theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many firearms licence (a) applications and (b) renewals were completed in (i) the UK, (ii) the East of England and (iii) West Suffolk constituency in each year since 2015. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office publishes information annually on the number of firearm and shotgun certificate applications and renewals that have been granted and refused in England and Wales in the statistical publication on firearm and shotgun certificates. The latest available data is for the year ending 31 March 2024 and can be accessed at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/firearm-certificates-in-england-and-wales

The number of firearm and shotgun certificate applications and renewals that have been granted and refused in England and Wales, the East of England region and Suffolk police force area in each year since 2015 can be found in data tables 2 and 4.

Data are not available by constituencies specifically. Police Scotland publish broadly comparable annual statistics on the number of firearm and shotgun certificates granted and renewed in Scotland:

https://www.scotland.police.uk/about-us/what-we-do/firearms-and-explosives-licensing/

There are no comparable statistics for Northern Ireland.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of requiring Electronic Travel Authorisation on (a) BN(O) and (b) Hong Kong passport holders seeking sanctuary. \p Seema Malhotra: Electronic travel authorisations (ETAs) have been introduced to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream and stop those who pose a threat from travelling to the UK.

ETAs were expanded to BN(O) passport holders on 27 November 2024 and are currently a requirement for this population when travelling to the UK. But this aspect of the policy remains under review, and we will update the House on any changes in due course.
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Tim Roca:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of a visa scheme for Palestinians. \p Seema Malhotra: Palestinians who wish to come to the UK can already do so via the existing range of routes available which allow a person to apply to work, study, settle or join family in the UK. More information on all routes available for a person to apply to work, study or settle/join family in the UK can be found here: Visas and immigration - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of cases under investigation by police for over one year. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Timely investigation of crime is important for victims and to ensure swift justice. Official statistics on crime outcomes, published by the Home Office for the year ending September 2024, shows that 86% of all offences (without fraud) are closed within 100 days.

I welcome that HMICFRS is currently undertaking an ‘investigations’ thematic inspection and we will work with the sector on its recommendations. We will work closely with policing partners to continue to equip them with the tools needed to investigate crime and progress cases through the system swiftly, I welcome that HMICFRS is currently undertaking an including those which can significantly reduce the time taken to process digital forensic material.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February, to Question 28684 on British Nationality: Fees and Charges, for what reason her Department does not hold specific data on the amount of revenue received from child citizenship applications?. \p Seema Malhotra: The Department does not hold specific data on the amount of revenue received from child citizenship applications.

We are looking to develop more granular management information during the new financial year 2025-26.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to implement sector sponsorship for immigrant social care workers. \p Seema Malhotra: The Government keeps all aspects of the immigration system under review, subject to our objective to reduce levels of net migration, but we have no plans to change the current rules in this area.
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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the written statement of 30 January 2025, HCWS407, on Police Funding Settlement 2025-26, what estimate he has made of the (a) increase in council tax receipts in monetary terms, (b) absolute level and (c) increase in the average Band D council tax police precept on which the increase in funding is assumed. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Forces will be able to raise up to £329.8 million in funding from council tax precept, based on current forecasts and assuming all PCCs maximise their precept flexibility of £14 for a Band D property.

Precept levels are a decision that must be taken by each locally elected PCC.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the section entitled Roles and responsibilities on the About Us webpage for Immigration Enforcement, what options are presented to illegal migrants during face-to-face meaningful conversations. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Those conversations might be, for example, including informing migrants subject to immigration bail of options for fulfilling the Home Office reporting requirements, and consequences of failing to do so.
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Alex Burghart:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have had their Indefinite Leave to Remain revoked by the special cases unit in each of the last five years. \p Seema Malhotra: The information requested is not centrally held and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
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Bobby Dean:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help reduce knife crime in Sutton. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Halving knife crime over the next decade is a key part of the Government’s Safer Streets mission and we are taking a range of steps to realise this ambition.

We have implemented the ban on zombie-style knives and zombie-style machetes approved by Parliament in April. The ban came in to force on 24 September 2024 and it is now illegal to sell or own these weapons.

We launched a consultation on 13 November 2024 seeking views on the legal description of a Ninja sword to help our plans for an effective ban.

We know that more needs to be done to tackle the sale of knives online which is why last October, the Home Secretary commissioned Commander Stephen Clayman, as the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for knife crime, to carry out a full review into the online sale and delivery of knives. The report was received at the end of January and once we have considered the review in full, the Government will set out its next steps for strengthening the controls and processes around the online sale and delivery of knives.

