Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Part O of the Building Regulations requires that new residential buildings are built to mitigate the risk of overheating. Mechanical cooling, including air conditioning, may be used to meet the Part O requirements where all reasonably practicable steps have been taken to minimise overheating through passive means. Part O, like other Building Regulations, is set in performance terms rather than mandating or prohibiting particular technologies or design solutions.

The Government recognises the value of good quality evidence to support the effective operation of the Building Regulations and has committed to a full technical review of Part O to ensure it is effective and proportionate. As part of this review, we will consider what information may be useful to better understand how industry is complying with the overheating requirements.

My Department regularly reviews research and evidence related to various aspects of the private rented sector.

The government has no plans to introduce rent controls in the private rented sector.

Rent inflation in England has been easing since the end of 2024. Average rents in England increased by 3.4% in the 12 months to June, down from a peak of 9.2% in November 2024. In England, annual rent inflation was lowest in London, at 2.2%.

The Government is committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housing in a generation, and we have already taken decisive action to support councils to play their part in achieving this ambition, including launching our £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme, providing long-term certainty via our ten-year social housing rent policy, and Right to Buy reform. The new Prime Minister has also pledged to deliver the biggest council housebuilding programme since the post-war period. We will set out details on how we intend to achieve this in due course.

The government has no plans to introduce rent controls in the private rented sector.

Rent inflation in England has been easing since the end of 2024. Average rents in England increased by 3.4% in the 12 months to June, down from a peak of 9.2% in November 2024. In England, annual rent inflation was lowest in London, at 2.2%.

The government inherited a homelessness crisis, and recognises that the number of households in temporary accommodation has increased in recent years. On 31 December 2025, 134,210 households were in temporary accommodation, including 85,800 households with children (see published temporary accommodation statistics here.

As set out in the National Plan to End Homelessness, this reflects a combination of factors, including a lack of affordable housing, rising poverty, reduced focus on prevention and wider pressures across public services.

The Department does not produce an estimate of the total cost of temporary accommodation to local authorities for the current financial year. Published Local Government Finance returns provide data on local authority expenditure in previous years. In 2024/25, Local authorities’ net expenditure on temporary accommodation in England was £1.43 billion.

The government is providing £969 million of temporary accommodation funding to local authorities over the period 2026/27 to 2028/29 through the Local Government Finance Settlement, using the new Fair Funding Assessment, which includes a formula reflecting proportional need for temporary accommodation across the country. In addition, the government is investing £950 million through the fourth round of the Local Authority Housing Fund to increase the supply of good-quality temporary accommodation.

This government has made no assessment of a contribution to indoor air contamination by off-gassing flame retardants. Part D of the Building Regulations 2010 relates to toxic substances and associated guidance in Approved Document D (attached) makes clear that formaldehyde fumes, given off by urea formaldehyde foams, should not penetrate to occupied parts of the building. Building Regulations Part F and Approved Document F (attached) relate to ventilation and describe how systems should be designed to supply a minimum level of outdoor air for occupants’ health and to rapidly dilute indoor air pollutants. Approved Document F includes performance criteria for indoor air pollutants, based on the World Health Organization’s Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Selected Pollutants (2010) and Public Health England’s Indoor Air Quality Guidelines for Selected Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the UK (2019 ).

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) publishes local authority level statistics on rough sleeping in England, including for local authorities in Greater Manchester. These statistics are available through both the annual rough sleeping snapshot and the quarterly rough sleeping data framework management information releases.

The latest Rough Sleeping Snapshot publication can be found here: Rough sleeping snapshot in England: autumn 2025 - GOV.UK.

The latest quarterly management information release can be found here: Rough sleeping data framework, January to March 2026 - GOV.UK.

The total cost to the public purse of seven Homes England staff attending the four-day 2024 MIPIM conference was £31,787.29. This figure includes the cost of flights and some expenses.

The previous referenced answer incorrectly stated that the reported total included flight costs when, in fact, it did not. Please consider this a correction of that answer.

Details of travel and subsistence usage by Homes England staff are set out in the Agency’s Annual Report. Over 98% of this total was for travel, hotels, and conference tickets with the remaining 2% covering reasonable expenses such as subsistence.

Details of senior MHCLG officials’ hospitality are published on a quarterly basis and are available on GOV.UK.

