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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to respond to the letter of 14 July 2025 from the hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton on publication of councillors’ home addresses.

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

A response was sent to the hon. Member on 27 October 2025.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2025 to Question 54875 on Admiralty House: Council Tax, whether Council Tax (a) discount, exemption, disregard and (b) premium is applied to the Government's bill for each of the unoccupied Admiralty House ministerial residences in 2025-26.

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

Discount, exemption, disregard and premiums billing for Admiralty House are determined by the Local Authority. In this instance, this would be Westminster City Council.

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 with reference to DEP2025-0538/ MHCLG Flights July 5 2024- May 31 2025, deposited on 24 July 2025, for what reason his Department took flights from Manchester to London.

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

A flight was taken from Manchester to London on 9 March 2025 by a member of staff to attend a mandatory training course on the following day.

The trains were on strike at the time of the booking attempt (14 February 2025), as a result, none of the Manchester-to-London routes were shown on the government booking platform.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many civil servants from his Department went on strike on 1 September 2025.

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

431 individuals are recorded as having taken part in strike action on 1 September 2025.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what guidance her Department has issued on recognising premises as a diplomatic mission of a foreign government.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The process of applying for Diplomatic and Consular Status for Official Mission Premises is set out in Section 1(1) of the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1987/46). Diplomatic missions are required to obtain the consent of the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs for land to be regarded as diplomatic or consular premises.

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 assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the reasons for which some people put flags on lampposts in the summer.

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

At this time, no assessment has been made. My department is co-ordinating cross-Government efforts to develop a longer-term, more strategic approach to social cohesion - working in partnership with local government, communities and local stakeholders to rebuild, renew and address the deep-seated issues.

Where the subject has been raised, we have been clear that everyone can make their own decisions, including local councils, on flying flags and that guidance exists to support them, such as ‘Flying flags: a plain English guide” - as set out in the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 2007 (as amended in 2012 and 2021) – which outlines the regulations related to the flying of flags in England.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 76822 on Jeffrey Epstein, what records Integrated Corporate Services holds of meetings between Jeffrey Epstein and Ministers in the former Department for Business, Innovation and Skills between 2009 and 2010.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Any such information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 76822 on Jeffrey Epstein, what records Integrated Corporate Services holds of correspondence (a) to and (b) from Lord Mandelson relating to Sempra Commodities between 2009 and 2010.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Any such information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

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 September 2025 to Question 70571 on Elections: Campaigns, whether the new imprint requirements will apply outside candidate-specific regulated election periods.

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

Imprint requirements play an important role in upholding trust in our democratic process by ensuring voters can see clearly who is behind printed and digital campaigning material.

The period for which the print and digital imprint rules apply will remain the same. As digital campaigning is not confined to election periods, the UK-wide digital imprint regime, for the most part, applies all-year round. Whereas the print regime applies during regulated periods for candidates.

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 held discussions with representatives of political parties prior to the publication of the policy paper entitled Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections, published on 17 July 2025.

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

The Government has worked closely with its partners in local and devolved government, with the electoral sector, with education providers and civil society, and with citizens themselves in the development of the strategy for modern and secure elections. We will continue to engage with a range of stakeholders, including with political parties and sector representative organisations such as the Association of Electoral Administrators, to ensure these changes are delivered successfully.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what estimate the Electoral Commission has made of the number of spoilt votes under the supplementary vote electoral system.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The last set of elections held under the supplementary vote electoral system were the local government and PCC elections in May 2021. The percentage of rejected ballot papers at those elections was higher than at elections using first past the post in the same year: 0.8% for the local government elections compared to 2.7% for the PCC and 4.3% for Mayor of London.

The Commission’s report following the elections noted that the number of rejected ballot papers for the Mayor of London election was notably higher than it had been at previous elections. The most significant difference compared to previous elections was the record 20 candidates which had led to a new two-column ballot paper design to accommodate electronic counting requirements. The report emphasised that clear and effective ballot paper design is essential to help voters cast their votes correctly. It recommended that alternative ballot paper designs should be tested in advance of future elections.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what discussions the Electoral Commission has had with the Government on the use of pilot voting schemes in the May 2026 local elections in England.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Electoral Commission has had discussions with Government on its proposals for pilot voting schemes at the May 2026 local elections in England.

The Commission’s research shows people in the UK are generally happy with the current ways of voting in person at elections. But it is important to look at how to keep improving elections, to meet the changing needs of voters and to make sure voting is as convenient and accessible as possible.

The Commission will support local authorities taking part in the pilots as needed, and work to ensure voters are aware of the voting options available to them. It also has a statutory duty to independently evaluate and report on the May 2026 pilot schemes.

