theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Greg Smith:To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the work for vehicle entry and exit in New Palace Yard is on (a) time and (b) budget. \p Nick Smith: The most recently approved Business Case for the works in New Palace Yard anticipated a completion date of between October 2024 and March 2026. This range takes into account identified risks that may occur over the life span of the project, for example material shortages, unexpected discoveries during excavation, or unexpected events. The works are currently expected to complete in October 2025, which is within the approved range. The works are anticipated to complete within the overall budget set out in the Business Case.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, how many formal recommendations the Committee has made to the Electoral Commission since 12 December 2019. \p Sir Jeremy Wright: The Speaker's Committee has made no formal recomendations to the Electoral Commission since 12 December 2019.

The Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission is a statutory body established in part to examine performance and to review and approve the Electoral Commission's annual estimates, and five-year plan. The Committee also recommends the appointments of the Chair of the Electoral Commission and Electoral Commissioners.

As part of this statutory role, the Committee has reported on Commissioner appointments and the Commission's annual estimates.

The Committee does not have the power to direct or intervene in the Commission's operational work, but there is regular engagement to keep the Committee informed about ongoing activity.
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Jerome Mayhew:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that the work of Great British Rail is held to account. \p Simon Lightwood: Great British Railways’ new passenger-focused culture will ensure passengers are at the heart of everything it does. It will be operationally independent of, but accountable to, the Secretary of State, as well as to the UK and devolved Parliaments, supported by the Office for Rail and Road and a new passenger watchdog, the Passenger Standards Authority. We will be consulting on our proposals for the legislation that will establish GBR as an arm’s length body, in due course.
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Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of creating a new sign asking drivers to move to the right at short slip roads. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department has not made an assessment of introducing a sign asking drivers to move to the right at short slip roads. There are currently no plans to introduce this.
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Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions her Department has had with the Port of Tyne on it's responsibilities to the Swing Bridge. \p Mike Kane: The department engages actively with many UK ports, including the Port of Tyne. However, the department has had no recent discussion with the port of Tyne on those specific points.
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Mike Amesbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an economic and environmental impact assessment of the potential impact of making temporary the (a) 38.4 and (b) 44 tonne weight limits on volumetric concrete mobile plants. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department ran a call for evidence from October to December 2023 seeking views on three potential options on weight limits for Volumetric Concrete Mixers (VCMs). Evidence was provided to the Department on both the pros and cons of allowing VCMs to continue to operate at higher weights. The Department has reviewed the evidence provided and will publish its findings shortly. Any potential changes to the current policy position on VCM weight limits will need to consider the implications for road safety, infrastructure, the environment, and maintaining fair competition in the market.
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Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department holds plans for supporting rail networks affected by flooding. \p Simon Lightwood: Network Rail and other operators are responsible for planning for flooding events and have contingency plans in place. The Department keeps in close contact with these operators in such events and would take appropriate action as necessary.
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Mr Andrew Mitchell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the Remembrance Day travel concession to include The Royal Tank Regiment parade. \p Simon Lightwood: The rail industry continues to offer free travel in the same way it has done historically, this includes free travel to Remembrance Sunday events. Eligible passengers can also apply for a Veterans Railcard which offers discounted prices on train fares for those who have served in the UK Armed Forces.
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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with Shadow Great British Railways on future management of the 20 railway stations directly managed by Network Rail. \p Simon Lightwood: The Secretary of State has not yet held any conversations with Shadow Great British Railways on the future management of stations.

The government has set Shadow Great British Railways several initial priorities, including being passenger focused - improving services for passengers and freight-customers, unlocking barriers to delivery and moving the rail network towards greater financial sustainability.

The government will shortly be setting out plans for how Shadow Great British Railways will be delivering on these priorities.
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Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her planned timetable is for publishing the Government's consultation on the zero emission vehicle mandate. \p Lilian Greenwood: The consultation on Phasing out sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 and supporting the ZEV transition launched on 24 December 2024 and is due to close on 18 February 2025. The Government is engaging intensively with interested stakeholders and a response will be published in due course.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many and what proportion of officials in her Department were hired via positive action schemes in the last financial year. \p Jo Stevens: All Civil Service departments work within the Recruitment Principles, as regulated by the Civil Service Commission, to recruit using a fair and open process and appoint on merit.

