theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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David Chadwick:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding her Department plans to provide through the National Wealth Fund for steel projects; and how businesses can access that funding. \p James Murray: This Government has a vision for a strong, resilient, productive steel industry in the UK that is primed for long-term success, driving growth in communities. The NWF will commit at least £5.8 billion over this Parliament to priority sub-sectors, which includes green steel. Businesses seeking the NWF’s finance or support from should contact them directly via their website:

https://www.nationalwealthfund.org.uk/contact-us
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Mike Wood:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 85189 on National Wealth Fund: Workplace Pensions, and with reference to page 123 of her Department's document entitled National Wealth Fund Limited's Annual Report and Accounts 2024–2025, published on 31 October 2025, and paragraphs 5.2.1 and 5.8.1 of her Department's joint document entitled UK Infrastructure Bank Framework Document, published on 9 January 2024, what the name is of the pension provider for the defined contribution pension scheme for staff; and if she will list the names of the pension funds that the scheme invests in. \p James Murray: I refer the Honourable Member to my answer given on 4 November to PQ UIN 85189.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2024 to Question 11978 on Government Departments: Cost Effectiveness, if her Department holds data that breaks down how the savings were delivered by each department. \p James Murray: All savings and investments announced at the July statement in 2024 were factored into the departmental budgets. Departments are responsible for managing spend within that budget.
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James Wild:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 59412 on Government Departments: Reviews, how many lines of activity in her Department were considered as part of the zero based review. \p James Murray: As with all departments, HM Treasury undertook a line-by-line review of all activity within the Department.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 2.43 of the Spring Statement 2025 and pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2025 to Question 81329 on Civil Service: Redundancy, how much of the £150 million government employee exit scheme fund remains unspent for which the latest data is available. \p James Murray: The £150m government employee exit funding was allocated at Spending Review 2025 across 2025/26 and 2026/27. Information on how much departments have spent will be published in departmental Annual Reports & Accounts.
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Tonia Antoniazzi:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on enabling (a) hauliers and (b) coach operators in Wales to access the National Wealth Fund for investment in zero-emission vehicles and refuelling infrastructure. \p James Murray: The National Wealth Fund is committed to ensuring the benefits of its investments are felt in all four nations of the UK. It is actively engaging with stakeholders in Wales, including with the Welsh Government and Wales Office, to identify opportunities for investment.

As set out in the Chancellor’s Statement of Strategic Priorities to the National Wealth Fund in March 2025, clean energy and transport are priority sectors, this includes supporting the transition to zero-emission vehicles and associated refuelling infrastructure.

The National Wealth Fund will continue to explore investible propositions that satisfy its investment principles.
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David Taylor:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether funding saved by reducing the cost of hotel accommodation for asylum seekers in the UK will be given to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to spend on international aid overseas. \p James Murray: At Spring Statement 2025, the government confirmed that ODA budgets across the Spending Review period would be set in cash terms, based on the Office for Budget Responsibility’s spring 2025 forecast of gross national income (GNI). This means the FCDO’s ODA budget will no longer be automatically exposed to the volatility of GNI fluctuations or to ODA spending by other departments, including changes in asylum costs, providing greater predictability.
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Lewis Cocking:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department holds data on (a) taxes paid and (b) the cost of public services used by migrants who have arrived in the UK within the last 10 years. \p Dan Tomlinson: HMRC does not hold aggregate data on the taxes paid by migrants who have arrived in the UK within the last 10 years.

HMRC does hold data on the nationality reported by individuals at the point of National Insurance number registration, for adult National Insurance number registrations. This data is used to produce statistics on UK payrolled employments by nationality, region, industry, age and sex.

