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 his Department will put forward proposals for increasing local government transparency under the next round of the UK National Action Plan for Open Government.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department keeps this issue under review. A wide range of mechanisms exist to ensure transparency and accountability of local authorities. The Local Government Transparency Code 2015 requires authorities to publish a range of information about their activities including spending, procurement and assets. Authorities are also required to produce annual accounts which are independently assured by an external auditor. The Ministry is working to improve transparency through reforms to the local audit system which will establish the Local Audit Office to oversee the system. The Local Outcomes Framework will provide outcomes based performance measurement against key national priorities delivered at the local level.
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 command paper, Protecting What Matters, CP 1540, 9 March 2026, page 38, when the first State of Extremism report will be published.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
We will seek to publish the first report later this year. It will set out the threat picture, and will include information around specific ideologies including Islamism, the Extreme Right and Extreme Left. It will provide an overview of extremist groups as well as the action taken by government and partners to counter extremism.
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 107992, on Lichfields, whether their work was awarded by open competition, or via direct award.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The contract in question was awarded directly following failed competitions. This information was published within the contract award notice which can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff are assigned to work in the Government’s Darlington Campus, by department; and whether workplace attendance is monitored.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Darlington Economic Campus (DEC) will comprise of two buildings Feethams House (open and in operation) and Brunswick St (in construction). These form part of a wider Darlington Portfolio - currently 8 buildings (excluding Brunswick St.). Of the 8 buildings, Bishopsgate House may yet form part of the DEC, but this is still undetermined.
The GPA cannot confirm how many staff are assigned to work at the Darlington Economic Campus (in effect Feethams House at this time) as this information is held by individual departments. The GPA does not monitor attendance. However we do receive data for Feethams for the purpose of reporting to Departments on building utilisation, i.e. number of people occupying a building by department. This data is captured via building Access Control Systems.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2025 to Question 47703 on Civic Dignitaries and Members, what his policy is on Members of the House of Lords serving as (a) councillors, (b) council mayors, (c) Police and Crime Commissioners, (d) the Mayor of London and (e) combined authority mayors, including any restrictions on nominating as candidates.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt. Hon Member in the time available before ProrogationAsked 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, pages 35 and 40, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the definition of anti-Muslim hostility being adopted by (a) the police and (b) Crown Prosecution Service; and which body will be responsible for the practical guidance.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh
It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt Hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
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 16 January 2026, to Question 104169, on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Darlington, why the Darlington office has a 40% office attendance rate requirement rather than the Civil Service expectation of 60%.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The office attendance expectation for the Darlington office is set at 40% due to building capacity constraints. This has been determined by assessing the number of staff based at the site against the desks available, while ensuring compliance with health and safety requirements.
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, further to his oral statement of 23 February 2026, Official Report, Col.80, on Local Government Reorganisation, on how many occasions since July 2024 have Ministers in his Department made a re-consideration of a Ministerial decision following legal advice or a legal challenge; and in how many cases was the decision made by a different Minister.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
It is a longstanding principle that government does not comment on or publish legal advice.
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 19 March 2026, to Question 120055, on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Flexible Working, whether time taken for lunch counts towards the 37 hour limit; and whether a full-time civil servant would be permitted to work from 9am to 6.15pm from Monday to Thursday under a compressed four day week.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Staff who work full-time, have the following conditioned hours per week:
If they were appointed to the Civil Service within the department on or after 1 June 2013:
Net hours do not include meal breaks.
Staff working a compressed four-day week have the flexibility to agree their daily working pattern to reach the required conditioned hours per week. As provided, the example hours would not be suitable owing to the reasons given.
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 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Flexible Working, what are the typical working hours that a full-time staff member on compressed hours is expected to work during their four day week; and how does this compare with the expected working hours of a full-time staff member during a five day working week.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Staff who work full-time, have the following conditioned hours per week:
If they were appointed to the Civil Service within the department on or after 1 June 2013:
Net hours do not include meal breaks.
Staff working a compressed four-day week have the flexibility to agree their daily working pattern to reach the required conditioned hours per week.