My Department does not collect the requested data and has made no such estimate.

The Government has two tests to determine whether authorities are meeting the housing needs of their areas: the Housing Delivery Test (HDT), which measures delivery against housing requirements over the previous three years, and five-year housing land supply (5YHLS), which assesses whether sufficient deliverable sites exist to meet housing needs over the next five years. Where authorities fail against these tests, the presumption in favour of sustainable development is engaged.

Local planning authorities with up-to-date plans are assessed against their adopted plan housing requirement for the purposes of the HDT and 5YHLS. Where an authority does not have an up-to-date plan, local housing need (calculated using the standard method) is used.

The current HDT results are the 2023 measurement, published on 12 December 2024. These results continue to apply until a subsequent HDT measurement is published. We remain committed to publishing the 2024 and 2025 HDT results as soon as possible. The Department does not formally collect 5YHLS data. The 5YHLS position of any given authority is often in flux and typically determined through planning appeals. As such, there are challenges in capturing comprehensive and robust data at any given time.

The HDT and 5YHLS are important measures which help monitor housing delivery, ensure local authorities maintain a pipeline of sites for housing, and support local authorities to identify and address under-delivery where it exists.

I refer the Noble Lord to the English Housing Survey, available on GOV.UK (here), which shows that the average (mean) age of first-time buyers in England was 34 in 2024-25.

This government recognises that the affordability challenges facing prospective first-time buyers mean that too many people are now locked out of homeownership. In addition to increasing the supply of homes of all tenures, the government is supporting people into home ownership, including through the shared ownership scheme and the Lifetime ISA, and is consulting on a new first-time buyer ISA product.

First time buyers also benefit from paying no Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) up to £300,000 and are able to claim relief on purchases up to £500,000. The government has also introduced a new, permanent Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, available to support and sustain availability of low deposit mortgage products for prospective buyers.

Additionally, the Bank of England has been easing the loan-to-income limit, enabling up to 36,000 additional first-time buyers in the first year. The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) ongoing review of the mortgage market means many buyers can now borrow 10% more towards a property purchase.

The government recognises that some communities may be affected by multiple Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs). NSIP applications are likely to require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). All EIAs must assess cumulative effects, including those arising from existing and reasonably foreseeable developments in the vicinity. The EIA process is a statutory requirement, providing robust safeguards to ensure that cumulative impacts are identified and addressed before any development proceeds. There remains opportunities for communities to scrutinise proposals and inform mitigation measures through examination.

We also published updated guidance on 14^th July which summarises the process for undertaking cumulative effects assessments in the context of NSIPs under the Planning Act 2008, which can be found on gov.uk here

My Department has not made a specific assessment of how delays in planning decisions have affected housing supply, but our 2025 planning reforms were judged by the Office for Budget Responsibility to add £6.8bn to the economy and boost UK housebuilding to its highest level in 40 years by 2029/30.

The government recognises the importance of an efficient planning system in supporting housebuilding, which is why it is significantly increasing its ambition to grow the planning workforce. Building on the original commitment to recruit 300 planners, it is now targeting around 1,400 new recruits across the planning system by the end of this Parliament. This is backed by an additional £48 million committed at the 2025 Budget to strengthen public-sector planning capacity, alongside wider support including specialist training through the Planning Advisory Service and targeted funding to help authorities accelerate applications.

Housebuilding in the capital has faced a range of challenges over recent years including high interest rates, spiralling construction costs, planning and regulatory complexity and wider economic conditions.

The government is therefore working with the Mayor of London to increase housing supply and accelerate delivery. Following consultations, the government and the Greater London Authority (GLA) confirmed a package providing targeted, time-limited support for housebuilders to improve the viability of schemes and get quicker approvals on new housing schemes across every borough. This includes the GLA’s fast-tracked planning process for sites with at least 20 per cent affordable housing, removal of design guidance that constrains density, an expansion of the Mayor’s planning powers, and temporary, partial relief from development levies for schemes able to start promptly and guarantee affordable homes for Londoners.

The package sits alongside the government’s wider reforms to the planning system, significant funding for social and affordable homes and the announcement of New Towns to drive regional growth.

The information requested is not held centrally, and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost to the department.