Ahead of this, the Home Secretary has already announced that the Government intends to strengthen age verification controls and checks for all online sellers of knives at the point of purchase and on delivery.

We have also consulted on introducing personal liability measures on senior executives of online platforms or marketplaces who fail to take action to remove illegal content relating to knives and offensive weapons. The consultation closed on 11 December 2024, and we are carefully considering the responses as we plan our next steps.

Additionally, over £9.3m has been made available this financial year to the London Violence Reduction Unit (VRU). VRUs bring together police, local government, health, community leaders and other key partners to tackle violent crime and its underlying causes. London VRU is using this funding to deliver a range of interventions across all 32 boroughs to divert young people from a life of crime. This includes intensive mentoring by YOUthink for children and young people in Sutton to reduce re-offending.

We have also created a new Young Futures programme, which will include the establishment of Young Futures Prevention Partnerships across England and Wales, bringing partners together to intervene earlier to stop young people being drawn into crime. It is vital we have a system that can identify and support those young people who need it most.
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Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of Electronic Travel Authorisation on British National (Overseas) Passport holders without UK visas. \p Seema Malhotra: Electronic travel authorisations (ETAs) have been introduced to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream and stop those who pose a threat from travelling to the UK.

ETAs were expanded to BN(O) passport holders on 27 November 2024 and are currently a requirement for this population when travelling to the UK. But this aspect of the policy remains under review, and we will update the House on any changes in due course.
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Rachael Maskell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what offences would require an asylum seeker to be deported. \p Dame Angela Eagle: All foreign nationals, including asylum seekers and refugees, can and do face prosecution for criminal offences in the same way as any other individual in the UK, and routinely have their immigration status reviewed if convicted.

Under existing legislation, an individual convicted of a particularly serious crime, resulting in a custodial sentence of 12 months or more, will be routinely denied asylum and considered for removal from the UK.

All asylum claimants are subject to mandatory security checks to establish their identity and to link it to their biometric details for the purpose of immigration, security and criminality checks - including war crimes, crimes against humanity and terrorism. These checks are critical to the delivery of a safe and secure immigration system.
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Bobby Dean:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of knife bans on the level of knife-related incidents. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The legislation in this area is kept under review in the interests of public safety and in line with this we implemented a ban on zombie-style knives and zombie-style machetes on 24 September 2024 and it is now illegal to sell, supply, manufacture or own these weapons.

The Government is also committed to banning Ninja swords, and following a consultation between 13 November and 11 December 2014, we are working on plans for an effective ban.

The prohibition of certain types of knives and other bladed articles gives the police powers to seize the weapons and to prosecute offenders, a valuable tool in addressing knife crime and wider criminality.

Statistics on knife related offences do not record the level of detail necessary to assess the effectiveness of specific knife bans.
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Rachael Maskell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of enabling Ukrainian refugees who are living in the UK to obtain the right to remain. \p Seema Malhotra: This Government stands with Ukraine and is committed to providing stability for those we have welcomed to the UK and those who still need our sanctuary.

To provide certainty to those who have been provided with temporary sanctuary in the UK under the existing Ukraine schemes, the Government has introduced a bespoke Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, which opened to applications on 4 February 2025. This scheme allows those with existing sanctuary to apply for a further 18 months' permission to remain in the UK with the same rights and entitlements as they have been given under the existing Ukraine schemes.

The Ukrainian Government has been clear about its strong desire for the future return of its citizens to help rebuild Ukraine when it is safe to do so. It is important that our approach respects these wishes.

We will, of course, continue to keep the Ukraine schemes under review in line with developments in Ukraine.
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Rachael Maskell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the safe and legal routes for asylum seekers to enter the UK. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Those individuals who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.

Information on the UK’s safe and legal routes is published on gov.uk.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many voluntary returns have been given financial support by the Voluntary Returns Service under the criteria of having been sleeping rough since 4 July 2024. \p Dame Angela Eagle: I refer the Hon Member to the Answer I gave him on 6 Febrrary to Question 28420.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much revenue has been raised from citizenship applications since the fee waiver was introduced. \p Seema Malhotra: Since fee waivers were introduced in June 2022 the revenue received for all Citizenship applications - virtually all Naturalisation and Registration - is £734.7m. The data provided covers the period July 2022 to January 2025.
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Patrick Spencer:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how her Department calculates the number of police officers required per 100,000 of the population in (a) Suffolk, (b) Kent, (c) Norfolk and (d) England. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales on a bi-annual basis in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.

