theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on  the number of school trips made annually, by (a) region (b) mode of transport. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department does not collect information from schools about the number of school trips made or the mode of transport used. It does, however, provide guidance on health and safety on school trips. This guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-and-safety-on-educational-visits/health-and-safety-on-educational-visits.
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Michael Wheeler:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average funding per pupil was in mainstream schools in (a) Worsley and Eccles constituency, (b) Salford (c) Wigan (d) the North West and (e) England in each of the last five years. \p Catherine McKinnell: Local authorities receive their core funding for schools through the dedicated schools grant (DSG). Local authorities are then responsible for designing a local formula, within certain parameters, to distribute the funding that they receive from the department to schools in their area. This local formula is used to determine funding for both the maintained schools and academies in each area.

As the DSG is allocated at local authority level, DSG allocations broken down to the level of individual constituencies are not available. The individual allocations that schools within Worsley and Eccles constituency receive are determined by the local funding formula set each year by Salford and Wigan local authorities.

However, the DSG funding allocations at local authority, regional and national level for each of the last five years are set out below. The per-pupil funding figures include premises funding but exclude growth and falling rolls funding.

One Year per-pupil funding

Salford

Wigan

North West

England

2021/22

£ 5,474

£ 5,069

£ 5,221

£ 5,228

2022/23

£ 5,638

£ 5,199

£ 5,366

£ 5,374

2023/24

£ 5,972

£ 5,472

£ 5,644

£ 5,648

2024/25

£ 6,315

£ 5,776

£ 5,962

£ 5,957

2025/26

£ 6,816

£ 6,266

£ 6,454

£ 6,443
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Abtisam Mohamed:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the New Burdens Assessment will be completed before the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill receives Royal Assent. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department has conducted initial new burdens impact assessments, in line with normal practice, for measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Once the new burdens assessments have been finalised, where it is assessed there is a new burden on local government, all additional net costs will be funded by central government in line with the New Burdens Doctrine.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to improve road safety in South Holland and the Deepings constituency in the 2025-2026 financial year. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government allocates Integrated Transport Block (ITB) funding to local authorities such as Lincolnshire County Council, which is used for a variety of local transport initiatives such as road safety improvements. ITB allocations for 2025/26 for Lincolnshire County Council and other authorities will be announced shortly. This will enable councils to decide how best to use the available funding; the Department does not get involved in local authority decision making of this sort.

On local highway maintenance funding, all local authority allocations for highway maintenance block capital funding in 2025/26, including for Lincolnshire County Council, were announced by the Secretary of State for Transport on 20 December 2024 and are published on Gov.uk. Lincolnshire County Council will be receiving an uplift of over £16.2 million compared to the current financial year, taking its total funding for the year to over £60 million if they meet the incentive element requirements, due to be published shortly.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total number of minutes was by which trains were delayed in 2024. \p Simon Lightwood: The ORR publish statistics on delay minutes on their website at https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/performance/passenger-rail-performance/ (Table 3184). In the year ending 4 January 2025, a total of 15,897,997 delay minutes (15.9 million) were recorded in Great Britain. For context, there were a total of 7,335,930 (7.3 million) trains planned in the calendar year January 2024 to December 2024 (Table 3123).

Of these trains, 85.2% were measured as either arriving within 5 minutes at the scheduled final destination time (for London, South-East, Regional and Scotland operators) or within 10 minutes of the final scheduled destination time (for long distance operators) (Table 3113, Public Performance Measure).

Ministers have been clear that rail services have been failing passengers, we need to improve services for passengers and deliver better value for money for the taxpayer.

The Rail Minister is meeting with the Managing Directors of all train operators and their Network Rail counterparts, to address poor performance and demand immediate action to raise standards.
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Tristan Osborne:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she is taking steps with Kent Councils to identify further financial support for the A229 Bluebell Junction improvements. \p Lilian Greenwood: Kent County Council plans to submit an Outline Business Case to the Department in summer 2026. If this is approved, under current arrangements the Department’s maximum funding contribution would be up to a maximum of 85% of the total estimated cost at Outline Business Case stage. This would be conditional on approval by government to a Full Business Case. The Council currently forecasts works starting in spring 2029.
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Lincoln Jopp:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure adequate (a) provision and (b) accessibility of driving test centres in Spelthorne. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is committed to providing its customers with the best service possible. DVSA continually reviews its estate to ensure it represents good value for money and is efficient. It currently has no plans for any additional driving test centres (DTCs) in Spelthorne.

