theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Mr Paul Kohler:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the British Transport Police on tackling county lines. \p Simon Lightwood: Ministers and officials at the Department meet with the British Transport Police on a regular basis to discuss the work the force are doing to ensure the railway remains a safe environment for the public and rail staff.

The BTP’s County Lines taskforce are undertaking excellent work to tackle County Lines activity on the railway. The taskforce is an intelligence-led proactive unit, focused on tackling drug supply and child exploitation, working across the whole rail network in England, Scotland and Wales.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the powers for councils to issue fines for vaping and smoking relating to buses will be subject to (a) non-statutory and (b) statutory guidance on the issue of the bye-law powers. \p Simon Lightwood: The government will work with Local Transport Authorities and other stakeholders to determine how byelaws should be made and enforced, and what specific guidance is required.
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Sir Andrew Mitchell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many public electric vehicle charging points have been installed in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Sutton Coldfield constituency in the last 12 months. \p Lilian Greenwood: Data on public electric vehicle charging devices in the UK, held by the Department for Transport, are sourced from the electric vehicle charging platform Zapmap. These statistics show when charging devices were added to the data source, which is not necessarily when they were installed.

Between 1st April 2024 and 1st April 2025:
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to work with relevant authorities to ensure the safety of commuters at (a) overground and (b) underground railway stations in England. \p Simon Lightwood: All rail operators and infrastructure owners, including those responsible for overground and underground railway stations, have statutory duties to ensure the safety of those using and working on the railways, including by managing issues such as crowding. These duties are set out in The Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations 2006 (ROGS) and are supplemented by other health and safety laws. These laws, which are enforced by the independent railway safety regulator, the Office of Rail and Road, give the UK one of the safest railways in Europe.
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Mr Paul Kohler:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the British Transport Police on the adequacy of its procedures for (a) identifying victims of (i) modern slavery and (ii) county lines and (b) referring them for support. \p Simon Lightwood: There is no place for modern slavery or county lines in our society and the British Transport Police (BTP) work to make the railway a hostile environment for criminals committing these offences and a place of safety for victims of exploitation.

The BTP are having much success in their programmes to address these issues. In 2024/25 there were over 230 children safeguarded and 14 modern slavery charges secured by BTP.

The BTP are one of five Police forces with a dedicated County Lines Task Force funded by the Home Office. The taskforce is an intelligence-led proactive unit focused on tackling drug supply and criminal child exploitation, working across the whole rail network in England, Scotland and Wales.

I can reassure you that safeguarding and identifying victims is at the heart of the taskforce’s operations and they have dedicated safeguarding professionals embedded in the team to put support in place for vulnerable individuals.

Whilst this vital work takes place year round, I would like to highlight the work the force did recently, during the national County Lines week of action which ran from 23 June – 29 June 2025. BTP’s County Lines Taskforce ran 48 operations across England, Scotland and Wales which saw 38 people offered support after being identified as victims of exploitation by drugs gangs.
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Mr Paul Kohler:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether has had discussions with British Transport Police on the adequacy of the training available to help officers (a) identify and (b) respond to county lines exploitation. \p Simon Lightwood: The British Transport Police (BTP) have a comprehensive training programme in place. All new police officers and police community support officers receive input from the County Lines Taskforce safeguarding team in their initial training and the team provide training to other teams within the force when required.

BTP’s County Lines safeguarding team also deliver the national County Lines coordination centre hydra training which is open to all BTP officers. They also invite partners from children’s services to attend and take part alongside them. The force also provide resources and guidance to officers on how to identify exploitation and make effective referrals.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of British railways safety standards. \p Simon Lightwood: Britain’s railways consistently rank among the safest in the world, partly due to the robust safety requirements established in legislation.  These requirements include the Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems Safety Regulations 2006 and a range of mandatory standards, including National Technical Specification Notices, rail group standards and rail industry standards, which are enforced by the independent railway safety regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).  The effectiveness of the regulatory regime for Great Britain’s railways was reflected in the ORR’s latest annual health and safety report published on 17 July 2025, which found that safety levels on the network remain high.  The Government keeps rail safety regulations under regular review, including by undertaking post-implementation reviews with industry, to ensure they remain fit for purpose and up to date.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help support people to purchase affordable electric charging points for existing homes in Yeovil constituency. \p Lilian Greenwood: To further accelerate the uptake of EVs, the Government offers grants to support the installation of chargepoints in residential and commercial properties. The Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant supports the provision of chargepoints for residents in flats and rented accommodation with grants of up to £350. SMEs and residential landlords can also claim car park grants of up to £15,000 and £30,000 per site towards the cost of infrastructure works and chargepoints.

