theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Noah Law:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to allocate fines to housebuilders from the Competition and Markets Authority to support the community land trust sector. \p Matthew Pennycook: Seven housebuilders have agreed to pay a total of £100 million to affordable housing programmes across all four nations of the UK following a CMA investigation in response to concerns that they exchanged details about sales including pricing, number of property viewings and incentives offered to buyers.

The CMA is currently undertaking a consultation on how the money may be used. That consultation closes 24 July. Decisions on how the money is allocated will be made after the responses to the consultation have been analysed.
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Lewis Cocking:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of local authority housing allocations were made to households where the primary applicant was not a UK national in the last 12 months. \p Matthew Pennycook: People are generally eligible for social housing if they have leave to remain in the UK and have recourse to public funds. The Home Office decides whether persons from abroad have leave to remain in the UK and whether they have recourse to public funds.

Only individuals that are eligible can join housing registers and be given a social housing tenancy. For those who are eligible, housing needs will be considered on an equal basis in accordance with the relevant local authority’s housing allocation scheme.

According to the relevant 2021 Census extract, there were 796,000 households living in the social rented sector in England in March 2021 that were headed by someone who was not born in the UK. It is important to note that such households may contain UK nationals as well as non-UK national lead tenants.

My Department’s annual social housing lettings statistical series details the number of the new social housing lettings by the nationality of the lead tenant. It can be found on gov.uk here.

As per our pre-announced schedule, and in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, data for 2024/25 is currently being processed and quality assured and will be published in Winter 2025. Data for 2025/26 is currently being collected and will be published in Winter 2026.
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Bradley Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle homelessness outside of large urban areas. \p Rushanara Ali: Homelessness levels are far too high. We must address this and deliver long term solutions in all parts of England. The government is looking at these issues carefully and is developing a new cross government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to get us back on track to ending homelessness.

The government have already taken the first steps, including making a £1 billion investment in homelessness and rough sleeping services across England this year. This is a £233 million increase on the previous year to help prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has had discussions with her (a) Welsh and (b) Scottish counterpart on the risk of foreign interference in the political process from hostile actors under provisions allowing foreign donations in those countries. \p Jim McMahon: As pledged in our manifesto, we are strengthening the rules around donations to political parties. We have published our gov.uk ‘Strategy for Modern and Secure Elections’ which sets out a number of reforms we are making to strengthen rules on political donations, responding to the threat of foreign interference. These include “Know Your Donor” requirements for recipients of donations, tighter controls on company and unincorporated association donations, and enhanced transparency requirements for all donors to political parties.

We have engaged with Welsh and Scottish governments on the development of the reforms set out in this strategy.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department’s policies of the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Electoral Conduct, published in 2013; and whether she has had discussions with the Electoral Commission on that report. \p Rushanara Ali: Many of the recommendations made by the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Electoral Conduct have been implemented, including updating the offence of undue influence and rules on digital imprints.

The government has published a strategy for modern and secure elections, part of which sets out a package of policies to tackle intimidation and harassment of those involved in elections and improve the tone of political debate.

In developing this strategy, we have engaged with key stakeholders – including the Electoral Commission – and will continue to do so as we deliver this package of reforms. We welcome the recent work of groups in this area including the Speaker’s Conference and the Committee on Standards in Public Life and will continue to support their work and carefully consider their recommendations.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the delivery of affordable housing targets in 2023–24. \p Matthew Pennycook: My Department published an update on targets for the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme on 30 July 2024. This covers the 2023-24 period under the previous government. It can be found on gov.uk here.
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Mr Will Forster:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department is reviewing the rules of Housing Revenue Accounts to support local authorities to (a) safer and (b) more homes. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government engages regularly with local authorities to understand the pressures on their Housing Revenue Accounts (HRAs) and keeps the rules governing HRAs under review to ensure they are supporting investment in new and existing stock.

My Department is considering whether the current threshold for opening an HRA (200 homes) is set at the right level, or if a different threshold would enable local authorities to reach a level of housing provision that would better enable them to meet the costs of opening and managing an HRA.

