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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the status and timetable is of his Department's review of the legal framework of protections for public recreational space announced by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage during the passage of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

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

Open and green spaces are an essential part of local social infrastructure and must be protected for future generations.

The review of existing protections will examine the fragmented and outdated nature of current legislative protections for public recreational green spaces; assess how these protections complement those in the planning system; and consider the lack of central records on protected land.

Further details and a timetable will be set out 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, pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2025, to Question 88668, on Flags: Palestine, and further to the UK Statement at the High-Level Conference for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution of 22 September 2025, if he will publish guidance on deemed consent for the Palestine flag.

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

My Department has no plans to publish guidance on deemed consent for the Palestine flag.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many headcount staff in his Department work compressed hours on full pay.

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

At 31 January 2026 there were 760 active payroll staff who worked full‑time hours over a compressed period, meaning they received full pay. This figure includes a range of different compressed full‑time working arrangements.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether all Arm’s Length Bodies, including public corporations and private companies owned by the Government, are required to follow the Cabinet Office local and Parliamentary by-election election purdah guidance.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

It is for individual public bodies to apply pre-election guidance within their own organisations, but in doing so they should not go beyond the principles set out in central guidance. Sponsor departments must ensure that staff and board members of their ALBs are aware of the guidance and are applying the principles appropriately. Sponsor departments should be consulted by the ALB in cases of doubt.

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 list the expert advisers who are not civil servants or special advisers that provide advice the Minister for Housing and Planning.

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

MHCLG ministers are advised by civil servants employed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Details of all meetings with external stakeholders are published on a quarterly basis 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, with reference to the press release entitled Tougher rules on political interference to keep UK elections secure, published on 12 February 2026, in which local authorities election pilots will take place in May 2026; and what type of pilot will take place in each.

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

The Government committed in its manifesto to encourage greater participation in democracy. To support this, the Government is exploring ways to make voting in person more efficient, more convenient, and better aligned with the expectations of today’s electors.

Orders designating the pilots for May 2026 have been signed and shared with participating local authorities and the Electoral Commission. I refer the Rt. Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made yesterday, which details participating local authorities and nature of each pilot.

No flexible voting pilots are due to be held in local authority areas where elections due to run in May 2026 were previously postponed.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether election pilots will be held in the local authorities which had local elections cancelled, but which are being reinstated.

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

The Government committed in its manifesto to encourage greater participation in democracy. To support this, the Government is exploring ways to make voting in person more efficient, more convenient, and better aligned with the expectations of today’s electors.

Orders designating the pilots for May 2026 have been signed and shared with participating local authorities and the Electoral Commission. I refer the Rt. Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made yesterday, which details participating local authorities and nature of each pilot.

No flexible voting pilots are due to be held in local authority areas where elections due to run in May 2026 were previously postponed.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many (a) legal challenges and (b) judicial reviews his Department has (i) lost in court and (ii) conceded prior to the court hearing since July 2024.

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

The Department deals with a large variety of legal cases including judicial reviews, statutory challenges in planning cases, Information Tribunal cases and private law litigation. The number and outcome of legal challenges and judicial reviews since July 2024 is not held centrally in the format requested.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Electoral Commission has issued to Electoral Registration Officers on enforcing the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The right to vote in secret is set out in UK electoral law. The Electoral Commission’s position, outlined in guidance to electoral administrators, has always been that anyone attempting to inappropriately influence how another person votes, or to steal someone else’s vote, is committing an offence.

The Electoral Commission’s guidance is clear that no other person is allowed to accompany a voter to a polling booth, unless a voter who is disabled or unable to read has requested assistance to vote. The Commission’s polling station handbook, which is available in every polling station, sets out that if polling station staff observe anyone else attempting to accompany a voter in the voting booth, they must approach them and tell them not to. If anyone does not comply with this instruction, the Presiding Officer has the power to order their removal from the polling station, either by the police or other authorised person. In all cases, a record should also be made in the polling station log.

This guidance was updated to reflect the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023 and as part of our regular programme of reviewing and improving guidance for polling station staff.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, further to the research published by Democracy Volunteers, what discussions he has had with Manchester City Council on compliance with the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023 in the Gorton and Denton Parliamentary by-election; and if the Commission will make it their policy to undertake an assessment of the Electoral Registration Officer's compliance with Performance Standard Outcome 1 on the delivery of well-run elections.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Electoral Commission was in close contact with the Returning Officer (RO) to quickly and carefully review the concerns that have been raised and the information available in relation to the by-election.