Additionally, on the 13 July, the Government announced the £25m Electric Vehicle Pavement Channel grant to further support local authorities in England to adopt pavement channels. This will allow EV drivers to access their domestic electricity tariffs by safely connecting a home EV charger to their vehicle parked on-street and adds to published local authority guidance and chargepoint grants.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the financial (a) risk and (b) cost to councils of controlling bus franchising. \p Simon Lightwood: As part of the bus franchising process, local transport authorities (LTAs) must develop a robust assessment of all elements of a move to franchising. This assessment requires LTAs to demonstrate a financial and economic case for franchising in their area which considers whether the authority would be able to afford to make and operate the scheme, and whether the scheme represents value for money.

There is no one size fits all approach to bus franchising, and the cost of bus franchising and level of financial risk to LTAs will vary depending on the individual area and the model of franchising that LTAs wish to pursue.

Government is working to provide more active support to LTAs, and is developing a tailored programme of support for LTAs wishing to franchise. In addition, work will continue to reduce the cost of franchising to help make it more accessible to LTAs. My Department is also engaging with LTAs and bus operators to identify potential alternative models of franchising to those pursued by Greater Manchester and other Mayoral Combined Authorities.

At the Spending Review, the Government announced funding for bus franchising pilots, including in York and North Yorkshire and Cheshire West and Chester as part of additional funding to maintain and improve bus services from 26/27 onwards.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with road safety experts on updating legislation relating to the use of high-weight agricultural vehicles on public roads. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Secretary of State for Transport has not had discussions with road safety experts on updating legislation for the use of high-weight agricultural vehicles on public roads.

Legislative updates to the speed and weight limits of agricultural tractors were made in 2015. This increased the maximum weight limit for tractor-trailer combinations to 31 tonnes.

The government is not currently considering updates to the existing legislation on the use of high-weight agricultural vehicles but has engaged with the sector on this topic.
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Laurence Turner:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 July 2025 to Question 65477 on Railways: Capital Investment, if she will publish each iteration of that graph during the fourth quarter of 2022. \p Simon Lightwood: The chart(s) in question represent scenario planning that was used to inform decision making of the previous administration and it is not appropriate to disclose them.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of dynamic alignment with EU law under the 2025 UK-EU Common Understanding on the constitution. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: As part of the deal we secured at the first UK-EU summit in May, we agreed to dynamically align with the EU in specific areas where it makes sense, and where there is a benefit to the UK economy. Exporters have been clear that this will reduce the regulatory burden. This deal includes an SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) agreement, which will make it easier for food and drink to be imported and exported by reducing the red tape, and linking our respective Emissions Trading Systems. Together these measures are set to add nearly £9 billion to the UK economy by 2040.

The Common Understanding is clear that where the UK Government decides to align with EU rules as part of a new agreement this will give due regard to the UK’s constitutional and Parliamentary procedures. The UK will be involved, as a sovereign nation outside of the European Union, at an early stage and contribute to the decision-shaping process of European Union legal acts.

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) will have a limited role in assisting an independent arbitration tribunal responsible for deciding a dispute between the UK and the EU. The CJEU does not rule on the substantive outcome of the dispute - that is a matter for the independent arbitration panel.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 19 June 2025, on House of Lords Appointments, HCWS718, whether the Prime Minister has a target size for the number of sitting peers in the House of Lords. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: As appointments are for life, the second chamber has become too big. The Government’s manifesto therefore included a commitment to introduce a retirement age for members of the House of Lords.

The Government intends to propose the establishment of a dedicated select committee in the House of Lords to look at how best to implement the manifesto commitments on a retirement age and participation requirement, following the passage of the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he has taken to coordinate cross-departmental efforts to secure defence infrastructure supply chains. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: The Cabinet Office works closely with the Ministry of Defence to track and monitor risks to national security supply chains. The forthcoming Defence Industrial Strategy will set out the government's approach to defence supply chain security and resilience.
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Sir Andrew Mitchell:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions her Department has had with Birmingham City Council on the potential impact of proposed changes to green belt protections on (a) access to green space and (b) biodiversity. \p Matthew Pennycook: The National Planning Policy Framework is clear about the importance of conserving and enhancing the natural and environment

Planning policies and decisions should contribute to, and enhance, the natural and local environment by minimising impacts on and providing net gains for biodiversity, including by establishing coherent ecological networks that are more resilient to current and future pressures and incorporating features which support priority or threatened species such as swifts, bats, and hedgehogs.