UK public spending covers a wide range of areas, including public services and infrastructure that are public goods. All groups in society benefit from these areas of public spending. In addition, some public provision is at a family or household level. It is therefore not possible to distinguish spending per person between migrant and non-migrants
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Dr Ellie Chowns:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that HM Revenue and Customs has sufficient capacity to support taxpayers during the implementation of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax and Self Assessment. \p Dan Tomlinson: HMRC has undertaken detailed assessments of the potential impact of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax on compliance costs and administrative requirements across different taxpayer groups, including seasonal workers, self-employed individuals, small businesses, and landlords. The latest published assessment is available at:

Extension of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment to sole traders and landlords - GOV.UK

HMRC has worked to ensure that MTD for Income Tax works well for all kinds of businesses. In-year, quarterly updates are not like full tax returns.

They are simple, unadjusted summaries of income and expenditure, acting as a snapshot of quarterly trading activity. They will be populated automatically through software and can be submitted easily. This process has been designed to be simple for users and quick to complete.

Quarterly updates reduce the risk of error by moving record-keeping closer to real time. They also make preparing the tax return easier, as much information is already captured and categorised. Updates can help inform estimates of tax liability and prompts to help taxpayers get their tax right.

The Government has taken steps to minimise costs to businesses resulting from MTD, including work with the software industry to ensure free software is available for those with simple affairs.

Following MTD’s introduction in April 2026, HMRC will support MTD users with fully-trained advisers in sufficient numbers to manage anticipated demand.

In advance of MTD’s rollout, nearly 5,000 volunteers have signed up to test the service. HMRC’s dedicated teams are working to ensure the new systems and processes operate as planned and the right guidance and training is in place for both advisors and users.

As a major government programme, HMRC routinely evaluates MTD’s value for money in line with mandatory Government Major Project Portfolio (GMPP) requirements, which include demonstrating affordability, cost-effectiveness, and delivery of benefits throughout its lifecycle to ensure efficient use of public funds. The latest assessment is at: Making Tax Digital Programme Accounting Officer Assessment (updated) - GOV.UK
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James Wild:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed Landfill Tax reforms on (a) the supply of UK-produced titanium dioxide and (b) the resilience of UK supply chains. \p Dan Tomlinson: The government recently consulted on proposals to reform Landfill

Tax following a call for evidence in 2021 under the previous government, to ensure the regime remains effective in encouraging waste to be diverted away from landfill and to support the government’s circular economy objectives. The consultation closed on 28 July and the government is considering responses and will set out next steps in due course.

As part of the consultation, the Government has received a wide range of views from stakeholders, including representatives from the titanium dioxide production sector.
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Dr Ellie Chowns:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to HMRC's publication entitled Benefits of Making Tax Digital, last updated on 23 April 2025, what the evidential basis is that Making Tax Digital for Income Tax and Self Assessment will (a) help small businesses manage their tax affairs and (b) support business growth. \p Dan Tomlinson: Making Tax Digital (MTD) modernises the tax system and will help businesses and landlords keep on top of their tax affairs. It places small businesses on a more digital footing helping to reduce errors and making annual tax returns easier.

HMRC has published evaluation of the wider benefits of MTD for VAT, which is already in place for over 2m users. This found users experienced a range of benefits including increased confidence in managing their VAT. Many experienced time savings, estimated at 26–40 hours per business per year freeing up resources for core business activities, and supporting their productivity and growth.

This research can be found at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/estimating-the-wider-economic-benefit-of-making-tax-digital/making-tax-digital-estimating-the-wider-economic-benefit
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Suella Braverman:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she will assess the potential merits of only applying VAT to turnover above £90,000 for small businesses. \p Dan Tomlinson: With a VAT registration threshold of £90,000, the UK’s threshold is higher than any EU country and the joint highest in the OECD.

