theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Antonia Bance:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what funding is available to support interfaith projects aimed at promoting community cohesion. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Interfaith relations are vital for strong, cohesive communities.

The government has provided funding for this year’s Inter Faith Week in November, which will provide a national platform for fostering positive interfaith relations across our communities and schools. Alongside this, the government supports grassroots interfaith relations via our funding to Near Neighbours and Schools Linking, which promote dialogue, youth engagement, and neighbourhood cohesion across different backgrounds and faiths.

The government has launched the new Common Ground Award to provide direct capital investment to voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations across England. This funding will support those committed to building meaningful connection across communities, including between faith groups.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-13)

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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether proposals for English devolution will require the re-organisation of (a) NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board and (b) other integrated care boards. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), alongside NHS England, continue to work closely on any proposals to reorganise integrated care boards (ICBs). In areas where Strategic Authorities are known, DHSC, alongside the MHCLG and NHS England, will proceed with integrated care board (ICB) reorganisation to ensure coterminous boundaries wherever feasibly possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-13)

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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2025 to Question 72865 on Local Government: Hampshire and Isle of Wight, if his Department will publish a breakdown of consultation responses by local authority area. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The government published a response to the Hampshire and the Solent Devolution Consultation on 17 July which is available on gov.uk here. This includes detailed breakdowns by several categories of respondents.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2025 to Question 72865 on Local Government: Hampshire and Isle of Wight, whether his Department plans to make an assessment of the potential impact of that proposed devolution area on (a) transport services and (b) disparities between urban and rural areas. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: A Mayoral Strategic Authority over Hampshire and the Solent will play a key leading role on transport planning and delivery for the area, becoming the Local Transport Authority, with responsibility for producing a Local Transport Plan setting out their local transport policies and how these will be delivered.

We would also expect the Mayoral Strategic Authority to deliver for all communities and address disparities, this could include through designating a member of the leadership Cabinet with a Rural portfolio to ensure equality of attention across all areas of the region, as has been done in other Strategic Authorities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-13)

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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what representations his Department has received on the use of ANPR in municipal car parks since 4 July 2024. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: In January 2024, Parking and Traffic Regulations Outside London (PATROL), together with the British Parking Association and the Local Government Association written jointly to the department and the Department for Transport recommending that the government grant ANPR powers for civil parking enforcement.

The use of ANPR, or indeed any surveillance technology, as the sole means of enforcement of parking contravention by Local Authorities has been restricted by the Deregulation Act 2015. This means that local authorities cannot issue Penalty Charge Notices via post following the detection of a parking contravention by surveillance technology in all but a limited number of cases; for example, if the motorist drives away before the ticket can be issued or in certain circumstances on-street like bus lanes and red routes. This is to make non-compliant motorists aware that they are contravening parking restrictions at the time of the contravention.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-13)

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Olivia Blake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to introduce a community right to buy for nature that would enable local communities to (a) purchase and (b) restore land for (i) environmental and (ii) biodiversity purposes. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The government is committed to ensuring that communities are able to protect all local assets that are important to them. The new community right to buy, which we are introducing through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, will give communities stronger powers to take ownership of these assets and save them for future community use.

Communities will be able to nominate any asset that furthers the social or economic wellbeing of the community, which will include a range of environmental assets, and purchase these if they are put up for sale.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-13)

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Paul Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what long-term plans he has to (a) maintain and (b) expand urban green spaces. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The government is firmly committed to both maintain and expanding parks and urban green spaces, they are an essential part of local social infrastructure which supports more connected, stronger communities.

Regarding the maintenance of urban green spaces, the MHCLG-owned Green Flag Award sets the national quality standard for parks and green spaces, the scheme aims to meet the needs of the communities they serve and has helped to transform thousands of parks and green spaces across the country.

The Government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that strategic policies should set out an overall strategy for the pattern, scale and design quality of places and make sufficient provision for the conservation and enhancement of the natural, built and historic environment, including green infrastructure.

