theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Connor Naismith:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria her Department is using to allocate funding for school solar panel installation; and what steps she is taking to ensure that the most energy-inefficient school buildings are prioritised. \p Stephen Morgan: This £80 million partnership programme between the department and Great British Energy is targeting 200 schools and colleges in the 2025/26 academic year.

There will be a cluster of around 45 schools in each of the North West, North East and West Midlands, selected based on deprivation levels and other factors such as roof capacity. Each cluster will also include a further education college which will work with the contractors appointed to promote careers in renewables to support growth in the construction and renewables workforce. There will also be a minimum of ten schools in each of the government office regions to ensure some regional spread.

This is just one element of the department’s strategy to ensure that the school estate is sustainable. We are providing support for all schools and colleges to get started on their journey towards net zero via our new online ‘Sustainability Support for Education’ platform and our climate ambassador programme.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of recipients will lose entitlement to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund on 31 March 2025. \p Janet Daby: On 1 April, it was announced that the adoption and special guardianship support fund would continue into 2025/26, with a budget of £50 million. A further announcement about arrangements for applications will be made as soon as possible. All applications will continue to be assessed on an individual basis in line with published criteria.
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Ellie Chowns:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure the adequacy of support for children in kinship care. \p Janet Daby: The department is taking a number of steps to ensure that children in kinship care get the support that they need to thrive. This includes promoting their educational and mental health needs and supporting the people who care for them.

From September 2024, the department expanded the role of virtual school heads on a non-statutory basis to include championing the education, attendance and attainment of children in kinship care, ensuring that more children in kinship care receive the help they need to thrive at school. The department is now mandating this through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

In addition, the department is providing over £3 billion of pupil premium funding to improve the educational outcomes of disadvantaged pupils in England, including looked after and previously looked after children. Schools can direct pupil premium spending where the need is greatest, including to pupils with other identified needs, such as children in kinship care. Schools can also use pupil premium on whole class approaches that will benefit all pupils, such as on high quality teaching.

Some children in kinship care will be able to access the adoption and special guardianship support fund, which helps adoptive and special guardianship order children and their families access therapeutic interventions related to trauma and attachment.

Children in kinship care will also benefit from this government’s commitment to improving mental health support for all children and young people. The government will deliver on this commitment through providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. We will also recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults, and open new Young Futures hubs with access to mental health support workers.

The steps the government is taking to improve support for kinship carers will also improve the support children living in kinship care receive. In October, the department announced £40 million to trial a new kinship allowance in up to ten local authorities. This pilot will test whether paying an allowance will help support more children to live and thrive with a kinship carer.

In addition, the government has provided over 140 peer support groups and a package of training and support for all kinship carers to access across England. The increased financial support, emotional support and training kinship carers receive should help them in their role as carers and enhance the support they give the children in their care.
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Zöe Franklin:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has plans to increase registration fees for social workers. \p Janet Daby: As set out in the Children and Social Work Act 2017, Social Work England (SWE) is responsible for setting the level of the registration fee for social workers. Before determining the level of any fee, including any change, SWE must both consult publicly and gain the approval of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. Further information is available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2017/16/part/2/enacted#section-36-4.

SWE’s public consultation runs until 13 May 2025 and is available at: https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk/news/public-consultation-on-changes-to-our-fees-is-now-open/.
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Chris Bloore:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will hold discussions with local authorities on increasing the provision of furniture for (a) vulnerable people, (b) families with young children and (c) people who have escaped domestic violence living in social rented accommodation. \p Matthew Pennycook: My Department holds discussions with local authorities on a wide range of issues, including how to improve housing quality in the social rented sector. We will be consulting later this year on a reformed Decent Homes Standard.

In relation to furniture provision, local authorities may be able to provide support through the ‘Household Support Fund’ and other services available locally. The Deputy Prime Minister is also part of the ministerial Child Poverty Taskforce, which is considering the impacts of living in poor quality housing on children.

In relation to those who are victims of domestic abuse and need to flee their homes, local authorities also have a statutory duty to assess the need for and provide appropriate support in safe accommodation. Such emergency domestic abuse safe accommodation is furnished, and workers would provide support for victims, including help with finding appropriate and safe longer-term housing, and sources of financial support to furnish that home if needed.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what funding her Department has provided for local infrastructure improvements related to housing development in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes in each of the last five years. \p Matthew Pennycook: The table below lists infrastructure projects in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes that have received capital funding through the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF), the Land Release Fund (LRF), or the Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF) to unlock housing developments in the last five years, up to 31 December 2024.