Departments will only limit a campaign to a specific group as a form of positive action as a proportionate response to achieve a legitimate aim as defined in section 159 of the Equality Act 2010.

The Civil Service is committed to a diverse workforce and culture of openness and inclusivity - not as ends in themselves but as means of delivering better outcomes to the citizens we serve.

The Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2022-25 Promoting Fairness and Performance, published in February 2022, is positioned as an essential lever to deliver a Modern Civil Service, where our values are to serve with integrity, honesty, objectivity, and impartiality; driving our vision to be a skilled, innovative, and ambitious Civil Service equipped for the future. This strategy sets out a broader definition of diversity, to include geographical, social and career backgrounds alongside the protected groups.

As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop, and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds, to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future.
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Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on aviation objections to onshore wind in Wales. \p Jo Stevens: I have regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on renewable energy projects in Wales. Wales will play an important role in increasing the UK's onshore wind capacity and meeting our Net Zero and energy security ambitions.

The UK Government has set up an Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce to identify and address the barriers to increased onshore wind deployment, including in relation to airspace management and aviation. The government engages regularly with the Welsh Government, who are represented on the Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce. Welsh Government officials have been attending the Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce Working Group 4: Aviation and Defence. The group is discussing the challenges, opportunities and risks associated with accelerating onshore wind deployment to 2030, relevant to aviation and defence policy.
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Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions she has had with the Welsh government on aviation objections to onshore wind in South Wales. \p Jo Stevens: I have regular discussions with the Welsh Government on renewable energy projects in Wales. Wales will play an important role in increasing the UK's onshore wind capacity and meeting our Net Zero and energy security ambitions.

The UK Government has set up an Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce to identify and address the barriers to increased onshore wind deployment, including in relation to airspace management and aviation. The government engages regularly with the Welsh Government, who are represented on the Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce. Welsh Government officials have been attending the Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce Working Group 4: Aviation and Defence. The group is discussing the challenges, opportunities and risks associated with accelerating onshore wind deployment to 2030, relevant to aviation and defence policy.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department were hired via positive action schemes in the last financial year. \p Ian Murray: All Civil Service departments work within the Recruitment Principles, as regulated by the Civil Service Commission, to recruit using a fair and open process and appoint on merit.

Departments will only limit a campaign to a specific group as a form of positive action as a proportionate response to achieve a legitimate aim as defined in section 159 of the Equality Act 2010.

The Civil Service is committed to a diverse workforce and culture of openness and inclusivity - not as ends in themselves but as means of delivering better outcomes to the citizens we serve.

The Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2022-25 Promoting Fairness and Performance, published in February 2022, is positioned as an essential lever to deliver a Modern Civil Service, where our values are to serve with integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality; driving our vision to be a skilled, innovative and ambitious Civil Service equipped for the future. This strategy sets out a broader definition of diversity, to include geographical, social and career backgrounds alongside the protected groups.

As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds, to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his timeline is for (a) the consultation on the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard and (b) implementation of the new standard following the consultation. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Government will shortly consult on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector. The consultation will include proposals for rented homes to achieve Energy Performance Certificate C or equivalent by 2030. We will consult on introducing minimum energy efficiency standards for the social rented sector in due course.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that standing charges for (a) electricity and (b) gas reflect actual service costs. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Although standing charges are a commercial matter for suppliers, and are regulated by Ofgem, we know that too much of the burden of the bill is placed on them. The Government has worked constructively with the regulator on the issue of standing charges, and we are committed to lowering the cost of them.

Standing charges recover the ‘fixed’ costs of the system, meaning costs that do not vary by energy use. This includes suppliers’ fixed operational costs of serving each customer, the cost of network upgrades and maintenance necessary to keep all consumers connected and fund the technologies to drive progress towards net zero targets. It also includes the cost of providing Warm Home Discount payments to eligible customers.
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Mr Calvin Bailey:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to increase the rate of retrofitting insulation in social housing in London. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF, formally SHDF) provides grant funding for social housing landlords to improve the energy performance of their properties through the installation of energy efficiency measures and low carbon technologies. The WH:SH will upgrade a significant amount of the social housing stock currently below EPC C up to that standard. £1.29 billion has been allocated as part of the Autumn 2024 Budget for the WH:SHF Wave 3, to be delivered from 2025 until 2028 by eligible social housing landlords.

