Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment has been made of the potential effect of the planned increases in landfill duty on housebuilding.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government carefully considered the impact of reforms to landfill tax on rates of housebuilding and took account of the feedback received to the consultation carried out last year.

As a result, the government set out a plan to prevent the gap between the two rates of landfill tax expanding over the coming years, ensuring that housebuilders will not face significant new costs.

In addition, we are retaining the tax exemption for backfilling quarries to ensure that housebuilders continue to have access to a low-cost alternative to landfill.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether guidance has been provided by his Department to planning decision makers on rejecting applications due to (a) undue pressure and (b) unreasonable behaviour by applicants.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department has issued no such specific guidance. By law, planning applications should be determined in accordance with the development plan for the area, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Affordable housing supply in England: 2024 to 2025, published on 20 November 2025, whether the Greater London Authority’s affordable homes data includes affordable homes counted as started which were then un-designated.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Affordable Housing Supply statistical release published on 20 November 2025 reflected the most recent data published by the Greater London Authority.

There were no revisions of the Greater London Authority’s historical data for the November 2025 release. A summary of other revisions for that release can be found in section 7 of its technical notes, which can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Co-operative Party has made representations on the Elections Act 2022 provisions on the banning of dual registration of political parties as third parties.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Our package of electoral reforms set out in our Strategy for Modern and Secure Elections has been informed by a wide variety of stakeholder recommendations and representations over time, including from political parties.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2025 to Question 84633 on Electoral Commission, when he plans to issue the new Strategy and Policy Statement for the Electoral Commission to reflect this Government’s priorities for elections and the Commission’s increased roles and responsibilities.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is committed to strengthening democracy and upholding the integrity of our elections. Robust and proportionate enforcement of political finance rules is an essential part of this. That is why, as announced on 17 July in the government’s Strategy for Elections, we committed to strengthening the Electoral Commission’s powers and extending its remit to ensure that it can effectively enforce the political finance framework.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding was allocated to the Greater London Authority in each year of the 2026-36 affordable housing programme.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Greater London Authority has secured up to £11.7 billion to deliver the London portion of the government’s Social and Affordable Homes Programme, which will run from 2026 to 2036.

The programme will support the delivery of thousands of new social and affordable homes across London, with the overall housing target for the programme to be confirmed after the initial bidding round.

Funding is available to deliver projects that can start on site by March 2036 and complete by March 2039.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2026 to Question 102744 on Educational Institutions: Council tax, how many retail, hospital an leisure hereditaments have a rateable value above £500,000 broken down by Special Category Code for which the latest data is available.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

This information was included in the Change in rateable value of rating lists, 2026 Revaluation publication:

Non-domestic rating: change in rateable value of rating lists, England and Wales, 2026 Revaluation (draft list) - GOV.UK

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what is the estimated revenue from business rates in England in (a) 2024-25, (b) 2025-26 and (c) 2026-27.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Estimated net business rates yield in England for can be found in Table 1 of the ‘National non-domestic rates collected by councils in England’ statistical releases.

Data for 2024-25 based on out-turn (actual) data can be found on gov.uk here.

Forecast data for 2025-26 can be found on gov.uk here.

Data for 2026-27 will be published in mid-February 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 12 November 2025 to Question 86657 on Elections and Political Parties, whether the final version of the Elections Strategy was shared with the Labour Party before publication.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government’s Strategy for Elections was not shared with any political party prior to publication.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 88671 on Valuation Office Agency: Training, what the titles are of internal training and e-learning videos held by the Valuation Office Agency in relation to council tax and business rates.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Valuation Office Agency offers in excess of 400 internal training opportunities in relation to council tax and non-domestic rating.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's policy is on publishing details of grants on asylum housing costs to individual local authorities.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not publicly publish grant payment levels by local authority, and we have no plans to do so. We do however publish the grant funding instructions, which can be found here:

Unaccompanied asylum seeking children and leaving care: funding instructions - GOV.UK

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-dispersal-grant-funding-instruction/funding-instruction-for-local-authorities-asylum-grant-2025-2026

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2026, to Question 103885, on Council tax: garden, what methodology is used when a garden is valued by the Valuation Office Agency as part of determining the value of the whole dwelling; and whether the size of the garden is material.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Valuation Office Agency values properties, including their gardens, in line with legislation.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the answer of 6 January 2026, to Question HL13202, on Public Houses: Business Rates, what the equivalent figures are to the 4% increase in average pubs’ business rates bills, in years (a) 2027-28 and (b) 2028-29.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

From April, every pub and live music venue will get 15% off its new business rates bill on top of the support announced at Budget and then bills will be frozen in real terms for a further two years.