The revised Framework published on 12 December 2024 makes clear that ‘Golden Rules’ should apply to major development including the provision of housing on land released from the Green Belt through plan preparation or review, or on sites in the Green Belt subject to a planning application. These ‘Golden Rules’ include necessary improvements to local or national infrastructure.

It is for local planning authorities to apply national policy when preparing local development plans or determining planning applications, including in relation to the Green Belt.
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Jo Platt:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to introduce a national development management policy for older people's housing. \p Matthew Pennycook: We will consult later this year on a suite of new national policies for decision-making. Further details will be set out in due course.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 6 of the statutory guidance entitled Flexible use of capital receipts: direction, updated on 26 March 2025, which local authorities have informed her Department of using those flexibilities since July 2024; what the purpose of the expenditure capitalised was; and how much was capitalised. \p Jim McMahon: As set out in the gov.uk general direction and guidance, local authorities intending to use the flexible use of capital receipt (FUCR) discretionary freedom are required to provide the government details planned use of the flexibility. This is to support transparency in local decision making; local authorities remain responsible in ensuring that they meet the requirements of the direction and appropriately follow the guidance.

The government does not publish a list of authorities that have submitted plans or details that authorities have provided on the intended use of the flexibility – in some cases authorities may have chosen not to make this information public for reasons such as commercial sensitivity. However, the direction requires that the flexibility may only be used for costs incurred to generate ongoing revenue savings or reduce costs.

For financial year 2024/25, 55 local authorities provided plans to government in accordance with the FUCR direction and guidance between 1 July 2024 and 31 March 2025; for 2025/26, a further 60 authorities have so far provided plans. The total value of capitalised costs under the direction for 2024/25 will be available in the annual Revenue Outturn data provided to government – this data is expected to be published in September 2025.
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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the guidance entitled Openness and transparency on personal interests: guidance for councillors, published on 21 March 2013, what requirements councillors have to declare to their local authority any political donations made to (a) assist future election campaigns and (b) for political campaigning outside a regulated election period. \p Jim McMahon: The ‘openness and transparency on personal interests: guidance for councillors’ is clear that a councillor’s disclosable pecuniary interests must be declared to their local authority. This is in line with requirements set out in regulations under the Localism Act 2011.

The legislation and guidance are clear that a councillor in receipt of sponsorships must declare them. This would include any payment or provision of any other financial benefit, other than from their council or authority, made or provided in respect of any expenses incurred by a councillor carrying out duties as a member, or towards their election expenses.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 62262 on Special Educational Needs: Finance, whether her Department has provided guidance to local authorities on statutory override accounting for special educational needs and disabilities services deficits; and what estimate her Department has made of the aggregate level of such deficits in each local education authority in England. \p Jim McMahon: As per the Answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 62262 on Special Educational Needs: Finance, this government recognises the pressures local authorities are facing because of their Dedicated School Grant (DSG) deficits and that the extension to the DSG Statutory Override is part of a phased transition to a reformed Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system. The DSG Statutory Override is an accounting treatment, first introduced in 2020, that allows local authorities to exclude DSG deficits from their main revenue budgets. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government engages regularly with local authorities and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy on the impact of these deficits and the extent to which they are expected to grow. The government will provide more detail by the end of the year on the plan for supporting authorities with both historic and accruing deficits. We will set out more detail at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with the London Borough of Brent on Brent’s proposal to twin with the city of the city of Nablus in the West Bank. \p Jim McMahon: I refer my hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 67392 on 21 July 2025.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the second homes council tax premium on trends in the level of quick-sale property companies; and whether those property companies are regulated. \p Jim McMahon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 34286 on 7 March. The government does not make housing market assessments based on the premium.

