From Keys to Quays: Screening, Funding, Connectivity

High-Level Summary

Westminster Hall heard a Select Committee statement on home ownership affordability followed by two Backbench Business debates on the national lung cancer screening programme and on ports and port connectivity. The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee highlighted long‑term declines in home ownership, supported increasing housing supply, and proposed measures on mortgages, empty homes, conveyancing and stamp duty. The lung cancer debate welcomed strong screening results and sought commitments on funding, workforce and UK‑wide roll‑out; the Government cited high early‑stage detection and over £650 million to reach all eligible people in England by 2030. The ports debate underlined ports’ role in trade and regional growth, calling for improved road/rail and grid connections and clearer investment routes; Ministers pointed to a forthcoming revised ports policy, National Wealth Fund support and major transport upgrades.

Detailed Summary

Select Committee statement: Affordability of Home Ownership (Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee)

Presenting the Committee’s second report, Will Forster said affordability had worsened over decades: “the rate of home ownership has dropped from 71% to 63%” and “the rate of home ownership for 27-year-olds fell from 43% to 25%”. He supported the target of 1.5 million homes but warned “we are concerned that they might not meet that target”. He cited pressures on private developers, referencing firms “scaling back operations” and sites with permission not starting.

Key recommendations included: using “the hundreds of thousands of homes around the country that are lying empty” with clearer and stronger council powers; improving access to high loan‑to‑value mortgages and fairer affordability tests so “it should never be the case that a renter is turned down for a mortgage” when repayments would be below rent; introducing the “new first-time buyer ISA… in 2028” and avoiding a static price cap; and reforming the home buying process to “mandate that necessary property information is provided earlier” and to “publish a code of practice” for property agents “by the end of the year”. On tax, he argued “stamp duty should be overhauled and replaced” and called on Ministers to “consult by the end of the year” on alternatives.

In questions, Andrew George raised viability limiting affordable housing. Forster said some brownfield schemes in Woking “do not include any affordable housing contributions at all because they are classed as unviable” and pointed to the Government’s social and affordable homes programme. He suggested changing Public Works Loan Board requirements to enable council housebuilding. Chris Hinchliff urged examining links between monetary policy and house prices; Forster noted, “This is not just an MHCLG issue, but a Treasury issue”. Jim Shannon asked about co‑ownership and deposits; Forster said, “Our report focused on the affordability of home ownership where people genuinely own the full home,” and pressed for addressing build‑cost inflation. No decision was sought. Next steps referenced included the live consultation on the new ISA design “launched… just two days ago” and the Committee’s request for a stamp duty consultation by year‑end.

Backbench Business: National Lung Cancer Screening Programme

Opening, Clive Jones said lung cancer “kills nearly 33,000 people in the UK every year” and praised screening, which has identified “more than 10,600 lung cancers, with over 75% diagnosed at an early, treatable stage”. He welcomed the national cancer plan aim of “reaching 100% of the eligible population by 2030”, but sought protected long‑term funding and warned of “integrated care board interference” without ringfencing. He also highlighted organisational change and workforce pressures, and urged engagement with devolved Governments.

Contributors emphasised results and improvements. Jim Shannon cited data that “5,037 lung cancers have been detected early since 2019; 76% of those were found at stage 1 or 2”, and asked about following up incidental findings. Olly Glover said there was “not enough clarity about how it will be funded going forward” and called for more equipment and staff, arguing 28 new radiotherapy machines is “not enough”. Luke Evans asked how to raise uptake, noting it “stands at about 60%”, and about variation across the UK nations.

Responding, Stephen Kinnock said “more than 1.8 million people have attended a lung health check… and more than 11,000 people have been diagnosed,” with “77%… at stage 1 or stage 2”. He announced “more than £650 million to complete the roll-out… by 2030” and projected that by 2035 screening could “diagnose up to 50,000 cancers” and “identify at least 23,000 cancers at an earlier stage”. He undertook to write on increasing uptake, stressed tackling inequalities, and linked prevention to the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026, which will “avoid up to 13,000 cases of lung cancer” over time. In closing, Jones asked for ringfenced funding and UK‑wide engagement; Kinnock said he would “write… with an update” on work with devolved Governments. The House resolved that it had considered the topic.

Backbench Business: Ports and Port Connectivity

Jayne Kirkham set out ports’ national role and local impact, noting they handle “95% of the physical goods entering and leaving our country” and that “For every job directly created in a port, seven more are supported”. She backed shifting freight to rail—welcoming a statutory duty to promote rail freight and a growth target—and highlighted grid constraints, with the connections queue having “grown tenfold in five years, leaving more than 700 GW of projects waiting”. She urged targeted funding (including a multi‑port strategy for Celtic Sea floating offshore wind), resolving the contracts‑for‑difference/port investment “deadlock”, and streamlining planning via special development orders.

Members raised operational, regulatory and local issues. Jim Shannon cited Windsor framework frictions, including “a lack of awareness over the practicalities of the Framework” among GB traders, and outlined cruise tourism benefits. Polly Billington called to revive Ramsgate, saying “our port stands idle and neglected,” and noted “UK port traffic had decreased by nearly 13% compared with 2019”. Martin Vickers pointed to major private investment but warned, “Delays in grid capacity and connection timings are harming investment,” and called for rail and road upgrades. Peter Dowd welcomed a rail freight growth target “by 2050” and urged mitigation of road impacts on communities. Darren Paffey pressed to accelerate Southampton’s grid upgrade, noting “we can use only one” of two shore‑power connections until 2036. Olly Glover advocated electrifying the remaining “three miles” into London Gateway, with DP World offering to fund half, and urged cutting “Brexit bureaucracy and red tape”. Richard Holden highlighted recent falls in tonnage and concerns over the EU Entry/Exit System, quoting that it “is not” working fine.

Replying for the Government, Keir Mather underlined that “Around 85% of the goods that cross UK borders pass through” ports and said he is working with Ofgem and NESO on grid backlogs. He cited “£200 million for ports” from the National Wealth Fund, a revised national policy statement for ports “soon”, and investment including “over £27 billion” in RIS3, alongside a duty for Great British Railways to promote rail freight. The House resolved that it had considered the topic.