Three-quarters of pubs will see bills flat or falling in April. The new relief is worth £1,650 for the average pub next year. As a sector pubs will pay 8% less in business rates in 2029 than they do right now.

The Government will also launch a review which will explore how pubs are valued for business rates.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of how many and the proportion of pubs hereditaments assigned Valuation Office Agency Special Category Code 226 which were eligible for the 40 per cent Retail, Hospitality and Leisure rate relief in (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

MHCLG publish data on the number of properties benefitting from RHL relief. You can find the information here: National non-domestic rates collected by councils in England: forecast 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, in what financial year will the new default arrangements for council tax bills being billed in 12 instalments, rather than 10, come into effect.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government published a consultation on modernising and improving council tax administration which included a proposal on whether to move to default 12 monthly council tax billing whilst retaining the option to pay over 10 months. The government is currently considering all responses on this proposal and will publish its response to the consultation in due course.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether (a) her Department and (b) HMRC has undertaken research on the reasons for why savers withdraw money from Lifetime ISAs and incur withdrawal charges.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

At Autumn Budget 25 the government announced that it will publish a consultation in early 2026 on the implementation of a new, simpler ISA product to support first time buyers to buy a home. Once available, this new product will be offered in place of the Lifetime ISA.

The LISA was designed to help people save for both their first home and later life. A 2025 report by the Treasury Select Committee, however, concluded the dual purpose has made it unnecessarily complex and that ‘the Lifetime ISA may not be the most efficient use of taxpayers’ money to achieve those disparate objectives’. In addition, the provision of an upfront bonus requires a withdrawal charge for non-compliant withdrawals.

HMRC have also conducted research into use of the Lifetime ISA which can be found here: Understanding the use of the Lifetime ISA: qualitative research - GOV.UK

The new design will include the government bonus being paid at the point the individual makes a withdrawal for a house purchase. This removes the need for a withdrawal charge and means a saver can withdraw funds, should their circumstances change, without penalty.

It will remain possible to open a Lifetime ISA until the new product becomes available and for account holders to continue to save into their Lifetime ISA in line with the existing rules indefinitely.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government correspondence entitled 4/2025: Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) Multipliers, published on 17 November 2025, if she will publish the Valuation Office Agency's business rates revaluation communication pack provided to local authorities.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The VOA does not routinely publish its communications with local authorities.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the valuations and address of each dwelling liable to pay the council tax surcharge will be published online by the Valuation Office Agency.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Affordable Homes Programme annual report 2024 to 2025, published on 7 January 2026, whether the £2 billion of funding announced in March 2025 is separate to the £39 billion of funding in the 2026 to 2036 programme.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As per the Written Ministerial Statement made on 25 March 2025 (HCWS549), the injection of £2 billion of new capital investment to support social and affordable housing delivery was designed to act as a bridge to the long-term grant funding that was to be announced at the Spending Review in June of that year. It is part of the £39 billion budget for the Social and Affordable Homes Programme.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2025 to Question 94190 on Hospitality Industry: Taxation, how much is the mean increase in rateable values for the hotel sector following the 2026 revaluation.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Official statistics comparing the 2023 non-domestic rating lists and 2026 draft non-domestic rating lists for England and Wales, including a breakdown by special category code, (which includes the hotel sector), are published here.

