Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 families in lower socio-economic groups who are unable to afford private sector rental prices.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Housing is a devolved matter within the competency of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
The government provides financial support to low-income private renters in England through a range of mechanisms including the housing element of Universal Credit, Discretionary Housing Payments, and the Household Support Fund.
The Renters’ Rights Act contains a large number of provisions that will benefit low-income private renters in England. These include measures that empower private tenants to challenge unfair rent increases without fear of eviction; make it illegal for landlords and agents to discriminate against prospective tenants in receipt of benefits or with children; and end the practice of rental bidding by prohibiting landlords and agents from asking for or accepting offers above the advertised rent.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what funding her Department provides to the Northern Ireland Executive to help make derelict properties (a) safe and (b) habitable.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Housing is a devolved matter within the competency of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
The UK Government supports the Northern Ireland Executive through a variety of funding streams.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 with Cabinet colleagues to help improve (a) sewage lines and (b) other housing infrastructure.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to questions UIN 65505 on 14 July 2025 and UIN 77897 on 17 October 2025.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 improve social housing completion rates.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 2 July, the government set out its five-point plan for kickstarting a decade of social and affordable housing renewal. Taken together, the grant funding support and regulatory certainty and stability that this government is providing will enable Registered Providers to quickly ramp up investment in existing and new stock. Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on that day (HCWS771).
Section 106 agreements are, and will remain, an essential mechanism for delivering social and affordable housing. The government continues to progress work on a holistic policy package that will deal with the legacy problem of existing uncontracted S106 units and also prevent the problem recurring by laying the foundations for a simpler, more transparent, and more resilient S106 system.
On 25 May, the government published a Planning Reform Working Paper: Speeding Up Build Out (which can be found on gov.uk here) which included proposals to implement a new power for authorities to decline to determine planning applications made by developers who fail to build out at a reasonable rate. The consultation closed on 7 July and we are currently considering all feedback received.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing tenants' protections from eviction after landlords have accessed grants to improve energy efficiency.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government recently consulted on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector. The consultation included proposals for rented homes to achieve Energy Performance Certificate C or equivalent by 2030. The consultation closed in May this year and DESNZ are currently reviewing responses ahead of publishing a response.
The government is committed to protecting and improving the rights of tenants. The Renters’ Rights Bill will put in place new regulations to protect tenants. This includes providing stronger protections to ensure that tenants are able to appeal excessive above-market rents, abolishing Section 21 ‘no fault evictions’, and moving to a simpler tenancy structure where all assured tenancies ae periodic. These measures provide more security for tenants and enable them to challenge poor practice and unfair rent increases without fear of eviction.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much has been spent on public realm schemes in England in the last 12 months.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The information requested is not held centrally.
This Government is fully committed to rejuvenating our high streets. The Plan for Neighbourhoods provides £1.5bn to support up to 350 communities across the country.