Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
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 on the change of use and conversion of former school buildings to residential accommodation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has not issued specific guidance on the change of use and conversion of former school buildings to residential accommodation.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has issued on the change of use and conversion of former school buildings to residential accommodation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has not issued specific guidance on the change of use and conversion of former school buildings to residential accommodation.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the activities of the National Education Union on community cohesion.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Education plays a vital role in preparing our children and young people for life in a modern and diverse Britain. Accordingly, the department plays a key role in the government’s efforts to strengthen social cohesion, as outlined in the recently published social cohesion action plan ‘Protecting What Matters’.
As part of these actions to strengthen social cohesion, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has launched an independent review into antisemitism in schools and colleges in England, led by Sir David Bell.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
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 Jonathan Hall KC on the new anti-Muslim hostility definition.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As is standard practice in government policy making, officials undertook limited and focused informal engagement with selected stakeholders as the government considered the advice submitted by the Working Group.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
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 September 2025, to Question 75184, on Fast Food: Planning, what his Department's policy if on whether sandwich shops are classed as fast food outlets.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As per my answer to Question UIN 75184 on 12 September 2025, it is for local planning authorities, when receiving a planning application, to consider whether, given the type of food and service to be provided at the location proposed, they consider the outlet to be either a hot food takeaway or a fast-food outlet.
Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, sought feedback on the application of the term ‘fast-food outlets’ in planning decisions, and whether any further clarity could be provided on the types of establishments this policy should apply to.
We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that the new Chinese Embassy (a) follows planning permission and conditions and (b) complies with building regulations.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the paragraphs 103-105 of the Secretary of State’s decision letter which can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
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 March 2026, to Question 110793, on MHCLG: Flexible Working, what is the reason for the number of staff on a 4 day week on compressed hours rising from 214 in January 2025 to 339 in January 2026.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Staff have a statutory right to apply for flexible working at any point during their employment.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of potential merits of making English language training compulsory for asylum seekers who do not have English language proficiency.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government has set out its commitment to supporting successful integration, as highlighted in the Immigration White Paper. Being able to communicate effectively in English is essential for accessing public services, participating in civic life, securing employment, and building strong connections within local communities. Without sufficient language skills, individuals may face barriers to integration and increased risk of social isolation.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
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 March 2026, to Question 117308, on Local Government Finance, what amount of the £200 million of funding in 2026-28 has been reallocated to other priorities.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As set out in my response on 11 March, each of the 6 areas on the Devolution Priority Programme will receive a proportion of their investment fund to ensure they can start delivering on key local priorities and deliver the benefits of devolution on the ground ahead of the mayors taking office. Per the standard procedures for government Departments, the funding originally earmarked for the full programme will be re-allocated, in this case for other local growth priorities.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
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 ensure that the new Chinese Embassy (a) follows its planning permission and conditions and (b) complies with building regulations.
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 110795 on 12 February 2026.