We recognise that hotels have expressed concerns about how they are valued for business rates. Hotels valuations are undertaken in a different way to some other sectors. The methodology used is well established, but, as with pubs, the government has announced it will review the way hotels are valued to ensure it accurately reflects the rental value for these sectors.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to the Valuation Office Agency's publication entitled Non-domestic rating: change in rateable value of rating lists, England and Wales, 2026 Revaluation (draft list), published on 26 November 2025, for what reason average rateable values across the hotels, guest and boarding, self category sub-sector have increased by 78 per cent.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

We recognise that hotels have expressed concerns about how they are valued for business rates. Hotels valuations are undertaken in a different way to some other sectors. The methodology used is well established, but, as with pubs, the government has announced it will review the way hotels are valued to ensure it accurately reflects the rental value for these sectors.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2025 to Question 89444 on Property: Valuation, whether the discussion between the Valuation Office Agency and the Scottish Assessors Association on the model assisted valuation model included discussion of its use in a council tax revaluation in Scotland.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

There has been no discussion with Scottish Assessors Association on the use of the automated valuation model in a Council Tax revaluation in Scotland.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the 2026 business rates revaluation was subject to a Cabinet Committee write-round.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Valuation Office Agency is responsible for maintaining an accurate rating list in England independently of central government.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will set out the criteria used by the Valuation Office Agency to determine whether a gastro-pub is assigned a special category code of a pub or restaurant.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

There are a broad range of considerations when determining if a property is a restaurant or a pub including. All valuations are carried out by experienced professionals in accordance with industry best practice and legal requirements.

From April, every pub and live music venue will get 15% off its new business rates bill on top of the support announced at Budget, and then bills will be frozen in real terms for a further two years.

This relief will be awarded to pubs and live music venues at the discretion of Local Authorities, who will determine eligibility using guidance published by the Government and based on existing definitions.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle sex-selective abortion and infanticide.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department continues to work with providers to ensure abortions are only performed in accordance with the legal grounds set out by the Abortion Act. Sex is not itself a lawful ground for termination of pregnancy in England and Wales and it is illegal for a practitioner to carry out an abortion for that reason alone.

Under section 1 of the Infanticide Act 1938, it is infanticide rather than murder if a woman causes the death of her child under 12 months in age and at the time of the act the balance of her mind was disturbed by not having fully recovered from the effect of giving birth. The infanticide offence is currently being considered by the Law Commission as part of their review of homicide offences and sentencing for murder.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will set out how the uplift in rateable values in 2026 affects the calculation of funding of individual local authorities in the Local Government Finance Settlement for 2026-27; and whether council areas with an above-average increase in rateable values will receive additional net funding relative to the previous year from business rate revenue.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the Rt. hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 107993 on 28 January 2026.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what analysis the Valuation Office Agency provided to government departments on the potential distributional consequences of the 2026 business rates revaluation before the Budget 2025, including the potential impact on the pub sector.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) provides valuation data and analysis on the property market to MHCLG and HMT.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an estimate of the cost to (a) central and (b) local government of the cost of translation and interpretation services.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As under the previous government, this information is not held centrally. The department does not hold this data for other departments or local authorities.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 11 November 2025 to Question 87636 on Independent Review into Civil Unrest in Leicester, on what date the panel's report was received by his Department.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The panel submitted their findings to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 1 July 2025.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the (a) higher value surcharge in 2025-26 on hereditaments valued at £500,000 and (b) withdrawal of the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure multiplier at £500,000 on the economy.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The OBR’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook sets out the forecast for the economy over a five-year horizon. For more information, please visit https://obr.uk/docs/dlm_uploads/OBR_Economic_and_fiscal_outlook_November_2025.pdf

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Non-Domestic Rating (Definition of Qualifying Retail, Hospitality or Leisure Hereditament) Regulations 2025, for what reason casinos and gambling clubs are eligible for the new business rate relief but betting shops are not.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

In October 2024, the Government laid a statutory instrument defining the retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties that will be eligible for new, lower business rates multipliers from April 2026.