We will use our bold Pride in Place strategy which sets out how we will deliver up to £5 billion over ten years to up to 350 neighbourhoods experiencing the highest levels of deprivation bolstering a wide range of community assets, including urban green spaces. The strategy is a significant step change in how we support urban communities and their green spaces.
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Paul Holmes:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the departmental funding provided to Great South West pan-regional partnership has conditions on funding being used for lobbying activity. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Following consultation, in March 2025 the government announced its intention to end funding for Pan-Regional Partnerships, with an exceptional, time-limited award of £281,250 for the Great South West Pan-Regional Partnership for the 2025/26 financial year.

Four key milestones were agreed for the 25/26 financial year, for which the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is responsible for monitoring performance against. These are:
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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of local government reorganisation in Leicestershire on local service provision. \p Alison McGovern: Local Government Reorganisation creates a huge opportunity to establish modern, responsive public services for citizens.

We have asked all councils to tell us how their proposals for unitarisation will improve service provision, and to ensure high standards are maintained during the transition
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Sir John Whittingdale:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to reorganise local government in Essex. \p Alison McGovern: Local Government Reorganisation creates a huge opportunity for efficiency and improve public services.

Final proposals from councils in Essex were submitted by 26 September. We anticipate launching a statutory consultation in November.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of devolution on economic growth in Staffordshire. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: We know that giving local leaders who understand their patch greater powers to respond to the specific challenges they face, can unlock the growth potential of places.

By empowering areas through devolution, all of our regions, including Staffordshire, can take the decisions that drive the change they want to see.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with Surrey County Council on the potential implications of local government reorganisation on the voluntary sector in Surrey. \p Alison McGovern: The government’s consultation on the two unitary proposals in Surrey closed on 5 August 2025. A named consultee contacted to respond was the Surrey VCSE Alliance, and the government encouraged councils in Surrey to promote the consultation and welcomed views from the voluntary and community sector.

The statutory guidance given to councils invited to develop proposals for local government reorganisation in February 2025 set out an expectation that while developing their proposals, councils should engage with relevant bodies in their area, including voluntary and third sector organisations, and that engagement undertaken should inform the development of robust proposals.

Officials from MHCLG have been engaging with councils in Surrey and will continue to do so as we move through transition into implementation phase.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to support newly formed councils inheriting debts from councils due to be abolished in local government reorganisation. \p Alison McGovern: In general, as with previous rounds of local government reorganisation, there is no proposal for council debt to be addressed centrally or written off as part of reorganisation.

However, the government accepts that Woking Borough Council and Thurrock Council hold significant and exceptional unsupported debt, related to capital practices, that cannot be managed locally in their entirety. The government has committed to providing debt repayment support for both these councils. Any support will need to consider what further action these councils can take locally within their capacity to reduce debt, and value for money for the national and local taxpayer. We will continue to work with both these councils and Best Value Commissioners on the issue of their unmanageable debt and provide further details in due course.
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Paul Holmes:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what research has been (a) commissioned or (b) undertaken since July 2024 on the cost of unitary local government restructuring. \p Alison McGovern: We know unitarisation can unlock significant savings and efficiencies when councils are of appropriate size and structure to be sustainable, deliver efficiencies and provide high-quality public services.

Exact costs and savings will vary depending on the area and the final decisions on which proposals, if any, are implemented. Local areas are best placed to bring forward proposals that reflect their circumstances.

We will analyse and assess proposals against the criteria we have set out. This includes sustainability, and how they will deliver efficiencies and high-quality public services. We have specifically said that proposals should be supported by robust evidence, including of estimated costs/benefits.
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Paul Holmes:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has issued guidance on incumbent (a) district, (b) unitary and (c) county councillors standing for election for (i) combined authority and (ii) county combined authority mayorships; and whether people can serve as councillors and elected mayors simultaneously. \p Alison McGovern: It is not for the Department to issue guidance for candidates standing in combined authority or combined county authority mayoral elections. Guidance for all candidates standing in these elections is published by the Electoral Commission: Guidance for Candidates and Agents at Combined Authority Mayoral elections | Electoral Commission and Guidance for Candidates and Agents at Combined County Authority Mayoral elections | Electoral Commission.