Fund

Scheme

Location

20/21

21/22

22/23

23/24

24/25

Total

HIF

Aylesbury Garden Town

Buckinghamshire

£8.6m

£30.0m

£23.0m

£0.1m

£10.0m

£71.7m

HIF

Princes Risborough Expansion Area

Buckinghamshire

-

£5.1m

£0.2m

-

-

£5.3m

HIF

Realignment of Abbey Barn Lane (project since withdrawn)

Buckinghamshire

£0.8m

£0.4m

-

-£0.2m

£1.0m

HIF

Milton Keynes East Sustainable Urban Expansion

Milton Keynes

£2.0m

£9.1m

£2.2m

£53.8m

£27.4m

£94.6m

LRF 2

Wing LRF

Buckinghamshire

£0.2m

£0.2m

BLRF 2.2

Old Country Offices

Buckinghamshire

£0.7m

£0.7m
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Brian Mathew:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if her Department will include the potential impact of new developments on air pollution in planning decisions in the National Planning Policy Framework. \p Matthew Pennycook: The National Planning Policy Framework already makes clear that planning policies and decisions should prevent new and existing development from contributing to, being put at unacceptable risk from, or being adversely affected by, unacceptable levels of air pollution.

Planning policies and decisions should also sustain and contribute towards compliance with relevant limit values or national objectives for pollutants, taking into account the presence of Air Quality Management Areas and Clean Air Zones, and the cumulative impacts from individual sites in local areas.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions her Department has had with (a) Buckinghamshire Council and (b) Milton Keynes City Council on (i) housing targets and (ii) local plan development. \p Matthew Pennycook: As the hon. Member will know, the government published a revised National Planning Policy Framework on 12 December 2024 which included a revised standard method designed to direct residential development to where it is most needed and least affordable.

The government expects each local planning authority to use the revised standard method to assess local housing needs as a starting point to inform plan-making. Once an assessment has been made, local authorities should take into account land availability, environmental constraints, such as National Landscapes, and other relevant matters, to determine how much of the assessed housing need can be met.

The government is clear all local planning authorities should continue work on their local plans and get them in place as soon as possible.
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Ben Coleman:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has plans to encourage the freeholders of multiple occupancy leasehold buildings to install solar panels when the lease does not permit the Right To Manage Company or individual leaseholders to install panels on the common roof area. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 38264 on 21 March 2025. The government remains committed to meeting its net zero emissions target by 2050 and recognises the important contribution that making buildings more energy efficient will play in doing so.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, in what month this year she will publish the draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of including Electoral Returning Officers on the list of public authorities subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000. \p Rushanara Ali: The Government has not issued guidance on including Returning Officers or Electoral Registration Officers within the definition of local authorities for the Re-use of Public Sector Information.

The Government has not made an assessment of the potential merits of including Returning Officers of Electoral Registration Officers on the list of public authorities subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

The Electoral Commission provides guidance to Returning Officers and Electoral Registration Officers, and recommends that they disclose requested information where possible, provided the information is either already in the public domain or does not include personal data.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to increase the level of affordable housing in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes. \p Matthew Pennycook: At Spring statement, the government announced an immediate injection of £2 billion to support delivery of the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and contribute to our ambitious Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament. Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 25 March 2025 (HCWS549).

The investment made at Spring statement follows the £800 million in new in-year funding which has been made available for the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme and that will support the delivery of up to 7,800 new homes, with more than half of them being Social Rent homes.

We will set out set details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent.

The government has also announced the £450 million third round of the Local Authority Housing Fund, followed by an uplift of £50 million, enabling councils to grow their housing stock.

We also confirmed a range of new flexibilities for councils and housing associations, both within the Affordable Homes Programme and in relation to how councils can use their Right to Buy receipts. Having reduced Right to Buy discounts to their pre-2012 regional levels, we have allowed councils to retain 100% of the receipts generated by Right to Buy sales.