The government is committed to a brownfield first approach, in which local authorities are expected to make as much use as possible of suitable brownfield land in sustainable locations. However, we know that in some places brownfield alone will not always be enough to meet development needs. This is why we are asking local authorities who cannot meet their needs to review their Green Belt to identify opportunities to create affordable, well-designed development in sustainable locations. In doing so, we expect local authorities to prioritise the development of brownfield and other low-quality grey belt land.

Where Green Belt land has to be released for major housing development, we have put in place new golden rules to ensure that development delivers higher levels of affordable housing; the provision of new – or improvements to – existing green spaces that are accessible to the public; and the making of necessary improvements to local or national infrastructure.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on a new National Planning Policy Framework. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals relating to controlling development in the Green Belt. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) does not currently collect data that would enable an assessment of changes in enforcement activity against landlords at local authority level over the last five years. From April 2027 we intend to require local authorities to provide MHCLG with a suite of data on the private rented sector in their local area. We expect that data to include, for example, the number of formal enforcement notices issued; the number of civil penalties issued by category of offence; revenue received from civil penalties; total number of staff in private rented sector enforcement teams; and total spend on private rented sector enforcement.

Through the Renters’ Rights Act, the government is strengthening local authorities’ enforcement powers and extending and increasing ring-fenced civil penalties to support a ‘polluter pays’ approach to enforcement in the private rented sector.

In accordance with the new burdens doctrine, we will ensure additional net costs on local authorities resulting from the Act are fully funded. To that end, the Department is providing £41.12 million to local housing authorities for this financial year to help them undertake their new enforcement responsibilities. This funding is in addition to the £18.2 million provided in 2025/26.

Our intention is to use fees from the Private Rented Sector Database to provide funding over the long term for local authorities to use on work to improve compliance in the private rented sector.

My Department collects data on income and rent for households via the English Housing Survey and regularly reports on income in relation to housing costs. The latest published data can be found in the 2024-25 Headline Report Annex Table 2.5. and the 2023-24 Rented Sectors Report Annex Table 1.11.

Data for older years is also available at English Housing Survey - GOV.UK

The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) is a statutory obligation that applies across the public sector. As a procedural duty to have "due regard" to equality considerations, compliance is an on-going responsibility rather than a one-off task. It is integrated into the day-to-day development and delivery of all policies and services; as such, it is a core responsibility of all civil servants across government, rather than being restricted to dedicated personnel.

Because it is a continuous, procedural duty applicable to all civil servants, it is impossible to disaggregate the specific fraction of time or cost dedicated solely to Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) compliance versus general policy and operational work. Attempting to calculate an FTE or cost figure would incur disproportionate cost and still be highly inaccurate.

Most MHCLG-sponsored NDPBs and HM Land Registry are independent public authorities responsible for their own compliance with statutory duties, including the Public Sector Equality Duty. Executive Agencies such as the Planning Inspectorate and QEII Centre operate under different governance arrangements, although they are also required to comply with applicable equality legislation. Information regarding ALBs’ internal resource allocation in relation to the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) is not held by MHCLG.

I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer given to Question UIN HL7342 on 21 May 2025. Furthermore, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is 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 water pollution or land instability.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on a new NPPF, including proposals in a new standalone chapter dedicated to managing flood risk and coastal change, as well as proposals relating to pollution. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

My Department has not made a specific assessment of the number of homes that could be delivered on lower-quality Green Belt land without affecting nationally significant environmental assets , and has not made a specific assessment about the development of such land and the consequences for young people buying a home.

Safeguards for protected areas in the National Planning Policy Framework continue to apply to development on land released from the Green Belt, as do its wider policies on conserving biodiversity and recognising the wider benefits from natural capital and ecosystem services.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on a new National Planning Policy Framework. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals relating to controlling development in the Green Belt. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

This government is supporting people into home ownership, including through the shared ownership scheme and the Lifetime ISA, and is consulting on a new first-time buyer ISA product. First time buyers also benefit from paying no Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) up to £300,000 and are able to claim relief on purchases up to £500,000. The government has also introduced a new, permanent Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, available to support and sustain availability of low deposit mortgage products for prospective buyers. Additionally, the Bank of England has been easing the loan-to-income limit, enabling up to 36,000 additional first-time buyers in the first year. The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) ongoing review of the mortgage market means many buyers can now borrow 10% more towards a property purchase.