Consumer protection laws apply to transactions made with quick sale sites.
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Jenny Riddell-Carpenter:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local authorities are correctly implementing the council tax premium on second homes. \p Jim McMahon: The second homes council tax premiums is not a mandatory requirement, and it is for individual councils to decide whether to make use of a premium. However, where councils apply a premium, they are required to implement this in line with the relevant regulations. Furthermore, the government has published guidance for councils on the implementation of premiums and exceptions. Councils must have due regard for this guidance when considering application of the premium.

Where a household believes their council has incorrectly applied the premium, they may be able to appeal this to the Valuation Tribunal in certain circumstances.
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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with local authorities on the potential impact of Business Improvement Districts on levels of local business investment. \p Alex Norris: The Government recognises the important role Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) can play in improving the local trading environment and attracting investment to their area. We frequently engage with local authorities and BID membership bodies such as, British BIDs and Association of Town & City Management, to keep informed about the performance of BIDs, including the investment they attract external to the levy.

We are keen for BIDs to continue to be leaders in the regeneration of their area and we encourage BIDs to work in partnership with their local authority to deliver growth in their local area.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that neighbourhood plans effectively safeguard the environment and green belt in local areas. \p Matthew Pennycook: By designating Local Green Spaces and setting expectations for development in their area, neighbourhood plans can ensure development is environmentally acceptable and preserves access to nature.

Local planning authorities, in consultation with their communities and any neighbourhood planning bodies, decide whether land should be designated as green belt in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The Framework permits neighbourhood plans to amend green belt boundaries where strategic policies set out in a local development plan or spatial development strategy justify changes.
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Alison Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed prohibition of upwards-only rent reviews in all commercial property leases contained in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill on (a) institutional finance markets and (b) speculative development funding sources in the context of (i) large scale urban regeneration projects and (ii) other development projects. \p Alex Norris: The government conducted extensive research and engagement before deciding to ban upwards only rent reviews. In the last quarter of 2024, 1 in 7 high street properties were vacant. Whilst we recognise the ban removes a guarantee of return from investors, it will support growth overall by making rents fairer and allowing businesses to access and invest in our High Streets.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much has been spent on public realm schemes in England in the last 12 months. \p Alex Norris: The information requested is not held centrally.

This Government is fully committed to rejuvenating our high streets.  The Plan for Neighbourhoods provides £1.5bn to support up to 350 communities across the country.
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to issue a formal definition of a Large Built-Up Area for the purposes of planning decisions. \p Matthew Pennycook: Local planning authorities (LPAs) must necessarily exercise judgement to interpret and apply national planning policy to their particular local circumstances.

The government published revised Green Belt guidance on 27 February 2025, to help LPAs review their Green Belt and identify grey belt land. This guidance sets out key considerations for informing judgements on the contribution land makes to checking the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas.
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David Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her policy is on the future of neighbourhood plans that have been started but not completed by local authorities; and if she will make funding available for the delivery of such plans. \p Matthew Pennycook: Following the Spending Review, my Department has announced that it is unable to commission new neighbourhood planning support services for 2025 onwards.

Technical support which has already been awarded will continue to be provided but must be completed before the end of March 2026.

The government remains of the view that neighbourhood plans can play an important role in the planning system. Communities can continue to prepare neighbourhood plans where they consider that doing so is in their best interests.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2025 to Question 62598 on Right to Buy Scheme, what the monetary amount was of Right to Buy receipts allocated to local government in each year from 2012. \p Matthew Pennycook: My Department does not publish the amount of Right to Buy receipts retained by local authorities in each financial year.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with local authorities on the adequacy of their preparedness for extreme weather conditions. \p Alex Norris: The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government regularly engages with local authorities through their participation in Local Resilience Forums (LRFs), which are the primary mechanism for assessing risk and coordinating preparedness for extreme weather events and other civil risks. These multi-agency partnerships enable local authorities to consider both potential risks and business continuity planning for extreme weather events, in a joined-up and strategic manner together with other local responder organisations.

In preparation for winter, the Department conducts a comprehensive programme of seasonal readiness work, including asking LRFs to self-assess their preparedness for relevant risks. This assessment scrutinises the resilience landscape identifying actions to further support LRFs and local partners to protect local communities.