As set out in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 (schedule 2) for Combined County Authorities, and the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 (schedule 5B) for Combined Authorities, these Mayors cannot also serve as a constituent council member within their authority but there is nothing in legislation preventing them from serving as a councillor in an unrelated council simultaneously.
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Paul Holmes:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 August 2025 to Question 69050 on Local Government Finance, whether his Department is informed of the type of asset being disposed of. \p Alison McGovern: The Flexible Use of Capital Receipts direction was introduced in 2016 by the previous government and remains substantively unchanged. It permits eligible councils to use the proceeds of asset sales to fund transformation and activities that produce ongoing savings and efficiencies. Use of the flexibility is at the discretion of councils, but the government is clear that its use should represent value for money and be in the best interests of local residents.

The direction requires that councils must send their plans to use the flexibility to the Secretary of State for MHCLG. The direction specifies minimum information requirements that must be provided, including the value and purpose of capitalisation, and details of relevant efficiency savings. It is not a requirement for councils to provide details of asset disposals, though councils may include these details in their plans. Further details on disposals may be included in councils’ annual accounts and capital strategies.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-13)

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Olivia Blake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will (a) make an assessment of the extent of and (b) take steps to help tackle barriers to local authorities practicing ethical divestment. \p Alison McGovern: Local authorities are responsible for their own investments and accountable to their electorate. When making investment decisions, authorities must, however, ensure they comply with legislation and guidance intended to ensure that decisions are prudent, affordable and sustainable.

Investment strategies for Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) funds are set by local pension committees, and include how social, environmental and corporate governance and responsible investment considerations are taken into account. Pension committees must have regard to their fiduciary duty to scheme members and employers when setting their investment strategy and must follow relevant legislation and guidance.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-13)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to take steps to ensure that newly created councils holding shadow elections in 2027 have newly drawn wards compliant with the Local Government Boundary Commission for England's criteria. \p Alison McGovern: The government is committed to ending two-tier local government in England in this Parliament, and to move to new structures as soon as possible, including elections to new unitary councils in May 2027 in areas other than Surrey.

The government has not yet made decisions on those elections. The first stage is for areas to prepare proposals for unitary councils. We received proposals from the six areas in the Devolution Priority Programme by 26 September and for the remaining 14 areas the deadline is 28 November. In the statutory invitations we asked councils to include councillor numbers in their proposals, and they may choose to include information about electoral arrangements.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (the Commission) have offered support with guidance and a series of webinars. Once Ministers have reached a decision on which proposal, if any, to implement, then electoral arrangements for the new councils will be included in the structural changes order that establishes any new councils. These will be built using a mixture of existing wards, divisions or, in some cases, parishes. The government expects to work closely with the relevant councils and the Commission to ensure these arrangements are fit for purpose for the first elections and have regard to the Commission’s criteria. The Commission then expects to carry out an electoral review of all newly established councils after their first elections and before their subsequent elections.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has received representations from mayoral authorities on powers to introduce local taxes on hotels. \p Alison McGovern: The Government has received representations from Mayors to consider the introduction of a visitor levy. The Government currently has no plans to introduce a levy in England. Manchester and Liverpool have already introduced a levy on overnight stays through Accommodation Business Improvement Districts.
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Layla Moran:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his planned timetable is for repealing the Vagrancy Act 1824. \p Alison McGovern: It is unacceptable that the antiquated Vagrancy Act 1824 remains on our statute book. The legislation does nothing to target the root causes of homelessness. That is why we are committed to repealing this punitive legislation.

