Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take to help ensure that the proposed changes to Biodiversity Net Gain requirements do not delay the development of planning applications.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recently announced its intention to introduce a new 0.2 ha area exemption to ease burdens on small developers and local authorities whilst maintaining nature recovery at scale. A full consultation response is coming shortly, along with an evidence assessment. A full Impact Assessment will follow later in the year.
An implementation timeline will also be published along with the consultation response, setting out when changes will take effect. Until this is confirmed, the current BNG requirement remains in place and developers and local authorities should continue to follow existing guidance and legislation when delivering BNG.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
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 legal strength and enforceability of the TA6 seller’s property information form in residential property transactions.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The TA6 Property Information Form is designed and provided by the Law Society. The form itself is not prescribed in legislation, nor subject to regulatory oversight.
There are wider requirements, under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 for example, that any property information that would help a prospective homebuyer to make an informed decision is not hidden or omitted.
Statements made in the TA6 in a conveyancing transaction can be caught by this legislation. Where inaccurate or misleading information is communicated by the seller to the buyer then the buyer may, depending on the circumstances, seek redress through the courts.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
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 has made an assessment of the potential impact of proposed changes to the Biodiversity Net Gain regulations on the workload for local planning authorities.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recently announced its intention to introduce a new 0.2 ha area exemption to ease burdens on small developers and local authorities whilst maintaining nature recovery at scale. A full consultation response is coming shortly, along with an evidence assessment. A full Impact Assessment will follow later in the year.
An implementation timeline will also be published along with the consultation response, setting out when changes will take effect. Until this is confirmed, the current BNG requirement remains in place and developers and local authorities should continue to follow existing guidance and legislation when delivering BNG.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department given on whether local planning authorities may waive retrospective Community Infrastructure Levy charges on self-build and extensions where administrative errors were made by applicants in good faith; and whether he plans to provide new or updated guidance following the ruling of R (Luck) v Bracknell Forest BC [2025] EWHC 2984 (Admin).
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has not issued official guidance to local planning authorities on matters relating to enforcement decisions on Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) charges previously levied on householder developers.
CIL charging authorities are ultimately responsible and accountable for their own decisions on charging and enforcement of CIL.
That said, the government expects charging authorities to consider each case very carefully and in accordance with their legal obligations.
The government recognise that procedural requirements relating to exemptions for housebuilder applications under the 2010 CIL regulations have had financial consequences for some homeowners and we remain committed to finding an urgent solution to this issue.
We are also aware of the High Court decision in R (Luck) v Bracknell Forest BC [2025] EWHC 2984 (admin). As with any such ruling, its implications on the policy area will be carefully considered.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to provide certainty for people with (a) proposals currently in the planning process and (b) planning permission already granted where Biodiversity Net Gain requirements apply.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recently announced its intention to introduce a new 0.2 ha area exemption to ease burdens on small developers and local authorities whilst maintaining nature recovery at scale. A full consultation response is coming shortly, along with an evidence assessment. A full Impact Assessment will follow later in the year.
An implementation timeline will also be published along with the consultation response, setting out when changes will take effect. Until this is confirmed, the current BNG requirement remains in place and developers and local authorities should continue to follow existing guidance and legislation when delivering BNG.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
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 the changes to Biodiversity Net Gain requirements on nature recovery in South Suffolk.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recently announced its intention to introduce a new 0.2 ha area exemption to ease burdens on small developers and local authorities whilst maintaining nature recovery at scale. A full consultation response is coming shortly, along with an evidence assessment. A full Impact Assessment will follow later in the year.
An implementation timeline will also be published along with the consultation response, setting out when changes will take effect. Until this is confirmed, the current BNG requirement remains in place and developers and local authorities should continue to follow existing guidance and legislation when delivering BNG.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the evidential basis is for the proposed 0.2-hectare exemption from mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recently announced its intention to introduce a new 0.2 ha area exemption to ease burdens on small developers and local authorities whilst maintaining nature recovery at scale. A full consultation response is coming shortly, along with an evidence assessment. A full Impact Assessment will follow later in the year.
An implementation timeline will also be published along with the consultation response, setting out when changes will take effect. Until this is confirmed, the current BNG requirement remains in place and developers and local authorities should continue to follow existing guidance and legislation when delivering BNG.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help people with food prices.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is taking forward a range of actions to help address food prices by tackling the underlying drivers of cost and supporting access to affordable food.
The department is working closely with the Department for Business and Trade to assess how regulation affects food businesses and food prices, through the Food Inflation Gateway. This work is helping to identify where burdens can be reduced or sequenced more effectively. Alongside this, through the Good Food Cycle, Defra set out priority outcomes focused on improving access to healthy, affordable food and strengthening local food systems.
More broadly, the Government is providing targeted support to help households manage food costs. From April, the value of Healthy Start will rise by 10% to provide greater support for pregnant women and young children, alongside work with retailers to expand access to healthy, affordable food. Free School Meals will be extended to around half a million additional pupils, saving families up to £495 per child annually and lifting approximately 100,000 children out of relative poverty. The Holiday Activity and Food Programme will also continue with £600 million in funding.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
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 reductions in Council Tax Reduction entitlement following migration to Universal Credit on low‑income households, particularly where the Limited Capability for Work or Work‑Related Activity element results in claimants being placed in a higher income band.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local council tax support for working age households, including the treatment of benefits, is designed by councils in consultation with their residents, taking into account the needs and circumstances of their local communities. Each year, councils must consider whether to revise or replace their scheme. The government has not undertaken an assessment, including any discussions with local authorities, of the potential impact of Universal Credit migration on individual claimants.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has had discussions with local authorities on the treatment of the Limited Capability for Work and Limited Capability for Work‑Related Activity elements of Universal Credit as income for the purposes of Council Tax Reduction calculations.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local council tax support for working age households, including the treatment of benefits, is designed by councils in consultation with their residents, taking into account the needs and circumstances of their local communities. Each year, councils must consider whether to revise or replace their scheme. The government has not undertaken an assessment, including any discussions with local authorities, of the potential impact of Universal Credit migration on individual claimants.