Table 11 of the data tables accompanying the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales: 30 September 2024’ release includes data on the number of police officers per 100,000 resident population, both nationally and at a police force area level.

Data on the number of police officers per 100,000 resident population is provided for comparative purposes and is not used as a measure of a required rate.
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Alex Ballinger:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure national standards in the training of fire service personnel. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Fire and rescue authorities are responsible for ensuring that firefighters receive the training they need in order to safely respond to the wide range of incidents that they attend. The National Fire Chiefs Council maintains national operational guidance for fire and rescue services to draw upon when developing operational policies, procedures and training.

The Home Office funds the independent Fire Standards Board (FSB) to develop and maintain a comprehensive set of professional standards for fire and rescue services in England. The FSB has published 19 national standards for fire and rescue services covering a range of topics from emergency response driving to leading and developing people and a code of ethics.

The Home Office will continue to work with stakeholders to build on the work of the FSB in the context of the Government’s fire and rescue service reform agenda.
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Alex Ballinger:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the West Midlands fire authority plan to bring back familiarisation visits. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Familiarisation visits, and other types of training and community engagement, are a local operational matter. It is for the West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority and Service to determine their priorities on these types of activities.
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Bradley Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle crime that crosses police force boundaries. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Government is committed to ensuring that law enforcement has the resources it needs to tackle crime effectively, including when crime crosses police force boundaries.

When it does, the National Crime Agency (NCA), which leads the UK's fight to cut serious and organised crime, and policing’s Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) network, have specialised intelligence and investigative teams that are deployed across the full range of threats to bring offenders to justice. This includes tackling ‘borderless’ serious crimes including fraud, cyber-enabled criminality, online child sexual exploitation and abuse and County Lines.

Both the NCA and ROCU network have been allocated significant resources to enhance their capacity and capability to continue tackling serious crime at both national and regional levels.

The Home Office is also funding the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre to monitor the intelligence picture and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response to County Lines. This is vital in strengthening the law enforcement response and enabling police forces to work together to tackle this complex issue.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, to ask the Secretary of State for Home Affairs, what discussions she has had with fire and rescue services on the (a) adequacy of the Settlement Funding Assessment for 2024-25 and (b) potential impact of the size of the workforce of those services on their ability to meet demand. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Overall, fire and rescue authorities will receive around £2.87 billion in 2024/25. Decisions on how their resources are best deployed to meet their core functions are a matter for each fire and rescue authority based on its analysis of risk and local circumstances.

The Home Office will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure fire and rescue services have the resources they need to protect communities.
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Mr Calvin Bailey:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued to (a) the police, (b) local authorities and (c) other authorities on removing covers from illicitly-covered licence plates in public spaces to help enforce existing legislation and regulations; and whether she has received representations on the risk of criminal damage complaints if authorities remove coverings. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Disguising a vehicle’s identity is an offence and should be reported to the police to be investigated and, where appropriate, taken through the courts.

The Home Office has not issued any specific guidance on the removal of covers from licence plates.
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Liam Conlon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing new and specific criminal offences relating to the irresponsible sale and use of catapults used to (a) injure people, (b) maim or kill animals and (c) damage property. \p Dame Diana Johnson: We are clear that catapults should not be used for illegal purposes, whether against wildlife, people or property.

The law already provides the police with powers relating to the use of any item as an offensive weapon including a catapult, for example if used with anti-social behaviour or for criminal damage.

Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996, there are also offences around injuring and inflicting unnecessary suffering on wildlife. These measures give the police powers to deal with cases where wildlife is attacked, including cases involving the misuse of catapults.

We continue to keep all relevant legislation under review in the interests of public safety.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many non-hate crime incidents have been recorded in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) Leicestershire and (c) Mid Leicestershire constituency since 5 July 2004. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office does not currently centrally collate information on the number of non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) recorded by individual police forces – this data is held by individual forces.

The Home Secretary has been clear that a consistent and common-sense approach must be taken with NCHIs. The Government has also been clear that its top priority for policing is delivering on the safer streets mission to rebuild neighbourhood policing, restore public confidence, and make progress on the ambition to halve knife crime and violence against women and girls.