Since they were announced at Budget 2024, the Government has been clear that scope of the RHL multipliers would broadly reflect the scope of the current RHL relief. The previous Government made the decision to exclude betting shops from the relief. This Government considered the issue in the round, and decided to continue the treatment the previous Government chose to ensure the tax cut is appropriately targeted.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for government’s most important contracts, Data for July to September 2025, published on 25 December 2025, for what reason ensuring that each Paper produced by a Crown body includes the most up-to-date Crown copyright statement issued by the Controller is a key performance indicator in the MHCLG Corporate Print Management Service contact with ALLIED PUBLICITY SERVICES (MANCHESTER) LIMITED.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

This is included as one of several performance indicators, to ensure our supplier uses accurate, up-to-date Crown copyright statements across all government publications it produces for the department and MHCLG’s Arm’s Length Bodies, helping maintain legal compliance and public trust.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of increase in business rate receipts in England from 2025-26 to 2026-27 as a consequence of the CPI inflation uprating.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Details on business rates receipts for 2025-26 and 2026-27 are set out in the OBR’s economic and fiscal outlook.

The further support for pubs and live music venues will be scored at a fiscal event in the usual way.

In the coming financial year, because of the government’s interventions, the business rate system is raising broadly the same amount of revenue as it was forecast to before the Budget in Spring 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 87778 on Affordable Housing: Construction, what proportion of funding from the new Programme will be used to purchase homes that have (a) already been started and (b) built through different schemes.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The new Social and Affordable Homes Programme will permit a limited number of acquisitions.

For further information, please see the policy statement published by the Department on 7 November which can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will commission a cross-government impact assessment for (a) higher National Insurance on employers, (b) higher business rates and (c) the overnight visitors levy on (i) the economic viability of the hotel sector, (ii) costs to consumers, (iii) domestic tourism and (iv) foreign visitor tourism.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the important contribution that the hotel and wider hospitality sectors make to the economy, to local communities and to the UK’s appeal as a destination for domestic and international tourists.

The Government carefully considers the impact of tax measures on businesses, including in hospitality and tourism, within the context of the need to repair the public finances and to fund high‑quality public services. Relevant impact notes and assessments are published at fiscal events and otherwise as necessary in line with the Government’s usual practice.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2026, to Question 105789, on Ministers and Public Consultation: Evidence, whether the Muslim Council of Britain is on the list of organisations subject to the policy of non-engagement.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Home Office does not comment on specific groups.

It is up to each department to carry out due diligence when choosing to engage with any organisation or individual and, if asked, we will advise and share information to help others inform their decisions.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what are the internal areas within the proposed Chinese Embassy that would be exempt from UK inspection and verification.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Full reasons for the decision in question are set out in the Secretary of State’s decision letter which can be found on gov.uk here.

The letter and associated Inspector’s Report must be read in their entirety. Planning enforcement is addressed at paragraphs 103-105 of the decision letter.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether there is a tracker document for the (a) pipeline and (b) applications in relation to the 150 national infrastructure application target.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department tracks the progress of the commitment to decide 150 planning decisions on major infrastructure projects by the end of this Parliament.

The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) are responsible for the Infrastructure Pipeline.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Greater London Authority supplementary business rate arising from increases in Rateable Values from the 2026 business rates revaluation on the business rates of medium-size pubs in London in 2026-27.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Greater London Authority currently levies a Business Rates Supplement (BRS) to fund the costs of the Crossrail project (renamed Elizabeth line in 2016). The Mayor of London approved the Crossrail Business Rate Supplement policies for 2026-27 via a formal decision published on 16 January 2026, increasing the rateable value threshold above which the BRS applies from £75,000 to £92,000 from 1 April 2026 in line with average percentage increase in rateable values. In line with the requirements of the Crossrail BRS final prospectus published when the supplement was introduced in 2010-11, the Mayor is required to increase the threshold in line with the average change in rateable values in London at each revaluation. The intent of this threshold increase is to ensure that the total number of ratepayers liable to pay the BRS remains broadly unchanged each year.