Additionally, the National Wealth Fund has worked with leading banks to make £1bn available to help housing associations provide warmer, more energy efficient homes to tenants across the country.
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Jayne Kirkham:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the delivery of floating offshore wind demonstration projects in the Celtic Sea. \p Michael Shanks: The Government is working with industry to accelerate ways the Contracts for Difference scheme and other energy policies can be expanded to deliver the clean energy superpower mission. The Government recognises the important role that Test and Demonstration projects, including in the Celtic Sea, could play in securing learnings, developing infrastructure, and building sector confidence to enable cost-effective commercial scale floating offshore wind projects in future.

The Clean Industry Bonus further underscores the Government’s commitment to the technology, in particular the minimum budget to be set aside for investment in floating offshore wind supply chain to help drive investment into the sector.
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Jayne Kirkham:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what body is responsible for (a) coordination and (b) delivery of floating wind farms in the Celtic Sea. \p Michael Shanks: The Crown Estate’s Leasing Round 5 will bring forward up to 4.5GW of floating offshore wind capacity in the Celtic Sea in addition to the five Test and Demonstration projects currently in development.

The partnership between Great British Energy and The Crown Estate announced the potential to deploy up to a further 12GW of floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea, of which 4-10GW could be leased to developers by 2030.

The Government will work closely with developers and The Crown Estate to support the delivery of floating offshore wind projects across the UK, including in the Celtic Sea.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential role of the oil and gas industry in (a) contributing to international climate finance pledges and (b) contributing funds to the just transition of works into green industries. \p Michael Shanks: The Government has made several spending announcements since July to deliver the UK’s 2019 pledge to spend £11.6bn in International Climate Finance between April 2021 and March 2026, and is supporting workers to move from carbon-intensive sectors to clean energy industries with initiatives like the Energy Skills Passport.

Additionally, the temporary Energy Profits Levy, which applies to upstream oil and gas producers, is expected to raise £12.6bn between now and 2030. This revenue will help support the transition, enhance energy security and independence, provide sustainable jobs, and help protect electricity bills against price shocks.
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Llinos Medi:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will publish details of any plans held by his Department for the development of a nuclear power station at Wylfa. \p Michael Shanks: Great British Nuclear (GBN) completed its purchase of the sites at Wylfa (in Ynys Mon / Anglesey) and Oldbury-on-Severn (Gloucestershire) in June 2024.

As a site which has previously hosted a nuclear power station, and is now owned by GBN , we want Wylfa to play an important role in new nuclear in the UK. The Government is examining the legacy left to us by the previous government and decisions have yet to be taken on projects and technologies to be deployed at specific sites. As GBN progress the Small Modular Reactor competition toward final decisions in the spring, we will set out our plans in due course.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what targets his Department has set to help achieve the Government's commitments to net zero. \p Kerry McCarthy: The Climate Change Act sets our commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050 in law. The UK has halved its emissions, having cut them by around 53% between 1990 and 2023.

As my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister announced on 12th November, the UK has pledged to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by at least 81% on 1990 levels by 2035, excluding international aviation and shipping.
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Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of aviation objections on the deployment of new onshore wind in Wales. \p Michael Shanks: Wales will play an important role in increasing the UK's onshore wind capacity and meeting our Net Zero Ambitions.

The Government has set up an Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce to identify and address the barriers to increased onshore wind deployment, including in relation to airspace management and aviation. As a reserved matter, we recognise that this will have implications for onshore wind projects being built in the Devolved Administrations. We engage regularly with the Welsh Government, who are represented on the Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce.
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Calum Miller:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the proposed community financial benefit from the Botley West Solar Scheme; and if he will introduce a mandatory minimum level of community benefit from new renewable schemes. \p Michael Shanks: There is currently no legal obligation for developers in the UK to provide community benefits However, in the Clean Power Action Plan, we have made clear that in the future where communities host clean energy infrastructure, we will ensure they benefit from it. There are many options in this area including community funds and direct support for households, and we are exploring all options to ensure communities can benefit from our clean power mission. We hope to have more to say on this in due course.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Solicitor General, how many prosecutions for hate crime on the basis of (a) race, (b) religion, (c) disability, (d) sexual orientation and (e) transgender identity have been brought since 2023. \p Ellie Reeves: This Government is committed to tackling all forms of hate crime, and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutes these cases robustly.