The Government’s approach to the VAT threshold aims to balance potential impacts on small businesses, including their growth and financial sustainability, the economy as a whole, and tax revenues.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of an increase in fuel duty on (a) GDP and (b) employment levels in the (i) road haulage and (ii) logistics sectors. \p Dan Tomlinson: At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut and cancelling the planned increase in line with inflation for 2025/26. The temporary 5p cut is scheduled to expire in March 2026. The Government considers the impact of fuel duty on the economy, including households and businesses, with decisions on rates made at fiscal events.
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Matt Bishop:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing the lower threshold of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy on (a) business investment decisions in the food and drink manufacturing sector, (b) the growth of that sector and (c) (i) investment and (ii) growth by food and drink manufacturing companies in the South West. \p Dan Tomlinson: The proposed changes to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy were subject to the ‘Strengthening the Soft Drinks Industry Levy’ consultation, which was open from 28 April to 21 July 2025. An assessment of economic and other impacts is included as part of this consultation document. This is available at

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/strengthening-the-soft-drinks-industry-levy.

The Government is considering the consultation responses, including those providing evidence of the potential impacts on growth and investment, prior to making a decision at Budget. If the Government decides to make changes to the levy, it will publish an updated assessment of the confirmed policy’s impacts.
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James Wild:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has conducted an impact assessment on the potential impact of removing the quarry exemption for Landfill Tax on the (a) aggregates and (b) mineral products sectors. \p Dan Tomlinson: The government recently consulted on proposals to reform Landfill

Tax following a call for evidence in 2021 under the previous government, to ensure the regime remains effective in encouraging waste to be diverted away from landfill and to support the government’s circular economy objectives. The consultation closed on 28 July and the government is considering responses and will set out next steps in due course.

As part of the consultation, the Government has received a wide range of views from stakeholders, including representatives from the mineral products and aggregates sector.
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Neil Coyle:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of lowering VAT on restaurant customers. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Government recognises the significant contribution made by hospitality businesses to economic growth and social life in the UK.

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK's second largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26.

Where restaurants incur VAT in producing the food they sell, this can be claimed back in the normal way, provided that they are registered for VAT. Businesses with a turnover below the £90,000 per year threshold may choose not to register for VAT, in which case they do not charge VAT on their sales and cannot reclaim it on their input costs.

HMRC estimate that the cost of a 5 per cent reduced rate for accommodation, hospitality and tourist attractions would be around £13 billion this financial year. If the scope were also to include alcoholic beverages, the cost would be approximately £3 billion greater.

More broadly, as announced at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government will introduce permanently lower business rates multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with rateable values below £500,000 from 2026/27. This permanent tax cut will ensure they benefit from much-needed certainty and support.
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Linsey Farnsworth:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of aligning the duty rates applied to textile footwear with other textile-based safety equipment. \p Dan Tomlinson: The UK’s Tariff schedule, known as the UK Global Tariff (UKGT), adheres to global classification standards. We continue to monitor the UKGT to ensure our Most Favoured Nation tariff schedule functions as effectively as possible, supports domestic priorities, and provides a stable operating environment for businesses.

Businesses are welcome to request partial or full liberalisation of the import duty applied to the products under this commodity code, including textile footwear and textile-based safety equipment, either through the online feedback form or the next business suspensions window.

There will be further opportunities to apply for tariff suspensions in due course. Further information, including dates of the application window, guidance, and methods to apply, will be announced on GOV.UK.
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Linsey Farnsworth:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take legislative steps to create new commodity codes under Section 64 of the UK Global Tariff to include the use of sustainable materials in safety footwear. \p Dan Tomlinson: UK customs commodity codes are matched to the EU’s, to enable the Windsor Framework in NI and facilitate trade with the EU. However, other mechanisms can be used to provide different tariff treatment for goods. If businesses would like to propose a lower rate of duty on a product, they can make a duty suspension application to the Department for Business and Trade.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made as to the potential merits of Transitional Tax-Free Amount Certificates. \p Torsten Bell: A Transitional Tax-Free Amount Certificate (TTFAC) is an official document issued by a pension scheme provider or insurer. It confirms the actual amount of tax-free lump sums an individual received before 6 April 2024, when the Lifetime Allowance was abolished.