We will commence the repeal once replacement measures in the Crime and Policing Bill come into force next year.
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Connor Naismith:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department is taking steps to reduce council tax. \p Alison McGovern: It is for individual local authorities to set their level of council tax, taking into account all relevant local factors. The government maintains a referendum threshold, and authorities who choose to increase their council tax above this must obtain the approval of voters. The government will set out its position on referendum principles for the next financial year at the local government finance settlement in the usual way.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to issue guidance to newly created local councils inheriting different areas with and without adopted local plans in place. \p Alison McGovern: The government expects local planning authorities to work towards the adoption of an up-to-date local plan as soon as possible. Local government reorganisation should not hinder this essential work.

The legal status of local plans is not impacted by local government reorganisation. Where reorganisation occurs, new unitary authorities are expected to promptly prepare a local plan covering the whole of their area. Until that new plan is adopted, existing constituent local plans remain in force as part of the development plan for their area. New unitary authorities will have the discretion to progress emerging constituent local plans.

A new legal framework for local-plan making will be introduced later this year. Significant financial assistance has already been provided to eligible authorities to support plan-making and authorities should make the most of other support available through the Local Government Association’s Planning Advisory Service.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has issued guidance to local councils due to be reorganised encouraging the creation of joint committees to advise on measures to synchronise plans for provision of local services. \p Alison McGovern: Unitary structures must prioritise the delivery of high quality and sustainable public services to citizens. As we set out in ‘Local government reorganisation: Considerations for partnership working in social care for new unitary authorities’ local government reorganisation and wider social care service reforms are a significant undertaking, and authorities will naturally want to collaborate to share knowledge, expertise and learning to maintain a focus on improving service delivery and supporting innovation.

If, following consultation, the Secretary of State decides to implement a council’s proposal for unitary local government then secondary legislation, which will be subject to Parliamentary approval, will be required which will include appropriate transitional arrangements. This could include a joint committee to oversee the implementation plan ahead of any elections where appropriate locally. Government will work closely with councils as decisions are made with regard to these arrangements.
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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to review the disparity in targeted funding for young people experiencing homelessness. \p Alison McGovern: The Government has increased funding for homelessness services this year by £233 million to a total of £1 billion. Local authorities can use this funding flexibly to meet the needs of people experiencing and at risk of homelessness in their area, including young people, according to local need.
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Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of changing the English indices of deprivation to include rurality as a factor. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The most recent iteration of the English Indices of Deprivation was published in September 2019 and all data tables and resources are available online here - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-indices-of-deprivation-2019

The department is currently working on an update and confirmed recently that the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 will be published within a provisional October/November 2025 timeframe. This has been published on GOV.UK.

As part of this work, DEFRA has contributed funding to investigate rural deprivation. This collaborative project is considering what deprivation in rural areas is, data sources and methods to help quantify it and more formal guidance on the use of the Indices and their application to rural areas. A report on rural deprivation will form part of the updated English Indices of Deprivation release.
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Paul Holmes:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2025 to Question 33500 on Eden Project: Morecambe, how much government funding has been spent on supporting the project to date; and on what date were the funds released. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The MHCLG Levelling Up Fund, Town Deals, and Simplification Pathfinder Pilot have been consolidated into the Local Regeneration Fund. This new fund will give local authorities more local control, reducing unnecessary administrative burdens and maximising freedom and flexibility to get on with delivery.