The Commission considers the performance of ROs in their delivery of elections through the performance standards framework. The Commission will make any assessment in relation to this by-election in due course.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Treasury Select Committee, Work of HM Revenue and Customs - Oral evidence, HC 416, 13 January 2026, Question 480, if she will publish equivalent figures for the average change in Rateable values for pubs between 2023 and 2026 Rating Lists for pubs under VOA special category code 227.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Valuation Office Agency published data relating to your request can be found 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 28 January 2026 to Question 107021 on Affordable Housing: Asylum, what types of accommodation, including (a) change of use, (b) HMOs, (c) hotels or communal accommodation and (d) new build will the new fund for local authorities support.

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 107021 on 20 January 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 23 January 2026, to Question 106138, on Local Government Finance, whether his department holds data on the proportion of the £4.3 billion that was subject to the flexible use of capital receipts provisions; and which individual local authorities utilised the flexible use.

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

The Flexible Use of Capital Receipts general direction was introduced in 2016 by the previous government and remains substantively unchanged.

This government has not changed the rules on use of capital receipts; not all capital receipts are eligible for use under the general flexibility. For example, under the direction, eligible capital receipts must be genuine disposals outside of the local authorities’ group structure. Nor does the flexibility override any statutory restrictions that may exist on certain types of assets.

The government does not collect specific data on eligible capital receipts held by local authorities.

Use of the flexibility is at the discretion of local authorities but must be compliant with the conditions of the general flexibility and their wider statutory duties. The government is clear that its use should represent value for money and be in the best interests of local residents.

Use of the flexibility is reported annually. The data for 2024/25 can be found here.

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 publish the evidence he planned to file at the High Court on the postponement of local elections in England in May 2026.

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

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 23 February 2026 (HCWS1349).

It is a longstanding principle that government does not comment on or publish legal advice. The case the Rt Hon. Member refers to has now been concluded and the Court did not make any judgement against the government.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what Valuation Office Agency guidance exists on the council tax offences of (a) refusing access to a valuation officer who has given notice as required of the exercise of the power of entry, (b) failing to give information about a house to a valuation who has served notice and (c) giving wrong or misleading information to a valuation officer who has served notice as required.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Guidance is set out in Section 1, Part 7 of the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) Council Tax manual: Council Tax Manual - Section 1: introduction and essential background - Guidance - GOV.UK

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 correspondence, Local government reorganisation: further letter to council leaders with elections in May 2026, of 19 January 2026, for what reason those letters were sent to those specific councils; and if he will place copies of replies to those letters in the Library.

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

I refer the Rt hon. and hon. Members to the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement of 23 February 2026 (HCWS1349).

It is a longstanding principle that Government does not comment on or publish legal advice. The Government has no plans to publish individual correspondence from councils.

Councils are being supported to deliver elections. The administration and cost of running local elections remain matters for local authorities, with wider costs handled in the usual way.

We are also making available up to £63 million in new capacity funding for reorganisation areas.

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 the Housing Minister determined that local elections should proceed in May 2026; and what factors he considered.

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

I refer the Rt hon. and hon. Members to the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement of 23 February 2026 (HCWS1349).

It is a longstanding principle that Government does not comment on or publish legal advice. The Government has no plans to publish individual correspondence from councils.

Councils are being supported to deliver elections. The administration and cost of running local elections remain matters for local authorities, with wider costs handled in the usual way.

We are also making available up to £63 million in new capacity funding for reorganisation areas.

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 publish each council response to the Ministerial letter on local government reorganisation of 18 December 2025.

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

I refer the Rt hon. and hon. Members to the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement of 23 February 2026 (HCWS1349).

It is a longstanding principle that Government does not comment on or publish legal advice. The Government has no plans to publish individual correspondence from councils.

Councils are being supported to deliver elections. The administration and cost of running local elections remain matters for local authorities, with wider costs handled in the usual way.

We are also making available up to £63 million in new capacity funding for reorganisation areas.

