Asked by: Lord Goodman of Wycombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to Protecting What Matters (CP 1540), published on 9 March, which representatives of the community and voluntary sector they plan to consult to help deliver a community-led approach to integration.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Insufficient focus on our shared responsibility to support integration has, in some parts of the country, led to the creation of social silos with people living largely separate, parallel lives from mainstream UK customs and culture.
A new approach to integration will consider both the broader immigration system and what level of immigration is tenable in maintaining a cohesive society and meeting the needs of existing communities. That is why this government has committed to developing a cross-government integration strategy to help existing and new migrants effectively integrate into their communities, find sustainable work, and make a positive contribution to their area.
This will be underpinned by strong collaboration with local government and the voluntary and community sector to deliver a community-led approach to integration. We will provide more details on engagement and timelines in due course.
Asked by: Lord Goodman of Wycombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to Protecting What Matters (CP 1540), published on 9 March, what plans they have to strengthen faith and belief literacy across society as a whole; and which authorities, individuals, groups, organisations, businesses or bodies will be consulted on this issue.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
For millions of people in this country, their faith and belief identity is a crucial part of their lives, and our nation is enriched by our diverse tapestry of faiths and beliefs. The Government is committed to building a Britain where all communities feel safe, and where the contributions of people of many faiths and beliefs are warmly welcomed and richly valued. Supporting faith and belief literacy in government and wider society is crucial to achieving these objectives.
Protecting What Matters sets out our commitment to faith and belief literacy, both within government and across society as a whole. This work is still in its early stages and my officials will be conducting engagement with a wide range of relevant stakeholders in the coming weeks and months.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to support homeowners whose properties are uninhabitable due to fire damage, including through council tax exemptions.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
There is no specific council tax exemption for properties which have been damaged by fire. However, where a property is uninhabitable due to damage it may be removed from the council tax list. No one will be liable for council tax for the property whilst it is removed from the list. It is for the Valuation Office Agency to determine whether a property is uninhabitable for council tax purposes. The government has no plans to change this policy.
Where households are homeless or at risk of homelessness, they should reach out to their local council for advice and support.
Asked by: Lord Goodman of Wycombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to Protecting What Matters (CP 1540), published on 9 March, how they plan to gauge current levels of faith and belief literacy in government; how they plan to identify ways to upskill and develop an approach that improves the quality and inclusivity of policy making; and which authorities, individuals, groups, organisations, businesses or bodies will be consulted on the issue.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
For millions of people in this country, their faith and belief identity is a crucial part of their lives, and our nation is enriched by our diverse tapestry of faiths and beliefs. The Government is committed to building a Britain where all communities feel safe, and where the contributions of people of many faiths and beliefs are warmly welcomed and richly valued. Supporting faith and belief literacy in government and wider society is crucial to achieving these objectives.
Protecting What Matters sets out our commitment to faith and belief literacy, both within government and across society as a whole. This work is still in its early stages and my officials will be conducting engagement with a wide range of relevant stakeholders in the coming weeks and months.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to review the level of council tax support for people whose homes have been rendered uninhabitable by fire in West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
There is no specific council tax exemption for properties which have been damaged by fire. However, where a property is uninhabitable due to damage it may be removed from the council tax list. No one will be liable for council tax for the property whilst it is removed from the list. It is for the Valuation Office Agency to determine whether a property is uninhabitable for council tax purposes. The government has no plans to change this policy.
Where a property remains on the list, councils have the discretionary power to provide their own discounts where they consider this appropriate. It is for councils to decide whether to apply a discount. Households may wish to contact their council directly about this.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Community and Local Government, whether she has assessed the impact of recently announced changes to Council Tax bills and debt collection on local councils.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government consulted on a range of proposals to modernise and improve the administration of council tax. This consultation received responses from across sectors, including councils. All responses have been carefully considered in shaping the government’s response. The government is committed to working with councils to implement these changes, including assessing any potential new burdens.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the press release British Muslim Trust appointed as new partner to monitor and tackle anti-Muslim hatred published on 21 July 2025, what assessment they made of any conflict of interest of the Chief Executive of the trust also serving on the Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Working Group operated independently, and members were required to abide by the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies and follow the Seven Principles of Public Life. All members were required to declare any conflicts of interest. The British Muslim Trust’s (BMT) role is separate from the definition work and focused on monitoring anti-Muslim hate and supporting victims. The grant competition was open, transparent, and assessed against 16 published criteria. BMT was the highest scoring applicant and brings together two charitable foundations with over twenty years of experience serving Muslim communities and key personnel with a track record of successful delivery.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to carry out a review of local authorities who pass boycott, divestment and sanctions motions, and of the consequences of those motions on community cohesion and integration in England.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has consistently opposed the BDS movement and does not consider such motions to further community cohesion or integration. While we have no plans to carry out a formal review of local authorities on this matter, we have been clear that councils must operate within existing procurement law and guidance, which prevents the use of procurement or investment decisions to pursue politically motivated boycotts.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to page 36 of the policy paper Protecting What Matters, published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 9 March, whether the Special Representative on anti-Muslim hostility will be (1) a regulated public appointment, (2) appointed by open and fair competition, and (3) paid a salary.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Terms of Reference and appointment process for the Special Representative on anti-Muslim hostility will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether discussions can begin directly between Brighton and Hove City Council and the Government for the disposal of the Brighton General Hospital site on terms that would enable the beneficial development of social housing.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to bringing forward surplus public land for housing and to maximising the social value achieved through public asset disposals. Homes England is engaging with University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust to explore options for the redevelopment of the site.