As of March 2025, £6,336,514 has been released to support the Eden project: Morecambe. Department officials contacted Lancaster City Council on 11 September to confirm details for a payment to cover forecasted activity for the remainder of the 2025/26 financial year. A further payment, of £10,814,457, is due to be paid in September 2025.
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Cat Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections, published on 17 July 2025, what progress has been made on testing (a) digitally enabled and (b) convenient approaches to electoral registration. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The government is actively exploring a range of approaches to improve electoral registration, including making it easier for people to register to vote. User research is undertaken throughout the policy and digital service development process.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2025 to Question 68123 on Business premises: Rent, if he will list the external organisations that he consulted before the decision to ban upwards only rent review. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The government conducted considerable research and engagement before deciding to ban upwards only rent reviews. This included extensive engagement with industry experts, including representatives of the retail, hospitality, and property sectors.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of removing local authority discretion to waive the Council Tax premium on second homes in cases where the second property is used for essential non-luxury purposes on homeowners. \p Alison McGovern: Decisions on whether to apply council tax premiums are a matter for individual councils. Where a council chooses to implement a premium, they have the discretionary power to set their own local exceptions to premiums, or provide discounts where they consider this appropriate. The government has no plans to restrict or remove these powers.
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Paul Holmes:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 1 September 2025 to Question 69680 on English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, whether the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners supported changing the voting system to supplementary vote. \p Samantha Dixon: The government has engaged with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), on the proposals set out in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill.

The government firmly believes the Supplementary Vote system works better for electing people to single executive roles and ensures a wider range of support than First Past The Post.
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Shaun Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending capitalisation flexibilities to police forces. \p Alison McGovern: Police and Crime Commissioners already fall under the definition of local authorities in the relevant parts of the Local Government Act 2003, under which the Secretary of State may grant capitalisation flexibilities to local authorities.
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Cat Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing the Government's Strategy and Policy Statement for the Electoral Commission. \p Samantha Dixon: The existing Strategy and Policy Statement for the Electoral Commission does not reflect this Government’s priorities and will not remain in place.

On 17 July, we published our strategy for modern and secure elections which included proposals to give significant new powers and responsibilities to the Electoral Commission to strengthen the enforcement of political finance rules. In light of these new responsibilities, we intend to designate a new Strategy and Policy Statement for the Electoral Commission to reflect this Government’s priorities for elections and the Commission’s increased roles and responsibilities.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to amend the first past the post voting system for local council elections in Essex following local government reorganisation. \p Samantha Dixon: The government has no plans to change the electoral system for local elections in England.
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the pace of the regeneration of empty buildings on high streets. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: There are no plans to make such an assessment. However, MHCLG has commissioned a formal evaluation of the Future High Streets Fund as part of the wider Towns Fund evaluation. Emerging findings published in July 2025 include case studies on regeneration projects in Northallerton, Loftus and Yeovil, highlighting early process and impact insights on pride in place, well-being and economic growth. Final results are expected in Spring 2026.

The Government is committed to bringing empty buildings back into use, and is championing the use of High Street Rental Auctions by local authorities, a key tool to help reduce vacancy and make high streets more accessible.
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Damien Egan:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken by the Building Safety Regulator to process (a) applications and (b) approvals on levels of employment in the construction sector. \p Samantha Dixon: The department recognises the importance of Gateway 2 approvals to the supply of new homes and the construction sector.

That is why the government announced in June 2025 changes to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR). These reforms include delivering operational improvements in the BSR which will allow decisions on applications submitted to the BSR to be made more quickly. The department will continue to work with the BSR to deliver further improvements in its performance in the short and medium term.
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Paul Holmes:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has provided to local authorities on whether individuals can have three entries on the electoral roll. \p Samantha Dixon: In the UK, citizens are entitled to be registered at more than one address in certain circumstances. It is the responsibility of the local Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) to consider each application (to register to vote) on its own merits and to be satisfied that a person meets the residence criteria for each address.

The Electoral Commission as the independent electoral regulator, holds responsibility for issuing guidance on electoral registration.
wrans/answers2025-10-13 conversation_78
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-13 conversation_78

Mr Joshua Reynolds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of creating an accreditation scheme for fire door replacement works to allow approved contractors to carry out such works without requiring Building Safety Regulator approval. \p Samantha Dixon: The government introduced the higher-risk building control regime to ensure more stringent oversight and accountability during the design and construction of higher-risk buildings, backed by stronger enforcement and sanctions. All proposed higher-risk building work now must receive approval from the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) before starting. These changes are in line with Dame Judith Hackitt’s recommendations to improve the focus on compliance with building regulations and to ensure residents are, and feel, safe in their homes.