In support of this, the department deploys Strategic Resilience Advisors to every LRF in England. These officials act as a critical friend, supporting planning and preparedness at the local level on behalf of the department, providing a vital link between central government and local responders. This regular engagement ensures that preparedness measures are continually reviewed and updated in line with emerging risks and best practice.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make it a requirement for all documents published by her Department to be written in plain English. \p Alex Norris: While there is no legal requirement for government documents to be published in plain English, the department always asks teams to use clear, understandable language in its publications.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2025 to Question 52274 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Aviation, when she plans to deposit this information. \p Alex Norris: I will arrange for this information to be deposited in the House of Commons Library.
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Sarah Olney:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help ensure the provision of accessible housing for disabled Ukrainian refugees. \p Alex Norris: We provide a tariff of £5,900 per Ukrainian arrival to councils. Councils can use this funding flexibly to support households as best suits the local area, including using the funding for measures to support guests to access secure and appropriate accommodation in the private rental sector.

All Ukrainian guests have access to public services, including benefits to support the costs of private rented housing. The Citizens Advice Bureau can advise on which benefits individuals may be eligible for and how to apply for those.

Council housing teams can also offer advice to Ukrainians about the range of housing options available locally.
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Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to publish a call for evidence on park home sales commission. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government recognise that there are longstanding concerns about the requirement to pay site owners a commission upon sale of a park home.

The previous government published a report in June 2022 on the impact of a change in the maximum park home sale commission. It can be found on gov.uk here.

We will set out plans in due course to seek further evidence from the sector on the rationale for the commission.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to require estate agents to disclose commission payments when recommending (a) building societies and (b) mortgage advisors to prospective purchasers. \p Matthew Pennycook: It is unacceptable for estate agents to withhold referral fee information from customers before they decide whether to commission services from the agent's recommended supplier.

Agents who fail to disclose such fees may face sanctions and it is essential that any misconduct related to referral fee transparency is reported.

The government is committed to ensuring that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service at the hands of unscrupulous property agents. We will set out our full position on regulation of estate, letting and managing agents in due course.
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Perran Moon:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to expand the (a) remit and (b) powers of the New Homes Ombudsman to include freehold homeowners with unresolved structural issues. \p Matthew Pennycook: In October 2024, this government committed to establish a statutory New Homes Ombudsman which will give homeowners improved access to redress. The government will set out further details in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

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Perran Moon:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that housing associations are held accountable for the (a) quality and (b) safety of homes they (i) manage and (ii) build. \p Matthew Pennycook: Alongside delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding a generation, the government is committed to driving a transformational and lasting change in the safety and quality of homes.

Registered providers of social housing are required to deliver the outcomes of the standards set by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). The Regulator conducts routine inspections of large registered providers to assess whether they are delivering the outcomes set by the standards. The Regulator has a series of powers at its disposal when it identifies serious failings.

On 2 July 2025, we launched consultations on an updated and modernised Decent Homes Standard and on a new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard. These new standards would be binding on registered providers of social housing.

The government will bring Awaab’s Law into force for the social rented sector from October this year. Awaab’s Law is vital legislation that will empower social tenants to hold their landlords to account using the full force of the law if they fail to investigate and fix hazards within their homes within set timescales. It will also allow tenants to access the Housing Ombudsman if their landlord does not adhere to strict timelines for action.

New requirements relating to electrical safety will also require social landlords to carry out electrical safety checks at least every five years, as well as mandatory appliance inspections on all electrical appliances that are provided by the landlord.

In respect of new build homes, all building works must meet the safety and performance requirements set out in the Building Regulations 2010. The building regulations set minimum legal performance standards for new building work including when a building is being designed, constructed, or subject to major re-design. The building regulations are enforced through the building control process. Building control conduct checks to assure compliance with the building regulations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-24 conversation_156

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much (a) capital and (b) revenue funding her Department has allocated for the Social and Affordable Housing Programme in the 2026-27 financial year. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 60128 on 4 July 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-24 conversation_157

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to amend nationally described space standards for flats. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government has no plans to change the Nationally Described Space Standard at this time.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-24 conversation_158

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of funding the National Association of Local Councils. \p Jim McMahon: The government welcomes the work of the National Association of Local Councils to support and represent town and parish councils in England. The government has not assessed the merits of providing general funding to the National Association of Local Councils.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-24 conversation_159

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2025 to Question 64086 on Local Government: Cost Effectiveness, if he will publish the Local Government Association’s Corporate Peer Challenge. \p Jim McMahon: The Corporate Peer Challenge report concerning the London Borough of Croydon has been published by the Local Government Association and the Council on their respective websites.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-24 conversation_160

Andrew Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of (a) town and (b) parish councils that have taken on functions previously managed by (i) district, (ii) county, (iii) unitary and (iv) metropolitan authorities in each of the last five years. \p Jim McMahon: There is no centrally held data on the total number of functions town and parish councils have taken on from principal local authorities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-24 conversation_161

Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to strengthen Section 157 of the Housing Act 1985 to prevent its circumvention through legal or administrative loopholes. \p Matthew Pennycook: In November 2024, the government consulted on further reforms to the Right to Buy.