Local planning authorities have a wide range of planning enforcement powers, with strong penalties for non-compliance, available to them.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on a new National Planning Policy Framework. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals relating to strengthening the policy on intentional unauthorised development. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

The government is committed to boosting the supply of homes of all tenures as part of its commitment to build 1.5m safe and decent homes in England in this Parliament.

We are supporting the housing sector to deliver these with our major planning reforms, through our new £16bn National Housing Bank to deliver 500k homes and £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme to get the homes families and communities need built

The revised National Planning Policy Framework includes policies designed promote mixed tenure development. The type of housing delivered, and those delivering it, will vary depending on the needs of a local area and how development has been planned for. It is for local planning authorities, to assess the housing need of their communities. This should be informed by a local housing need assessment, conducted using the government’s revised standard method.

304,165 new affordable homes were delivered between April 2020 and March 2025. The government has not set an affordable housing target to date, but we are committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.

National planning policy makes clear that it is for local planning authorities to assess the affordable housing need of their areas, including the need for social rent, and set policies to meet this local need. This includes setting out the proportion and type of affordable housing that should be delivered on new development.

Our new 10-year, £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme is the largest long-term investment in social and affordable housing in recent memory.

I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given to Question HL1546 (attached) on 14 July 2026.

The Government does not routinely publish the details of individual respondents to calls for evidence.

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a priority for this Government and a key commitment in the Government’s Plan for Change.

The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 already gives social landlords, the police and local authorities a range of powers and tools to tackle anti-social and criminal behaviour, which are deliberately broad in nature to enable flexibility and local discretion in their use.

The Government is further strengthening powers available to police and other agencies through the Crime and Policing Act. The introduction of Respect Orders, a preventative civil order to address sustained and/ or highly disruptive ASB, will give local agencies stronger enforcement capability to tackle the most relentless adult ASB offenders and will be able to prohibit a wide range of behaviours.

We are also increasing the upper limit for fixed penalty notices for breaches of Community Protection Notices and Public Space Protection Orders from £100 to £500, increasing the time a dispersal direction can be implemented for from 48 to 72 hours and giving registered social housing providers the power to issue closure notice.

I refer the noble Lord to the answer given on 16 July 2026 to Question UIN HL1654 (attached) on powers available to social housing landlords to tackle anti-social behaviour.

The police, local authorities and social landlords may already apply for a Civil Injunction under Section 1 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to prevent behaviour that is causing housing-related nuisance and annoyance.

Through our Crime and Policing Act, which achieved Royal Assent in April, we are making our streets and neighbourhoods safer by strengthening the powers available to the police and other agencies to tackle anti-social behaviour. Our new Respect Orders, which social landlords will be able to use where the ASB directly or indirectly relates to or affects its housing management functions, will give local agencies stronger enforcement capability to tackle the most relentless adult ASB offenders. Respect Orders will be in force from 26 October.

I refer the noble lady to the answer given on 17 July 2026 to Question HL1623 (attached).

Since 2022/23, Homes England has supported the delivery of 17,014 homes on land owned by the Agency.

I refer the noble lady to the answer given on 17 July 2026 to Question HL1623 (attached).

Since 2022/23, Homes England has supported the delivery of 17,014 homes on land owned by the Agency.

The consultation into the draft New Towns Programme closed earlier this year. The government continues to make progress with the programme and plans to publish our consultation response, and confirm the New Town locations, later this year.

The government remains committed to delivering 1.5 million homes over this Parliament. Each new town will deliver at least 10,000 homes, with many expected to exceed that figure. The Taskforce recommended that new towns should aim for at least 40% affordable housing, with half for social rent.

The government is considering the Taskforce's recommendations and will respond in due course.

The consultation into the draft New Towns Programme closed earlier this year. The government continues to make progress with the programme and plans to publish our consultation response, and confirm the New Town locations, later this year.

The government remains committed to delivering 1.5 million homes over this Parliament. Each new town will deliver at least 10,000 homes, with many expected to exceed that figure. The Taskforce recommended that new towns should aim for at least 40% affordable housing, with half for social rent.

The government is considering the Taskforce's recommendations and will respond in due course.