The government recognise that Registered Providers need support to build their capacity and make a greater contribution to affordable housing supply. Between 30 October 2024 and 23 December 2024, the government consulted on a new 5-year social housing rent settlement, to give Registered Providers the certainty they need to invest in new social and affordable housing.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 includes a number of changes that make the planning system more supportive of affordable housing, in particular Social Rent homes. These include new Golden Rules for development on the Green Belt. Prior to development plan policies for affordable housing being updated in accordance with the revised NPPF, the affordable housing contribution required to satisfy the ‘Golden Rules’ is 15 percentage points above the highest existing affordable housing requirement that would otherwise apply to the development, subject to a cap of 50%. We estimate that under this model, the median Green Belt local planning authority affordable housing requirement will be 50%.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of private rented sector reforms on the number of landlords requesting guarantors for new tenancies. \p Matthew Pennycook: According to the latest English Private Landlord Survey, 21% of landlords required a guarantor for their most recent letting.

The government recognises that blanket requirements for a guarantor could act as a barrier to renting for some tenants and expects landlords and agents to consider tenants’ individual circumstances when negotiating rental conditions.

We are committed to monitoring the use of guarantors as part of our wider evaluation of the impact of our reforms on the private rented sector.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to instruct the Local Government Boundary Commission to conduct a formal assessment of the new wards and boundaries of the new unitary authorities. \p Jim McMahon: My department is working closely with the Local Government Boundary Commission for England to ensure that they are involved at the appropriate time to ensure fair electoral arrangements across the area of any new unitary local authorities.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's press release notice entitled £2 billion new investment to support biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation, published on 25 March 2025, on what evidential basis that press notice states that the Government's investment in social and affordable housing is the biggest in a generation. \p Matthew Pennycook: At Spring statement, the government announced an immediate injection of £2 billion to support delivery of the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and contribute to our ambitious Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament. Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 25 March 2025 (HCWS549).
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which non-civil service organisations second staff to her Department. \p Alex Norris: The organisations of current secondees in the department are:

University of Cambridge

Homes England

Greater Manchester Combined Authority

The Future of London Emerging Talent programme
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 37220 on Admiralty House, what logistical support was provided. \p Alex Norris: Professional removal and cleaning services were hired and paid for personally by the Deputy Prime Minister and at no cost to the Department.

As the Deputy Prime Minister was moving to an official residence, some logistical support was provided. The residence is managed and run by civil servants who were involved in arranging the move in the usual way.
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Richard Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what consideration she has given to providing financial support to Bedford Borough Council for extraordinary expenses arising from the Cleat Hill gas explosion. \p Jim McMahon: Bedford Borough Council submitted a formal request on 27th March 2025 for Bellwin Scheme financial support for their immediate response costs arising from the Cleat Hill gas explosion that occurred in October 2024. We will now review the information provided by the Council and then decide what if any financial assistance may be provided through the Bellwin Scheme for the Council’s eligible costs in respect of this tragic incident.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Impact Note on removal of eligibility of private schools for business rates charitable relief, published on 30 October 2024, for what reasons the Government did not model the impact on economic growth. \p Jim McMahon: Policies and legislation concerning tax and tax administration fall outside the meaning of regulatory provisions and, therefore, are not required to be accompanied by an Impact Assessment.

Nevertheless, the government has conducted detailed analysis of the effects of business rates changes using the available Department for Education and Valuation Office Agency data.

The impact note published on 13 November 2024, alongside the introduction of the Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill, provides detailed analysis of the average business rates change per pupil for private schools; distributional analysis by region, religious ethos, and pupil population; as well as anticipated pupil movements, associated costs, and equalities impacts.

The methodology for calculating the cost of this change has been certified by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility. The estimation of impacts, such as pupil movements, follows from that methodology.

The OBR's economic forecast in October modelled the macroeconomic impacts of the Budget package, including the measures relating to private schools.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2025 to Question 37580 on Electoral Commission: Companies House, what discussions the Electoral Commission has had with Government departments on the (a) commencement and (b) implementation of data-sharing powers in relation to Companies House since the passage of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023; and whether the implementation of such powers for the Electoral Commission is dependent on (i) further commencement and (ii) secondary legislation. \p Rushanara Ali: The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 introduced changes which enable Companies House to disclose information with any person for the purpose of exercising its functions. Companies House can also share information with any public authority for the purpose of exercising the functions of that public authority. Information can be shared with the Electoral Commission for such purposes. No further secondary legislation is required to commence these data-sharing powers.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of using the Single Transferrable Vote system in English local elections. \p Rushanara Ali: I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 23541 on 22 January 2025.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure all planning decisions do not impact the UK’s climate and nature targets. \p Matthew Pennycook: As set out in Paragraph 7 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of homes, commercial development and supporting infrastructure in a sustainable manner.