However, we are aware that there are concerns regarding the impacts of the delays and the difficulty in getting approval for certain types of high-volume work to existing higher-risk buildings, including the repair and replacement of fire doors. We are working closely with the BSR to address these current challenges and to ensure the regime is proportionate and fit for purpose.

Nevertheless, allowing certain types of higher-risk building work to progress without BSR oversight risks inconsistency in applying building regulations, potentially compromising safety standards and resulting in non-compliance. Therefore, any changes would need to be carefully considered, particularly while the sector is still getting to grips with the new regime.

Competent Person Schemes allow registered professionals and companies to self-certify their work as compliant with the building regulations. Operation of a scheme is voluntary, as is membership of a scheme. Scheme operators are authorised under paragraph 4A of Schedule 1 to the Building Act 1984 and are named in Schedule 3 to the Building Regulations 2010.  After applying, they are assessed by the BSR and approved by MHCLG ministers. Before ministerial approval, applicants must demonstrate that they have the managerial, financial and technical ability to operate a scheme. This includes demonstrating compliance with the Conditions of Authorisation. At this time, no industry organisation has expressed interest in operating a Competent Person Scheme for the repair and/or replacement of fire doors.
wrans/answers2025-10-13 conversation_79
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-13 conversation_79

Mr Joshua Reynolds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to publish guidance for managing agents and freeholders on how costs should be allocated for remedial works relating to historic building defects when the developer is no longer in existence. \p Samantha Dixon: The Building Safety Act allows for civil cases to be brought against companies which were associated with those responsible for historic building defects, even when these responsible parties are no longer in existence or are making use of complex corporate structures to avoid their remediation responsibilities.

Guidance on how costs should be allocated for remedial works relating to historic building defects when the developer is no longer in existence (in which case costs are shared between government, leaseholders and freeholders) has already been published and can be found here:

Remediation costs: what leaseholders do and do not have to pay - GOV.UK

Leaseholder contribution caps - GOV.UK.
wrans/answers2025-10-13 conversation_80
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-13 conversation_80

Robert Jenrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to support children with a parent in prison from an early age. \p Jake Richards: We know that parental imprisonment is recognised as an adverse childhood experience that can have a significant impact on a child’s life chances. This is why the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Education are jointly committed to ensuring that all children impacted by parental imprisonment are identified and offered the support they need to thrive.

Earlier this year, Ministers from both Departments convened a roundtable with sector experts to explore how best to support children affected by parental imprisonment. We have also undertaken extensive engagement with the sector, including focus groups with individuals who have lived experience. Their insights are helping to shape and inform our policy proposals.

On 21 August, the Department for Education published their market engagement notice on a Multidisciplinary Training Offer for Professionals, marking an important step towards getting children the support they need. This training will upskill a wide range of professionals on the impact parental imprisonment can have on children and families, reduce stigmatisation of children and families and break down barriers to support.

We remain firmly committed to driving progress on this important agenda, informed by evidence from previous interventions and continued engagement with the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector.
wrans/answers2025-10-13 conversation_81
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-13 conversation_81

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 73845 on Prison Accommodation, how many of the 2,405 prisoners places were planned (a) prior to and (b) after the 5 July 2025; and on what date was each prison expansion signed off. \p Jake Richards: All 2,405 prison places delivered between July 2024 and 23 August 2025 referred to in Question 73845 were planned prior to 5 July 2025. The Full Business Cases (FBC) for each project were approved by HM Treasury on the following dates:

Site

Places

FBC Date

HMP Millsike

1,468

May 2021

HMP Rye Hill

458

May 2021

HMP Stocken

214

June 2022

HMP Sudbury

120

March 2022

HMP Cookham Wood

70

June 2024*

HMP Fosse Way

54

July 2020

HMP Holme House

21

October 2022

Total

2,405

*Due to the lower cost associated with the re-role of HMYOI Cookham Wood into a category C men’s prison, and departmental delegation levels, approval was given at an internal Board level.