More broadly, we are committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding a generation, alongside driving a transformational and lasting change in the safety and quality of homes. I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July 2025 (HCWS771).
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Noah Law:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department is taking steps to give Community Land Trusts improved access to Registered Provider status. \p Matthew Pennycook: Community Land Trusts and other community-based organisations can already apply to become registered providers of social housing. The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) sets registration criteria with respect to an applicant’s financial situation, constitution, or other arrangements for its management. Applicants who meet these criteria, regardless of the specific model of the provider, must be registered by law.

Being a registered provider brings significant responsibilities. RSH’s registration criteria are designed to ensure that, once registered, social landlords are capable of meeting ongoing regulatory requirements to provide safe, well-maintained homes through organisations that are well governed and financially viable.

The Regulator uses an outcomes-based approach to regulation; this also applies to the registrations process. This means that applicants have flexibility in how they demonstrate that they meet the criteria, allowing applicants with a range of business structures to have an approach that suits their needs.
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Laura Kyrke-Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that a higher proportion of housing is affordable in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) other rural areas. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July 2025 (HCWS771).
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Oral Contribution of the Secretary of State for Transport: Road and Rail Projects delivered on 8 July 2025, when the 39,000 new properties will be built. \p Matthew Pennycook: The 39,000-figure cited by the Secretary of State for Transport is an estimate of the number of new homes that will be supported by the road and rail projects announced on 8 July 2025.

My Department is working with others across government to ensure that investment in transport infrastructure maximises opportunities to support new homes across England.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) curfews and (b) licensing restrictions at sporting venues. \p Alex Norris: The department has not made an assessment.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to require local referenda for local government reorganisation proposals in Leicestershire. \p Jim McMahon: As I stated in my answer to Question UIN 38850 on 20 March 2025, we do not have any plans to require local referenda as part of the local government reorganisation process. Under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, Parliament set out the statutory process for establishing unitary councils in two-tier areas. As set out in the invitation letter, areas must demonstrate how the local community has been engaged in developing proposals.
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Luke Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure social housing providers have the resources to keep residents (a) safe and (b) comfortable during extreme heat events. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July 2025 (HCWS771).
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department made of the implications for her policies of the Molior London Quarterly Report published in April 2025. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government is acutely aware of the housing delivery challenge in London. We are committed to working in partnership with the Mayor of London, London Boroughs, and other partners to significantly increase rates of housebuilding in the capital as part of our ambitious Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on what date she resigned from Unite. \p Alex Norris: The list of Ministers’ Interests will be updated, and published, in the usual way.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's publication entitled MHCLG: spending over £25,000, March 2025, published on 28 April 2025, what the goods or services commissioned from HM Treasury entitled subscription were. \p Alex Norris: The Department employs a number of analysts and some are members of the Government Economic Service and Government Social Research professions. The HMT subscription line covers payment of a range of membership costs for both these professions.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to bring forward pilot zoning schemes to provide easier planning for commercial development in financial and professional service hubs in the East of England. \p Alex Norris: The government recognises a local zonal approach where upfront planning permission is granted for certain types of commercial development can be a useful tool to attract new investment to specific places.

Local planning authorities already have the power to make Local Development Orders to do this, and the National Planning Policy Framework encourages them to use this tool.

Through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, we are also now giving mayors a similar power to make Mayoral Development Orders, enabling them to bring forward proactively new strategic sites for commercial development in their area.
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what data her Department holds on the number of people living in deprivation by ethnic group. \p Alex Norris: We do not hold or collect data specifically on people belonging to an ethnic minority who live in deprivation. The indices of deprivation (2019) are publicly available and show patterns of deprivation across England and Wales. These data could be cross-checked with the Census data to show the geographic locations of people from ethnic minority groups.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of procurement contracts were awarded to UK companies in the 2024-25 financial year. \p Alex Norris: Details of central government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder (https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder). Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023 above £12,000 inc VAT are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service. This includes a note of the winning supplier. (https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search).
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Helena Dollimore:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations on the adequacy of levels of playground provision to meet children’s needs. \p Alex Norris: Playgrounds are an essential part of social infrastructure and government is committed to improving access to safe play spaces. The provision of playgrounds in parks and public spaces is primarily a matter for local authorities. We support local government and recognise the challenges that local authorities are facing as demand increases for critical services.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that planning policies and decisions should aim to achieve healthy, inclusive and safe places. In addition, the National Design Guide demonstrates how new development can promote inclusive design by creating buildings and spaces that are safe, social and inclusive, with an integrated mix of uses that are accessible for all.