The Framework makes clear that the planning system should support the transition to net zero by 2050 and take full account of all climate impacts including overheating, water scarcity, storm and flood risks and coastal change. The need to mitigate and adapt to climate change should also be considered in preparing and assessing planning applications, taking into account the full range of potential climate change impacts.

The Framework also makes clear that planning policies and decisions should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment. The revised NPPF published on 12 December 2024 included changes designed to enhance and protect the environment. For example, it expects developments to provide net gains for biodiversity, including through incorporating features which support priority or threatened species such as swifts, bats, and hedgehogs.

Biodiversity Net Gain requires development to deliver improvements for nature, while the Nature Restoration Fund proposed in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill would allow development to fund nature recovery in a simpler and more strategic manner, creating a win-win outcome for both the economy and nature.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to conduct electoral pilots under the Representation of the People Act 2000. \p Rushanara Ali: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has no plans at present to conduct electoral pilots under the powers in the Representation of the People Act 2000 in England.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to help increase (a) registration and (b) participation in elections by overseas British electors. \p Rushanara Ali: The Government is committed to improving electoral registration. We are exploring a wide range of options to deliver on this manifesto commitment.

As set out in our response to the Electoral Commission’s evaluation of the 2024 general election, published last month (Electoral Commission’s reports on the 2024 elections: government response - GOV.UK), the Government recognises the Commission’s findings with regards to the difficulties faced by British citizens living overseas when trying to participate in UK elections.

As part of our review of electoral registration and conduct, the Government, in partnership with electoral practitioners and the Electoral Commission, is examining several aspects of the system for overseas electors, with a view to identifying practical solutions to some of the challenges faced.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of recording actual rents on the new Private Rented Sector Database. \p Matthew Pennycook: The Private Rented Sector Database will support local authority enforcement action, help landlords understand their legal obligations and give tenants the information they need to make informed choices before entering into a tenancy agreement.

We intend for the Database to collect information about landlords and whether their rental property complies with key health and safety information.

In addition to data about the ownership and standard of PRS properties, we are considering the feasibility and merits of recording a wider range of data, including rent levels.

We will stipulate the specific requirements in regulations.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2025 to Question 34282 MHCLG: Cost Effectiveness, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of her Department's use of consultants in the 2024-25 financial year. \p Alex Norris: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Question UIN 22042 on 14 January 2025 and Question UIN 25703 on 14 February 2025.

In line with the government’s overall ambition, we are targeting a 50% reduction in consulting spend by the end of financial year 2025-26, and expect to demonstrate material progress towards achieving this following financial year 2024-25. MHCLG publishes spend on consultancy as part of its annual report and accounts, and the figures for FY2024-25 included in the accounts will therefore be assembled immediately following the end of the financial year.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of households on local authority housing waiting lists in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes. \p Matthew Pennycook: The number of households on social housing registers (waiting lists) in England and for each local authority in England is available each year since 1987 in live table 600 on gov.uk here.

The number of households on the housing register (waiting list) is not the same as the number of households waiting.

Local authorities periodically review their registers to remove households who no longer require housing, so the total number of households on housing registers may overstate the number of households who still require social housing at any one time. Housing register size may also be affected by other factors. For example, there is the potential for some households to be on the housing register of more than one local authority.

The frequency of reviews varies between local authorities.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2025 to Question 36421 on Permitted Development Rights, if she will publish the Article 4 directions in force in each local authority. \p Matthew Pennycook: In keeping with the practice of previous administrations, Article 4 Directions which are implemented without changes are not published. In cases where the Secretary of State determines that an Article 4 Direction should be modified, decisions are published on gov.uk here.
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Jamie Stone:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 167 of the National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024, whether she has plans for local planning authorities to take a proactive approach to facilitating domestic decarbonisation. \p Matthew Pennycook: Paragraph 167 of the revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 sets out that when determining planning applications, local planning authorities should give significant weight to the need to support energy efficiency and low carbon heating improvements to existing buildings, both domestic and non-domestic.