Isleworth, Chertsey, Slough and Tolworth DTCs are all accessible test centres for customers in the Spelthorne area. More information for customers booking a practical test who have a disability, health condition, or learning difficulty, can be found on GOV.UK.
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Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of recent trends in the residual value of second-hand electric vehicles. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government works closely with the automotive industry to monitor the health of the used electric vehicle (EV) market. The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles attends a used EV industry steering group. This includes stakeholders representing independent and franchised dealerships, vehicle auctioneers, rental and leasing companies, and the repair sector. This group actively follows the development of prices and residual values in the used EV market.

Industry intelligence suggests the recent volatility in EV prices was caused by shifts in the supply and demand of used EVs. Such shifts are likely to be felt more strongly in the used EV market, as it is still at an early stage. The Government expects prices and residual values to stabilise as the market matures.
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Joe Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the number of electric charging points in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) the North East, (d) Newcastle and (e) England. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of affordable charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle (EV). As of January 2025, the Government and Industry have supported the installation of 63,389 publicly available charging devices in England.

The Government’s £381 million Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, which is expected to deliver over 100,000 public chargepoints, supports local authorities in England to work with industry and transform the availability of affordable, low-powered EV charging for drivers without off-street parking. The North-East Combined Authority, which includes Hexham constituency, Northumberland County Council and Newcastle City Council, was allocated £17.2m capital and resource funding through the Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund to increase the number of local public chargepoints across the area. In total, the broader North-East region has received over £22.4m capital and almost £2m resource funding under LEVI to improve regional charging infrastructure.
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Rebecca Paul:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2025 to Question 22501 on Roads: Lighting if she will provide the evidential basis for her Answer. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department does not readily hold this information in the formats requested and it cannot be produced to the deadlines associated with a Parliamentary Question.
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Rebecca Paul:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2025 to Question 22502 on Roads: Lighting if she will provide the evidential basis for her Answer. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department does not readily hold this information in the formats requested and it cannot be produced to the deadlines associated with a Parliamentary Question.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking with international partners to align (a) sustainability standards and (b) certification processes for sustainable aviation fuel. \p Mike Kane: Sustainable aviation fuels reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 70% on average over the lifecycle of its production and use, when replacing fossil kerosene. It is an important technology to help decarbonise the aviation sector. This Government’s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) Mandate could deliver up to 6.3 megatonnes of carbon savings per year by 2040.

We work proactively with international partners, particularly across Europe and at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to promote both robust and consistent sustainability standards and certification processes for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) globally. Our own domestic schemes, such as the SAF Mandate, have been designed to facilitate the certification of fuels in an international context while maintaining robustness.

The government is working to address barriers to SAF production and use in the UK. The government introduced a SAF Mandate on 1st January 2025 which will build demand for SAF in the UK. To support UK SAF production, the government has allocated £63 million in 2025/2026 which will directly support UK SAF plants through the Advanced Fuels Fund and has committed to legislate to introduce a revenue certainty mechanism to further help de-risk UK SAF projects.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the proposal from Slough Borough council to become part of the administrative local government boundaries of Greater London; and what role the Local Government Boundary Commission for England has in such a decision. \p Jim McMahon: No proposal has been received from Slough Borough Council to become part of the administrative local government boundaries of Greater London.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) can conduct reviews of administrative boundaries such as the external boundaries of local authorities. This process is referred to as a Principal Area Boundary Review (PABR). Under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 the LGBCE is able to undertake PABR at the request of a local authority, on its own initiative or at the request of the Secretary of State. The LGBCE cannot be required by the Secretary of State to undertake a PABR as the LGBCE is independent of Government and accountable to Parliament through the Speakers Committee.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department made an assessment of the potential merits of holding a public consultation prior to the passing of the 2022 Private Parking Code of Practice. \p Alex Norris: 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. This includes a duty to consult with relevant stakeholders on the measures within this Code. This government is determined to drive up standards in the private parking sector and will announce its plans for the new Code and related consultation in due course.
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Mark Pritchard:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will require housing developers to promptly complete remedial works required to new build properties after completion. \p Alex Norris: Most new build warranties cover damages caused by structural defects for a 10-year term. The developer is often held accountable for the first two years of this period. The terms of warranty should give more detail on what developers would be expected to cover in this timeframe, but generally this will cover most aspects of workmanship carried out by the developer.