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 publish correspondence from each council requesting election delays in relevant areas.

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

I refer the Rt hon. and hon. Members to the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement of 23 February 2026 (HCWS1349).

It is a longstanding principle that Government does not comment on or publish legal advice. The Government has no plans to publish individual correspondence from councils.

Councils are being supported to deliver elections. The administration and cost of running local elections remain matters for local authorities, with wider costs handled in the usual way.

We are also making available up to £63 million in new capacity funding for reorganisation areas.

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 23 January 2026, to Question 106115, on Business Rates: Luton, what is his department's estimate of the amount of retained business rate income that Luton Borough Council will receive in 2026-27, and whether this amount is affected by the uplift in business rates from the 2026 revaluation of Luton Airport, and introduction of the high value surcharge for hereditaments.

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

Luton Borough Council reported their estimate of retained business rates for 2026-27 to the department here in the document ‘National non-domestic rates collected in England 2026 to 2027: local authority data’, in the ‘Part 1' tab and on line 14.

I refer the Rt.hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 107993 on 28 January 2026, regarding the interaction of the 2026 Revaluation with local authority income.

It is long-standing government policy intention that as far as is practicable, local authorities’ income should not be affected by changes to the underlying business rates tax, such as the introduction of the three additional multipliers from 1^st April 2026. The government intends to neutralise the impact of new multipliers on local government income from retained business rates from introduction of the three new multipliers from 1^st April 2026. More information on how it will do so was published in a policy paper in November which can be found 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 20 January 2026 to Question 104771 on MHCLG: Remote Working, if he will publish the recorded workplace attendance data for the last quarter, for each of the individual offices outside London.

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

MHCLG publishes quarterly HQ Occupancy Statistics for its headquarters at 2 Marsham Street, London (not proportional attendance). We do not intend to publish regional information or numeric staff attendances.

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 Plan for Neighbourhoods: governance and boundary guidance, published on 12 March 2025, what role will community leaders who are not elected representatives or council staff have in the allocation of funding.

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

Neighbourhood Boards are responsible for making decisions about how £20 million Pride in Place funding will be invested in their area over the next decade. Led by an Independent Chair, Neighbourhood Boards will bring together local people, including residents and community, faith and business leaders, along with the local MP and ward councillor. Further information on Neighbourhood Boards and funding arrangements is set out in our prospectus and supporting guidance.

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 trends in the level of antisemitism in the City of Bristol.

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

Antisemitism has absolutely no place in our society, which is why we’re taking a strong lead in tackling it in all its forms, wherever it manifests.

We work closely with partners to ensure the safety and security of Jewish communities throughout the UK.

This includes working together with the Jewish community to monitor levels of religiously motivated hatred. We continue to closely observe rates of antisemitism across the country and will make the necessary interventions to combat antisemitism in all corners of our society.

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 British High Commission Islamabad news story of 17 April 2025, which individuals and external organisations Lord Khan met during his visit to the (a) Overseas Pakistanis Convention, (b) Faisal Mosque and (c) St Joseph’s Cathedral whilst on his official Ministerial visit to Pakistan.

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

A summary of the former Minister’s schedule will be placed in the Library of the House.

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 publish the full meeting, visit and event schedule for Lord Khan's visit to Pakistan from 13 to 17 April 2025.

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

A summary of the former Minister’s schedule will be placed in the Library of the House.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of EU non-regression agreements on the ability of the Government to implement planning reform for nuclear power infrastructure, including the implications of dynamic alignment with the EU single electricity market and ETS.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Regarding the Nuclear Regulatory Review, we will present a full implementation plan shortly, taking account of our international obligations, national security considerations, and planning, environmental and court processes.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, further to the statistics, Local authority Council Taxbase in England 2025 (revised), 21 January 2026, what assessment he has made of the figure of 71% of local authorities charging a second homes council tax premium, in light of the original policy intent of the policy.

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

The second homes council tax premium provides local leaders with additional flexibility to address the impacts of second homes and improve the sustainability of local services. It is for individual councils to decide whether it is appropriate to apply the premium in their area. In doing so, councils will consider a range of factors, including local circumstances and the government’s guidance.

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 oral statement of 22 January 2026, Official Report, Column 486, on Local Government Reorganisation, whether he will reimburse councils for the administrative costs of preparing for May 2026 elections now being cancelled.