The Home Office has agreed that the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), supported by the College of Policing, will conduct a review on the use and effectiveness of NCHIs, which is currently underway.

The Government welcomes this review and will work closely with the NPCC and the College as they develop their findings and any proposals on this issue.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to introduce mandatory mental health support for police officers who have been exposed to distressing or traumatic incidents. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Chief Officers have a duty of care to manage their workforce effectively, including ensuring the wellbeing of all their officers and staff. This Government has been clear that the wellbeing of our police is a priority. We will continue to work with police partners to ensure that all police officers and staff have the appropriate support in place to thrive in their careers and deliver the best service to the public.

We continue to fund the National Police Wellbeing Service. The Service provides evidence-based guidance, advice, tools and resources to support forces and individual officers, including guidance on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Policing. All officers receive pre-deployment mental health training and through the Police Covenant, and all forces now meet the new Occupational Health (OH) foundation level standards. Measures are also in place to ensure forces continually develop and improve their OH standards.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps with police forces to review the (a) effectiveness of policies to place police officers potentially experiencing mental ill-health on restricted duties and (b) adequacy of (i) the provision of psychological support and (ii) recovery time for those officers. \p Dame Diana Johnson: It is the responsibility of Chief Officers to effectively manage their workforce, including ensuring appropriate health and wellbeing support is in place for all officers and staff. The Government has been clear that the health and wellbeing of our police is a priority, and we continue to work with police partners to ensure that consistent standards apply across all forces.

Police Regulations require forces to follow standard procedures in the management of officers placed on limited duties following a period of ill health and this includes for periods of recuperation. The College of Policing has also provided specific guidance for line managers on the use of reasonable adjustments, including a toolkit for forces, a Workplace Adjustment Toolkit and a disability passport.

The Government continues to fund the National Police Wellbeing Service which provides evidence-based mental health guidance, advice, tools and resources to support forces and individual officers.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to provide funding for infrastructure for fire and rescue services to help mitigate risks in relation to contaminants. \p Dame Diana Johnson: On 3 February 2025, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published the Final Local Government Finance Settlement 2025/26 which sets out grant allocations for all local authorities including fire and rescue.

The Home Office will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure fire and rescue services have the resources they need to protect communities.
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Connor Naismith:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to (a) comply with the McCloud remedy and (b) provide assurances to members of the Police Pensions Scheme. \p Dame Diana Johnson: While the Home Office has responsibility for overarching policy and legislative changes to the police pension regulations, the police pension scheme is locally administered by individual police forces. The regulations governing the McCloud remedy for the police pension schemes were made in July 2023.

It is for each Chief Constable, in their role as scheme manager for their force, to determine their administrative timetable, including when remedy payments will be distributed.

The Home Office is actively collaborating with policing to support the effective implementation of the McCloud remedy for all affected individuals.
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Christine Jardine:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to address the pension shortfalls experienced by police officers who, affected by the McCloud judgement, are classified as being in Immediate Detriment. \p Dame Diana Johnson: While the Home Office has responsibility for overarching policy and legislative changes to the police pension regulations in England & Wales, the police pension scheme is locally administered by individual police forces. The Home Office is working with the policing sector to support the effective implementation of the McCloud remedy for all affected individuals.

It is for each Chief Constable, in their role as scheme manager for their force, to determine their administrative timetable, including when remedy payments will be distributed.

The devolved governments have overarching policy and legislative responsibility in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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Neil Coyle:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if (a) she and (b) her Department will hold discussions with the British Healthcare Trades Association on the role of first aid kits in ensuring public safety in the context of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill. \p Dan Jarvis: The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill does not include a specific requirement relating to the provision of first aid or associated equipment.

The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 already make requirements for employers, including provision of adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and personnel to ensure their employees receive immediate attention if they are injured or taken ill at work.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) oversee compliance with the regulations. Where appropriate, the HSE engages with a range of stakeholders within the medical and first aid sector, including standard setters in the first aid industry, such as St John Ambulance and the British Red Cross.

Wider work is ongoing to strengthen Healthcare Standards. The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) is working with partners to put in place updated guidance for health care at events. Once published the Event Healthcare Standard will be assessed in partnership with NHS England to determine whether this standard should become a statutory obligation.