The consultation into the draft New Towns Programme closed earlier this year. The government continues to make progress with the programme and plans to publish our consultation response, and confirm the New Town locations, later this year.

The government remains committed to delivering 1.5 million homes over this Parliament. Each new town will deliver at least 10,000 homes, with many expected to exceed that figure. The Taskforce recommended that new towns should aim for at least 40% affordable housing, with half for social rent.

The government is considering the Taskforce's recommendations and will respond in due course.

The consultation into the draft New Towns Programme closed earlier this year. The government continues to make progress with the programme and plans to publish our consultation response, and confirm the New Town locations, later this year.

The government remains committed to delivering 1.5 million homes over this Parliament. Each new town will deliver at least 10,000 homes, with many expected to exceed that figure. The Taskforce recommended that new towns should aim for at least 40% affordable housing, with half for social rent.

The government is considering the Taskforce's recommendations and will respond in due course.

The consultation into the draft New Towns Programme closed earlier this year. The government continues to make progress with the programme and plans to publish our consultation response, and confirm the New Town locations, later this year.

The government remains committed to delivering 1.5 million homes over this Parliament. Each new town will deliver at least 10,000 homes, with many expected to exceed that figure. The Taskforce recommended that new towns should aim for at least 40% affordable housing, with half for social rent.

The government is considering the Taskforce's recommendations and will respond in due course.

Due to the quasi-judicial role of Ministers in the planning system, I am unable to comment on specific planning cases. By law planning applications are determined in accordance with the local development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that plans should identify, map and safeguard the hierarchy of international, national and locally designated sites of importance for biodiversity. Furthermore, it sets out that planning policies and decisions should protect sites of biodiversity value in a manner commensurate with their statutory status or identified quality in the development plan.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on changes to the NPPF. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here (and attached), included proposals relating to protected sites. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

The Government has not adopted the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims Definition of Islamophobia, and has not issued guidance to organisations who have.

On the 9 March, the Government adopted a non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim hostility, informed by advice from an independent Working Group. An overview of the definition, including its coverage, scope and terminology, is published on GOV.UK (and attached).

The definition uses the terminology “anti-Muslim hostility”, which reflects the wider prejudice and discrimination Muslims face, and squarely focuses on Muslims as individuals rather than Islam as a religion. “Hostility” focuses on actions and conduct rather than simply the holding of beliefs.

The definition covers the different aspects of hostility Muslims face: criminal acts, discrimination on the basis of being Muslim or perceived to be Muslim, and also the way in which Muslims can be treated as a collective group defined by fixed and negative characteristics with the intention to encourage hatred against them.

The definition upholds our shared fundamental right to free speech, and the accompanying text in the definition publication underscores how lawful criticism, debate and even ridicule of all religions, including Islam, is safeguarded, as are raising concerns in the public interest. But hostility with the intention of encouraging hatred against others because they are Muslim or perceived to be Muslim is conduct government is committed to challenging.

The definition is non-statutory and does not change what is or is not a crime, nor does it equate anti-Muslim hostility with crime. Some actions set out in the definition would constitute criminal acts as well as being examples of anti-Muslim hostility, but the definition also sets out non-criminal conduct or behaviour which would constitute anti-Muslim hostility.

The Government has not adopted the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims Definition of Islamophobia, and has not issued guidance to organisations who have.

On the 9 March, the Government adopted a non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim hostility, informed by advice from an independent Working Group. An overview of the definition, including its coverage, scope and terminology, is published on GOV.UK (and attached).

The definition uses the terminology “anti-Muslim hostility”, which reflects the wider prejudice and discrimination Muslims face, and squarely focuses on Muslims as individuals rather than Islam as a religion. “Hostility” focuses on actions and conduct rather than simply the holding of beliefs.

The definition covers the different aspects of hostility Muslims face: criminal acts, discrimination on the basis of being Muslim or perceived to be Muslim, and also the way in which Muslims can be treated as a collective group defined by fixed and negative characteristics with the intention to encourage hatred against them.

The definition upholds our shared fundamental right to free speech, and the accompanying text in the definition publication underscores how lawful criticism, debate and even ridicule of all religions, including Islam, is safeguarded, as are raising concerns in the public interest. But hostility with the intention of encouraging hatred against others because they are Muslim or perceived to be Muslim is conduct government is committed to challenging.