New build homeowners can also contact the New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) (Homepage (nhqb.org.uk) if they are dissatisfied with the standards of conduct or quality of work in their new build homes. While the scheme is currently voluntary for developers, just over half of all developers have signed up. The full register of developers is held on the NHQB website.

New build homeowners can also contact a consumer code scheme provider if their developer has signed up to one. There are several codes, the largest of which is the Consumer Code for Home Builders. The code the developer signs up to is determined by the warranty provider. The consumer code scheme provider will handle complaints about the conduct or workmanship of a developer, provided that the developer is a member of the relevant code.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2025 to Question 16551 on Arden Strategies: Special Advisers, whether special advisers have had meetings with Arden Strategies that are not (a) in scope of transparency requirements on reporting special advisers’ meetings with senior media executives, (b) readily available and (c) scheduled for future publication since 4 July 2024. \p Alex Norris: In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of external meetings held by Special Advisers will be published in line with the requirements set out in guidance here.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2025 to Question 22385 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Cost Effectiveness, if she will itemise efficiency savings in 2024-25. \p Alex Norris: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has already outlined savings found as part of the Fixing the Foundations: Public Spending Audit 2024-25. This included an agreement to £154 million in savings in response to the HM Treasury (HMT) Savings Commission - for an itemised list please refer to the answer given to Question UIN 2635 on 5 September 2024.
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Sojan Joseph:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that private car park operators (a) display clear and accessible signage, (b) impose proportionate fines and (c) have an appeals process that is clear and easy to use. \p Alex Norris: The Government recognises the need for high standards in the private parking industry and is committed to delivering a Code of Practice, in accordance with The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019.

We will ensure the Code provides the best possible protection for motorists while giving parking companies the tools to manage their facilities effectively.

We are currently reviewing all options and will announce our plans regarding the Government Code in due course.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to support homeowners with the cost of removing closed-cell spray foam insulation in order to secure a mortgage. \p Alex Norris: We are aware of the issues some homeowners are facing in obtaining finance where spray foam insulation has been installed. Officials in the department have previously consulted UK Finance and the Building Societies Association, the trade bodies for lenders about this matter, who advise that their members rely on the views of valuers and surveyors on this issue.

Whilst the department cannot comment on the decisions made by individual lenders, the presence of spray foam should not automatically prevent lending, and decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis following a survey.

That is why it is important that surveyors continue to follow published protocols published in March 2023 to support these assessments, which can be found here: https://www.property-care.org/resources/spray-foam-insulation-inspections(opens in a new tab)(opens in a new tab)(opens in a new tab) and Guides & Documents - IMA (insulationmanufacturers.org.uk)(opens in a new tab)(opens in a new tab).

Building owners are responsible for costs of maintaining their buildings. The Government do not specify or recommend which types of insulation are appropriate for a particular property, and all measures installed under government schemes must be installed by TrustMark registered installers.
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Grahame Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 31832 on Coalfields Regeneration Trust, if she will meet with the hon. Member for Easington to discuss (a) the impact of the work of the Coalfield Regeneration Trust in coalfield communities and (b) the potential merits of reinstating government funding to the CRT. \p Alex Norris: I recognise that the proud history of our coalfields communities must be matched with a proud future. The work done by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust with over 850 community organisations to tackle the social and economic challenges facing coalfield communities has made great progress towards this.

We are committed to working in partnership to invest in and empower the nation’s former coalfield locations, so that they can kickstart growth in their area, and increase living standards. That’s why we have already announced planning reforms, devolution, our plans to make work pay, and a settlement to fix the foundations of local government. This will support coalfields to build their future.

We remain committed to the Government's mission to kickstart economic growth. The Government will set out its long-term vision for local growth at HM Treasury’s 2025 multi-year spending review.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2025 to Question 21697 on Voting Rights: Foreign Nationals, whether she has considered amending the franchise for elections to (a) the UK Parliament, (b) Northern Ireland Assembly, (c) local government elections in England and Northern Ireland and (d) Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales. \p Rushanara Ali: Pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2025 to Question 21697, the Government has no plans to amend the voting rights of foreign nationals for elections to the UK Parliament, Northern Ireland Assembly, local government elections in England and Northern Ireland and Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales.

