Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)

My Lords, I will not be long. I support the spirit and principle of the amendments tabled by my noble friends Lady Coffey and Lady Hodgson of Abinger, which directly target the heart of our shared ambition to further unlock building in this country. These amendments do not seek to burden the system, but to shine a light on it by requiring the Secretary of State to publish on a quarterly basis the number of planning consents where buildings have not started or have not been completed. We bring much-needed transparency to the process, and we are not here to punish but to ensure that permissions translate into homes on the ground. May I also suggest that land allocated through a local plan but that does not yet have planning permission also be looked at? Previous research by the LGA estimated that this could be in the region of 1 million units, and it is this land that often has the greatest delays. Too often, the perception is that land is banked rather than built upon. Whatever the reasons, the effect is the same: consented sites stand idle while the need for housing grows ever more acute. By monitoring and publishing this information, we will equip local planning authorities, communities and indeed developers themselves with the clarity to drive progress. In truth, this is about getting on with the job. It is about ensuring that when Parliament grants a framework for development, the outcome is not paper promises but bricks and mortar. Transparency will build not only trust but confidence in the planning system and what it delivers. May I ask the Minister whether the Government plan to enact the part of the LURA which places penalties on developers who conveniently land bank sites with planning permission? These are modest, proportional measures, but they carry a powerful signal that permission should lead to homes, not bottlenecks; that we are committed to building, not land banking; and that the public deserves nothing less than openness and delivery. Above all, we owe it to the next generation—to those striving for a secure roof over their heads—to turn words into walls and plans into places that they can call their homes.