We will use our bold £1.5 billion Plan for Neighbourhoods to bolster a wide range of community assets, including play areas. Over the next decade, the plan will deliver up to £20 million of funding and support to each of 75 eligible communities across the UK, bringing together “neighbourhood boards” to develop local regeneration plans in partnership with local authorities: Plan for Neighbourhoods: prospectus - GOV.UK.
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Daniel Francis:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of trends in the level of inappropriate use of parent and child parking bays; and whether she plans to legislate in this area. \p Alex Norris: The government is aware of concerns regarding the abuse of valuable parking resources and is determined to raise standards.

For private land, the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 places a duty on the government to prepare a Code of Practice containing guidance about the operation and management of private parking facilities. On 11 July, the government published a consultation document setting out its proposals for raising standards across the private parking industry.

On public land, Local Authorities are empowered to determine their parking arrangements through the Traffic Management Act 2004, which requires them to ensure that parking policies meet the requirements of their local area.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of suicide prevention training provided to fire and rescue staff. \p Alex Norris: The health and wellbeing of firefighters is of the utmost importance. The government recognises the risks that firefighters face and is grateful to them for their bravery. Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) are ultimately responsible for the health and wellbeing of firefighters and the government-issued National Framework directs that all Fire and Rescue Authorities should have a people strategy which sets out the mental and physical health and wellbeing support available to firefighters.

National organisations such as The Fire Fighters Charity and Mind also offer valuable support to individuals and services. Their resources can assist Fire and Rescue Authorities in developing local approaches to managing mental health risks and promoting the wellbeing of their workforce.

The health and wellbeing support provided by Fire and Rescue services is considered by the fire inspectorate (His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services) in the course of their work.
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Alison Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will consult with the (a) British Federation of Property and (b) Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors on her proposals to ban upward-only rent reviews in commercial leases in England. \p Alex Norris: The government conducted extensive research and engagement before deciding to ban upwards only rent reviews. We will continue to engage with stakeholders including with the British Property Federation and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
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Manuela Perteghella:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps is she taking to ensure that ECP assessment reports include the full list of recommendations. \p Alex Norris: The recommendations included within an EPC are generated automatically by the software used, based on the information collected during an assessment. The department sets out a number of requirements to ensure that EPCs are accurate and therefore contain appropriate recommendations for the building which has been assessed. We require accreditation schemes to verify that any prospective members have met the competency criteria for the strand applied for (by way of a qualification or through Approved Prior Experiential Learning (APEL)) before they are accredited as an energy assessor. Assessors are also required to undertake ongoing continuing professional development to maintain their competency.

We also require accreditation schemes to audit a sample of assessments to ensure they are accurate and have been undertaken as per agreed requirements.

Additionally, any software used for undertaking an energy assessment must be validated to ensure that it is operating in line with the relevant approved calculation methodology.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the written statement of 17 April 2024, HCWS413, on Building Safety Update, what recent discussions her Department has had with the Greater London Authority on aligning policies in relation to (a) second staircases, (b) fire-safety requirements and (c) evacuation lifts. \p Alex Norris: The department regularly engages with the Greater London Authority and will continue to do so as the Mayor of London prepares the next London Plan, including on building and fire safety.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to support the development of local industrial strategies for financial and related professional services in Essex. \p Alex Norris: Greater Essex is part of the Devolution Priority Programme, which aims to see a new Mayoral Strategic Authority established by spring 2026. If a Mayoral Strategic Authority is established, it will need to develop a Local Growth Plan to provide a long-term strategic framework for growth in the region. Foundation Strategic Authorities and Local Authorities in non-devolution are also encouraged to set out a vision for growth in their area that builds on existing local economic strategies where possible. The Industrial Strategy Sector Plans for Financial Services and Professional and Business Services include measures to grow these sectors across the UK.
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Claire Coutinho:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether there is (a) lesbian, (b) gay and (c) bisexual muslim representation on the Working Group to define Islamophobia. \p Alex Norris: The independent working group includes members from a cross-section of society and have been selected for their technical expertise and experience and ability to work to deliver the objectives set out in the Terms of Reference. Alongside drawing on their own expertise, the working group are engaging widely to ensure their proposed definition accounts for the variety of backgrounds and experiences of Muslim communities across the United Kingdom.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's publication entitled MHCLG: workforce management information, May 2025, published on 27 June 2025, what the total cost of employer National Insurance contributions was in (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25; and what the budgeted figure is for 2025-26. \p Alex Norris: With reference to the published workforce management information, Employers’ National Insurance costs for the Department are published monthly and reports covering 2023/24 and 2024/25 can be found here: MHCLG: workforce management information - GOV.UK