In common with most other democracies, voting rights are limited to citizens. In addition, in UK elections for which the UK Government and Parliament have responsibility (that is, not devolved elections in Scotland and Wales), Commonwealth and Irish citizens can vote, while eligible EU citizens can vote in elections which use the local government register.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 12 February 2025, to Question 29928, on Proof of Identity: Children, whether an external researcher has been commissioned. \p Rushanara Ali: Officials are currently exploring the research options for a robust sample and the procurement routes to achieve this. No decision has been made at this time.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2025 to Question 26848 on Local Government Finance, what the proportional change in Government funding will be excluding council tax and in real terms for each local authority between 2024-25 and 2025-26. \p Jim McMahon: The Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government. This is a 6.8% cash terms increase or 4.3% real terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. Taken together, the additional funding announced by the Chancellor at the Autumn Budget and through the 2025-26 Local Government Finance Settlement will provide over £5 billion of new funding for local services over and above local council tax.

Core Spending Power measures the core revenue funding available for local authority services through the local government finance settlement. Core Spending Power is the government’s chosen measure of resources because it gives a consistent measure of resources available to any local authority across revenue grant funding made available through the settlement, locally retained business rates and council tax.

Further information about each local authority’s core spending power can be accessed using the following links: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-information-table-for-local-authorities-final-local-government-finance-settlement-2025-to-2026 and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/core-spending-power-table-final-local-government-finance-settlement-2025-to-2026.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to ensure that council staff are unable to work from abroad. \p Jim McMahon: Local authorities are independent employers responsible for the management of their own workforces, including where staff can work from. It is not the responsibility of central government to micromanage this. Councils are, however, expected to manage their workforces to best meet the needs of their residents. Staff working arrangements and value for money should be considered as part of this.
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Clive Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to review the limit for adaptions under the Disabled Facilities Grant. \p Rushanara Ali: Government recognises how important home adaptations are in enabling disabled people to live as independently as possible in a safe and suitable environment. Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) funding helps adapt around 55,000 homes annually, helping disabled people and their families to live independently and well in their own homes for longer.

This Government is reviewing the suitability of the current grant upper limit. We expect the review to conclude later in 2025. Given that any rise in the upper limit will require additional funding, the Government will say more about its future approach after the Spending Review. In the meanwhile, local authorities have considerable discretion and may fund adaptations above the current £30,000 upper limit in line with a local policy or in exceptional circumstances.
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Sarah Olney:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what target she has set for the total number of dispersal accommodation centres available to victims of domestic abuse. \p Rushanara Ali: This government is committed to tackling violence against women and girls and supporting victims of domestic abuse.

Since 2021, local authorities in England have a duty to ensure domestic abuse victims and their children who need to flee their homes have access to support within safe accommodation when they need it. MHCLG has defined in regulations the types of safe accommodation that support to victims can be delivered in, including dispersed accommodation.

MHCLG has allocated £160 million to local authorities in 2025/26 to help them deliver their duty, a £30 million uplift from the previous year.

This revenue funding is for local authorities to fund provision of lifesaving support for victims and their children within safe accommodation, including dispersed accommodation. It is for local authorities to determine how best to allocate the funding MHCLG has provided to meet local needs, in line with a local needs assessment and strategy.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question 25695 on Empty Property: Shops, by what date she plans to end funding on a bidding scheme basis. \p Alex Norris: The High Street Rental Auction fund application period runs from the 15 January 2025 to 31 January 2026, or until the funds are fully allocated.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2025, to Question 28309 on Freeports: Trade Unions, whether freeport board members are subject to fiduciary duty to shareholders. \p Alex Norris: Freeports are either incorporated as Companies Limited by Guarantee or sit within the governance structures of a Mayoral Combined Authority; in either case, they do not have shareholders. Freeport boards have a clear and specific remit for delivering the public policy objectives of the Freeports Programme and the resultant responsibilities of individual board members (both full members and observers) are defined in articles of association, where the Freport is incorporated, or terms of reference for the board, where it is not.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the level of debt is of each local authority in England (a) in absolute terms and (b) as a percentage of annual budget. \p Jim McMahon: The Ministry of Housing of Communities and Local Government collects data returns from local authorities. These returns are collated and published by MHCLG on the .gov website.

