut and proportionate for the activities required to deliver the Programme and constantly re-assesses its resources, scaling up or down as appropriate. Under legislation which set up the framework of the R&R Programme, HM Treasury is required to be consulted on the Delivery Authority’s Estimates; to date, HM Treasury has concluded that the Estimates have been “taut and realistic”. The R&R Programme routinely publishes information on costs, for instance in quarterly reports, annual reports, and memoranda provided to the Parliamentary Works Estimates Commission.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question
To ask The Senior Deputy Speaker whether there are plans to redesign or rebuild the metal fence in front of the House of Lords.
Answered by Baroness Garden of Frognal
The Abingdon Street Fence has been designed to improve the security of the Parliamentary Estate and everyone who works here. The planning permission granted by Westminster City Council for the ‘siting of a boundary fence’ is temporary and was granted for ten years. A longer-term solution will be taken forward via the Restoration and Renewal programme.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total cost of all forms of welfare benefit fraud over the last 12 months.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Estimates of fraud and error levels in the benefit system in Great Britain are published annually. Information for the financial year 2025 to 2026 will be published later this year.
Information on the financial year 2024 to 2025 can be found here: Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2024 to 2025 estimates - GOV.UK – see section 4. Total estimates of fraud and error across all benefit expenditure: overpayments due to Fraud were 2.2% (£6.5bn) in FYE 2025, compared with 2.7% (£7.3bn) in FYE 2024.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they consider Syria a 'safe' country for immigration purposes.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
All asylum and human rights claims from Syrian nationals are carefully considered on their individual merits. Each individual assessment is made by considering any relevant extant caselaw and the latest available country information. Country Policy and Information Notes (Syria: country policy and information notes - GOV.UK) outline conditions in Syria and provide guidance to asylum decision-makers.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Budget 2025 on the returns of private landlords.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The independent Office for Budget Responsibility does not expect that the reform to property income tax will have a significant impact on rental prices.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the health impacts of 'forever chemicals' in British food and drink.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) aims to keep levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food as low as reasonably achievable.
The Committee on Toxicity (COT), an advisory body which provides independent scientific advice to the FSA, is currently undertaking an assessment of PFAS. This assessment will include an independent review of the available toxicological and epidemiological data, focusing on a number of biological and health effects. The COT’s assessment will also consider toxicokinetics (how the body absorbs, distributes, metabolises and excretes) of PFAS. Derivation of updated health-based guidance values where possible will also be considered.
The outcome of this assessment is expected to support human health risk assessment of PFAS by United Kingdom Government Departments and Agencies in the context of existing and legacy exposure through food, drinking water and the environment.
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 plans they have to procure 1 million extra rental properties that are estimated by the National Residential Landlords Association to be required by 2031.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In our Plan for Change, we have set an ambitious milestone of building 1.5 million new homes across all tenures in England in this Parliament. At the Spending Review, we announced £39 billion for a successor to the Affordable Homes Programme over 10 years from 2026-27 to 2035-36. For further information, I refer the noble Lord to the Written Ministerial Statement published on 2 July (HLWS770).
The government is committed to supporting the Build to Rent sector. We are unlocking nearly £2 billion in additional lending through the Private Rented Sector Guarantee Scheme and have announced a £700 million extension to the Home Building Fund to help deliver more homes alongside institutional investors, including those provided by Build to Rent operators.
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 assessment they have made of whether local authority selective licensing for residential properties will duplicate the private rented sector database in the Renters' Rights Act 2025; and what assessment they have made of the impact of each of those schemes on costs for landlords and tenants.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Selective licensing and the Private Rented Sector Database have different purposes. Unlike the Database, selective licensing schemes aim to target specific local issues by enabling more intensive proactive enforcement strategies.
We recognise the need to keep requirements for landlords proportionate and fair. While Database registration brings some additional requirements, we are committed to ensuring these remain reasonable.
We will continue to review the use of selective licensing as we develop the Private Rented Sector Database – refining the way the two systems work together.
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 assessment they have made of the European Commission's European Affordable Housing Plan, published on 16 December, specifically its proposals for empowering regional and local governments to regulate short-term rentals that contribute to housing shortages.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government recognises that excessive concentrations of short-term lets can impact on housing availability and affordability and place pressure on local services.
We have abolished the furnished holiday lets tax regime, meaning landlords will no longer be incentivised by the tax system to make their properties available as short-term holiday lets rather than longer-term homes. From 31 October 2024, higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax on additional dwellings increased from three to five percentage points above standard rates. The Renters’ Rights Act includes a provision to prevent landlords from evicting tenants simply to convert properties into holiday lets.
In addition, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is progressing a national registration scheme for short-term lets. We are also empowering Mayors to introduce a visitor levy on short-term overnight accommodation in their region and continue to consider whether further powers are needed for local authorities.