With regards to 2025/26, employer National Insurance costs are not separately budgeted for per financial year, as these form part of wider staffing budget assumptions. However, we estimate that the Department’s liability for employer National Insurance contributions will be approximately £26 million. Estimates for this period can vary, as pay awards for MHCLG staff for 2025/26 have not yet been confirmed. The final cost will be influenced by the outcome of these pay awards, as well as any in-year workforce changes.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the her Department's transparency data, MHCLG: spending over £25,000, March 2025, published on 28 April 2025, what was the full specification of the research commissioned from Manning Gottlieb OMD on research services. \p Alex Norris: The referenced expenditure in the Department’s transparency data was incorrectly categorised as 'research services'. This spending did not relate to research activities commissioned from Manning Gottlieb OMD.

The invoices related to paid media spending for our Make Things Right social housing campaign on digital channels including paid search through Google and paid social media advertising on Reddit and Facebook.

The Department is reviewing its processes to ensure accurate categorisation of expenditure in future transparency publications.
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the consultation on the Islamophobia/Anti-Muslim Hatred Definition will take evidence from (a) the Muslim Council of Britain, and (b) other organisations with whom the Government has a policy of non-engagement. \p Alex Norris: The Working Group is an independent, non-statutory body which will provide advice to ministers on a definition of anti-Muslim hatred/islamophobia. Ministers will consider the advice that the independent working group provides.

Any proposed definition by the independent Working Group should comprehensively reflect multiple perspectives and implications for different communities. The Working Group launched a Call for Evidence to build on the extensive consultation they’ve already undertaken. The Call for Evidence closed on Sunday 20 July. It was open to the public and any individual or organisation was welcome to submit evidence.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much their Department has spent on translating documents into languages other than (a) English and (b) other native UK languages in each year since 2023; and what these languages were. \p Alex Norris: MHCLG has spent £76,995 on translating documents since 2023.

The languages that documents were translated into are: Amharic, Arabic, Dari, Farsi, Italian, Pashto, Portuguese, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Tigrinya, Ukrainian, Urdu and Vietnamese.

Language service needs and spend are assessed to ensure these services offer good value for money for taxpayers while maintaining high standards of service delivery.
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing specific (a) Sikh and (b) Jewish options for a person’s ethnic group in data collection conducted by her Department. \p Alex Norris: MHCLG do collect data on religion and/or belief. This includes Jewish and Sikh options. This data is collected separate to ethnic group data

We collect ethnicity data in line with the ethnicity harmonised standard, which is developed by the independent Office for National Statistics.

The current harmonised standard is based on the 2011 Census questions used across the UK; those questions were updated for the 2021 and 2022 Censuses. The current standard does not include specific “Sikh” and “Jewish” categories for a person’s ethnic group.

The ONS is reviewing the harmonised standard to ensure this remains appropriate and meets the needs of both data users and respondents. This will include a public consultation later this year.

We await the outcome of this review.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the publication MHCLG: spending over £25,000, March 2025, published on 28 April 2025, if she will publish the full specification of the research commissioned from the Young Foundation on Research Services. \p Alex Norris: The requirement for the research commissioned from the Young Foundation will be published alongside the final research report in due course.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many staff in her Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based. \p Alex Norris: In line with wider Government policy, the Department policy allows spouses of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials to work abroad when their spouses have been posted overseas. The Department allows working abroad when officials are overseas on official business, typically to support Ministers.

