Lords
Debate
11 September 2026
Local Plans (Burial Space) Bill [HL]
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Mohammed, for bringing this very important matter to us through this timely Private Member’s Bill, which helpfully coincided with the publication of a new National Planning Policy Framework. It remains the Government’s position that local matters, such as buria…
Lords
Proceedings
9 September 2026
10 contributions
National Infrastructure Projects: Devolution
My Lords, nationally significant infrastructure projects do what they say on the tin: they are national. No devolved powers have altered the consenting of the decision-making route for NSIPs, so no assessment of impacts has been made. Decisions on nationally significant infrastructure projects remai…
This Government have instigated the building of a whole new set of reservoirs, when the party opposite did nothing on that for 14 years. We are very cognisant of the issues around water. I know that the noble Lord lives in the same part of the country that I do, where there is a water shortage. The …
+8 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
7 September 2026
12 contributions
Local Government Reorganisation
My Lords, with the leave of the House, I shall now repeat a Statement made in another place by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. The Statement is as follows:
“This Government are committed to delivering good growth across the country an…
I have to deal with the Front Benchers first, although I thank the noble Lord, Lord Fuller, for his enthusiasm. I am very grateful to both noble Baronesses for their comments, and I understand the frustration that has been expressed.
The noble Baroness, Lady O’Neill, asked about updated legal advic…
+10 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
3 September 2026
9 contributions
Voter Registration, Election Turnout and Compulsory Voting
My Lords, we have examined the electoral system in Australia, where they have introduced more automated forms of voter registration. Their experience highlights just how much time, iteration and rigorous testing are required to build processes and data sources of sufficient quality. Over the coming …
I stress to the noble Lord that I said it has taken a long time for Australia to get where it has. It started off with compulsory voting in 1924. The 1922 election saw a less than 60% turnout. That has risen, as he said, to 91% in the 2025 election, but that is a result of a number of steps it has t…
+7 more contributions in this session
Lords
Statutory Instrument
3 September 2026
3 contributions
Nature Restoration Levy Regulations 2026
My Lords, as Members will recall, the Government have been consistently clear in our commitment to get Britain building and to deliver the homes and infrastructure this country needs, but we have been equally clear that this must go hand in hand with improving outcomes for nature.
To honour that co…
My Lords, I am grateful to all noble Lords for their considered contributions. It has been a useful debate, but some of it has reflected some of the issues that we rehearsed in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill and has not focused as much on the regulations. I will try to touch on as many points …
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Proceedings
2 September 2026
9 contributions
Electoral Commission Investigations
My Lords, the Government do not comment on the submission of suspicious activity reports. The Electoral Commission, the National Crime Agency and the police are operationally independent. Suspicious activity reports are confidential and breaching that confidentiality risks committing a tipping off o…
I am sure my noble friend will understand that I will not comment on individual cases. However, following the recommendations of the Rycroft review, the Government are introducing a complete ban on crypto asset donations of all value until such point that Parliament and the Electoral Commission are …
+7 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
1 September 2026
2 contributions
Social Housing Bill [HL]
My Lords, first, I give my sincere thanks to noble Lords across the House for the care, expertise and constructive challenge they have brought to this important piece of legislation. As someone for whom social housing—council housing—provided a secure, safe and affordable foundation as I was growing…
My Lords, I echo the noble Lord, Lord Jamieson, in welcoming everyone back to the House. I omitted to do that when I stood up earlier. It is great to be back here. If the noble Lord thinks this Bill has been a bit less painful, I remind him that we have the elections Bill next; I look forward to tho…
Lords
Statutory Instrument
22 July 2026
Greater Cambridge Development Corporation (Establishment) Order 2026
My Lords, the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 sets out that the Secretary of State may designate an urban development area where they are of the opinion that it is expedient and in the national interest, and following a public consultation. Between 4 February and 1 April 2026, the Gover…
Lords
Debate
17 July 2026
Rights of Boat Dwellers Bill [HL]
My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Bakewell, for bringing forward this Private Member’s Bill. The noble Baroness raises a very important issue, which, as she knows, we have debated before in your Lordships’ House. The Government recognise the important role that the waterways play in enrichi…
Lords
Debate
3 July 2026
Local Plans (Burial Space) Bill [HL]
My Lords, I will resist the temptation to talk about last thing on a Friday being the graveyard slot. This is a very serious topic. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Mohammed, for tabling this Private Member’s Bill and for giving me the opportunity to meet with him yesterday to talk through what he wante…
Lords
Committee Stage
30 June 2026
Private Landlord Redress Schemes (Approval and Designation) Regulations 2026
My Lords, as part of the Renters’ Rights Act, a transforming set of reforms to bring more protections and security for tenants in the private rented sector, we are introducing a new landlord redress scheme. The service will resolve issues for tenants where their landlord has failed to address a legi…
Lords
Statutory Instrument
30 June 2026
4 contributions
Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026
My Lords, these regulations were laid before the House on 1 June and, following a minor correction, relaid on 8 June. They set out the arrangements for a national scheme of delegation for planning decisions in England and a maximum limit on the number of members who may sit on planning committees. T…
My Lords, I thank all noble Lords for their thoughtful and strongly expressed contributions to this debate. I understand why those points have been made.