The Framework also makes clear that plans should take a proactive approach to mitigating and adapting to climate change and that the need to mitigate and adapt to climate change should be considered in preparing and assessing planning applications.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2024 to Question 39650 on Housing: Construction, whether quarterly data on planning applications and housing starts and completions classifies the approval of a retrospective planning application of the conversion of a house into an HMO as a new dwelling. \p Matthew Pennycook: Within the Department’s quarterly official statistics on planning applications, an application for the conversion of a house into a house in multiple occupation (HMO) would not be classified as an application for a new dwelling. Applications within Use Class C3 are classified as new dwellings, whereas applications for conversion to an HMO are within Use Class C4 (three to six residents) or as sui generis (more than six residents), both of which are classified as being within All Other Developments. The relevant official guidance is published and available on gov.uk here.

Whether or not a planning application is retrospective does not affect how it is classified.

Within the Department’s quarterly official statistics on housing starts and completions, the conversion of an existing house into an HMO would not count as a newly built dwelling.

The official guidance for the data return is that new build dwelling figures should exclude dwellings created through conversion of existing dwellings and by change of use such as commercial buildings to residential. Extensions and alterations to existing dwellings should be excluded. The relevant official guidance is published and available on gov.uk here.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has received representations from the RMT trade union on prioritising Transport for London staff members for social housing. \p Matthew Pennycook: My Department has not received representations from the RMT trade union on prioritising Transport for London staff members for social housing.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many new homes have been built in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes in each of the last five years. \p Matthew Pennycook: The Department publishes an annual release entitled ‘Housing supply: net additional dwellings, England’, which is the primary and most comprehensive measure of housing supply. This includes estimates of new homes built in each local authority, including Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes, in each financial year. Statistics to 2023-24 can be found in Live Table 123 on gov.uk here.

The Department also publishes a quarterly release entitled ‘Housing supply: Indicators of New Supply, England’, which includes estimates of new build starts and completions in England and in each local authority district. Statistics to the quarter ending December 2024 can be found in Table 253a on gov.uk here. This dataset covers new build dwellings only and should be regarded as a leading indicator of overall housing supply.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-03 conversation_216

Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of new housing in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes has been built on brownfield land in each of the last five years. \p Matthew Pennycook: The Department publishes a release entitled ‘Land use change: new residential addresses’, which includes information on new residential addresses and the previous land use - including previously developed - on which the addresses were created. This is available at England level, as well as each local authority district, including Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. Statistics covering 2019-20 to 2021-2022 can be found in Table P302 on gov.uk here. Figures for more recent years are due to be published in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-03 conversation_217

Sorcha Eastwood:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what funding her Department plans to allocate for (a) upskilling, (b) re-skilling and (c) local economic development for women in Northern Ireland beyond financial year 2025-26. \p Alex Norris: The government will set out its future vision for local growth at the multi-year spending review. In the meantime, we will continue to engage with Northern Ireland partners, including Northern Ireland Executive, to inform plans beyond 2025-26.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-03 conversation_218

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference her Department's consultation response entitled, Building Safety Levy: Technical consultation response, published on 25 March 2025, if the Building Safety Levy will apply to (a) live sites at the time of implementation and (b) new sites after the implementation of the levy. \p Alex Norris: The Building Safety Levy (levy) is one of a package of measures to make sure that the burden of paying for fixing historical building safety defects does not fall on leaseholders or further burden taxpayers.

Developers will pay the levy on new residential development, subject to certain exemptions. It will come into effect in Autumn 2026. Anyone submitting an application for building control approval with full plans, a building control approval application (made to the Building Safety Regulator), or an initial notice for construction of, or works to, one or more dwellings or purpose built student accommodation (PBSA), after the levy has come into effect, will be liable to pay the levy, except where an exemption applies. The levy will not apply to applications for new dwellings that were submitted before the coming-into-force date.

The design of the levy maintains viability of new developments as far as possible through variable levy rates at local authority level and a 50% discount on developments on previously developed land, reflecting the additional costs of building on these sites. Affordable housing and community facilities are exempt from the levy.

