Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the command paper, Protecting What Matters, CP 1540, 9 March 2026, page 40, in what manner will the new guidance on External Speakers differ to that published by the (a) Charity Commission and (b) Office for Students.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department will publish new guidance in the spring to support higher education (HE) providers in understanding their responsibilities under the Prevent Duty. This will include advice on assessing whether external speech may be unlawful or linked to terrorism, and on carrying out due diligence for invited speakers.
The Prevent Duty does not apply to all charities, and not all HE providers have charity status. The planned guidance will therefore offer more detailed, sector-specific advice on managing risks associated with external speakers in HE settings than guidance intended for the wider charity sector.
The planned guidance will work alongside guidance issued by the Office for Students which supports providers in meeting duties under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Home Office guidance, Funding Instruction for Local Authorities: Asylum Grant 2025 - 2026, updated 23 April 2025, how many councils are participating in the LA-led asylum accommodation pilots.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Asylum Grant supports local authorities with a contribution to the costs and pressures of accommodating asylum seekers across all eligible accommodation types through a baseline payment of £1,200 per occupied bedspace and quarterly growth payments of £100 per net growth in newly occupied bedspaces. This grant started in 2021/22 and has been renewed yearly with the approval of HM Treasury. There is no unique link between this and local authority-led asylum accommodation pilots. No decisions have yet been made on which local authorities will participate in asylum accommodation pilots.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether (a) combined authorities and (b) the Mayor of London are participating in asylum accommodation pilots; and what role they have in asylum accommodation under proposed reforms.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Responsibility for the provision of asylum support and accommodation remains with the Secretary of State for the Home Department, and any pilot models have been designed to be delivered through local authorities. Strategic authorities, including combined authorities and the Mayor of London, may support local coordination where appropriate but have no formal delivery role.
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 whether overseas broadcasts to influence elections in the United Kingdom are permitted.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Since March 2025, the Foreign Interference Offence has been a priority offence under the Online Safety Act, requiring platforms to put in place proportionate systems and processes designed to prevent users from encountering content that amounts to the Foreign Interference Offence, minimise the length of time it is on their service and remove any illegal content on user-to-user services where they become aware of it.
Ofcom has published its Codes of Practice which outline guidance on how platforms can comply with these duties. Platforms have already been required to assess the risk of illegal content (including foreign interference) on their services against this guidance.
Ofcom has robust enforcement powers to enforce compliance with the illegal safety duties, with providers being required to implement the safety measures set out in the Codes or use other effective measures to protect users from illegal content and activity.
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 9 March 2026, to Question 116488, on Absent Voting: British Nationals Abroad, what consideration has been made of using a QR code.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 116488 on 9 March 2026; the government has no plans to allow electors to use a QR code to download and print their own ballot papers.
The government also has no plans to introduce online voting in the UK or introduce QR codes to link to an online voting system. At present, there are serious concerns - shared internationally - about the risks of online voting, including cyber threats, fraud, and the challenge of ensuring a fully secure and anonymous ballot.
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, if he will publish all substantive communications made to the court by the Government in the context of the legal challenge on the cancellation of the May 2026 local elections.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Correspondence with the court has been routine and administrative; there are therefore no substantive communications to publish.
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, if he will publish the election pilots prospectus that has been sent to councils.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has no plans to publish the prospectus regarding flexible voting pilots, which was previously shared with local authorities.
The government has published full details of the flexible voting pilots in the form of the orders, and factsheet.
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, if he will make it his policy to introduce statutory guidance to Returning Officers so there is an explicit obligation to enforce the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023 in polling stations and intervene to stop the practice of so-called family voting.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt. Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 119522 on 18 March 2026.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 20 February 2026 to Question 111691 on Valuation Office Agency: Conference, if she will publish the presentations from the Valuation Office Agency at the (a) December 2024, (b) March 2025 and (c) September 2025 international conferences.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
We do not routinely publish this information.
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 9 March 2026, to Question 116479, on Elections: Proof of Identity, whether the cash withdrawal cards that will be accepted as identification will include reloadable, non-bank-account-linked payment cards.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 121736 on 27 March 2026.