If there is a clear business need, the Department allows officials to take equipment abroad to keep in touch whilst on leave. The Department also allows working overseas for up to two weeks for exceptional welfare reasons

The numbers of staff with equipment oversees varies during the year. On 9 July, seven officials were working overseas on official business in Italy. 10 officials had equipment overseas allowing them to work if there was a need to keep in touch in, variously, Belgium, Bulgaria, France (three), Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States of America (three).
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to revise building regulations to require (a) passive or (b) mechanical cooling systems in new homes in response to rising summer temperatures. \p Alex Norris: It is the Building Regulations that ensure new housing is built to mitigate the risk of overheating. This comes through Part O of the regulations, which came into effect in June 2022. In the Future Homes and Buildings Standards consultation, which ran from December 2023 – March 2024, government sought views on whether the current overheating standards are appropriate or require amendment. We are reviewing proposals and feedback from the consultation and will publish the Government response in due course.

In terms of the Planning system, the National Planning Policy Framework, which was last revised in December 2024, is clear that the planning system should take full account of all climate impacts – including overheating.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many new build homes were given an Energy Performance Certificate in 2024-25. \p Alex Norris: This data is publicly available here: Check how this service is performing – GOV.UK
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Adrian Ramsay:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether local council elections postponed in 2025 will take place in 2026. \p Jim McMahon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 65017 on 14 July 2025.
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UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-22 conversation_117

John Milne:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the powers of councils to improve transport accessibility for people with disabilities. \p Matthew Pennycook: The Secretary of State regularly engages with cabinet colleagues on a range of matters. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that when assessing sites that may be allocated in local development plans, or determining specific applications for development, decision makers should ensure that safe and suitable access to the site can be achieved for all users.

The Framework also outlines that applications for development should address the needs of people with disabilities and reduced mobility in relation to all modes of transport.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-22 conversation_118

David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of dwellings with planning permission granted where construction has not begun in each London borough. \p Matthew Pennycook: My Department does not collect data on the number of dwellings with planning consent that have not yet started construction.

On 25 May, the government published a Planning Reform Working Paper: Speeding Up Build Out (which can be found on gov.uk here) inviting views on further action the government should take to speed up homes being built.

On the same day, we launched a technical consultation on implementing measures to improve the transparency of build rates from new residential development, which includes proposals to implement provisions in Section 113 of the LURA on the power to decline to determine applications. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here. Subject to the outcome of the consultation, the government intends bring forward the regulations to implement these measures at the earliest practical opportunity with the new build out reporting framework coming into force from 2026.
wrans/answers2025-07-22 conversation_119
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-22 conversation_119

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the devolved Administrations on measures to help support leaseholders who experience increases in ground rents. \p Matthew Pennycook: The legislation governing leasehold ownership currently applies only in England and Wales. The policy area is devolved in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and it would be for the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Assembly to determine whether, and how, they might wish to legislate on such matters.

In respect of England and Wales, the government remains firmly committed to its manifesto commitment to tackle unregulated and unaffordable ground rents, and we will deliver this in legislation. We are continuing to work closely with the Welsh government to drive forward our ambitious leasehold and commonhold reform programme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-22 conversation_120

Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of levels of immigration on the availability of (a) social housing and (b) private rental housing stock over the next Parliament. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government is determined to address the dire inheritance left by its predecessor and restore order to the asylum and immigration systems, delivering lower net migration.

The factors affecting supply and demand in the private rented sector are complex and difficult to disentangle. As well as demographic change, they include house prices, rent levels, taxation policy, interest rates, and the movement of tenants into homeownership and social rented housing. It is not possible to isolate the specific impact of each of these factors.

Eligibility for social housing is already tightly controlled. If a person’s visa means that they cannot access state benefits or local authority housing assistance, they are not eligible for an allocation of social housing. Migrants arriving in the UK on student or work visas are not eligible and nor are those who arrive in the country illegally with no leave to remain.