The below table shows the number of defendants prosecuted by the CPS since 2023 for hate crime offences based on (a) race, (b) religion, (c) disability, (d) sexual orientation and (e) transgender identity.

Date source: CPS Case Management Information System

The total number of hate crime flagged defendants prosecuted by the CPS was 12,737 in 2023, 14,657 in 2024, and 7,764 during the period from January to June 2025.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Solicitor General, pursuant to the Answer of 28 July 2025 to Question 68480 on Government Legal Service, if she will publish that guidance. \p Ellie Reeves: The Government Legal Department (GLD) received a request in July 2025 made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the guidance listed in the Answer to Question 68480. The GLD’s response to that request, which includes extracts of some of the guidance requested, is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68f9fca6e200d653d8b636eb/FOI_25_159_Response_07-10-25_Redacted.pdf. The appendices to the response are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gld-policy-foi-releases.

The Attorney General’s Guidance on Legal Risk, published in November 2024, is publicly available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-attorney-generals-guidance-on-legal-risk.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Solicitor General, how much her Department has spent on social media advertising by (a) influencer and (b) organisation in each of the last five financial years. \p Ellie Reeves: The department has spent £0 on social media advertising in the last 5 financial years. All spend in these areas are subject to standard value for money assessments.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2025 to Question 75619 on Trade Union Officials: Facilities Agreements, if he will publish his Department's policy on diversity network time. \p Samantha Dixon: MHCLG is working to adopt the Civil Service Staff Network Policy which launched in September 2025. We don’t have plans to publish our internal policy.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much his Department has spent on social media advertising by (a) influencer and (b) organisation in each of the last five financial years. \p Samantha Dixon: Sensitivities exist around aspects of this spend which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2025 to Question 76608 on Local Government: Elections, (a) what types of information cannot be shared and (b) which (i) regulators and (ii) enforcement authorities information is shared with. \p Samantha Dixon: The Electoral Commission currently lacks an explicit statutory gateway to share information with other regulators and enforcement authorities, making routine information-sharing burdensome and impeding effective cooperation.

Alongside other proposals in the Elections Strategy, further details will be set out in legislation which will be introduced when parliamentary time allows.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2025 to Question 78235 on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Working Group, which states that the working group did not engage with organisations which are subject to the Government's non-engagement policy, whether under that non-engagement policy consultation responses from extremist groups were disregarded and not read by the Working Group. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Working Group did not engage with anyone that government holds a non-engagement policy with. They held a call for evidence that was open to the public - any individual or organisation could respond.
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John Milne:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of expanding the definition of vulnerable residents when identifying priority cohorts for fire and rescue services to evacuate in emergencies. \p Samantha Dixon: The Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 mandate Residential Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (Residential PEEPs) for all high-rise residential buildings and residential buildings over 11 metres in height that operate a simultaneous evacuation strategy.

Under these new regulations, which come into effect from April 2026, Fire and Rescue Services will be able to obtain information on residents with disabilities or impairments that may impact their ability to evacuate a building in the event of a fire, in case they need additional support, subject to the resident’s’ consent.

Once in force, the policy will be monitored over time which would allow the merits of any change in scope to be assessed.
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of requiring the disclosure of the true beneficiary of a planning application to enhance public scrutiny. \p Matthew Pennycook: Planning permissions relate to plots of land and so the identity of the applicant and the ownership of land are not normally material considerations in planning decisions. Disclosure of the true beneficiary of a planning permission would therefore not affect the outcome of a planning decision.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has had discussions with (a) Camden Council and (b) Southwark Council on (i) regulation of landlords and (ii) selective licensing since 4 July 2024. \p Matthew Pennycook: My Department engages regularly with a broad range of local authorities on matters including the regulation of landlords and selective licensing.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to promote (a) traditional craftsmanship and (b) traditional British architectural styles in the building of new social housing developments. \p Matthew Pennycook: National planning policy makes clear that local planning authorities should prepare their own local design guides and design codes in line with the principles set out in national design guidance.

The guidance encourages integration of a mix of tenures and helps local areas to identify what good design means for them and the process for preparing a design code to introduce local design standards for new development.

It highlights the importance of understanding and responding to existing context and the identity or character of a place, including local vernacular architecture and architectural features.

