Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing (a) time limits and (b) penalties for local planning authorities that do not determine small applications within statutory deadlines.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department recognises the importance of timely decision-making in the planning system, particularly for small applications which are often vital to local communities and small businesses.
Local planning authorities are already subject to statutory timeframes for determining planning application. For small or non-major application, the statutory deadline is eight weeks. Where this deadline is not met, and no extended time period has been agreed, applicants have the right to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate on the grounds of non-determination.
My Department monitors the performance of local planning authorities in terms of both the speed and quality of decision-making, with separate metrics for major and non-major applications. Speed of decision-making is measured by the proportion of decisions that are made within the statutory deadline or an agreed extended time period. The current performance threshold for non-major applications is at least 70% of decisions made within these timeframes.
Where an authority fails to meet this threshold, the Secretary of State has the power to designate the authority. Designation requires the authority to prepare an improvement plan, and applicants may choose to submit relevant applications directly to the Planning Inspectorate, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the time taken for Section 278 approvals on SME development timelines.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises that the road adoption process under the Highways Act 1980, including Section 278 agreements where developers modify existing public highways, has become increasingly fragmented and prolonged across England. This has contributed to a decline in road adoption rates. In response, the Department for Transport is conducting research to better understand the underlying causes and identify opportunities for improvement.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
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 introduce a cascade mechanism for Section 106 affordable housing agreements.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
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.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a (a) targeted help to build and (b) mortgage guarantee scheme for first-time buyers purchasing SME-built homes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has no current plans to make such an assessment.
The Help to Build: Equity Loan scheme, targeted at those wanting to custom build, self build or shell build a home, opened in June 2022 and closed to new applications in March 2025. There are no plans to allocate further funding to it.
The government has introduced a new, permanent Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, available to support and sustain availability of low deposit mortgage products for prospective buyers. Additionally, the Bank of England is easing the loan-to-income limit, enabling up to 36,000 additional first-time buyers in the first year. The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) ongoing review of the mortgage market means many buyers can now borrow 10% more towards a property purchase. The government looks forward to ambitious proposals from the FCA’s paper. First-time buyers may also benefit from home ownership initiatives offered at the local level.
We have also provided £3 billion of additional support for SMEs and the Build to Rent sector, in the form of housing guarantee schemes.
My Department has regular discussions with HM Treasury on a range of issues including measures to support SMEs.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with HM Treasury about potential measures to support demand for SME-led housing.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has no current plans to make such an assessment.
The Help to Build: Equity Loan scheme, targeted at those wanting to custom build, self build or shell build a home, opened in June 2022 and closed to new applications in March 2025. There are no plans to allocate further funding to it.
The government has introduced a new, permanent Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, available to support and sustain availability of low deposit mortgage products for prospective buyers. Additionally, the Bank of England is easing the loan-to-income limit, enabling up to 36,000 additional first-time buyers in the first year. The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) ongoing review of the mortgage market means many buyers can now borrow 10% more towards a property purchase. The government looks forward to ambitious proposals from the FCA’s paper. First-time buyers may also benefit from home ownership initiatives offered at the local level.
We have also provided £3 billion of additional support for SMEs and the Build to Rent sector, in the form of housing guarantee schemes.
My Department has regular discussions with HM Treasury on a range of issues including measures to support SMEs.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government will consider the potential merits of (a) exemptions and (b) reduced thresholds for small and medium sized housebuilders under biodiversity net gain regulations.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has recently consulted on how to improve biodiversity net gain for minor, medium and brownfield development. This included options on exemptions and potential reduced thresholds for minor development. The Government is considering responses and will publish a summary of responses received as well as a Government response in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of biodiversity net gain requirements on the viability of small and medium-sized housing schemes.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has recently consulted on how to improve biodiversity net gain for minor, medium and brownfield development. This included options on exemptions and potential reduced thresholds for minor development. The Government is considering responses and will publish a summary of responses received as well as a Government response in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of including Cyber Attacks within the Pool Reinsurance Company Limited Fund.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Pool Reinsurance, or Pool Re, was created to ensure the effective functioning of the UK’s terrorism insurance market. The government do not have any plans to extend Pool Re’s remit to include further cyber-related risks.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of puppy smuggling.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Due to the illegal nature of this activity, we cannot know the true extent of puppy and kitten smuggling operations. The Animal and Plant Health Agency plays a critical role in monitoring and intercepting animals that do not meet legal importation standards including those that are underage.
As outlined in our manifesto, the Government is committed to ending puppy smuggling. That is why we are supporting the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill. We are fully supportive of this Bill and would like to see it pass through the House of Lords as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the animal welfare strategy will include a commitment to help end the illegal puppy smuggling trade.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As outlined in our manifesto, the Government is committed to ending puppy smuggling. That is why we are supporting the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill.
This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.