Since the Lifetime Allowance was abolished, a standard calculation is used to establish an individual’s remaining tax-free allowances, unless an application for a TTFAC has been made. The standard calculation assumes that 25% of all benefits taken before April 2024 were tax-free.

This assumption can disadvantage individuals who:

• Took less than 25% tax-free cash,

• Waived their tax-free lump sum entitlement, or

• Had complex arrangements or protections.

The TTFAC allows individuals who are disadvantaged by the standard calculation to evidence the actual tax-free amount they took, potentially increasing their remaining tax-free allowances to better reflect the position they were in prior to the abolition of the Lifetime Allowance.
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Greg Smith:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the RAC Report on Motoring 2025, published in October 2025, what assessment she has made of that report's recommendations on fuel duty. \p Dan Tomlinson: At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut and cancelling the planned increase in line with inflation for 2025/26. The temporary 5p cut is scheduled to expire in March 2026. The Government considers representations from a wide variety of stakeholders, with decisions on rates made at fiscal events.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 26828 on Cabinet Office: Revenue and Customs, what the legal basis is to permit the sharing of confidential information on ministers’ tax affairs between (a) Cabinet Office, (b) the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards and (c) HM Revenue and Customs. \p Dan Tomlinson: Data sharing between HMRC and other departments is considered on a case-by-case basis, to comply with HMRC’s obligations under its duty of confidentiality and other information law, including the UK GDPR.

HMRC supports other government departments in their awards and appointments processes by providing advice on potential tax risks, by reference to a low, medium or high rating. HMRC discloses this information as it supports its functions, including the collection and management of tax.

Details of Memoranda of Understanding (“MOU”) HMRC has with other government departments for these purposes can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-awards-and-appointments. The published MOUs explain the legal basis for disclosure.

The MOUs are clear that data must not be shared other than for the purpose set out in the MOU and that data may only be shared with individuals/teams explicitly named in the MOU.

There is no specific data sharing agreement between HMRC and the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of not implementing the proposed changes to agricultural property relief and business property relief for farmers in the Autumn Budget 2025. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, fixing the public finances, and funding public services. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free.

The Government will invest more than £2.7 billion a year in sustainable farming and nature recovery from 2026-27 until 2028-29. This includes the largest financial investment into nature-friendly farming ever.
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of increases in employers' National Insurance contributions on the natural stone industry. \p Dan Tomlinson: A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) announced at Autumn Budget 2024. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.

The Government decided to protect the smallest businesses from these changes by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that this year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers will either gain or will see no change.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 85917 on Lobbying: Official Hospitality, if she will list (a) the receptions her Department has held in the offices of consultant lobbying firms since 4 July 2024 and (b) the rationale in each case. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Chancellor of the Exchequer and the department have not held any receptions in the offices of consultant lobbying firms since 4 July 2024.
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Warinder Juss:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including the music industry in the creative industries tax reliefs. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Government supports the creative industries, including orchestras, through funding and through the tax system. Specifically in respect of orchestras, Orchestra Tax Relief provides tax relief on production costs and provided £33 million of support in 2022-23.

When considering changes to tax reliefs, the Government takes into account a wide range of factors including costs, complexity, and fairness.

Announcements on tax are made at fiscal events in the context of the overall public finances.
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Gareth Thomas:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will ask the Prudential Regulation Authority to ease the rules on credit unions being able to lend to other credit unions. \p Lucy Rigby: According to Section 11 of the Credit Unions Act 1979, credit unions are able to lend to other credit unions.

Credit unions are regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in a way that ensures the stability and soundness of the sector. The PRA and FCA are independent regulators and take decisions on the regulation of credit unions in line with their statutory objectives.
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Gareth Thomas:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether credit unions will be allowed to offer Help to Save accounts from 2027. \p Lucy Rigby: The Help to Save scheme supports financial resilience for working people on low incomes by encouraging consistent, long-term saving and helping them build a financial buffer to plan and prepare for the future.

