House of Commons
Parliament

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The UN suggest that eight million people in the UK are estimated to be suffering from food insecurity, Labour MP Emma Lewell Buck says, "that is eight million people unable to know where their next meal is coming from".

"In a country as rich as ours, no one should be going to bed hungry and waking up hungry - it is an abject failure of this government."

She is "absolutely astounded" that the bill "contains nothing" to address "growing levels of desperate hunger".

She says that any bill that covers agriculture "should have at its heart food".

House of Lords
Parliament

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Liberal Democrat peer Lord Strasburger, who has shares in a letting agency, says he believes he may have a different outlook on the bill in comparison to other peers.

Lord Strasburger says "landlords and agents are relentlessly pilloried in the press and by politicians." However, he accepts that "there are rogue landlords and rogue agents", who he says he does "not stand to defend".

Lord Strasburger says he would like to defend the six weeks cap on deposits, as tenants can have a tendency to try and leave without paying the last month's rent.

"Six weeks rent would allow an agent to recover the rent and a fair extra charge for unreasonable behaviour."

Lord Strasburger stresses concern about all fees being banned in the bill. He says that tenant fees should be capped rather than outright banned, as "most fees are to recover real and reasonable costs".

"There would definitely be upward pressure on rents, and downward pressure on standards if this bill was to pass as it is."

House of Commons
Parliament

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Tory Richard Drax says he is "a turkey voting for Christmas" because the subsidies he has received for his farm "will be reduced substantially."

"But Brexit is the right thing for the country," he says, adding that it will "bring opportunities" for agricultural businesses.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Conservative MP John Redwood says Environment Secretary Michael Gove is "our English agriculture minister, and we do want him to speak for England."

"Who else in this government does speak for England?", he asks.

"I hear all these debates about the Scottish problem and the Irish border, but we must not forget our home base.

"England expects, England wants better, England wants to be able to compete, England wants a policy designed to promote English farms."

House of Lords
Parliament

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Crossbench peer Lord Best, a regulator of housing agencies, says he welcomes the bill, which he adds is needed to catch up with the growth of the private rented sector.

He says landlords and agents "are currently charging large sums of money for minimal effort procedures."

"This bill could help to create and promote longer tenancies," he says, as "high turnovers are positive for the agents who can quickly collect more agency fees".

He says those agencies which make their businesses successful through "abhorrent agency fees" will not survive after this bill, but that is "no bad thing".

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Caroline Lucas, of the Green Party, says that as a result of "the way we manage the land...we have lost so much of our nature and wildlife."

She calls for a legal responsibility to be placed on ministers to protect land, warning that without it the bill is "too much words, and not enough substance."

The environment secretary, she says, acknowledges that food production is "ultimately about health", and asks why public health is not therefore "front and center of the bill."

"We cannot allow the decline of our food standards", she warns.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Grender says the bill is important to the many families who make up a large part of the private renting sector.

She urges peers who think it will damage the industry to think of young people joining the private renting sector, who will likely remain there for many years of their lives.

She says 64% of landlords support this policy, and "this speaks volumes".

"In committee stage, the cap on setting a deposit at six week's rent must be moved down. This would help only 6% of renters", she says.

She adds that tonight when she beds down on a cardboard box to mark National Homeless Day, she will think of the positive effects that this bill could, when tweaked, bring for many people.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Welsh Labour MP Anna McMorrin says the agriculture bill is a "huge opportunity to revitalise the countryside" for "years to come."

However, she says that whilst she welcomes the potential of the bill, it fails on many areas.

This includes safeguarding food supply, tackling health concerns and protecting the environment, she says.

She adds that there has been a failure to secure long-term funding, with this remaining "utterly dependent" on getting a good Brexit deal.

"I think this bill falls short", she adds.

Westminster Hall

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Work and Pensions Minister Justin Tomlinson says that he regularly works with charities such as Women's Aid and Refuge to gain feedback and advice.

All "work coaches" - the staff handling applications - now have mandatory training to recognise those at risk of domestic abuse, he says.

The majority of people in the UC system are single claimants, he says, adding that he would like to see more data on the topic to help his department.

He says the government has given the Scottish Parliament the power to undertake a pilot on split payments, and the department will reflect on what happens there.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Shadow housing minister Lord Kennedy says the government has "left the back door open" in some areas of the bill for tenants to be left vulnerable.

He says capping deposits at six week's rent is "disappointing", as this could risk becoming the norm which many cannot afford.

"The bill leaves tenants at danger from unscrupulous agents and landlords," he says.

He adds that allowing agents to claim back costs in other areas could mean the banned agency fees are paid back "in some other way".

He calls for it to be compulsory for all tenants to receive a tenancy agreement from an agent or landlord.

"The private renting sector is expanding, and the rules and regulations should be tightened to offer more protection for these people", he adds.

Westminster Hall

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Over in Westminster Hall, Labour's Danielle Rowley is opening a debate on the availability of split payments for couples under the universal credit welfare policy.

The scheme, which merges six working-age benefits into one payment, will see payments made to one person per household by default.