The Home Office will continue to engage with sectors within the scope of the legislation, to support them to understand their obligations.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Policy paper entitled A review of the increased Right to Buy discounts introduced in 2012, published by her Department on 30 October 2024, if she will publish the unpublished documentation for that Review. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government does not intend to publish any other documentation in relation to the review of Right to Buy discounts.
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Bradley Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the labour force to meet the Government's housing targets over the course of this Parliament. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government recognises the need to expand and upskill the construction workforce to meet our ambitious Plan for Change milestone of delivering 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament.

We are working with industry to ensure the housebuilding sector has access to the skilled workers needed. This includes a £140 million package of industry investment to deliver 5,000 more apprenticeship places through 32 new Homebuilding Skills Hubs.
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Clive Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department is taking any steps to (a) identify and (b) tackle fraudulent activity by (i) landlords and (ii) freeholders. \p Matthew Pennycook: The reforms introduced in the Renters’ Rights Bill will be underpinned by an effective, consistent and proportionate enforcement framework.

We are extending councils’ powers to collect and retain revenue for future enforcement work from financial penalties against landlords in the private rented sector who flout the rules. Initial or minor non-compliance will incur a civil penalty of up to £7,000 and serious, persistent or repeat non-compliance a civil penalty of up to £40,000, with the alternative of a criminal prosecution.

We are also providing local authorities with a range of new investigatory powers which will allow them to enforce our new reforms, including powers to require information from relevant persons and any persons and powers of entry to business and residential premises.

The Remediation Acceleration Plan published in December 2024 committed the government to supporting regulators to hold bad actors – whether freeholders or landlords – to account in relation to fixing dangerous buildings, including via robust new powers to enforce remediation.

Freeholders who breach the terms of their lease, or fail to hold service charge monies in a trust fund, may be challenged by leaseholders in the courts.
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Darren Paffey:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to tackle increases in building insurance premiums for leaseholders in high-risk buildings. \p Alex Norris: Buildings insurance premiums remain unacceptably high for many leaseholders in buildings with fire safety issues, who have been paying too much for too long.

My officials have already started working with the insurance industry, as announced in the Remediation Acceleration Plan, to consider whether, for the duration of remediation programmes, government might support industry to reduce fire related liabilities, in order to reduce the high insurance bills some leaseholders are facing.

We have also launched a public consultation on the introduction of a fair and transparent fee for leaseholders to pay to those who manage insurance for their buildings.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_133

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraphs 24 and 26 of the National Planning Policy Framework, published on 12 December 2024, if she will issue guidance to councils on joint working to meet housing targets across different (a) local and (b) neighbourhood plans. \p Matthew Pennycook: The changes made to paragraphs 24 – 28 of the National Planning Policy Framework in December 2024 will ensure that we are making the most of opportunities for greater collaboration between local planning authorities and that the right engagement is occurring in respect of the sharing of unmet housing need and other cross-boundary issues.

There is existing government guidance to support authorities in complying with the relevant policy in this area.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_134

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question HL4145 on Local Government: Elections, for what reason her Department is using the provisions in the Local Government Act 2000 rather than the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. \p Jim McMahon: Our use of the power under the Local Government Act 2000 to postpone local council elections is consistent with precedent in areas preparing for local government re-organisation, for example: Buckinghamshire (S.I. 2018/1355), Cumbria (S.I. 2021/174), North Yorkshire (S.I. 2021/175), Northamptonshire (S.I. 2018/1324), Somerset (S.I. 2021/176) and Weymouth and Portland (S.I. 2018/256).

In contrast, the power in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 is for use in the context of a structural changes Order implementing a proposal for local government reorganisation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_135

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her oral statement of 5 February 2025 entitled English Devolution and Local Government, Official Report, column 767, if she (a) plans to legislate to direct local government restructuring in areas where principal authorities do not submit a request to restructure or (b) will consent to the decision not to submit a request. \p Jim McMahon: The English Devolution White Paper set out that “We will expect all two tier areas and smaller or failing unitaries to develop proposals for reorganisation” and “We will deliver this process as quickly as possible, including through legislation where it becomes necessary to ensure progress.”