On 27 January the government announced that for 2026/27 it was providing a further 15% business rates relief to pubs and live music venues on top of the support already announced at the Budget. Where business rate reliefs are implemented under section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, such as the Pubs and Live Music Venues Relief Scheme, Business Rates Supplements are adjusted to reflect the percentage relief provided by those schemes in line with the requirements of section 13(7) of the Business Rates Supplement Act 2009. It is for the 33 London billing authorities and the Greater London Authority to ensure that the required determinations and resulting adjustments are made to ratepayer bills in respect of BRS liabilities.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2026 to Question 105220 on MHCLG: Publicity, which suppliers his Department has used for publishing content in foreign languages in the last 12 months.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The department does not hold the information in the format requested.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason the proposed High Value Council Tax Surcharge will be levied on the property owner of the dwelling.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The High Value Council Tax Surcharge is intended to address aspects of unfairness in the current Council Tax system. Owners of properties worth £10 million should not be paying less tax than those renting an ordinary family home.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many Section 321 directions have been issued to allow for closed planning hearings in each of the last ten years.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In the last ten years Section 321 directions have been issued in relation to two applications.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 28 May 2024, to Question 53574, on Chinese Embassy: Planning Permission, and with reference to page 26 of the Section 106 agreement, for what reason the agreement references Articles 13 and 141 of the EU Treaty Articles.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Full reasons for the decision in question are set out in the Secretary of State’s decision letter which can be found on gov.uk here.

The letter and associated Inspector’s Report must be read in their entirety. The EU Treaty Articles are addressed at footnote 47 of the decision letter.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what research his Department has undertaken into the reasons for sites with planning permission being (a) stalled and (b) not built out.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In May 2025, the government published a Planning Reform Working Paper: Speeding Up Build Out inviting views on further action the government should take to speed up homes being built. It can be found on gov.uk here. The working paper drew on a range of independent research and market studies, including the Letwin Review and the Competition and Markets Authority’s October 2024 market study into housebuilding, exploring stalled sites and build out rates.

Alongside the working paper, we launched a technical consultation on implementing measures to improve the transparency of build rates from new residential developments, which includes proposals to implement provisions in Section 113 of the LURA on the power to decline to determine applications. That consultation can be found on gov.uk here.

We are now analysing the responses to both consultations, and we will set out our next steps in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to introduce planning reforms through primary legislation.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Planning and Infrastructure Act received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025 and the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill , which contains provisions relating to housing and strategic planning, continues its passage through the other place.

Parliament will continue to be updated in the usual way in respect of the government’s planning reform agenda, including any future measures which may require primary legislation.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2026 to Question 104789 on Council Tax: Tax Yields, whether his Department has unpublished working estimates of the revenue from council tax in England in each year from 2026-27 onwards based on the assumptions in the Spending Review.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Department routinely considers a range of council tax data as part of policy development and has published its estimates of the revenue from council tax in England in each year from 2026-27 onwards.

As part of the multi-year Local Government Finance Settlement, the Government has made estimates of changes to Core Spending Power for 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29. This includes estimates of the council tax councils will set for those years. These estimates are set out here. These estimates exclude parish precepts, police and crime commissioner precepts.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the (a) number, (b) total and (c) individual amount of local authority exit payments by authority in 2024-25.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government publishes data on local authority exit payments on an annual basis. It is available on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Land Registry holds information on the numbers of sales of primary homes by local authority area in 2025.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

HM Land Registry does not collect or hold information that confirms whether a registered property purchase is a primary residence.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his planned timetable is for determining the (a) principal and (b) geography of a combined authority for Surrey.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

On 28 October 2025 the government set out its position that simplifying local government in Surrey also provides a strong foundation for devolution. We have begun working with partners across Surrey, including new unitary authorities once established, to put in place a strategic authority for the area. The legislation to establish the new authorities is currently before the House and they would be the constituent authorities of a Surrey Strategic Authority. This will help ensure that relevant functions held at the county level, such as transport and adult skills, can continue to be delivered on that geographic footprint where possible. The establishment of a strategic authority would be subject to the relevant statutory tests being met and local consent.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the review into foreign interference will consider the practice of foreign governments hiring UK-based lobbyists.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

It is, and always will be, an absolute priority for this Government to protect our democratic and electoral processes.

The purpose of the Rycroft review is to provide an in-depth assessment of the current financial rules and safeguards and make recommendations. The terms of reference for the review can be found here: Independent review: countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics: Terms of Reference - GOV.UK.