A committee investigating the issue has heard that couples can request split payments, but Jobcentres are advised to only offer them in "very exceptional circumstances".

Ms Rowley argues that the new system does not take account of the fact that financial decisions are made in "unequal gender dynamics".

"Single household payments facilitate economic abuse," she adds, because individual financial decisions cannot be made.

She says government policy is making it easier for abusers, and is acting as a barrier for those trying to leave abusive relationships.

House of Lords
Parliament

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Introducing the bill for its second reading, the Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Lord Bourne, says tenancy deposits must work for both tenants and landlords.

"This bill is not an attack on good agents and landlords, they will continue to thrive."

Lord Bourne says the bill will make renting fairer and more affordable for tenants by reducing the costs at the outset of a tenancy.

He says the government have understood that an amendment is needed to be made to ensure that a tenant can face a penalty charge when damage has occurred to a property, and that this cannot be deemed as an "unreasonable fee".

Lord Bourne says the bill requires all agencies and landlords to state the name of the deposit protection scheme being used, rather than simply stating they are a member, to provide more transparency for the tenant on where their money is going.

For each breach of the ban made by agents or landlords, there will be an individual penalty of up to £5,000, he says. If an individual or body repeatedly breaks the law, they could face a fine of up to £30,000.

"We recognise the need to rebalance the relationships between agents, tenants and landlords."

House of Commons
Parliament

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Conservative MP for Somerton and Frome David Warburton says his constituency "has the most cows" of all the constituencies.

He expresses support for the bill, but asks for more detail on the schemes it sets out.

He says it's vital the government has flexibility in order to handle the "shifting sands" in agriculture.

"I look forward to the next steps with great anticipation, as I'm sure do the cows across the Somerset fields."

House of Lords
Parliament

In the Lords, the second reading of the Tenant Fees Bill is taking place.

There is currently no cap on the level of fees that letting agents can charge in England, although since 27 May 2015 agents have been required to display a tariff of fees. The Tenant Fees Bill will:

• Ensure that tenants are only required to pay their rent and deposit when securing a property in the private rented sector.
• Abolish most upfront fees
• Cap security deposits at the equivalent of six weeks’ rent.

The bill is not without controversy. Concerns have been raised about how under the new default fee provision, a landlord or agent will only be able to recover reasonable incurred costs, and must provide evidence of these costs to the tenant before they can impose any charges.

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The SNP's Pete Wishart says the government is committing a "powergrab" with this bill, which neglects Scottish interests.

"These common frameworks have be agreed and negotiated. They cannot be imposed."

The British government is "more prepared to frack the countryside than farm the countryside," he says, pointing out that Scottish farmers are "more dependent on support" than other parts of the UK and will be let down.

He says "there is nothing in this bill about immigration", and the proposals to handle workforce requirements go nowhere near what is needed - providing for only "one or two" workers a farm.

Select Committee
Parliament

Questions are asked if MPs will debate the final draft bill on restoring the Palace.

Ms Leadsom says this has not yet been discussed, but she would not be "unsympathetic" to this. She says that Parliamentary time is short at the moment.

With that, the session closes.

Select Committee
Parliament

Chair Chris Bryant asks for assurances that the budget will be approved annually on the project, and not as one big package of spending.

Andrea Leadsom confirms that this is the case.

She adds that the sponsor body will have a duty to reflect and take opinions from all members of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords on the restoration of the Palace of Westminster.

House of Commons
Parliament

David Simpson of the DUP says his party "will hold the prime minister's feet to the fire" to ensure that agriculture "remains top of the agenda".

"We have got to encourage food production," he says. "Food production needs to be emphasised more within the bill."

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Ensuring there is a sufficient workforce is also vital for agriculture in the future, he says. "The government need to take this more seriously... there are companies in Northern Ireland that are 60% reliant on foreign workers."

He states he wants to avoid being caught up in broader issues around Brexit and focus on agriculture, but concludes that "we have got to get the right deal... if the right deal isn't there we will have major problems with industry going forward."

Select Committee
Parliament

"How quick is almost, then? You say it's almost ready?" asks Clive Betts, who is asking questions on the bill preparing Parliament for further works.

"The draft bill is almost ready, which means, very soon, or indeed, shortly," Ms Leadsom jokes.

She adds in a serious tone that she is working on a date to introduce the draft bill "as soon as possible", to laughter from Mr Betts.

She says she is working on this "in the very near future" and on introducing the bill "also very soon".

She adds these kinds of announcements are not made to committees, but to the Commons instead.

Select Committee
Parliament

Deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle asks what assurances can be given that the work on the estate is not just warm words, and is instead taking on real concerns from MPs that specific problems will be fixed.

Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom says MPs can question the sponsor body carrying out the work, she adds that there will be "proper scrutiny" of the entire project.

Mr Hoyle raises concerns that the Commons Finance Committee is not represented directly on the sponsor body for the restoration work, whereas the Lords are.

Ms Leadsom replies that individual parties and groups have representation on the renewal committee.