Budget data is located in the Revenue Outturn reports which can be located here - Local authority revenue expenditure and financing - GOV.UK

There are various metrics by which debt can be measured. Links to relevant information along with a summary what is available in each are set out below:

Borrowing and investment live tables - Live tables on local government finance - GOV.UK

This dataset shows all UK local authorities’ borrowing and investment on a quarterly basis. The data is split by each authority dating back to 2014. There is also an annual summary table which shows the cumulative balances on an annual basis.

Capital expenditure, receipts and financing - Local authority capital expenditure, receipts and financing - GOV.UK This dataset is an annual return collected from English authorities only and dates back to 2000. These returns explain in more detail the expenditure of each authority and how these are financed, including each authority’s year end debt position, individually and in aggregate.
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Marsha De Cordova:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Oral Statement of 26 February 2025 on Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 Report, Official Report, whether she plans to take steps to enforce personal emergency evacuation plans for disabled residents living in high-rise (a) social housing and (b) privately rented accommodation. \p Alex Norris: Residential personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs) for which my Rt Hon Friend the Home Secretary currently retains responsibility until the Machinery of Government change comes into effect on 1 April will be introduced through legislation yet to be laid before Parliament. We expect that enforcing authorities under the Fire Safety Order, including Fire and Rescue Authorities, who have a duty to enforce Responsible Persons’ compliance with their duties will also enforce duties in relation to Residential PEEPs.

Under the Building Safety Act, Accountable Persons are required to assess and manage the building safety risks in their building. In doing this they are required to consider the impacts on residents, carry out engagement with residents, and set out in the Residents’ Engagement Strategy and Safety Case report the arrangements for how residents will respond to emergency situations, which can be expected to include the arrangements for putting in place and managing Residential PEEPs once required.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what (a) research and (b) evaluation she has undertaken on the impact of the number of empty homes on empty home premiums for council tax. \p Jim McMahon: The government annually publishes data on the number of dwellings liable for a premium, and the number of dwellings classed as empty homes for council tax purposes. The government monitors this data with interest and will keep this policy under review. However, it is ultimately for councils to decide whether to make use of the premium. In doing so they will consider relevant local factors and how this will shape their approach to empty homes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_258

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of her proposals for local government restructuring on (a) planning capacity and (b) the number of planners working in local authorities. \p Jim McMahon: There has not yet been a direct assessment of the potential impact of proposals for local government restructuring on planning capacity or planning workforce numbers. This will be a matter for local councils to consider as they develop their proposals for reorganisation.

As set out in the published criteria for proposals, unitary structures must prioritise the delivery of high quality and sustainable public services to citizens; proposals should show how new structures will improve local government and service delivery and should avoid unnecessary fragmentation of services. Following submission, we will consider all proposals carefully before taking decisions on how to proceed. To support with capacity related to local government reorganisation, the government intends to provide some funding for preparing to take forward any proposal, and we will share further information later in the process.

More widely, at the Budget, the government announced a £46 million package of investment into the planning system to support capacity and capability in local planning authorities, including through the recruitment and training of 300 graduate and apprentice planners and the development of skills needed to implement reforms and unlock housing delivery.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_259

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to establish a single code of practice for private parking. \p Alex Norris: The Government is committed to delivering a single Code of Practice for private parking companies to follow, as part of this process we will undergo a public consultation to assess the impact of the Code.

We are currently reviewing all options and will announce our plans regarding the code in due course.

My officials meet regularly with the two private parking trade associations and consumer groups and I am due to meet with them soon.
wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_260
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_260

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of consulting a broad range of stakeholders when revising the PAS 9980 standard. \p Alex Norris: MHCLG and Home Office have jointly sponsored the British Standards Institution (BSI), who developed and are responsible for the PAS 9980 guidance, to review it to ensure it captures best practice, meets the needs of the market and identify whether any revisions are required. BSI has commenced work on the review and anticipate the review, including a 6-weeks public consultation, will be complete with updated guidance published in early 2026.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_261

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the next tranche of levelling up funding is due to be paid to coastal towns. \p Alex Norris: Monitoring Returns determine the amount councils are paid in relation to each Levelling Up Fund project, with the next payments due in late March.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_262

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people have been disqualified for holding elective office under Part 5 of the Elections Act 2022. \p Rushanara Ali: Under UK law, those convicted of intimidation or abuse of candidates, campaigners or elected office holders, may be subject to a five-year ban from standing for, or holding, elective office, in addition to any standard punishment for the underlying criminal offence. The disqualification can be imposed at the point of sentence before a criminal court, unless it is unjust in the circumstances to do so.

