Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether construction work is continuing on the cancelled routes of HS2; and if so, what is the cost of that work.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department is not continuing construction on the cancelled Phase 2a or Phase 2b routes of HS2.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop an anti-ballistic programme to protect the UK.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Ballistic Missiles are one of several threat categories that are managed through our Integrated Air and Missile Defence enterprise.
Integrated Air and Missile Defence investments will be prioritised appropriately against the threat as part of the future Integrated Force. Work to deliver the Strategic Defence Review recommendations, including of up to £1 billion on Homeland on Integrated Air and Missile Defence, will be prioritised appropriately against the assessed threat picture as part of the future Integrated Force and will be set out in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given, if any, to abolishing stamp duty.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has no plans to abolish Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). SDLT continues to be an important source of Government revenue, raising around £14 billion each year to help pay for the essential services the Government provides.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to encourage a reduction in remote working as part of their growth strategy.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Flexible working can lead to happier, healthier and more productive employees. This is good for workers and good for businesses.
Businesses can reject requests for remote working on business grounds, set out in legislation, including high costs or limited ability to meet customer demand.
Changes through the Employment Rights Act will encourage conversations between employers and employees about where flexibility might be possible.
In 2025, we published our modern Industrial Strategy which will support creating good jobs and higher incomes across the country, including £1.2 billion of additional investment in skills per year by 2028-29.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 26 February (HL14639), how many fixed penalty notices have been issued to cyclists and scooter riders for (1) jumping red lights, and (2) riding on pavements, in England in the past 12 months; and whether they have plans to introduce legislation to reduce those practices.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not collect or hold specific data on the number of fixed penalty notices issued to cyclists or scooter riders.
The Home Office’s annual publication Police Powers and Procedures: Roads Policing - the most recent edition of which is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-roads-policing-to-december-2023 - provides statistics on fixed penalty notices and other outcomes for motoring offences, all of which apply exclusively to motor-vehicle drivers. Cyclists are therefore excluded from the scope of the published figures.
It is an offence for a cyclist to jump a red light and to cycle on a pavement, and the Government is determined to go further to make our streets safer for pedestrians by introducing new cycling offences through the Crime and Policing Bill, which will tackle instances where victims have been killed or seriously injured by irresponsible cyclists, ensuring parity of enforcement powers against dangerous behaviour on our roads, for all road users.
The Crime and Policing Bill will also give police greater powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour involving e-scooters, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizure. This will allow police to put an immediate stop to offending.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to make functioning CCTV mandatory on trains, buses and coaches and associated stations.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The installation and use of CCTV on vehicles and at stations is an operational decision with many operators and local authorities choosing to install CCTV on their networks.
As of March 2024, 96% of buses used by local operators in England were equipped with CCTV, some coach operators already use CCTV on their vehicles, and most new train procurements since 1996 have included CCTV provision.
On the railway, where CCTV is installed, National Rail Contracts and Service Agreements require operators to comply with relevant industry guidance and standards. This includes ensuring that CCTV equipment is properly maintained and remains in working order, and that recorded images are securely stored and retained so they are available to support investigations when required. Train operators are expected to follow the Rail Safety and Standards Board’s Rail Industry Standard for on‑train camera monitoring systems, which covers matters such as system performance, image quality, secure storage and retention.
The Department recently announced nearly £17 million of funding for a project to connect railway station CCTV directly to the British Transport Police and is exploring expanding the provision and use of CCTV on the bus network, to increase feelings of safety and reduce the length of police investigations.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to introduce legislation to regulate short-term let properties.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Whilst second homes and short-term lets can benefit local economies, the government appreciate that excessive concentrations in some areas of the country can impact the availability and affordability of homes, both to rent and buy.
That’s why we have abolished the furnished holiday lets tax regime, removing the incentive for landlords to prioritise short-term holiday lets over longer-term homes, and increased the higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax on additional dwellings to five percentage points above standard rates.
The Renters’ Rights Act also includes a provision to prevent landlords from evicting tenants simply to convert properties into holiday lets, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is progressing a national registration scheme for short-term lets.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will consider issuing on the spot fines for (1) cyclists and motorists jumping red lights, (2) cyclists riding in pedestrian-only areas of public parks, and (3) cyclists and scooter riders riding on public pavements.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The police can issue on-the-spot fines (which are formally referred to as fixed penalty notices) for a range of cycling and motoring offences. Decisions on when to issue fixed penalty notices are an operational matter for the police, using their professional judgement.
In addition to issuing fixed penalty notices on-the-spot, police may also issue motorists with three points on their driving licence for failure to comply with traffic signs.
Cycling in pedestrian-only areas of public parks may constitute an offence under local byelaws or Public Space Protection Orders resulting in a fixed penalty notice, which can be issued on-the-spot. In some circumstances, cycling on a footway is also prohibited, unless the footway is designated for shared use, and the offence may result in an on-the-spot fixed penalty notice. Cycling on a pavement and riding a powered e-scooter on a pavement are also offences and may result in on the spot fines.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have plans to protect leaseholders in retirement villages from freeholders and managing agents who act in bad faith.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government recognise that some specialist retirement housing providers have distinct operational and financing arrangements, and we value the important contribution that this sector makes to supporting older people.
We want to ensure providers can continue to operate effectively and with confidence.
As per the Written Ministerial Statement made on 27 January 2026 HLWS1278 (attached), we will consider through the scrutiny and consultation process whether particular arrangements may be appropriate for certain forms of specialist provision.
The government is committed to ensuring that leaseholders, including those living in retirement homes, are protected from unfair and unreasonable practices.
There are currently two government-approved codes of practice in force in relation to the residential leasehold sector and private retirement housing. These are the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Residential Management Service Charge Code and the Association of Retirement Housing Managers (AHRM) Code of Practice. The enforcement of standards set out in these codes can be taken into account as evidence, at court or tribunal hearings.
Individual leases set out what services leaseholders may expect to receive, and what they should pay for. By law variable service charges must be reasonable and, where costs relate to works or services, the works or services must be of a reasonable standard. Should leaseholders wish to contest the reasonableness of their service charges, they may make an application to the appropriate tribunal. On 4 July, the government published a consultation on strengthening leaseholder protections over charges and services. It can be found on gov.uk (attached) here.
The government is giving careful consideration to the recommendations from the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report, including in relation to specialist accommodation for older people.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill will include provisions for leaseholders in retirement villages.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government recognise that some specialist retirement housing providers have distinct operational and financing arrangements, and we value the important contribution that this sector makes to supporting older people.
We want to ensure providers can continue to operate effectively and with confidence.
As per the Written Ministerial Statement made on 27 January 2026 HLWS1278 (attached), we will consider through the scrutiny and consultation process whether particular arrangements may be appropriate for certain forms of specialist provision.
The government is committed to ensuring that leaseholders, including those living in retirement homes, are protected from unfair and unreasonable practices.
There are currently two government-approved codes of practice in force in relation to the residential leasehold sector and private retirement housing. These are the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Residential Management Service Charge Code and the Association of Retirement Housing Managers (AHRM) Code of Practice. The enforcement of standards set out in these codes can be taken into account as evidence, at court or tribunal hearings.
Individual leases set out what services leaseholders may expect to receive, and what they should pay for. By law variable service charges must be reasonable and, where costs relate to works or services, the works or services must be of a reasonable standard. Should leaseholders wish to contest the reasonableness of their service charges, they may make an application to the appropriate tribunal. On 4 July, the government published a consultation on strengthening leaseholder protections over charges and services. It can be found on gov.uk (attached) here.
The government is giving careful consideration to the recommendations from the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report, including in relation to specialist accommodation for older people.