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 the potential impact of the change in the Renters' Rights Act from fixed term tenancies to rolling, periodic tenancies on student HMO landlords.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department engaged extensively with the student sector when developing the Renters’ Rights Act and its Impact Assessment received a green rating from the RPC.

We continue to monitor trends across the private rented sector and are conducting a robust evaluation of the impact of the Act. Evaluation reports will be published two and five years after implementation.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has considered the merits of introducing a law to compel property owners to have adequate insurance for damage caused by their trees, especially in the context of more frequent storms and extreme weather related to climate change.

Answered by Rachel Blake

The government has no plans to introduce a legal requirement for property owners to hold insurance against damage caused by trees on their land.

Property owners are responsible for managing trees on their land and may be liable for damage caused where negligence can be established. Many buildings insurance policies will provide some degree of third-party liability cover. The Government would always recommend that consumers shop around to find the most suitable cover at the best price.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has considered the potential merits of using existing public infrastructure, such as the Post Office network, to expand the provision of in-person banking support.

Answered by Rachel Blake

The Government is committed to ensuring that people who need in-person banking can continue to access essential services. That is why the Government commissioned an independent Review into Access to Banking Services, to assess whether changes to access to in-person banking services are causing consumer detriment, the scale of any detriment, and who it affects. The Review will consider access to in-person banking services for both personal and business customers.

As part of this, the Review will consider existing forms of in-person banking provision. The Post Office provides banking services through over 10,000 branches via the Banking Framework agreement and, as such, the provision of services by the Post Office on behalf of banks will be considered as part of the Review.

Alongside the Review, the Financial Services and Markets Bill includes a power to allow the Government to take action in future to protect access to banking services, should this be necessary. This power ensures the Government can act swiftly and proportionately, including through future regulation, if the evidence from the Review supports intervention.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if her Department will consider the potential merits of introducing a minimum standard for access to in-person banking services as part of the Access to Banking Services Review.

Answered by Rachel Blake

The Government is committed to ensuring that people who need in-person banking can continue to access essential services. That is why the Government commissioned an independent Review into Access to Banking Services, to assess whether changes to access to in-person banking services are causing consumer detriment, the scale of any detriment, and who it affects. The Review will consider access to in-person banking services for both personal and business customers.

As part of this, the Review will consider existing forms of in-person banking provision. The Post Office provides banking services through over 10,000 branches via the Banking Framework agreement and, as such, the provision of services by the Post Office on behalf of banks will be considered as part of the Review.

Alongside the Review, the Financial Services and Markets Bill includes a power to allow the Government to take action in future to protect access to banking services, should this be necessary. This power ensures the Government can act swiftly and proportionately, including through future regulation, if the evidence from the Review supports intervention.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the compliance of battery energy storage systems with government guidance, particularly concerning risk assessments and emergency planning.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) oversees the legal framework setting the requirements for battery developers to manage risks throughout a grid-scale battery’s lifecycle. Government publishes guidance to support meeting these requirements, helping developers navigate standards and recommending best practice such as risk assessments and emergency planning. DESNZ engages regularly with industry via the Health and Safety Governance Group to monitor the safety of the industry, which has a high level of adoption of risk management procedures, including those recommended by guidance.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of further changes to the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate on levels of investor confidence in the automotive and chargepoint sectors.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government is committed to phasing out new cars relying solely on internal combustion engines by 2030 and to all new car and van sales being zero emission by 2035. These commitments provide the automotive and charging sectors with crucial investment certainty.

The Government has a long-standing commitment to publish a review of the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate to ensure we are taking a pragmatic and balanced approach to the transition that drives investment. We intend to conclude the review, which will include a public consultation, in the next six months. We will welcome views from the automotive and chargepoint sectors during this process.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding is available to restore and maintain trust ports.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Trust ports are commercial entities and have a range of funding options in line with other commercial bodies. The department does not provide general funding for the port sector, but is supporting the National Wealth Fund which has committed £5.8bn to five priority sectors, including ports.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will review the annual allowance for the Rent a Room Scheme to allow it to catch up with inflation.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

The Rent a Room Scheme lets individuals earn up to a threshold of £7,500 per year tax free from letting out furnished accommodation in their home.

Increasing the allowance would carry a cost, and doing so is not currently under active consideration. Although, all tax policies are kept under review in advance of Budgets and this representation will be considered.

Found: and Somerton) Ben Goldsborough (Labour; South Norfolk) Terry Jermy (Labour; South West Norfolk) Jayne Kirkham

Found: Alistair Carmichael, in the Chair Sarah Bool Charlie Dewhirst Helena Dollimore Sarah Dyke Jayne Kirkham

Found: and Somerton) Ben Goldsborough (Labour; South Norfolk) Terry Jermy (Labour; South West Norfolk) Jayne Kirkham