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

I refer the Rt.Hon. Member to the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement of 23 February HCWS1349, updating the House on 2026 local elections.

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 (a) further delaying or (b) cancelling under scheduled council elections in 2027 in areas with local government restructuring.

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

I refer the Rt.Hon. Member to the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement of 23 February HCWS1349, updating the House on 2026 local elections.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether core spending power figures published in the Local Government Finance assumes (a) that each principal local authority sets the maximum level of council tax that does not trigger a council tax referendum or (b) a different level of council tax.

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

Over the multi-year Settlement, Core Spending Power is calculated by assuming that authorities increase their Band D council tax in line with the maximum allowable level set out by the council tax referendum principles; and each authority’s council tax base increases in line with the average annual growth in their council tax base between 2021-22 and 2025-26. This type of approach has been standard practice under successive governments. Explanations on how council tax and associated referendum principles are calculated as part of core spending power is set out here - Explanatory note on Core Spending Power: final local government finance settlement 2026-27 to 2028-29 - GOV.UK.

Local authorities are responsible for setting their own council tax levels. The way council tax in Core Spending Power is estimated is unchanged from previous Local Government Finance Settlements. In line with usual practice and in recognition of the views raised in response to this consultation, the government will continue to keep its methodology for calculating the Core Spending Power of local government under review in future years.

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 104671 on Local Government Finance, what information his Department holds on guidance issued by (a) his Department and (b) the Planning Advisory Service on the use of interest accrued on unspent Community Infrastructure Levy funds.

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

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) receipts must be used for the purposes which are set out in section 216 of the Planning Act 2008 and Part 7 of the CIL Regulations.

My Department’s published guidance on the CIL includes detailed advice as to what the levy can be spent on. The guidance in question can be found on gov.uk here.

Resources published by the Planning Advisory Service are available on their website here. These include a guide to publishing an Infrastructure Funding Statement. Infrastructure Funding Statements should provide clarity and transparency for communities and developers on the infrastructure and affordable housing that is expected to be delivered through developer contributions.

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 made an estimate of the time taken for businesses to amend computer billing systems to implement the new pub relief.

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

As is usual the government has worked closely with local authorities and their software providers to ensure that billing systems can be updated to take into account the Pubs and Live Music Venues Relief business rates relief ahead of issuing bills for the 2026/27 financial year.

The government will undertake a new burdens assessment and fund the associated new burdens including the administrative and software costs of implementation.

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 to local authorities on entitlement to council tax reduction for people who receive Universal Credit.

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

I refer the Rt. hon. Member to the answer provided on 4 February 2026 to UIN 109028.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changing the eligibility for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure support on the monetary value of that support to individual firms.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new tax rates are worth nearly £1 billion per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties.

Since these new multipliers were announced at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government has been clear that the intention was for their scope to broadly reflect the scope of the current RHL relief.

In addition, the Government is providing a £4.3 billion support package to protect ratepayers from large overnight bill increases. This includes extending the supporting small business scheme to those losing RHL relief, which will cap bill increases at the higher of the relevant Transitional Relief cap or £800. As a result, the majority of those seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less, or £800 for the smallest, next year.

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 15 January 2026, to Question 103765, on Affordable Housing, what his planned timetable is for the programme to be onboarded on the Government Major Programmes Portfolio; and whether the programme business case will be published on gov.uk.

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

The Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) is now onboarded on to the Major Programmes Portfolio (GMPP) as a portfolio.

In line with HM Treasury guidance for GMPP programmes, the SAHP intends to publish a summary of its Programme Business Case (PBC) within four months of HM Treasury’s formal approval of the PBC.

Until that point, my Department will continue to iterate the PBC to ensure it remains robust, up-to-date, and strategically aligned, while protecting commercially sensitive material ahead of publication.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has a policy on targeting levels of house price inflation.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government does not set a target for house price inflation.

The UK has a 2% inflation target, measured by the 12 month increase in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). CPI is a broad measure of consumer prices based on a representative basket of goods and services. The independent Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England is responsible for setting monetary policy to meet this target in line with international best practice.

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 Home Office oral statement on 20 January 2026, on the Chinese Embassy, whether the unredacted plans for the Embassy were subject to scrutiny by the planning inspector.