The rates for each local authority can be found at Annex A: Levy Rates of the Building Safety Levy: Technical consultation response.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-03 conversation_219

Sorcha Eastwood:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of UK Shared Prosperity Fund spending on (a) upskilling and (b) reskilling programmes; and what oversight and accountability mechanisms are in place to ensure these funds are effectively deployed. \p Alex Norris: The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) provides a total of £3.5 billion of funding, with all places in the UK receiving an allocation via a funding formula. Through the People and Skills investment priority, places can choose to fund projects that help reduce the barriers some people face to employment, and support them to move towards employment and education. Places can also target funding on skills to support employment and local growth, including upskilling and reskilling programmes. As of September 2024 £1.1 billion of UKSPF funding had been spent across the investment priorities, of that, over £268 million of funding had been used for People and Skills projects.

The UKSPF has a light-touch and flexible delivery model. In England, Scotland and Wales, lead local authorities determine how to allocate their UKSPF allocation in line with local circumstances and priorities. In Northern Ireland, MHCLG works with a Partnership Group of local partners to implement the fund. MHCLG receives progress reports from places on a six-monthly basis. Places are also required to publish information on UKSPF delivery and activities being funded in their area. MHCLG is also undertaking a programme evaluation to measure overall fund impact.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-03 conversation_220

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2025 to Question 36096 on MHCLG: Trade Union Officials, whether she plans to continue publishing this data following the passage of the Employment Rights Bill. \p Alex Norris: As with any changes to employment legislation, the department will review the position on reporting requirements as appropriate in line with the Employment Rights Bill 2024 and any applicable Cabinet Office guidance.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-03 conversation_221

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2025 to Question 36414 on Local Government: Reorganisation, whether she plans to include London Boroughs in a future round of restructuring. \p Jim McMahon: As outlined in our answer to Question UIN 36414 on 13 March 2025, on 5 February the government formally invited unitary proposals from only those councils in two-tier local government areas and their neighbouring small unitaries, no London Boroughs were included in this invitation.

The English Devolution White Paper set out that the government is taking a phased approach to delivery and will also facilitate reorganisation for those unitary councils where there is evidence of failure or where their size or boundaries are impacting on their responsibilities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-03 conversation_222

Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what diversity, equality and inclusion targets her Department has for staff recruitment. \p Alex Norris: MHCLG do not have diversity, equality and inclusion recruitment targets. Our recruitment processes aim to attract a diverse range of applications, with a focus on parity with the economically active population in the places we work. The Economically Active Population (EAP) is published by the Office for National Statistics for the regions in the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-03 conversation_223

Sorcha Eastwood:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reasons the 2025-26 allocation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund wasn't an open competition. \p Alex Norris: My officials meet regularly with representatives of the voluntary and community sector and local authorities through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund Northern Ireland Partnership Group, as well as officials from the Northern Ireland Executive Departments of Finance, Economy and Communities, to seek views and insight on funding allocation, local priorities and alignment with other provision and policies in Northern Ireland.

I met with Northern Ireland Executive ministers to discuss the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and with the Northern Ireland Partnership Group and project deliverers to hear first-hand the impact that the fund is having on people and communities across Northern Ireland.

Taking account of partner feedback and to avoid a hiatus in delivery of support for people and businesses, my department determined the most appropriate approach to funding for 2025-26 was to invite continuation applications. This has avoided a significant delay in delivery that new funding competitions would have created.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund project information for Northern Ireland is published on gov.uk. This will be updated for 2025-26 funding allocations following the conclusion of the selection process.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-03 conversation_224

Noah Law:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the cost effectiveness of the outsourcing the (a) assessment and (b) administration of welfare. \p Andrew Western: We do not outsource the assessment or administration of social security in any wholesale manner, although some elements of these services are outsourced to third parties.

Where these services have been outsourced, each arrangement is subject to individual scrutiny both at the planning and commissioning stages, where a number of steps are conducted:

When we do decide to outsource, at the end of the commercial process a contract will be executed, which will capture the key requirements for provision of the service and the service levels expected of the provider to enable the anticipated value for money to be delivered. This will be managed closely by contract management practitioners accredited to, or studying towards accreditation, at Expert or Practitioner level (depending on the complexity of the contract) of the Contract Management Capability Programme managed by Cabinet Office. This enables and ensures that the department realises the best value for money possible from the third party services and the optimum cost effectiveness.