The disqualification order came into force in November 2023, meaning that it has not been in place for a substantive period of time. We do not hold data on how many people have been disqualified
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_263

Mike Martin:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will introduce legislative measures to require sellers to (a) disclose to prospective homebuyers whether a property is supplied by a private water network and (b) outline the financial risks associated with this arrangement. \p Rushanara Ali: Providing essential information upfront is important in supporting potential buyers to make important decisions about whether a property is suitable for them early in the process.

There is already a requirement under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 that any property information that would help a prospective homebuyer to make an informed decision is not hidden or omitted. On 9 February, we announced action to improve the availability of property information. Improving access to key home buying and selling data will help transactions run more smoothly by ensuring all parties are able to access the information they need at the right time.

We continue to work with stakeholders across industry, government and the public sector to understand the most effective way of supporting buyers to make the right decisions.
wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_264
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_264

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution will meet with the hon. Member for Newton Abbot. \p Jim McMahon: I meet with members routinely, and am pleased to do so. My office have contacted the hon. Member.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_265

Nesil Caliskan:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to give local authorities in London a formal decision-making role in future integrated settlements applied to the Greater London Authority. \p Jim McMahon: At Autumn Budget 2024 the Government committed to exploring how the Integrated Settlement policy could be applied for the Greater London Authority from the 2026-27 financial year onwards, taking into account the capital’s unique devolution arrangements. This work is currently taking place and the Government plans to announce further details following the conclusion of Phase 2 of the Spending Review 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_266

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with which principal local authorities Ministers in her Department have not had meetings with since 4 July 2024. \p Jim McMahon: Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on gov.uk.
wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_267
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_267

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what mechanisms her Department plans to put in place to help detect (a) fraudulent and (b) incorrect claims for retail, hospitality and leisure business rate relief relief in the context of the (i) cash cap and (ii) minimal financial assistance limit; and whether any public body is responsible for cross-local authority checks. \p Jim McMahon: The administration of business rates, including billing, enforcement and decisions on the award of relief, is the responsibility of local billing authorities. They do so having regard to the guidance published by the government

As the guidance sets out, the government and billing authorities will not tolerate any business falsifying their records or providing false evidence to gain a discount on their business rates bill, including claiming support above the cash cap. Local authorities have powers to combat fraud, and any ratepayer who falsely applies for any relief, or who provides false information or makes false representation to gain relief, may be guilty of fraud under the Fraud Act 2006. The government is committed to making further progress to tackle business rates avoidance, in line with the ambitions of Transforming Business Rates.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_268

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2025 to Question HL4406 on Local Government: Reorganisation, how many individual Ministerial direction powers she plans to legislate for across the (a) English Devolution Bill and (b) the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. \p Jim McMahon: All Ministerial direction powers legislated across the English Devolution Bill and the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will be set out during introduction and passage of each Bill through Parliament.
wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_269
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_269

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of her proposals for local government reorganisation on the division of costs for public services between principal and town and parish councils (a) during and (b) after the restructuring process. \p Jim McMahon: As set out in the English Devolution White Paper, we will want to see stronger community arrangements when reorganisation happens in the way councils engage at a neighbourhood or area level. We will also rewire the relationship between town and parish councils and principal Local Authorities, strengthening expectations on engagement and community voice.

It will be for local councils to consider the delivery of public services as they develop their proposals for reorganisation.

In our invitation we have set out guidance to support councils as they develop proposals that are in the best interests of their areas. This includes guidance on issues of size, sensible geographies, efficiencies and financial sustainability, public service delivery, community engagement and devolution.
wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_270
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_270

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2025 to Question 29001 on Local Government: Elections, whether the 2027-2028 go-live dates are after a period of operation as a shadow authority; and what her preferred period of time is that a body should be in shadow status to prepare for its establishment. \p Jim McMahon: We have been clear in the invitation letter that we will work with areas to move to elections to new ‘shadow’ unitary councils as soon as possible, as is the usual arrangement in the process of local government reorganisation. Detailed timings will depend on the proposals submitted, but we envisage a period of operation as a shadow authority , ahead of go-live on 1 April the following year.