In April 2025, the government widened the eligibility criteria for the Help to Save scheme to all Universal Credit claimants in work, rather than only those earning above a specified threshold. This expansion means around 550,000 additional people can benefit from the scheme, increasing the eligible population to approximately 3 million.

The government recognises that further groups may also benefit from Help to Save. Any future changes would need to be carefully assessed to ensure the scheme continues to be well targeted and deliverable.

The government has recently consulted on reforms to the delivery of Help to Save after 2027 and we continue to engage with a range of third-party financial institutions, including credit unions, as part of this process.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for the processing of Disabled Facilities Grants applications for people with motor neurone disease. \p Alison McGovern: The government recognises the importance of timely and efficient delivery of home adaptations including through the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) to help enable people with progressive conditions such as motor neurone disease (MND) to live independently in a safe and suitable environment.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide adaptations for people who satisfy a needs assessment, eligibility criteria and a means test, and have powers to agree a more generous local policy. To support this duty, government have boosted funding for the DFG to £711 million for both 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Local authorities have discretion in managing their DFG funding, and can publish a local housing assistance policy including detail on how they will respond to rapidly progressing conditions such as MND. For example, they can waive the means test or fast track the DFG process for people with MND.

This is clearly set out in government guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disabled-facilities-grant-dfg-delivery-guidance-for-local-authorities-in-england) which encourages local authorities to streamline the application process to improve the delivery of adaptations, including for people living with MND. While it is for local authorities to determine the flexibilities that best meet the needs of their residents, the guidance also encourages them to prioritise urgent cases and work towards good practice timescales.
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Bob Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to ensure that the 60% of affordable homes provided through the new route at social rent are not renegotiated out at a later stage in the development process. \p Matthew Pennycook: On 23 October 2025, the Secretary of State and the Mayor of London announced a new package of support for housebuilding in London. Details can be found on gov.uk here. A consultation on these London-specific measures will be launched in November 2025.

The package includes a new, time-limited planning route, which will sit alongside the Greater London Authority’s existing Fast Track and Viability Tested routes. This new route is designed to encourage schemes to come forward, and existing schemes to progress, in the near-term, in order to support a rapid recovery in housing delivery.

In order to access this time-limited route, schemes will be required to provide at least 20 per cent affordable housing, with a minimum of 60 per cent social rent (and the rest intermediate tenures in line with London Plan policy). Boroughs will be expected to consider applications that meet these minimum levels. This route will be available until 31 March 2028 or the publication of the revised London Plan, whichever is earlier. All planning decisions on applications will need to have been issued by the local planning authority by the deadline.

A gain-share review mechanism will be applicable where construction on the scheme has not reached a fixed milestone by the end of March 2030 – meaning that if additional returns result from improved market conditions, these benefit fairly both the developer and the community.

Any proposed reductions in affordable housing will be subject to full viability assessment and will no longer be eligible for the time limited planning route. In this case a review would then apply regardless of whether the delivery milestone was met to determine whether additional affordable housing contributions can be provided if viability improves over the lifetime of the development.

In respect of existing schemes, the GLA encourages partners to deliver affordable housing in excess of 20 per cent where possible, especially where planning consents are in place, and will make grant available at or above the announced benchmark grant rates for such projects where it provides value for money to do so. Projects consented at 35 per cent or more affordable housing, that are currently stalled due to viability reasons, are encouraged to assess the availability of grant where this is needed to support delivery and to increase the level of affordable housing above this. For bids providing less than 35 per cent affordable housing, where the grant requested is higher than the said benchmarks, the GLA will require Additionality Viability Assessments to be undertaken. In all cases, the GLA will undertake checks to ensure that any grant allocated is compliant with subsidy control rules
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 33 of his Department's publication entitled Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales: Scheme improvements (access and protections), updated on 15 October 2025, if he will publish a copy of the (a) calculations and (b) estimates provided by the Government Actuary Department. \p Alison McGovern: Currently, the Department has no plan to publish the calculations or estimates provided by the Government Actuary’s Department in the consultation document published on 13 October 2025. The policy is still being developed and is subject to public consultation.
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UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_336

