Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will standardise the approach for measuring and monitoring data on domestic abuse survivors and the housing tenure they receive to allow for a comparative study of the differences between local authority areas.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department does not collect data on the tenure offered to domestic abuse survivors. However, from the 2025-26 data collection, a question has been added to local authority social housing statistics returns to record applicants who require social housing because they are fleeing domestic abuse, with findings to be published in due course.
In 2024-25, around 15,000 households who received a new social housing letting (8% of all lettings) left their previous settled home due to domestic abuse, including around 3,700 households who previously held a joint tenancy with their partner.
Section 79 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 requires local authorities to grant a lifetime secure tenancy where a victim of domestic abuse is rehoused under a new secure tenancy because of that abuse. Further information is available in the Government's post-legislative scrutiny of the Act, available on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to make up the £58bn reduction in Vehicle Emissions Duty and fuel duty by 2035 arising from increasing uptake of electric vehicles, while maintaining strong incentives for drivers to switch to electric vehicles.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
As more people switch to electric vehicles, fuel duty receipts are forecast to decline. The Government is therefore introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, to ensure electric vehicle drivers make a fair contribution to the public finances while maintaining incentives to switch to electric vehicles.
Electric cars will pay 3 pence per mile, around half the equivalent fuel duty rate paid by the average petrol or diesel driver, while plug-in hybrid cars will pay 1.5 pence per mile.
The Government also announced additional support at Budget 2025, meaning we are investing over £7.5 billion out to 2035 to help drivers and the automotive sector make the switch to electric vehicles. This includes £2 billion for the Electric Car Grant (ECG), further support for chargepoint rollout, and increasing the Expensive Car Supplement (ECS) threshold to £50,000 for EVs. This support is being introduced before the tax takes effect to support continued momentum in EV take-up. Overall around 80 per cent of eVED revenue from the first three years of the tax will be reinvested to extend support for EVs and the automotive manufacturing industry.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will encourage local authorities to (a) measure the level of furniture provision within their social housing stock and (b) ensure that (i) low-income and (ii) vulnerable people are being moved into housing that fits their needs.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
People living without essential furniture can access support through their local authority, including via the Crisis and Resilience Fund, to provide discretionary help with essential items such as furniture.
In 2025, the government consulted on proposals to reform the Decent Homes Standard for both the social and private rented sectors. As part of this, we sought views on how furniture provision could be addressed within best practice guidance.
Our response to the consultation was published in January 2026, confirming our commitment to issue guidance relating to furniture provision. The consultation response can be found on gov.uk here.
As we progress work in this area, my Department will continue to engage with a range of stakeholders including tenant organisations, charities and landlords who already provide essential items to tenants in need.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his future plans for setting vehicle excise duty will account for the relative impact on road wear, pedestrian safety, and public space of vehicles according to weight.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given to the question in PQ UIN 36187.
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-10-19/36187
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what analysis he has undertaken of the decline in ocean biomass by 2100; and what steps he is taking through the Blue Belt Programme, the BBNJ Treaty and other mechanisms to arrest and reverse its decline.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is committed to doing its part to protect ocean biomass. This includes continuing to support our world leading Blue Belt Programme for the UK Overseas Territories and supporting the rapid implementation of the BBNJ Treaty in order to develop new area-based management tools for areas of the ocean beyond national jurisdiction. That is why for example the UK, together with the Government of Bermuda, is supporting the Hamilton II Declaration relating to protection for the Sargasso Sea, which I signed on Monday 19 October. The UK also continues to champion ocean action as part of the global response to climate change, reflecting the potential of ocean-based solutions to contribute to climate action and to address the impact of climate change on the ocean.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he will make a decision on funding the Blue Belt Programme for 2026/27.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's Blue Belt Programme has received a £8.5 million funding allocation (comprising £2 million Official Development Assistance [ODA] and £6.5 million non-ODA) for 2026/27, and will continue to provide vital support to the UK Overseas Territories in protecting their marine environments and underpinning global ocean protection ambitions.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she intends to publish the combined sexual and reproductive health framework.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The sexual health and reproductive health framework is in development. Further details will be shared in due course.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress her department has made toward the development of a youth homelessness toolkit and dedicated youth homelessness chapter in The Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department has engaged with local authorities and youth homelessness sector organisations in the development of the new youth chapter in the Homelessness Code of Guidance and the youth homelessness prevention toolkit. The new youth chapter was published on 30 September 2026 and is available here.
We intend to publish the youth homelessness prevention toolkit in due course. In developing the toolkit, the Department has also engaged with young people with lived experience of homelessness to ensure the toolkit is informed by their experiences and insights.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether opportunities will be available for charities and third sector organisations to contribute to the drafting of the youth homelessness toolkit and dedicated youth homelessness chapter in The Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department has engaged with local authorities and youth homelessness sector organisations in the development of the new youth chapter in the Homelessness Code of Guidance and the youth homelessness prevention toolkit. The new youth chapter was published on 30 September 2026 and is available here.
We intend to publish the youth homelessness prevention toolkit in due course. In developing the toolkit, the Department has also engaged with young people with lived experience of homelessness to ensure the toolkit is informed by their experiences and insights.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department's position in future fisheries negotiations, including on catch limits, will be consistent with the best available scientific advice on sustainable fishing levels.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I am committed to an evidence-based approach to fisheries management. The UK will continue to use the best available scientific advice to inform our negotiating positions. These positions will also account for our obligations under the Fisheries Act 2020.