I shall pick out some of the issues that have been raised. I think all noble Lords who spoke raised the issue of why the reform of planning commi…
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords
Committee Stage
23 June 2026
Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2026
My Lords, these draft regulations were laid before the House on 27 April. The Government were clear in our manifesto that housing need in England cannot be met without planning for growth on a larger than local scale and that we would introduce new mechanisms for cross-boundary strategic planning. T…
Lords
Committee Stage
23 June 2026
3 contributions
Local Government (Structural and Boundary Changes) (Control of Disposals etc.) (Amendment) Order 2026
My Lords, the statutory instrument was laid on 14 May 2026, and it will make a small but important amendment to existing provisions governing key financial decisions, including land disposal and contracts by councils during periods of local government reorganisation. The Government’s programme of re…
I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Pinnock, and the noble Lord, Lord Jamieson, for their responses to this statutory instrument. I will try to respond to the questions.
There are no plans to change council retention policies for paperwork, and they are not affected by this SI, so that is not…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Proceedings
22 June 2026
8 contributions
Home Ownership: First-time Buyers
My Lords, the Government are reforming the broken home-buying and home-selling system to slash delays, cuts costs and stop sales falling through. Last week—it was on Friday, so it may not have got the attention it deserved, like my noble friend’s announcement—we published a road map setting out acti…
We are already doing that. We made that announcement on Friday. From speaking to lenders, we know that many first-time buyers are not aware of all the innovative mortgage products that might help them, or that recent mortgage reforms may help them get on the housing ladder. I had a meeting with the …
+6 more contributions in this session
Lords
Statutory Instrument
16 June 2026
Combined Authorities (Mayoral Elections) (Amendment) Order 2026
My Lords, over the last year Parliament has debated, agreed and decided that the voting system for mayors and police and crime commissioners should be changed to the supplementary voting system, or SV, through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026, which received Royal Assent in …
Lords
Debate
15 June 2026
7 contributions
Social Housing Bill [HL]
My Lords, before I address the amendment, perhaps I may declare an interest, and in doing so apologise that I neglected to declare it at Second Reading. One of my daughters works for a housing association. I should have said that at Second Reading; it is in the register of interests. I also add my c…
My Lords, I will speak to government Amendments 4, 6 and 122 in my name now and then come back to close at the end, if that is all right with noble Lords.
The Government clearly set out in our response to the consultation on reforming the right to buy that we would prevent existing property owners …
+5 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
15 June 2026
Social Housing Bill [HL]
My Lords, I thank noble Lords who have taken part in the debate on this group of amendments, which consider a range of issues relating to the operation of the disposals measures in the Bill. The Bill is about supporting the supply of new social housing and to achieve this we must ensure that we are …
Lords
Proceedings
11 June 2026
8 contributions
Sustainable Drainage Systems
My Lords, the National Planning Policy Framework requires all new development that could affect drainage to incorporate sustainable drainage systems. We recently consulted on changes to the NPPF, including on sustainable drainage systems, and we will respond in due course. We had more than 20,000 re…
We are proposing a requirement that SUDS are designed in accordance with new national standards, as well as a new policy to discourage the creation of new river culverts and to encourage the removal of existing ones to help drive river renaturalisation and improve water management. The National Plan…
+6 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
11 June 2026
8 contributions
Antisemitism
My Lords, antisemitism is a crisis for all of us and the Government are absolutely clear that it is unacceptable and has no place in our communities. It manifests across society—in schools, synagogues, workplaces and beyond—and that is why it requires a whole-of-society response. We are acting acros…
I am grateful to my noble friend for making that important point. All communities need to feel safe in our country, and some of the recent incidents have meant that many communities do not feel safe now. My noble friend referred to the welcoming Jewish culture, and I was delighted to see that Jewish…
+6 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
8 June 2026
8 contributions
Affordable Housing: Young People
My Lords, the Government have committed to delivering the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation, and young people will benefit from this. The £39 billion social and affordable homes programme aims to deliver around 300,000 new social and affordable homes, including at least …
I recognise the noble Baroness’s concerns, and I welcomed the opportunity to speak to her on this matter during the passage of the Planning and Infrastructure Act; I subsequently went to visit one of the schemes she had mentioned to me. The nationally described space standard sets minimum standards …
+6 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
1 June 2026
Social Housing Bill [HL]
My Lords, I am grateful for the opportunity to open this Second Reading on the Social Housing Bill. I look forward to listening carefully to noble Lords’ contributions from across the House. I am particularly conscious that many in this Chamber bring deep experience of housing, local government, saf…
Lords
Proceedings
1 June 2026
16 contributions
Donations to Political Parties
My Lords, foreign interference is a threat to our democracy. That is why we are currently legislating to tighten the rules on who can make political donations and strengthening checks on and the transparency of those donations. We are also acting on the recommendations of Philip Rycroft’s independen…
It is important that any money spent from the public purse is spent in a way that commands the confidence of the public. It is critical that processes are in place to monitor that spending and to make sure that it is used for the purposes it is there for. It is critical that it is properly and legal…
+14 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
18 May 2026
8 contributions
Local Government Pension Scheme
My Lords, the Government’s position on these matters remains unchanged from the 2016 guidance, which was amended in 2017. Decisions on boycotts and divestment are matters of UK foreign policy and are for central government, not local authorities. It is not appropriate for local authorities to adopt …
On the last point, I listened very carefully to the noble Baroness’s contributions on the pensions Bill. If she came to meet me, I would treat it as a teach-in on pensions, so I have no problems with having a meeting. The Government are finalising the investment strategy statement guidance in the li…
+6 more contributions in this session
Lords
Committee Stage
18 May 2026
Provision of Information (Contractual Control) (Registered Land) Regulations 2026
My Lords, these regulations were laid before the House on 9 March.
I draw the Committee’s attention to a minor typographical correction: at Regulation 4(3)(c)(i), the words “the right” should have a space between them. This was identified after the SI was laid and has been rectified through a corre…