A formal response to that consultation was published on 2 July 2025 and can be found on gov.uk here.

As part of that response, the government noted arguments put forward by local authorities and their representative groups to exempt properties in rural areas or areas with populations of 3,000 or less.

We will explore whether changes should be made to Section 157 of the Housing Act 1985 to better protect social and affordable housing in rural communities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-24 conversation_162

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2025 to Question 59791 on Greater Manchester Combined Authority: Housing Investment Programmes, if he will publish the Facility Agreement. \p Matthew Pennycook: The Department does not publish commercially sensitive contract documents where publication could compromise effective programme delivery.

Summaries of the current terms and oversight of the programme are publicly available here and here.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-24 conversation_163

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 62406 on Social Rented Housing: Finance, whether targets have been set for the number of homes that will (a) started and (b) completed in each year of the programme. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 60128 on 4 July 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-24 conversation_164

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 45 of Annex 10 of the Impact Assessment for the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, whether the requirement for 374,000 net additions per year from 2027 is referring to 2026-27 or 2027-28. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 55284 on 10 June 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-24 conversation_165

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2025 to Question 63619 on Permitted Development Rights, which local authorities have issued Article 4 directions to remove the Class E change of use rights. \p Matthew Pennycook: 46 local authorities have issued Article 4 directions for part of their area to remove the permitted development right which enables buildings in the Class E Commercial, Business and Service use class to change to residential use. These are:

City of London

Westminster

Kensington and Chelsea

Lambeth

Wandsworth

Camden

Tower Hamlets

Hackney

Islington

Windsor and Maidenhead

Bromley

Hillingdon

Kingston upon Thames

Richmond

Redbridge

Old Oak Common

Waltham Forest

Greenwich

Lewisham

Hammersmith and Fulham

Hounslow

Bexley

Broxbourne

Crawley

Manchester

Norwich

Milton Keynes

Harlow

Reading

Luton

Brighton and Hove

Rushmoor

Hertsmere

Stevenage

Three Rivers

Sefton

Dacorum

Welwyn and Hatfield

Waverley

North Hertfordshire

Watford

Colchester

Southwark

Brent

Tunbridge Wells

Basingstoke and Deane
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-24 conversation_166

Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking with local authorities to prevent (a) unlawful occupation of council-owned homes and (b) unlawfully attempting to purchase council-owned homes. \p Matthew Pennycook: Housing fraud has a detrimental impact on those in genuine need of a home and is completely unacceptable.

Local authorities are responsible for managing their own social housing stock and where unlawful occupation of council-owned properties occurs, the government expects local authorities to take active steps to tackle fraud and ensure social housing is used fairly – this may include taking legal action.

When processing applications to purchase council homes through the Right to Buy, local authorities are required to check for unlawful and fraudulent applications. Where evidence of fraud is found, local authorities may pursue legal action.

On 2 July, the government published our response to the consultation on Reforming the Right to Buy, which can be found on gov.uk here. The government is considering what further steps could be taken to more effectively prevent fraud, including in relation to third-party backed applications.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-24 conversation_167

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an estimate of the changes to elector numbers in each constituency following the reduction of the voting age. \p Matthew Pennycook: In June 2025, the House of Commons Library published constituency-level estimates of the number of 16 and 17-year-olds across the UK, based on Office for National Statistics data from 2022 for Great Britain and 2023 for Northern Ireland.

These figures provide indicative estimates of the 16 and 17-year-old population and should be treated as approximations rather than precise counts.

The government will publish an Impact Assessment of the proposed policy change alongside forthcoming legislation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-24 conversation_168

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 31879 on Councillors: Data Protection, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill to include the reforms to the Localism Act 2011 on councillor’s home addresses. \p Jim McMahon: Our continued aim is to remove the requirement for councillors’ home addresses to be published. We intend to legislate when parliamentary time allows.