I will set out detail on any further plans in due course.
wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_136
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_136

Bradley Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with hon. Members from Worcestershire on local government reform. \p Jim McMahon: The Secretary of State has not had discussions with Members from Worcestershire on local government reform.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_137

Chris Coghlan:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to integrate the proposals outlined in the English Devolution White Paper with important strategic transport infrastructure such as Gatwick Airport. \p Jim McMahon: The White Paper sets out the comprehensive devolution of local transport functions to strategic authorities in England, including a comprehensive rail devolution offer for the first time. Combined with their new powers over strategic spatial planning, this will empower them to deliver strategic transport infrastructure to deliver growth across England. However, the proposals and Devolution Framework set out in the English Devolution White Paper do not cover aviation policy and would not have any direct impact on the operation of Gatwick Airport.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_138

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department is taking steps to address funding shortfalls faced by local government in Devon, in the context of the local government reorganisation. \p Jim McMahon: We are providing a significant boost to local authorities in England. The final Local Government Finance Settlement 2025-26, alongside funding announced at the Budget, will deliver over £5 billion of new funding for local services over and above council tax. This includes an additional £2 billion of grant through the Settlement.

The final Settlement for 2025-26 therefore makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase on 2024-25. For Devon County Council, this makes available a total of up to £837.2 million in 2025-26. Spending decisions beyond 2025-26 are a matter for the upcoming Spending Review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_139

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will publish all correspondence, including electronic communications, between the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and her Department on the planning application for the proposed Chinese Embassy. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government does not routinely publish correspondence between departments.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_140

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what purposes the Planning Inspectorate has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months. \p Matthew Pennycook: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is key to delivering the outcomes set out in the blueprint for modern digital government published on 21 January 2025. The policy paper can be found on gov.uk here.

The Planning Inspectorate has undertaken the following exploratory work in relation to AI in the past 12 months:

· The Inspectorate issued guidance on use of artificial intelligence as part of any appeal, application or examination being dealt with by the Planning Inspectorate.

· The Inspectorate established an Artificial Intelligence Governance Board as per the government’s Generative AI Framework.

· The Inspectorate investigated the use of Artificial Intelligence tools to support in the redaction of the data and documents it publishes, as necessary.

· The Inspectorate investigated the use of tools powered by artificial intelligence to create visualisations and extract insights from data about casework for internal staff use only.

· The Inspectorate undertook the first phase of internal testing of Microsoft CoPilot tools for staff to establish their impact and ensure appropriate security measures are in place.

The Planning Inspectorate can draw on a range of resources, published on GOV.UK, to inform AI usage. For example, the Generative AI Framework, the Ethics, Transparency and Accountability Framework, the Data Ethics Framework, the AI Opportunities Action Plan and the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard.

The Planning Inspectorate also has access to the Government Digital Service, part of the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, for expert advice.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_141

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the National Planning Policy Framework, published on 12 December 2024, which new measures within the framework have implications for sustainable urban drainage systems. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government is committed to securing the delivery of high-quality sustainable drainage systems to help manage flood risk and adapt to the effects of climate change.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework we published on 12 December 2024 amended an existing paragraph regarding incorporating sustainable drainage systems in new development to make clear that developments of all sizes are expected to make use of sustainable drainage techniques where the development could have drainage impacts. These systems should be appropriate to the nature and scale of the proposed development.

We will consider whether further changes are required to manage sustainable drainage systems provision through the planning system when we consult on further reform.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_142

Michael Payne:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of numbers of local authority planning officers to support planning reform. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government appreciates that planning departments across the country are experiencing challenges with recruitment, retention, and skills gaps and that in many cases these issues are having a negative impact on service delivery.

At the Budget, the Chanceller announced a £46 million package of investment into the planning system as a one-year settlement for 2025-2026. A proportion of this funding will be used to support capacity and capability in local planning authorities, including the recruitment and training of 300 graduate and apprentice planners and developing the skills needed to implement reforms and unlock housing delivery.

This will be further underpinned by increases in planning fees that will help improve the resourcing of planning application services, so that local planning authorities can fund the skills they need.

More broadly, the Department’s established Planning Capacity and Capability programme is also developing a wider programme of support, working with partners across the planning sector, to ensure that local planning authorities have the skills and capacity they need, both now and in the future, to modernise local plans and speed up decision making, including through innovative use of digital planning data and software.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-13 conversation_143

Chris Coghlan:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of her policies on house-building on house prices. \p Matthew Pennycook: The effects of housing undersupply can be seen in affordability and rent pressures. That is precisely why the government’s Plan for Change includes an ambitious milestone of delivering 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament and why we remain committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation. We continue to review the impacts of our policies on a range of outcomes as they develop.