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of delays in building safety approvals on the (a) volume and (b) value of residential investment transactions. \p Samantha Dixon: We recognise that delays to the assessment of applications have been unacceptable on the construction supply chain. This is why we announced reforms to the Building Safety Regulator on 30 June, including plans to establish the BSR as a separate body. The BSR has committed to improving operations by December, with faster processing of new build applications and decisions on most of the existing new-build caseload.

The BSR is already making operational and policy changes to speed up decision making, particularly on building control approval, including through the introduction of an Innovation Unit (IU). Early signs are positive with the majority of applications in the IU so far on track to exceed or meet the 12-week SLA as they progress through the application process.

New guidance, developed with the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), is also helping to support industry to better understand all aspects of the new building control regime and secure approval from BSR.

To support transparency and accountability, the BSR published performance data on 16 October and will continue to do so monthly to track progress against this commitment.
wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_337
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_337

Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of construction supply chain bottlenecks associated with Gateway 2 on the construction plant-hire sector. \p Samantha Dixon: My department and the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) recognises that the delays in assessing Building Control Applications have been unacceptable and that they impact upon all parts of the construction supply chain. This is why we announced reforms to the BSR on 30 June, including plans to establish the BSR as a separate body.

The BSR has listened to feedback from the industry and the reform package announced on 30 June 2025 is already having a positive impact on operations, with twice as many decisions being made by the BSR between June-September 2025 in comparison to January-March 2025.

The BSR has committed to improving BSR operations by December, with faster processing of new build applications and decisions on most of the existing new-build caseload. The BSR published performance data on 16 October and will continue to do so monthly to track progress against this commitment.
wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_338
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_338

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has provided to (a) developers and (b) investors on ensuring that applications to the Building Safety Regulator (i) provide the required detail and (ii) meet the required standards to avoid rejection. \p Samantha Dixon: New guidance, developed with the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), supports industry to better understand all aspects of the new building control regime. A joint Building Safety Regulator (BSR)-CLC working group with Tier 1 developers is also addressing key challenges and identifying areas for improvement.

More broadly, BSR run a series of webinars covering both design and construction requirements, as well as in-occupation requirements, and has published guidance online including “getting building control applications right.”

BSR is actively supporting the Construction Leadership Council to publish a further suite of industry guidance, expected around mid-November on the statutory documents accompanying building control approval applications, staged approvals and Gateway 3.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_339

Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to introduce national response standards for (a) service levels and (b) response times for all fire and rescue services. \p Samantha Dixon: The Government has accepted, in principle, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s recommendation to establish a national college of fire and rescue. The Inquiry report suggested a range of potential functions for a college to fulfil, including the development and assurance of national standards relating to various aspects of the work of fire and rescue services.

Any future college function relating to national standards would build on the work already undertaken by the Fire Standards Board (FSB), which currently develops and maintains a suite of professional standards for fire and rescue services in England. The 19 standards currently published by the FSB cover a range of topics relating to operational management, leadership and ethics.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_340

Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the research and analysis entitled Electoral Resilience and Democratic Engagement Programme: Voter identification research, published on 3 November 2025, whether other research has been commissioned but is not published under that programme. \p Samantha Dixon: The research was conducted using the same criteria that was previously used for the research and evaluation for the Elections Act 2022. The researchers use industry standard methods which allows for the comparison of data across demographic groups. All research commissioned by the programme is published in line with the Government Social Research Publication Protocol.
wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_341
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_341

Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleague to ensure people on Universal Credit have equal access to fundraising for the purpose of standing for election. \p Samantha Dixon: People on universal credit are not disqualified from standing for elections. With regards to accessing fundraising for the purposes of standing for election, the Electoral Commission have published clear guidance on the rules around donations, which apply to all candidates.
wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_342
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_342

Joe Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of the 19 March 2025 to Question 38424 on Sleeping Rough: North East, whether his Department has had further discussions with relevant stakeholders on the extension of the (a) Rough Sleeping Initiative and (b) Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant in the North East. \p Alison McGovern: The Government has set out our proposal for consolidating funding across all forms of homelessness, through the first multi-year settlement in a decade, in the Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation on gov.uk here.