The definition is non-statutory and does not change what is or is not a crime, nor does it equate anti-Muslim hostility with crime. Some actions set out in the definition would constitute criminal acts as well as being examples of anti-Muslim hostility, but the definition also sets out non-criminal conduct or behaviour which would constitute anti-Muslim hostility.

The Government has not adopted the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims Definition of Islamophobia, and has not issued guidance to organisations who have.

On the 9 March, the Government adopted a non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim hostility, informed by advice from an independent Working Group. An overview of the definition, including its coverage, scope and terminology, is published on GOV.UK (and attached).

The definition uses the terminology “anti-Muslim hostility”, which reflects the wider prejudice and discrimination Muslims face, and squarely focuses on Muslims as individuals rather than Islam as a religion. “Hostility” focuses on actions and conduct rather than simply the holding of beliefs.

The definition covers the different aspects of hostility Muslims face: criminal acts, discrimination on the basis of being Muslim or perceived to be Muslim, and also the way in which Muslims can be treated as a collective group defined by fixed and negative characteristics with the intention to encourage hatred against them.

The definition upholds our shared fundamental right to free speech, and the accompanying text in the definition publication underscores how lawful criticism, debate and even ridicule of all religions, including Islam, is safeguarded, as are raising concerns in the public interest. But hostility with the intention of encouraging hatred against others because they are Muslim or perceived to be Muslim is conduct government is committed to challenging.

The definition is non-statutory and does not change what is or is not a crime, nor does it equate anti-Muslim hostility with crime. Some actions set out in the definition would constitute criminal acts as well as being examples of anti-Muslim hostility, but the definition also sets out non-criminal conduct or behaviour which would constitute anti-Muslim hostility.

The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced a new regime to improve the safety of higher-risk residential buildings, overseen by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR). Dutyholders must report safety issues, maintain a golden thread of information, produce a safety case report, and engage residents.

Through the building assessment certificate process, the BSR assesses whether dutyholders are meeting their legal duties and taking reasonable steps to manage building safety risks. These measures provide independent oversight and support the ongoing management of building safety risks.

The Government considers that public sector testing and research capacity is an essential part of an effective building safety regime. In December 2025, the Government confirmed that it would take forward work to establish new public sector testing capacity to enable both enforcement testing and research testing to be performed. This will provide regulators and the Government with increased capacity and an authoritative voice on building safety.

The Government sought views on models for delivering this new capacity in the Construction Products Reform White Paper, published in February 2026.

We intend to publish the Government response to the White Paper consultation later this year.

The settlement of election claims depends on a range of factors, including the timing of claim submissions and the resolution of queries arising during the scrutiny process.

As of 15 July 2026, approximately 125 claims relating to the 2024 Police and Crime Commissioner elections and 600 claims relating to the 2024 UK Parliamentary General Election remain outstanding.

As set out previously, Returning Officers are not required to meet election costs upfront or wait until claims are settled before receiving funding. An advance payment, typically equivalent to 75% of the estimated cost of the poll, is issued ahead of the election.

The Department continues to work with Returning Officers to resolve outstanding queries and settle claims as promptly as possible.

Planning applications statistics make clear that there has been a small reduction in the percentage of homes in planning permissions that are on sites of between 10-49 homes, from 11% in 2022-23 to 10% in 2024-25.

The reasons for this marginal reduction are multifaceted, but an important factor is the fact that sites of this size are primarily built out by small and medium-sized (SME) housebuilders who face challenges accessing finance and land and are disproportionately impacted by onerous regulatory burdens.

As a government we are clear that ramping up housing delivery requires us to diversify the housebuilding market. Integral to such diversification is not merely arresting but reversing the decline of SME housebuilders that has taken place over recent decades. That is why we have acted to support them by increasing their access to land, providing further financial assistance, and easing the burden of regulation.

My department has made no assessment of the use of artificially generated images in relation to the housing enforcement functions of local housing authorities.

The availability of insurance is determined on a case-by-case basis by insurers, but the Government engages with the industry on a regular basis through the Flood Resilience Taskforce.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on a new NPPF, including proposals in a new standalone chapter dedicated to managing flood risk and coastal change. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.