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 3 July 2025 to Question 62978 on MHCLG: Travel, if he will provide the (a) date, (b) cost and (c) approximate location of each Ministerial journey.

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

This information is not held centrally and can only be collated at a disproportionate cost to the department.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the level of council tax charged by local authorities.

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

It is for individual local authorities to set their level of council tax, taking into account all relevant local factors. The government maintains a referendum threshold, and authorities who choose to increase their council tax above this must obtain the approval of voters. The government will set out its position on referendum principles for the next financial year at the local government finance settlement in the usual way.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has received representations from mayoral authorities on powers to introduce local taxes on hotels.

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

The Government has received representations from Mayors to consider the introduction of a visitor levy. The Government currently has no plans to introduce a levy in England. Manchester and Liverpool have already introduced a levy on overnight stays through Accommodation Business Improvement Districts.

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 22 July 2025 to Question 68123 on Business premises: Rent, if he will list the external organisations that he consulted before the decision to ban upwards only rent review.

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

The government conducted considerable research and engagement before deciding to ban upwards only rent reviews. This included extensive engagement with industry experts, including representatives of the retail, hospitality, and property sectors.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what (a) correspondence and (b) discussions his Department has had with local authorities on the (i) erection and (ii) removal of (a) UK national and (b) foreign flags on street furniture in summer 2025.

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

The Prime Minister has made clear that he is proud of our flag, which represents our history, our heritage, and our values; it is a great symbol of our nation and should not be devalued and belittled. My Department engages with local authorities on a regular basis across numerous meetings. Where the subject has been raised we have been clear that everyone can make their own decisions, including local councils, on flying flags and that guidance exists to support them.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has (a) commissioned or (b) procured third-party providers to (i) assess, (ii) index or (iii) identify (A) extremism and (B) disinformation.

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

The Government takes the threat of extremism very seriously and will continue to work with partners to tackle extremism in all its forms.

The Government is also alarmed by the unprecedented rate at which threats to information integrity are growing.

My department has not specifically commissioned or procured third party-providers on the matter in question.

We fund the National Community Tensions Team which send the department regular reports on hate crime and community tensions. Additionally, the Government’s Independent Antisemitism Adviser, Lord Mann sent the department reports on hate crime and community tensions.

DSIT and MHCLG have supported the Local Government Association to deliver training aimed at supporting frontline local authority practitioners to respond to acute information incidents.

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 September 2025 to Question 75625 on Building: Safety, if he will make it his policy to intervene in the London Plan to remove regulatory requirements on new build housing in London that do not apply across the rest of England.

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

Building regulations are set nationally under the Building Act 1984 and apply uniformly across England, but local authorities, including those in London may apply additional planning or enforcement measures.

The Department continues to work closely with the Greater London Authority and other stakeholders to ensure that building safety reforms are implemented consistently and proportionately across all regions. We keep regional impacts under review as part of our ongoing engagement with the Building Safety Regulator and future updates to guidance.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many special advisers of the former Deputy Prime Minister have (a) left and (b) remained in government.

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

The government publishes an annual statement to Parliament setting out the numbers, names and pay bands of special advisers, the appointing minister and the overall paybill.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of cement production in the UK.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

We routinely, for internal purposes, consider production levels of cement and other foundational industries products. We also maintain close contact with the Mineral Products Association, the industry trade body and individual businesses to consider and address the issues facing the sector.

The cement sector has been included in the Government's future Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), and some cement firms are supported by the British Industrial Supercharger and Energy Intensive Industries (EII) Compensation Scheme. These policies ensure UK cement firms remain competitive and mitigate carbon leakage.