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 conditions are addressed at paragraphs 107-110 and are listed at Annex B of the decision letter. Application drawings are addressed at paragraphs 89-99.

As part of his careful consideration of the applications, the Secretary of State referred back to parties on a number of matters, including the redacted drawings, on 6 August 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the National Protective Security Authority provided advice on the planning process on the Chinese Embassy.

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 conditions are addressed at paragraphs 107-110 and are listed at Annex B of the decision letter. Application drawings are addressed at paragraphs 89-99.

As part of his careful consideration of the applications, the Secretary of State referred back to parties on a number of matters, including the redacted drawings, on 6 August 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what planning guidance has been given to local authorities on land which is contaminated due to former foot and mouth burial pits.

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

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that planning policies and decisions should ensure that a development site is suitable for its proposed use, taking account of risks arising from land contamination. This includes risks arising from natural hazards or former activities, and any proposals for mitigation including land remediation.

After remediation, as a minimum, development should not be capable of being determined as contaminated land under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 which provides a risk-based approach to the identification and remediation of land where contamination poses an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment.

Planning Practice Guidance, available on gov.uk here, sets out further information on how planning can deal with land affected by contamination.

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 correspondence entitled Public Letter on Called-in decision: Royal Mint Court, of 20 January 2026, whether the evidence provided to the Intelligence and Security Committee was given to (a) the planning inspector and (b) him.

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 conditions are addressed at paragraphs 107-110 and are listed at Annex B of the decision letter. Application drawings are addressed at paragraphs 89-99.

As part of his careful consideration of the applications, the Secretary of State referred back to parties on a number of matters, including the redacted drawings, on 6 August 2025.

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 correspondence entitled Public Letter on Called-in decision: Royal Mint Court, of 20 January 2026, whether the mitigation measures are reflected in planning conditions.

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 conditions are addressed at paragraphs 107-110 and are listed at Annex B of the decision letter. Application drawings are addressed at paragraphs 89-99.

As part of his careful consideration of the applications, the Secretary of State referred back to parties on a number of matters, including the redacted drawings, on 6 August 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 13 January 2026, to Question 102811, on Planning Permission, whether any other guidance has been given on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in the planning system.

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

Neither the government nor the Planning Inspectorate has issued guidance in respect of the treatment of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in the planning system.

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 104783, on Planning: Equality, and to the answer of 23 January 2026, to Question 105975, on Planning Permission: Equality, whether a draft equality impact assessment or equality screening was compiled for the Framework draft published on 16 December 2025.

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

My Department does not routinely publish Public Sector Equality Duty assessments alongside such consultations, but the requirement to consider the impact of the proposed policies on protected characteristics was complied with in the process of deciding to launch the consultation in question.

We are seeking views through this consultation on how the proposed policies could affect protected characteristics, and the views we receive will inform our final assessment and the government’s response to the consultation that will be published 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, pursuant to the answer of 15 September 2025, to Question 70566 on Chinese Embassy: Planning Permission, if he will publish the reference back correspondence that is listed in the final decision letter.

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

The Secretary of State's decision letter and the full set of reference back material was deposited in the Library of both Houses on 20 January 2026.

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 Intelligence and Security Committee press notice of 20 January 2026, what steps his Department is taking to improve clarity on the role that national security considerations play in planning decisions.

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

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that planning policies and decisions should promote public safety and take into account wider security and defence requirements by anticipating and addressing possible malicious threats.

Proposals for major development in such locations should be informed by the most up-to-date information available from the police and other relevant agencies about the nature of potential threats and their implications.

The government is consulting on a new NPPF that includes clearer, more rules-based policies for decision-making and plan-making. The consultation includes policies on public safety and security.

The consultation can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 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 3 February 2026 to Question 108220, on Affordable Housing: Greater London, whether there have previously been revisions of the Greater London Authority’s historical data.

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

Published Affordable Housing Supply statistics always reflect the latest available data provided to my Department.

Previous revisions to historical data have been made by the Greater London Authority, as well as by Homes England and some local planning authorities.

These revisions have been made in accordance with the policy for schedule revisions to the affordable housing supply statistics in England as set out in Section 6 of its technical notes, which are available on gov.uk here.

