Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to consolidate online train ticket providers as part of her plans to bring train operating companies into public ownership.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Once Great British Railways is established, it will retail online by consolidating individual train operators’ ticket websites. This will take place alongside a thriving private sector retail market, which will continue to play a key role in driving innovation and investment and encouraging more people to choose rail.

The Railways Bill consultation took place in the Spring. As part of this process, the government consulted closely with industry, the private sector, and wider stakeholders including in relation to the future of the rail retail market. A formal update will be provided in due course and we will work closely with stakeholders to ensure transition plans are as smooth as possible.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure transparency in the allocation of licences for commercial bluefin tuna fishery; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing alternative management models to enable wider participation by inshore fishermen.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In 2025, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) published comprehensive online guidance outlining the process for fishers, including those from the inshore fleet, to apply for access to the bluefin tuna commercial fishery. This guidance included detailed information on how applications would be assessed along with a timeline for the process.

Following assessment, the MMO contacted all applicants directly to inform them of the outcome of their applications.

To support the development of the fishery Defra commissioned external evaluations of the commercial bluefin fishery in 2023 and 2024 and continue to engage with fishers and other stakeholders on the ongoing management.

We must act within international rules set by The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and will continue to evaluate the best way to provide social and economic benefits for UK fishers in a sustainably managed commercial bluefin tuna fishery.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the financial pressures facing housing associations.

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

This government is committed to rebuilding the financial capacity of housing associations so they can borrow and invest in new and existing homes.

At the Spending Review, the government set out funding to provide a decade of certainty for housing associations. This included a new ten-year £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) alongside a ten-year rent settlement that will permit social housing rents to increase by CPI+1% annually. In addition, we recently completed a focused consultation on how we will implement social rent convergence, ahead of a final decision to be announced at Autumn Budget.

The Government has also committed over £1 billion between 2026 and 2030 to support cladding remediation for social landlords, ensuring equal access to building safety funds, as well as £2.5 billion in low-interest loans which will be made available to support new affordable housing development.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of social tariffs on household water affordability; and what steps he is taking to ensure that water companies provide adequate support for customers struggling to pay their bills.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Water companies must ensure support is available for vulnerable customers who are struggling to pay their bills. Companies have therefore more than doubled the number of customers that will receive help with their bills through social tariffs – from 4% to 9 and government expects industry to keep the current support schemes under review to ensure that vulnerable customers across the country are supported.

The Independent Water Commission made a recommendation to consult on a National Social Tariff which the Government is taking into consideration and will provide a response to later this year in a White Paper.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a national social tariff for water bills.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Independent Water Commission made a recommendation to consult on a National Social Tariff which the Government is taking into consideration and will provide a response to later this year in a White Paper.

The Government is working with industry to keep current support schemes under review to ensure that vulnerable customers across the country are supported and expects water companies to ensure support is available for vulnerable customers who are struggling to pay their bills. Companies have therefore more than doubled the number of customers that will receive help with their bills through existing social tariffs – from 4% to 9%.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to prioritise the development of reservoir capacity in the South West as part of the Government’s water resilience strategy; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of this on (a) households and (b) businesses in Cornwall.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government remains committed to a twin track approach to improving water resilience. This involves urgent action to improve water efficiency and reduce water company leaks, alongside investing in new supply infrastructure, including new reservoirs and water transfers.

Water companies have a statutory duty to provide a secure supply of water for customers, efficiently and economically and they have recently set out how they plan to continue to supply water to their household and business customers through statutory Water Resources Management Plans. The Government will work with regulators to ensure the water companies’ plans are delivered.

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 make an assessment of the potential impact of the extension of permitted days for temporary campsites on licensed campsite operators; and what steps she is taking to ensure a level regulatory playing field between licensed and temporary sites.

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

The government has no plans to carry out any such assessment but will continue to keep permitted development rights under review.

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 ensure that there is sufficient planning human resource capacity to enable the timely sign-off of pre-start conditions for affordable housing developments.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 67508 on 21 July 2025.

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 support affordable housing developers with (a) making grid connections, (b) installing drainage infrastructure, (c) achieving biodiversity net gain and (d) other development challenges.

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

The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of supporting infrastructure in a sustainable manner.

Local development plans should address needs and opportunities in relation to infrastructure and identify what infrastructure is required and how it can be funded and brought forward. When preparing a Local Plan, Planning Practice Guidance recommends that local planning authorities use available evidence of infrastructure requirements to prepare an Infrastructure Funding Statement. Such Statements can be used to demonstrate the delivery of infrastructure throughout the plan-period.

The government provides financial support for essential infrastructure in areas of greatest housing demand through Land and Infrastructure funding programmes, such as the Housing Infrastructure Fund.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 will also support the increased provision and modernisation of various types of public infrastructure. It makes clear that local authorities should have policies that set out an overall strategy for the pattern, scale and design quality of places; that they should make sufficient provision for infrastructure including energy; and that applications which could affect drainage on or around the site should incorporate sustainable drainage systems.

The government is also committed to strengthening the existing system of developer contributions to ensure new developments provide necessary affordable homes and infrastructure. Further details will be set out in due course.

On 28 May 2025, the government published a consultation on improving the implementation of biodiversity net gain for minor, medium and brownfield development. It can be found on gov.uk here. The consultation closed on 24 July 2025 and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is considering the responses received.

Found: Gilbert (Labour; Edinburgh North and Leith) Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat; Esher and Walton) Noah Law

Found: Gilbert (Labour; Edinburgh North and Leith) Monica Harding (Liberal Democrat; Esher and Walton) Noah Law

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Brian Mathew (Chair); Tracy Gilbert; Noah Law; James Naish; Sam Rushworth

Found: houseofcommons Restricted: For Committee use only roundtable in Parliament, hosted by Committee member Noah Law

Submit Evidence (by 31 Oct 2025)

A new inquiry into the future of the UK’s international aid and development assistance programmes has been launched by the International Development Committee.