Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) has published its 2023 annual report. In its report, the HCCH has highlighted, amongst other matters, that in 2023: Azerbaijan, Paraguay and Singapore acceded to the Hague Service Convention 1965; El Salvador and Paraguay acceded to the Hague Evidence Convention 1970; the Permanent Bureau (PB) is preparing for meetings on the Hague Service Contention 1985, the Hague Evidence Convention 1970 and the Hague Access to Justice Convention 1980; Ukraine ratified the Hague Choice of Court Convention 2005 which entered into force in August 2023; and, the Hague Judgments Convention 2019 entered into force on 1 September 2023. The HCCH has also said in its report that it now explores matters related to the jurisdiction of courts in transnational civil or commercial litigation, including how harmonised rules in transnational litigation can reduce the risk of parallel litigation in multiple states. The HCCH report has also said that the eighth meeting of the Special Commission (SC) on the Hague Child Abduction Convention 1980 and the Child Protection Conventions 1996 resulted in the adoption of over 100 Conclusions and Recommendations.

The Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) has published its 2025 annual report, detailing the establishment of two new Experts’ Groups addressing private international law issues related to Digital Tokens and Carbon Markets. During the reporting period, HCCH’s membership expanded to 92 with the admission of Rwanda; additionally, Guatemala and Qatar received invitations to join and Indonesia applied for membership. The report also highlighted 19 new signatures, accessions or ratifications of HCCH conventions alongside the publication of the fifth editions of its Service and Evidence Handbooks.

The Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee Chair, Florence Eshalomi MP, has called for government to proceed with its long-term Housing Strategy as soon as possible. This call follows the government’s response to the Committee’s report on housing conditions in the social rented sector. Eshalomi asserted that it is unacceptable for almost 430,000 social homes to fail to meet basic housing standards, leaving many families in poor quality, potentially unsafe accommodations for extended periods. Eshalomi emphasised the importance of government measures such as Awaab’s Law and the New Decent Homes Standard in driving meaningful improvements in social housing conditions. However, the government’s response has highlighted areas where clearer timelines and more detailed action plans are needed. Eshalomi urged the government to present a credible plan that addresses both the regeneration of the existing housing stock and the construction of the new social homes needed by the country.

The Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee, Florence Eshalomi, has responded to the latest official housing statistics showing that only 208,600 new homes were delivered in the year to March 2025. Eshalomi described the figures as 'continuing over a decade of failure' to meet housing needs and urged the government to publish the delayed Long-Term Housing Strategy. She called for practical reforms to deliver 1.5 million homes during this Parliament and encouraged the Chancellor to use the upcoming Autumn Budget to strengthen the housing sector, support councils and the New Towns programme and help secure the public and private investment needed to meet the government's housing objectives.

The Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee has launched an inquiry into the regulation of social housing in England. The HCLG Committee has announced that it is seeking views on quality, effectiveness of the current regulatory framework and proposals for improvement related to housing that is rented at below-market rates. The deadline for submissions is 21 December 2021.

The Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee of the House of Commons has published a report finding that many households in England continue to live in temporary accommodation that is often unsafe, overcrowded and unsuitable, and called on the UK government to take more urgent and comprehensive action. It concluded that existing measures, including those in the National Plan to End Homelessness, are insufficient to address the scale of the problem, particularly given the lack of reliable national data on housing conditions. The Committee recommended strengthening protections through mandatory inspections, updated overcrowding standards and faster implementation of safety requirements, while phasing out unsuitable shared accommodation and limiting its use. It also emphasised the need for long-term planning to increase the supply of decent, stable housing and for reforms to funding arrangements that currently restrict local authorities’ ability to secure higher-quality accommodation.

The Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee has launched an inquiry into the experience of children and families in temporary accommodation. The inquiry's scope covers the impact of temporary accommodation on children’s development, health and wellbeing; housing quality in temporary accommodation; the use of B&Bs and other unsuitable temporary accommodation; and how the government, local authorities, and accommodation providers could better support children and families living in temporary accommodation. The HCLG Committee will begin its inquiry with an opening evidence session on 5 November 2024 at 10 am with homelessness organisations and local authority stakeholders.

The Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee has initiated a new inquiry into housing conditions in England, with a particular focus on hazards such as damp and mould in both the social housing and private rented sectors. The inquiry will evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed reforms to the Decent Homes Standard, Awaab’s Law, and the Renters’ Reform Bill, as well as measures designed to ensure the quality of new-build homes in line with the government’s target of constructing 1.5 million new homes. Additionally, it will examine conditions in temporary accommodation and assess how technology, regulation, and local authorities can address poor housing conditions. Public evidence sessions are scheduled to begin in September 2025, and written submissions will be accepted until 15 August 2025.

The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee (HCLG Committee) has launched a pre-legislative scrutiny inquiry examining the Government's draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill, published on 27 January 2026. The Committee has published terms of reference for the inquiry and is accepting written evidence submissions until 25 February 2026, with oral evidence sessions scheduled to begin in March 2026. The inquiry will examine how the draft Bill meets the Government's policy intentions, including its commitment to 'bring the feudal leasehold system to an end', how it strengthens leaseholders' rights, and how the Government's proposals for commonhold would work in practice. The Committee will conclude the inquiry by publishing a report with recommendations to the Government on improving the draft legislation before its introduction to Parliament. The Committee has appointed two Specialist Advisers to support the inquiry: Professor Nicholas Hopkins from University College London and Wendy Wilson, non-executive director at the Leasehold Advisory Service.

The Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee has published the government's response to the Seventh Report of Session 2023–24, 24 May 2024 report on disabled people in the housing sector. The response outlines £711m Disabled Facilities Grant funding (DFG) for 2025-26, announces a review of the £30,000 grant limit to conclude in 2025 and commits to consulting on a new grant distribution formula. The government also confirmed progress on the Renters' Rights Bill, which will establish a Private Rented Sector Database including accessibility information and references to the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published in December 2024.

The Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee has published a report highlighting the growing disconnect between tax payments and the quality of council services. The Committee's report, ‘The Funding and Sustainability of Local Government Finance,’ has recommended reforming council tax, which it has described as England's most regressive tax. It calls for greater fiscal devolution, proposing that local authorities be empowered to set their own local taxes and revalue properties. Additionally, the report recommends replacing central government ringfencing with an outcomes-based accountability system. It also examines the pressures on local services, including adult social care, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and temporary accommodation.

The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee (HCLG) has published a letter to the Secretary of State, highlighting the urgent need to address the rough sleeping emergency in England. The Committee recommends several key actions, including expediting the passage of the Renters' Rights Bill to end Section 21 evictions, reviewing welfare assistance policies, particularly Universal Credit, and increasing the supply of social and affordable housing. Additionally, the Committee calls for a reassessment of guidance on statutory housing duties, such as the concept of 'intentional homelessness' and local connection tests, to prevent councils from restricting access to support. The Committee also emphasises the importance of restoring funding for supported housing services and implementing longer-term funding streams to enable better planning of support services by local authorities.