For 2025-26, we consolidated our main rough sleeping and single homelessness focused grants (Rough Sleeping Initiative, which includes Housing First funding, and Accommodation for Ex Offenders) into a single Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant. In 2025-26, the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant will provide over £255 million in funding across England, including over £4.9 million for Local Authorities in the North East.

From 2026-27, the Fair Funding Review 2.0 includes proposals to roll the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant into a consolidated Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Grant, alongside the Homelessness Prevention Grant and the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme. Funding for temporary accommodation, currently part of Homelessness Prevention Grant, is proposed to be consolidated into the Local Government Finance Settlement Revenue Support Grant.
wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_343
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_343

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the number of instances of councils not meeting responsibilities under section 198 of the Housing Act 1996 by not responding since 2020. \p Alison McGovern: The Government does not collect any data on the number of instances in which a council does not meet their responsibilities under section 198 of the Housing Act 1996.Where there are disputes between the notifying authority and the notified authority over which authority should be responsible for the applicant, the Homelessness (Decisions on Referrals) Order 1998 sets out a process to resolve the dispute. In England, the Local Government Association will typically mediate between the two authorities. As such, the Local Government Association has issued its own guidance for authorities for invoking this disputes procedure and resolving any disputes, which can be accessed below.

https://www.local.gov.uk/publications/procedures-referrals-homeless-applicants-another-local-authority

To support councils with carrying out their homelessness duties this Government has increased funding for homelessness services by £316 million to a total of more than £1 billion in 2025/26. Local authorities can use this funding to support people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in their area.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_344

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance has been given to local billing authorities by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies on council tax (i) avoidance and (ii) evasion in relation to the second homes council tax premium. \p Alison McGovern: The Government has not issued guidance to billing authorities on this issue. Council tax is a local tax and administered by local authorities. It is therefore for them to manage and address any potential cases of avoidance or evasion in the council tax system.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_345

Zöe Franklin:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to review the application of the long-term empty homes council tax premium in cases where (a) properties are awaiting sale, (b) the owner is serving in the armed forces and required to live on base and (c) properties are empty due to other circumstances outside the owner’s control. \p Alison McGovern: It is for councils to decide whether to charge the premium in their area, taking account of local circumstances. The Department has introduced a number of exceptions to the empty homes premium which came into effect from April 2025. These include exceptions for up to a year for dwellings actively marketed for sale or let and for dwellings which is or would be the sole or main residence of a member of the armed services, who has been provided with a dwelling as a result of such service. In addition to mandatory exceptions councils have the discretionary power to set their own local exceptions to premiums or offer discounts. The government has published guidance on the implementation of premiums and exceptions and is available here.

The government remains committed to keeping all taxes and elements of the local government finance system under review and will consider options for reform where there is clear evidence that change would deliver better outcomes for residents and councils alike.
wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_346
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-18 conversation_346

Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether councillors in England are required to register unredacted (a) business and (b) commercial interests held (i) directly or (ii) through limited companies on their register of interests. \p Alison McGovern: Under the Localism Act 2011, councillors must declare certain business and wider financial interests they might have, including all employment and any beneficial interest in companies if the interest is within the local authority area or if it exceeds a specified value.

These details are published in full on the local authority’s register of interests unless the councillor and monitoring officer agree disclosure could expose the councillor or a connected person to violence or intimidation and class it is a ‘sensitive interest’.

Government guidance on councillor interests is published online.