Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number and proportion of pubs that are (a) independent, (b) owned by public companies and (c) owned by breweries.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Rt Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 10th March is attached.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Budget Policy Costing 2025, November 2025, page 51, on the High Value Council Tax Surcharge, what proportion of the (a) -£60 million impact in 2025-26, (b) -£120 million impact in 2026-27 and (c) -£155 million impact in 2027-28 is from (i) lower stamp duty, (ii) lower capital gain tax, (iii) lower inheritance tax and (iv) lower Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings receipts, in each case and year.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The OBR publishes a breakdown of the Budget 2025 policy costings here:
Policy costings - Office for Budget Responsibility
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the aggregate monetary level of Dedicated Schools Grant High Need deficits that will not be written off by central Government.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department has set out plans to address these deficits up to the end of 2025/26, providing grants to cover 90% of each council’s deficit once they have produced and received approval for a strong plan to drive sustained action in accordance with our new system set out today in the Schools White Paper. This will help to improve outcomes for children and bring costs under control through effective early intervention, stopping needs from escalating. Asking authorities to contribute the remaining 10% reflects the shared responsibility we all have in delivering a system that provides value for money and supports better outcomes for children and young people.
For deficits that arise in 2026/27 and 2027/28, local authorities can expect that we will continue to take an appropriate and proportionate approach though it will not be unlimited. Future support will take into account local authorities' successful delivery of their approved Local SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) reform plan.
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 116476 on Political Parties: Finances, whether (a) hon. Members and (b) peers will have to undertake due diligence checks on political donations made directly to them.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Know Your Donor regime will introduce new risk-based due diligence checks on significant political donations. These rules will apply across the electoral regime, which includes members of the House of Commons and holders of relevant elected office as set out in Schedule 7 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendum Act.
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 116477 on Local government: elections, what his timetable is for establishing the claimant’s reasonable legal costs.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
An initial payment has been made, and the remaining costs will be determined in line with the usual processes.
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 is taking steps to help prevent anti-Israeli boycotts and divestment campaigns in local authorities.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government strongly opposes boycotts by local authorities except where formal legal sanctions, embargoes and restrictions have been put in place by the UK Government. Boycotts can be unlawful and lead to penalties against the contracting authority and the Government.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether organisations subject to a policy of non-engagement are barred from (a) applying for and (b) receiving government funding.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Organisations who do not meet due diligence checks will not be eligible for government funding. It is up to each department to carry out due diligence when choosing to engage with, or fund, any organisation or individual and, if asked, we will advise and share information to help others inform their decisions.
As announced in the Protecting What Matters publication last week, we are currently updating and embedding the 2024 engagement principles which will assist public bodies to not confer legitimacy, funding or influence on extremist groups.
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 116756, on Independent Review into Civil Unrest in Leicester, what is the timetable for publishing the report that was received by his Department on 1 July 2025.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is taking the time to review the Panel’s report to ensure that its response is in the best interest of communities in Leicester and beyond. We will respond in due course. Our ‘Protecting What Matters’ Action Plan, published on 9 March, considered learnings from the events of Leicester in 2022 and has set out measures we are taking to build social cohesion and protect our communities from harm, such as establishing an Advisory Board to support local authorities when tensions arise, and tackling harmful content in online spaces.
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, with reference to the command paper, Protecting What Matters, CP 1540, 9 March 2026, page 16, what steps he is taking to promote Englishness and a national sense of identity in England.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
A great strength of our national identity is its pluralism. Whether we are from England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland; whatever our religion or belief; whether we were born here or abroad; or whatever the colour of our skin, we can all embrace our shared identity, celebrate what we have in common, and be proud of our country’s long history and heritage.
As set out in Protecting What Matters, we will set clear national integration expectations for communities across the country, focused on stronger social connections, shared identity, English language proficiency, and participation in work. We will also strengthen the national curriculum and qualifications in England to ensure high quality teaching of our nation’s history.
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.