Details of the revisions made each year to the publication are available in the technical note corresponding to that year’s publication. For the last three years these can be found in Section 7 of the technical notes, available on gov.uk for 2024-25 here, 2023-24 here, and 2022-23 here.

All the available publications can be found on gov.uk here. Up to and including the 2018-19 statistical release, the technical notes are included in the bulletin and are not a separate document.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance has been given to principal local authorities on providing financial support to town and parish councils for their contribution towards local council tax support; and what estimate has been made of the number of principal local authorities which do so.

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

Successive government have been clear that it is the responsibility of principal authorities to work with parish and town councils on council tax matters, including support schemes and to agree appropriate funding arrangements so that large increases in parish precepts can be avoided

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 4 February 2026 to Question 108645 on Business Rates, what the aggregate (a) monetary and (b) percentage change in business rate receipts is in (i) each local authority in England and (ii) England from 2025-26 to 2026-27.

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

The latest available data on business rates receipts relates to 2024-25. Data for England and each local authority can be found at the following link https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/collection-rates-for-council-tax-and-non-domestic-rates-in-england-2024-to-2025.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2026 to Question 105226 on Small Businesses: Business Rates, whether the relevant Transitional Relief percentage cap under Supporting Small Business Relief scheme applies to small firms which due to higher Rateable Values (a) will no longer be eligible for 100% small business rate relief but which retain a tapered amount of small business rate relief, (b) see a reduction in the tapered amount of small business rate relief but still receive some tapered relief and (c) lose all tapered rate relief.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The 2026 supporting small business (SSB) scheme will support businesses who lose some or all of their small business rates relief, rural rates relief, or retail, hospitality and leisure relief in April. SSB will therefore apply in scenarios (a), (b) and (c).

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason the Valuation Office Agency's business rates estimator tool was taken down.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The estimator tool for England has been removed ahead of business rates bills being issued by local councils.

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 5 August 2024, to Question HL394, on Legal Systems: Islam, what research has his department conducted on the operation of (a) shariah courts and (b) Muslim Arbitration Tribunals.

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

We have not conducted research on the operation of sharia courts and Muslim Arbitration Tribunals.

In line with previous governments, the government’s position remains that individuals are free to practise their religion, including seeking religious guidance or arbitration, provided this does not conflict with UK law. Where religious practices or decisions conflict with UK law, UK law – as enacted by parliament and applied by courts – prevails.

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 15 January 2026 to Question 103895 on Local Government: Working Hours, whether he plans to take Best Value intervention action against local authorities implementing four day weeks.

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

The letter of 19 December 2025 is clear that the provision in the current Best Value Guidance in relation to the four-day week remains in force. Ministers take a range of factors into account when considering whether to exercise statutory powers in relation to a local authority and will only act where necessary to secure compliance with the Best Value duty.

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 merits of giving overseas electors the option to register to vote when they renew their British passport online.

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

The Government is committed to improving electoral registration and is actively exploring ways to do so. The Representation of the People Bill will lay the foundations for a more automated registration system. Any changes must be tested to ensure they have a positive outcome in an already complex system.

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 104668, on council tax, if he will publish a table listing the notional Band D level for each local authority in England in 2025-26, based on the methodology outlined in that answers of 66201 and 104668.

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

The notional council tax level for each authority in England is published 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 23 January 2026, to Question 106112, on Local Government: Elections, and with reference to his letter to local authorities of 22 January 2026, on what evidential basis district councils have the capacity to organise (a) county and (b) town and parish elections but not district elections.

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

I refer the Rt.hon. Member to the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement of 23 February (HCWS1349).

All local elections will go ahead in May 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 15 January 2026, to Question 104170, on Local Government: Reorganisation, and pursuant to the answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage of 26 January 2026, Official Report, House of Lords, Column 715, if he will define what is meant by the "most ambitious timelines"; and whether some of the new unitary councils will be elected at a later date than May 2027.

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

The Government remains committed to the indicative timetable published in July, with elections to new councils in May 2027. This is with the exception of Surrey, where we have already announced two new councils with elections expected in May 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether (a) hon. Members, (b) councillors and (c) political parties will have access to the full electoral register with attainers aged below 16.