Given the review’s independence, we cannot pre-empt specifics of the ground it will cover, nor the recommendations it will make. It is right that the review is independent of Government and independent of any political party. However, we will be looking to mitigate the risk of foreign financial interference in UK politics from any actors and individuals who might wish to undermine our democracy.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2026 to Question 103283 on New Towns: Adlington, on what evidential basis was Adlington added to the list of New Towns.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report which can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, what guidance he issues to Departments on whether they may decline to publish or signpost information which has otherwise been released to members of the public under Freedom of Information laws.

Answered by Alan Campbell - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

The Guide to Parliamentary Work (available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work), published by my office, sets out the government's position regarding the relationship between the treatment of requests for information through parliamentary questions and the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000. Paragraph 221 states that “if information would be released under FOI, it would also be released in response to a WPQ”.

I have written to all Members of Cabinet and spoken with Departmental Parliamentary Clerks and Permanent Secretaries to remind departments and Ministers about the importance of providing full and helpful responses to WPQs.

In addition, the House of Commons Procedure Committee recently launched an inquiry into WPQs which is considering the interaction between WPQs and FOIs. I look forward to working with the Committee as this work progresses.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes in council tax on the cost of living from April 2026.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Council tax levels are decided by local authorities, and the Department has not made specific assessments on the impact of council tax levels on the cost of living for households. For the vast majority of councils, the government intends to maintain a core 3% referendum principle and a 2% adult social care precept. The government will set out final referendum principles as part of the local government finance settlement. Councils are required to put in place council tax support schemes to support those on low incomes.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Northern Growth Strategy, January 2026, CP1485, paragraph 4 and footnotes 3 and 4, what is the evidential basis for the underlying statistics of the 2.2% productivity growth per year in the largest northern mayoral strategic authorities.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Footnotes 3 and 4 of the Northern Growth Strategy: Case for change outline how the calculation of compound average productivity growth rate in the largest northern Mayoral Strategic Authorities is based on ONS Official Statistics, using subnational estimates for Gross Value Added and hours worked.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2026 to Question 102770 on Waste Disposal: Birmingham, whether the meeting between the Secretary of State and Unite was minuted.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Minutes were taken and in line with normal practice, the minutes will not be published. But the Secretary of State reiterated that the waste dispute is a local issue for Unite and the Council to resolve.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether (a) Judges' Lodgings and (b) other workplace accommodation are within the scope of the proposed overnight visitor levy.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We have published a consultation running until 18 February, so that the public, businesses, and local government can shape the design of the power to introduce a levy that will be devolved to local leaders, including potential exemptions. The scope of the levy, which will cover short‑term overnight stays in commercially let visitor accommodation, will be set out in future legislation.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2025, to Question 90708, and 20 October 2025 to Question 85948, on Immigrant: English Language, what steps she plans to take to support the integration of asylum seekers, in the context of it not being a requirement to learn English.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Successfully integrating refugees remains a Government priority. Those granted refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK have access to mainstream services to support them to build independent, fulfilling lives and contribute meaningfully to the UK economy.

Asylum seekers whose claims have been outstanding for six months or more are eligible for the same skills funding as other residents in England. Crucially, they are exempt from the standard three-year qualifying period for accessing Adult Skills Fund support, which includes fully funded English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) learning.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2025 to Question 103891 on Business Rates: Tax Allowances, what is the evidential basis for the statement that the temporary Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief has been winding down since Covid.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) relief on business rates has been reduced over time since 2020/21, when it was set at 100%. In 2021/22, this relief was lowered to 75%, in 2022/23 it was 50%, in 2023/24 and 2024/25 it was 75%, and in 2025/26 the relief was lowered to 40%.