We are in the process of updating national design guidance and will set out further details in due course.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 23 October 2025 entitled Delivering ambitious and high-quality sustainable growth in Greater Cambridge, HCWS990, what (a) water efficiency and (b) water interventions are being proposed; and whether they include changes to how households are billed for (i) water and (ii) waste water. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government’s water efficiency programme and wider water package will fund a range of measures to generate water savings and offset new development in Greater Cambridge. The first phase of the efficiency programme will roll out water retrofits in social housing and public buildings. The second phase and wider package is currently under development. The overall package is funded by government and will not impact on how households are billed.

Anglian Water is responsible for wastewater infrastructure for the Greater Cambridge area and Cambridge Water is responsible for water supply. Ofwat sets a price cap every five years for each water and sewerage company, which limits the maximum amount it can increase customer bills. Companies then use this price limit to set their individual bills.
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Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to implement the same rules on (a) binding contracts and (b) upfront information in property transactions as are in place in Scotland. \p Matthew Pennycook: On 6 October 2025, the government published two consultations outlining reform proposals to transform home buying and selling. They can be found on gov.uk here and here.

The consultations include proposals to require sellers and estate agents to provide upfront property information and to support binding contracts.

Final decisions are subject to the outcome of these consultations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-07)

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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the guidance entitled Social Housing Innovation Fund: prospectus, published on 27 October 2025, whether recipients can bid for funds for translation into foreign languages. \p Matthew Pennycook: The new £1m Social Housing Innovation Fund will support innovative projects that enhance tenants’ engagement with their landlord and strengthen their influence within the social housing sector.

The Fund’s prospectus, which can be found on gov.uk here, makes clear that consideration will be given to projects which ensure tenants who are currently underrepresented in engagement and scrutiny activities, in particular those with protected characteristics, are better supported to take part and their views and needs are heard and acted upon. It is not prescriptive about the types of projects that will or will not be funded.

The fund is open to applications from social landlords, arms-length management organisations (ALMOs), tenant management organisations (TMOs), and tenant representative organisations. Projects must be co-designed with tenants, scalable across the sector, and capable of generating measurable impact and learning. Projects must also introduce new or significantly improved approaches, technologies, or partnerships to the sector, challenge conventional practices and respond creatively to tenant needs.

A robust process will be established for awarding funding, supported by an independent scrutiny panel consisting of social housing residents and sector experts. This will ensure resident and sector voices are central to decision-making. The bidding window is open until 9 January 2026.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-07 conversation_15

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many applications for a selective licensing designation were approved between 4 July 2024 and 23 December 2024. \p Matthew Pennycook: My Department approved applications for Selective Licensing submitted by Waltham Forest and Blackpool in November 2024.

Between July 2024 and the introduction of the 2024 General Approval on 23 December 2024, Burnley, Barking and Dagenham, and Lambeth submitted applications to introduce or expand large schemes.

These were superseded by the 2024 General Approval which enables local authorities to introduce selective licensing schemes of any size without seeking approval from the Secretary of State. These applications therefore did not require approval from my Department.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-07 conversation_16

Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many (a) uncontracted and (b) unsold homes have been supported for (i) purchase and (ii) completion under the Section 106 Affordable Housing Clearing Service since its inception. \p Matthew Pennycook: In December 2024, the government launched the Homes England Clearing Service to help buyers and sellers of Section 106 homes find each other more effectively.

Whilst interested parties are encouraged to update when a sale is facilitated, doing so is not mandatory. As a result, we do not have exhaustive data on the number of homes sold or contracted through the service.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-07 conversation_17

Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 69456 on British Muslim Trust, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of Akeela Ahmed serving as a member of the Working Group on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition on her role as CEO of the British Muslim Trust. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Akeela Ahmed brings a wealth of expertise and a strong commitment to improving outcomes for Muslim communities. These qualities are vital to her roles in both the British Muslim Trust and the independent Working Group.

The British Muslim Trust’s work is focused on tracking anti-Muslim hate in the UK and is separate from work undertaken by the independent Working Group.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-07 conversation_18

Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support the regeneration of town centres buildings in (a) Romford constituency and (b) England. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Through the Pride in Place Programme, Harold Hill East in Romford will receive up to £20 million over ten years to support local priorities. The government is further enabling regeneration in places including Romford by providing multi-year local government financial settlements which will empower local councils to drive their own regeneration priorities.