Despite the FBC being granted by HM Treasury before July 2024, I am pleased to confirm that all 2,400 were delivered from 5 July 2024 onwards.
wrans/answers2025-10-13 conversation_82
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-13 conversation_82

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of community service hours offenders have completed in Lincolnshire in each of the last five years. \p Jake Richards: Between January 2022 and December 2024, a total of 140,104 hours of unpaid work were completed in Lincolnshire.

Year

Unpaid work hours worked

January to December 2022

31,901

January to December 2023

53,817

January to December 2024

54,386

Data sourced from nDelius on 25/09/2025. While these data have been assured as much as practical, as with any large administrative dataset, the data should not be assumed to be accurate to the last value presented.

Data prior to July 2021 is unable to be reported on, due to difficulty in aligning regions pre and post-unification of the Probation Service. Because of this, we are unable to provide an accurate number of hours completed for 2021.
wrans/answers2025-10-13 conversation_83
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-13 conversation_83

Brian Mathew:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what mechanisms  are in place at HM Courts and Tribunals Service Probate Registries to ensure that when a later will is lodged and an objection is submitted prior to the granting of probate on an earlier will, the later will is considered before any grant is issued. \p Alex Davies-Jones: HMCTS has an established process in place for when a later will is lodged, which requires HMCTS staff to submit the later Will and earlier Will to a Registrar for their directions on how to proceed.
wrans/answers2025-10-13 conversation_84
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-13 conversation_84

Rachel Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to pilot (a) short video interviews, (b) biometric ID checks and (c) other live identity verification for the personal applications of wills. \p Alex Davies-Jones: HMCTS staff are trained in processing and verifying probate applications, with systems established to identify and escalate cases that present certain features of concern. These procedures are regularly reviewed to ensure they address emerging issues appropriately.

The Department is reviewing how personal applicants are identified for probate, as part of a wider examination of non-contentious probate rules: https://www.judiciary.uk/guidance-and-resources/working-group-members/.
wrans/answers2025-10-13 conversation_85
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-13 conversation_85

Mike Martin:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure children are adequately safeguarded in family courts. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The Children Act 1989 requires the court to have the child’s welfare as its paramount consideration when making a decision about the child’s upbringing. Any decisions the family courts make about the future arrangements for children are based on this fundamental principle.

This Government is delivering a package of reform to the family courts to ensure that children continue to be safeguarded and supported. This includes the expansion of the Pathfinder programme, which promotes child safeguarding through early multi-agency collaboration, expert domestic abuse support, and greater emphasis on the voice of the child.

This Government also recognises the significant impact that delays in court proceedings can have on children and families. That is why it is working to reduce backlogs and improve timeliness, so that children can access the support and stability they need without unnecessary delay. This includes the agreement of system-wide targets by the Family Justice Board for 2025/26, with a continued focus on tackling delay and reducing outstanding caseloads. In public law proceedings relating to children (such as care proceedings), this involves a renewed emphasis on the procedure set out in the Public Law Outline; and in private law proceedings relating to children (such as applications for child arrangements orders), areas delivering the Pathfinder model have made significant progress in addressing delays.

We are also working closely with the Department for Education to support the delivery of their reforms to children’s social care, underpinned by measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

The Government will share further plans for reform in due course.
wrans/answers2025-10-13 conversation_86
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-13 conversation_86

Grahame Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total cost has been of repairs to the infrastructure at the Oasis Restore secure school due to vandalism since it opened. \p Jake Richards: To obtain the requested information, it would be necessary to undertake a detailed examination of all records relating to expenditure on repairs, in order to identify the element attributable to vandalism, and this could not be done without incurring disproportionate cost.