At Budget, the Government announced it was extending the Supporting Small Business Relief scheme to those businesses who are currently receiving RHL Relief. This scheme caps the increases in bills they can face in each of the next 3 years, calculated from a baseline that includes the effect of the RHL relief. This means that many of those currently getting RHL relief will benefit from SSB relief next year.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2025, to Question 95394, on Housing: Construction, what estimate has ONS made of per capita housebuilding rate in each constituent nation of the UK over the last 12 months.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Rt Hon. gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 3rd February is attached.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2026, to Question 104773, on Housing: Construction, what is his proposed timeline for the delivery of the 9,000 homes.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Delivery of the up to 9,000 new homes is a matter for the Mayor of London and the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation. They have published the Old Oak Masterplan Framework, which includes an Illustrative Masterplan, showing how development could be brought forward comprehensively. We will continue to work with the development corporation as it develops its proposals to ensure the best use of the public sector land to bring forward new housing and regeneration.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to amend the Housing supply: indicators of new supply statistics to include a rolling statistic on the yearly shortfall in relation to his 1.5 million housing delivery target.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government has no current plans to incorporate new indicators into Housing Supply: Indicators of new supply statistical releases.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on establishing (a) shadow unitary councils and (b) preparing councils when undertaking local government restructuring.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My officials are in regular contact with councils to support them to undertake preparatory work to ensure readiness for any transition to new authorities.

Once a decision is taken on which proposals, if any, to implement, the Structural Changes Order will specify the governance arrangements for the new unitary councils in the transition period. Representations will be sought from the councils on the detailed content of the Structural Changes Order including on whether a shadow unitary council or preparing council is appropriate.

For all areas except Surrey, we anticipate elections to new authorities will take place in 2027, with those authorities going live in 2028.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Delegation of the setting of planning fees to local planning authorities, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Fair Funding Review on planning fees in local authorities which have lost funding in real terms.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Planning and Infrastructure Act provides the Secretary of State with the power to delegate the setting of planning fees to local planning authorities.

The Fair Funding Review considers how resources are distributed across local government based on relative need and demand for services. It does not determine planning fee levels, which remain cost-recovery charges rather than general funding streams.

The government is supporting local authorities to manage their updated funding positions by introducing changes over the multi-year Settlement and protecting councils’ income through transitional arrangements, including locally retained business rates growth.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled The implementation of the council tax premiums on long-term empty homes and second homes, published on 1 November 2024, what plans he has to review the guidance given to local authorities in relation to the practices of council tax premiums being introduced by local authorities.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

211 local authorities began charging a second home premium from April 2025. The guidance was published in November 2024 to support councils in their decision making on the premium and assist taxpayers in understanding when a premium may apply. As ever, the government continues to keep all guidance under review.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has had discussions with the Greater London Authority on extending the 2026 (a) pubs and live music relief and (b) revaluation transitional relief to include increases in business rates from the Crossrail Business Rate Supplement.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Business rates transitional relief is applied to business rates bills before the effect of other local reliefs or supplements. It therefore has no effect on local business rates supplements, such as the Crossrail Business Rate Supplement.

As set out in section 13 of the Business Rates Supplements Act 2009, where business rate reliefs are implemented under section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, any applicable Business Rates Supplements are adjusted to reflect the percentage relief provided by those schemes. For the coming financial year, this will include adjustments to relevant Business Rates Supplements such as the Crossrail Business Rate Supplement, for the effect of the Supporting Small Business Relief Scheme and Pubs and Live Music Venues Relief Scheme. It is for the 33 London billing authorities and the Greater London Authority to ensure that the required determinations and resulting adjustments are made to ratepayer bills in respect of BRS liabilities.

The Mayor of London approved the Crossrail Business Rate Supplement policies for 2026-27 via a formal decision published on 16 January 2026, increasing the rateable value threshold above which the BRS applies from £75,000 to £92,000 from 1 April 2026. Further information can be found on the Greater London Authority’s website here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason he has incorporated Planning policy for traveller sites into the National Planning Policy Framework.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making.

The rationale for proposing to incorporate policies relating to traveller sites, currently set out in Planning Policy for Traveller Sites, within relevant chapters of the draft Framework is set out in the consultation.

The consultation will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2026, to Question 103297, on Local Government Finance, whether areas where mayoral elections have been delayed will have access to any of the £200 million funding before those elections take place other than the initial payment of £1 million a year per combined authority.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The £200 million figure is in reference to the collective Investment Fund amount per year the six areas on the Devolution Priority Programme will receive once Mayors are in post in those areas. Before Mayors are elected, and once the institutions are established, government will provide each area with a proportion of their Investment Fund.