The most sustainable long-term method to improve housing availability and affordability is to increase the supply of housing. That is why the government’s Plan for Change includes a hugely ambitious milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in England in this Parliament.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-22 conversation_122

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of his Department's white paper entitled A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation, published in March 2023, CP 815, on proprietary models trained on NHS data. \p Feryal Clark: As set out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, most AI systems should be regulated at the point of use and our expert regulators are best placed to do so. Departments are working proactively with regulators to provide strategic direction and support them on their AI capability needs.
wrans/answers2025-07-22 conversation_123
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-22 conversation_123

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many and what proportion of departmental procurement contracts were awarded to British companies in the last financial year. \p Feryal Clark: Details of central government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder (https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder).

Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023 above £12,000 inc VAT are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service. This includes a note of the winning supplier. (https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search).

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology awarded 95% of its contracts to British Companies.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-22 conversation_124

Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has had discussions with the private sector on the use of digital identity for accessing financial services. \p Feryal Clark: The Office for Digital Identities and Attributes (OfDIA), within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, is working to enable the use of secure and trusted digital verification services across the UK economy for those who want to use them. OfDIA has engaged with organisations who are interested in adopting digital identity technology, including those within the financial services sector.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-22 conversation_125

Satvir Kaur:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate he has made of trends in the level of (a) water and (b) energy usage required for artificial intelligence data centres. \p Feryal Clark: Through AI Growth Zones (AIGZs) and the AI Energy Council, we are collaborating with DESNZ, DEFRA and other relevant stakeholders to ensure our energy system is ready to support AI and that AIGZs are water efficient.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-22 conversation_126

Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Civil Service 2024/2025 External Expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion of 30 May 2025, if he will list (a) the suppliers and (b) a breakdown of the expenditure related to the £3,779 of expenditure on (i) LGBT+ and (ii) Humanists’ Convention. \p Feryal Clark: See below the suppliers and a breakdown on the expenditure requested:

Train Ticket Reimbursed to an External Speaker

Humanists UK
wrans/answers2025-07-22 conversation_127
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-22 conversation_127

Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on cross-government plans for digital identity systems. \p Feryal Clark: The Office for Digital Identities and Attributes (OfDIA), within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, is working to enable the use of secure and trusted digital verification services (DVS) across the UK economy for those who want to use them.

OfDIA regularly engages with cross-government colleagues regarding DVS, including seeking feedback on the Government’s standards for digital identity and work to remove regulatory barriers to adoption in different use cases where these exist. OfDIA also facilitates technical working groups for cross-government collaboration.

GOV.UK One Login is the government’s sign-in and identity verification solution, for accessing central government services. All major government departments have committed to onboarding their services to GOV.UK One Login, and are actively developing delivery plans. They are supported by an Onboarding and Engagement team to enable technical service teams to onboard their services smoothly.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-22 conversation_128

Dan Aldridge:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to mandate the use of AI labelling tools to differentiate between real and synthetic content. \p Feryal Clark: The Government recognises that solutions to enable users and institutions to determine what media is real and what is AI-generated can help in tackling a range of AI risks, and are examining the robustness of a range of such solutions in this space.

The Government is also making sure our statute book is ready for the age of AI and its huge opportunities. The Government will update Parliament in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-22 conversation_129

Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure the National Oceanography Centre is meeting its nationwide remit. \p Feryal Clark: The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) plays a key role in delivering oceanographic science and innovation across the UK. It provides access to a wide range of data, infrastructure, and research services to universities, government departments, and other partners nationwide.

NOC’s activities are designed to reflect and serve the whole of the UK. It collaborates with regional and national partners, including the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS). SAMS is a key delivery partner in the NOC-led Marine Science National Capability programme, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council. This partnership ensures that marine science infrastructure, data, and services are accessible to researchers and stakeholders across Scotland.

NOC’s performance and use of public funding are subject to regular review and evaluation and is overseen by an independent board to ensure accountability and alignment with national priorities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-22 conversation_130

Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) the USA and (b) South Korea on alternative methods to replace animal experiments in medical research. \p Feryal Clark: Many animal testing regulations are backed by international agreements and the Government works to ensure regulatory alignment where appropriate. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) represent the UK at the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use, on accelerating acceptance of data from non-animal methods for drug safety decision making. Officials engage with international partners such as the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) and attend international meetings to share best practice and consider approaches that reduce reliance on animal testing.