This government extended the UKSPF by £900 million in England for 2025-26 and recently

consolidated the Local Regeneration Fund, to streamline funding for places in England. In September 2025, the government launched its overarching Pride in Place programme, providing 208 English places with up to £4.16 billion over 10 years.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-07 conversation_19

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the number of houses on brownfield land rejected for planning permission since 4 July 2024. \p Matthew Pennycook: My Department publishes the number of planning applications for dwellings granted and refused per quarter by local authority in the PS2 open data file in our quarterly planning application statistics release. It can be found on gov.uk here. The number of applications on brownfield land is not collected.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-07 conversation_20

Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of delivery of new housing by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation; and whether that corporation has a target for new homes to be completed in this Parliament. \p Matthew Pennycook: The role of Ebbsfleet Development Corporation (EDC) is to facilitate delivery of up to 15,000 homes at Ebbsfleet Garden City. To date, over 5,000 new homes have been completed.

EDC publishes annual business plans that show over the last five years, an average of over 550 homes have been delivered per annum, exceeding the Corporation’s annual targets in each of these years.

The next EDC business plan will be published in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-07 conversation_21

Richard Tice:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many foreign nationals have been granted social housing in each of the last five years. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 85086 on 4 November 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-07 conversation_22

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support areas with a high proportion of construction sector businesses. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government’s Plan for Change includes a hugely ambitious milestone of building 1.5 million new safe and decent homes in England in this Parliament.

My department is working across government and with industry to address skills shortages and improve skills, competence, and productivity across built environment professions, from construction trades to architects, planners, building inspectors and other specialist professions.

Our landmark Planning and Infrastructure Bill will further streamline the delivery of new homes and critical infrastructure, helping to support construction businesses across the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-07 conversation_23

David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 23 October 2025 on Housing Delivery, HCWS991, whether the £322 million City Hall Developer Investment Fund is additional government funding or from the existing Spending Review settlement for the Greater London Authority; and what is the estimated number of dwellings it will support. \p Matthew Pennycook: The initial allocation of £322 million to establish the City Hall Developer Investment Fund comes from capital grant funding for land and infrastructure delivered through the new National Housing Delivery Fund announced at the June 2025 Spending Review.

The fund will enable the Mayor of London to take a more direct and interventionist role in unlocking new homes in the capital.

We are currently negotiating and agreeing an integrated settlement outcomes framework with the Greater London Authority which will agree their targets for delivery.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-07 conversation_24

Dr Ellie Chowns:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Delivering a decade of renewal for social and affordable housing, published on 2 July 2025, when he plans to set out an (a) timetable and (b) delivery plan for the £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme. \p Matthew Pennycook: On 7 November 2025, my Department published a policy statement setting out the full details of the Social and Affordable Homes Programme as part of our plan to kickstart a decade of social and affordable housing renewal.

The statement accompanies guidance to bidders from Homes England and the Greater London Authority. It can be found on gov.uk here.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-07 conversation_25

Joe Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that communities are consulted on planning applications in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East, and (e) England. \p Matthew Pennycook: After a local planning authority in England has received a planning application, it must undertake a period of consultation where views on the proposed development can be expressed. The formal consultation period must last for at least 21 days, and the local planning authority will identify and consult groups including a full public consultation with neighbouring residents, community groups and statutory consultees.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-07 conversation_26

Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 78942 on Allotments: Green Belt, if he will take steps to amend planning (a) policy and (b) practice guidance to explicitly exclude allotment land in the green belt from being classified as grey belt land. \p Matthew Pennycook: I once again refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answers given to Question UIN 58901 on 19 June 2025 and Question UIN 78942 on 20 October 2025.

The House will be updated on any proposed changes to planning policy and practice guidance in the usual way.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-07 conversation_27

Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his planned timetable is for the (a) commencement and (b) implementation of the provisions of the Renters Rights Act 2025; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of implementation on existing tenancies. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government intends to set out detailed implementation plans in the near future.

An Impact Assessment for the Renters’ Rights Bill was published in November 2024. It can be found on gov.uk here.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-07 conversation_28

Luke Akehurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to make provision for a portion 1.5 million homes planned to be built over the course of the Parliament to be let as furnished. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 84054 on 3 November 2025.