Beyond the Investment Fund, the six areas on the Devolution Priority Programme will receive other sources of devolution funding, including capacity funding.

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 consult the public on formal new names for new unitary councils.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

A statutory consultation has already been undertaken, or is currently underway, on the proposals for new unitary councils, many of which included suggested names.

There are no plans to further consult the public on formal new names for new councils.

Where proposals did not include names for the new councils, or where different views have been expressed, then the Secretary of State may seek further representations from the councils and other interested parties before reaching a decision on what the formal new names of the councils should be.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2026 to Question 102765, on Planning: Publications, whether he intends to update any of the other Plain English guides published on gov.uk by his Department.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government will continue to keep all guidance under review to update as necessary. Any new or updated guidance will be published in the usual way on gov.uk.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the number of properties for rent in the private rented sector in each of the last three years.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department collects data on the number of dwellings in the private rented sector through the English Housing Survey, which is published annually and can be found on gov.uk here.

The latest estimates for the number of private rented sector dwellings in England are as follows: 4,864,000 in 2022, 4,880,000 in 2023, and 4,910,000 in 2024.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 12 February 2025 to Question HL4510 on Community Relations: Muslims, what information her Department holds on the reason that the Muslim Council of Britain's written evidence was submitted to the Independent Review of Public Order and Hate Crime Legislation

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Following the appalling attack on a synagogue in Manchester on 2 October 2025, the Home Secretary announced an independent review of public order and hate crime legislation on 5 October. The Review is being led by Lord Ken Macdonald of River Glaven KC, supported by former Assistant Chief Constable Owen Weatherill KPM.

Lord Macdonald is engaging with a wide range of organisations, including different faith and community groups. Given the Review is independent, it is for the Chair leading it to determine which groups and organisations he wishes to hear from.

The Government’s policy of non-engagement with the Muslim Council of Britain has not changed.

The Review is due to submit its report to the Home Secretary in Spring 2026.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on whether current Police and Crime Commissioners in (a) England and (b) Wales will serve their full term in office before the positions are discontinued, where (i) there is a combined authority mayor for that police force and (ii) where there is no such mayor.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

It is the Government’s intention that the role of Police and Crime Commissioner will continue until May 2028.

At that point, subject to legislation, it is the Government’s intention to transfer policing functions to Strategic Authority Mayors wherever possible, or to elected council leaders through Policing and Crime Boards where it is not.

The exception is in Cumbria where, subject to their Statutory Instrument being made and the Combined Authority established, it is anticipated that the newly created Mayor will be responsible for the governance of policing when they are elected in May 2027. This is part of the Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government’s Devolution Priority Programme.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2026, to Question 104987, on Strategic Migration Partnership: Finance, whether her Department has determined the funding envelope for the 2025-26 funding; and on what dates was the 2024-25 funding given to the partnerships.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not currently publish funding levels to Strategic Migration Partnerships, previous years funding can be found here Government Grants Data and Statistics Government grants data and statistics - GOV.UK

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2026 to Question 104897 on Strategic Migration Partnership: Finance, and with reference to the Cabinet Office Guide to Parliamentary Work, paragraph 233, if he will provide an aggregate figure for the most recent year’s funding to the partnerships contained with the Government Grants Data and Statistics database.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not currently publish funding levels to Strategic Migration Partnerships, previous years funding can be found here Government Grants Data and Statistics Government grants data and statistics - GOV.UK

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2026, to Question 107026, on Asylum: Housing, what criteria was used to select the range of local authorities to engage with on the new model for asylum accommodation.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has worked in close partnership with local authorities to develop a new, more sustainable model for asylum accommodation.

A cross-section of local authorities were selected across different geographies and political colours so that a range of perspectives could be considered throughout the development of the new model.

Found: It reported when James Cleverly was Home Secretary, and Yvette Cooper as Home Secretary then announced

Found: referendum principles scrapped, those hikes will be big," added shadow local government secretary Sir James Cleverly