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

Under the current UK electoral framework, political parties, elected officials and candidates are entitled to request copies of the electoral register and may use them for “electoral purposes” and for the purposes of complying with rules regarding political donations, and office holders for purposes related to their office.

With regard to individuals standing for an election having access to the full register, once the provisions set out in the Representation of the People Bill come into effect, no candidates will have access to the data of 14- and 15-year-olds, unless the individual turns 16 by the polling date for that specific election. This is provided for because it is important that 15-year-olds who will turn 16 on or before polling day - and will therefore be eligible to vote - have the same opportunity to be canvassed so they can form an opinion in the same way as any other eligible voter.

The Government takes the safeguarding of young people and their data seriously, with strict controls set out in legislation on who can access information from the electoral register and for what purpose. The approach set out in the Representation of the People Bill balances the need for proportionate safeguards within our electoral system, without disadvantaging young voters from being able to participate in it.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what each (a) value significant and (b) dwellinghouse code used by the Valuation Office Agency for council tax valuations is in (1) England and (2) Wales; and whether any other codes are used.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

For Council Tax valuations, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) uses ‘Value Significant Codes’ to indicate specific features that are likely to affect the value of a property.

Dwelling house codes allow the VOA to classify dwellings by their architectural style, characteristics and physical property type. They are made up of two parts: ‘Group’ and ‘Type’.

The property data the VOA records is set out here: Property attribute data (PAD) - 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 20 January 2026 to Question 104895 on Elizabeth Line: Business Rates, whether (a) the Valuation Office Agency and (b) his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of increased valuations on the liability of pubs for the Crossrail Business Rate Supplement.

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 111143 on 12 February 2026.

This is a matter for the Greater London Authority, rather than central government.

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 monetary value of Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief to qualifying individual businesses in (a) 2024-25, (b) 2025-26 and (c) 2026-27.

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

The Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Rates Relief scheme provided eligible, occupied, retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with a 75% relief, up to a cash cap limit of £110,000 per business in 2024-25 and with a 40% relief, up to a cash cap limit of £110,000 per business in 2025-26. There is no equivalent relief in 2026-27.

The value of the relief to individual businesses is not available. However, aggregated data on how much relief has been given in 2024-25 can be found in Table 2 at the following link

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-non-domestic-rates-collected-by-councils-in-england-2024-to-2025 and how much is expected to be given in 2025-26 in Table 2 at this link

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-non-domestic-rates-collected-by-councils-in-england-forecast-2025-to-2026.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason some hereditaments in the 2026 Draft Rating List do not have an Unique Address Reference Number listed in their entry.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

There are no properties listed in the 2026 Draft Rating List download that do not have an Unique Address Reference Number assigned to them.

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 holds information on business rate receipts from (a) Business Rate Improvement Districts levies and (b) the GLA Business Rate Supplement across (i) England and (ii) individual local authorities.

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

Information on receipts from the GLA Business Rate Supplement is collected and published on Revenue Outturn RS Line 793. The latest local authority and England level data from 2024 to 2025 can be found here.

The Department does not hold data on Business Improvement District (BID) levy receipts.

The cost of administering BID ballots are recorded on Revenue Outturn RO6 Line 428 also published here.

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 has discussions with West Yorkshire Combined Authority on contract reference 20250627172243-103257, awarded to Lexington Communications; and whether his Department has received communications from Lexington.

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

Local authorities are responsible for the award of contracts in line with the procurement regulations at the time of the award.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which body forfeited monies for impermissible political donations will be given to.

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

As set out in section 60 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, sums forfeited by court order under section 58 or 59 of that Act are paid into the Consolidated Fund. We have introduced the Representation of the People Bill which brings forward a package of reforms to deliver on our manifesto commitment to tighten the rules on political donations. We are reinforcing the principle that only permissible donors may fund UK politics. Where illicit funds do enter the system via impermissible donors (e.g. individuals not on the electoral register), they will be subject to full forfeiture, providing a clear deterrent and supporting compliance by political parties and campaigners.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what commissioned data was provided to the Office for Budget Responsibility for the calculation of recent business rate receipts forecasts.

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

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is responsible for producing the business rates forecast for England only. This is primarily based on estimates of national non-domestic rates, collected and published by the department, alongside CPI inflation assumptions provided by the Office for Budget Responsibility. The latest forecast uses 2025-26 national non-domestic rates data as its baseline.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, further to Housing supply: indicators of new supply, England: July to September 2025, published on 15 January 2026, paragraph 2.1, what estimate his Department has made of the number of homes that need to delivered each quarter in order to achieve the 1.5 million housebuilding target in this Parliament.

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

I refer the Rt.hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 19066 on 20 December 2024.

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 9 February 2026 to Question 109623 on Local Government Finance: City of Westminster and Wandsworth, what methodology his Department used to estimate the average increase in council tax; and whether his Department held discussions with councils on this methodology.

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

The government believes it is right to continue to calculate Core Spending Power in line with the approach used at previous Settlements. This includes an assumption that authorities increase their Band D council tax by the maximum allowed within any council tax referendum principles set for them.

To increase fairness for taxpayers, provide better value for money and enable the rebalancing of disparities in council tax levels, the government intends not to set referendum principles in 2027-28 and 2028-29 for six upper-tier authorities with the lowest council tax levels receiving 95% income protection. Removing referendum principles in these areas will enable the government to allocate over £250 million more funding for public services in places with higher need instead of subsidising very low bills for 500,000 households in these councils.

To calculate their Core Spending Power, we assume City of Westminster, Wandsworth, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, City of London, and Windsor and Maidenhead increase their council tax by 5% in 2026-27. We also assume they will increase their council tax by 5% plus £150 in 2027-28 and 2028-29, which is closer to the average council tax increase across the country.

The actual level of council tax remains a local decision for individual councils, taking into consideration a range of local factors including the impact on taxpayers.

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 9 February 2026 to Question 109623 on Local Government Finance: City of Westminster and Wandsworth, what the assumed increases in Band D council tax are for the other four councils with no referendum principles.

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

The government believes it is right to continue to calculate Core Spending Power in line with the approach used at previous Settlements. This includes an assumption that authorities increase their Band D council tax by the maximum allowed within any council tax referendum principles set for them.

To increase fairness for taxpayers, provide better value for money and enable the rebalancing of disparities in council tax levels, the government intends not to set referendum principles in 2027-28 and 2028-29 for six upper-tier authorities with the lowest council tax levels receiving 95% income protection. Removing referendum principles in these areas will enable the government to allocate over £250 million more funding for public services in places with higher need instead of subsidising very low bills for 500,000 households in these councils.

To calculate their Core Spending Power, we assume City of Westminster, Wandsworth, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, City of London, and Windsor and Maidenhead increase their council tax by 5% in 2026-27. We also assume they will increase their council tax by 5% plus £150 in 2027-28 and 2028-29, which is closer to the average council tax increase across the country.

The actual level of council tax remains a local decision for individual councils, taking into consideration a range of local factors including the impact on taxpayers.

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 ensure that policies applying to local government members apply to Ministers in his Department.

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

Ministers are expected to maintain high standards of behaviour and to behave in a way that upholds the highest standards of propriety. The Ministerial Code provides guidance to ministers on how they should act and arrange their affairs in order to uphold these standards. Ministers are responsible for their own behaviour, and are ultimately accountable to the Prime Minister for their conduct under the Ministerial Code

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 7 January 2026 to Question 97134 on MHCLG: Departmental Responsibilities, whether the Minister for Housing and Planning discussed government business with Edaroth during his attendance at Housing Group events at the Labour Party Conference in September 2025.

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

I had no meetings with Edaroth at Labour Party Annual Conference 2025 and shared no platforms with representatives of the company.

I participated in a number of advertised events at the conference, including a panel organised by Labour Housing Group, in which I set out the government’s overall approach to housing and planning. I did not discuss other Departmental business at any of these events.

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 letter to council leaders and others of 16 February 2026 on postponement of local elections in England in May 2026, for what reason the decision was made by the Housing Minister.

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

As set out in the Government’s communication to the Court and the Secretary of State’s correspondence to the Rt. Hon. Member of 23 February, in order to ensure that the position was reconsidered afresh, and recognising the urgency created by the electoral timetable, the Minister of State for Housing and Planning was invited to review the matter.

Found: 16.13 When the bill was introduced in February 2026, shadow local government secretary, Sir James Cleverly