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 local authorities on the provision to political parties of the expiry dates of postal voting mandates for individual electors with postal votes.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) are required by law to identify postal voters whose absent voting arrangements will expire on 31 January each year. These voters must be notified directly by the ERO that their current arrangement is ending and that they will need to submit a new postal vote application if they wish to continue voting by post.

While political parties are entitled to receive absent voting lists, the expiry date of a postal vote does not form part of the absent voting record. As such, there is no provision for EROs to share this information.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what assessment the Electoral Commission has made of the security of the ballot for early voting pilot schemes.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Electoral Commission evaluated a small number of early voting pilots in Wales as part of the local council elections in May 2022. There are several potential integrity challenges presented by managing voting over multiple days. These include, ensuring ballot box security overnight and managing the risk of double voting risk.

During the pilots, the Electoral Commission found that Returning Officers and their teams managed risks well, working alongside the police. No concerns were raised with the Returning Officers in relation to the integrity of the polls in the pilot areas by the police or by political parties and candidates.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Election Commission has issued to Electoral Registration Officers on the declarations that a potential elector must make to enter onto the electoral roll.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Electoral Commission has issued guidance on the declarations required to Electoral Registration Officers. All electors must make a declaration that the contents of their application to register are true. This can include a declaration of local connection, if a person does not have a fixed or permanent address.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2025 to Question 76017 on Electoral Register, whether the Electoral Commission has issued guidance to Electoral Registration Officers on whether a voter can meet the residency requirements by having a permanent residence in three different dwellings in three different local authority areas.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Electoral Commission's guidance for Electoral Registration Officer’s (EROs) sets out that someone may be eligible to register and to vote at more than one address if the ERO finds they meet the residency requirements, alongside the other usual registration conditions. When considering an application to register a person at a secondary address the ERO should take into account why the voter is present at that address, to establish if they may be deemed resident there. Each case should be considered on its own merits.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking with the National Fraud Initiative to tackle evasion of the council tax second homes premium.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The National Fraud Initiative (NFI), as part of the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA), works closely with local authorities to help them identify and prevent fraud.

As part of this, the NFI is currently collaborating with local authorities to understand the fraud risks related to council tax second home premiums. The NFI will use that insight to inform options to detect and prevent fraud in this area.

This collaboration is also helping local authorities to address fraud in other areas of council tax, such as fraudulent claims for a ‘single person discount’ (SPD). In its most recent report, the NFI detected £20.4m in fraudulent SPDs in England, with £20.2m, or 99%, in recovery.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Statement of 21 July 2024 on Government of service, HCWS870, whether the breach of the Ministerial Code by the former Deputy Prime Minister was deemed a serious breach.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

I refer you to the advice provided by the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards and the subsequent exchange of letters between the Prime Minister and the former Deputy Prime Minister. These are published on gov.uk at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-from-the-independent-adviser-on-ministerial-standards-exchange-of-letters-between-the-prime-minister-and-angela-rayner-mp

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many post offices there are in each (a) constituency and (b) local authority area by (i) location, (ii) rurality and (iii) type of post office.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Post Office Limited publishes monthly data on the number of branches trading across the UK, including their locations and rurality. The latest dataset, covering September 2025, is available on the Post Office Limited’s website at: 2025-september-network-numbers-online-list-v2.xlsx

Post Office Limited’s most recent annual Network Report includes data on branch types. You can access it here: network-report-2024-final-5.pdf.

Parliamentarians can find data on branch locations by constituency in the House of Commons Library.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2025 to Question 74189 on Chinese Embassy, if he will publish (a) that reply and (b) any subsequent correspondence.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

It is for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to decide what documentation to publish as part of that process.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 22 January 2025, to Question 23786, on Chinese Embassy: Planning Permission, if he will publish the (a) minutes and (b) meeting notes for the meetings attended by FCDO officials 4 July 2024.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

It is for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to decide what documentation to publish as part of that process.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Cabinet Secretary plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton of 10 June 2025 on the proposed Chinese Embassy and pre-determination.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

I apologise for the delayed response to the Hon. Member’s letter. He will have received a letter of apology for this. He will receive a substantive reply as soon as possible.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Chief Fire Adviser on the potential impact of the (a) ban on controlled heather burning on and (b) definition of deep peat on the risk of wildfires.

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

While the regulation of controlled heather burning and the definition of deep peat fall within the responsibility of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which addressed a similar question from the Hon. Member on 11 September 2025 (UIN 76603), the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is the lead government department for wildfire (from 1 April 2025).

The Chief Fire Adviser post ceased with the introduction of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) in 2017. As did my predecessor, I meet regularly with Phil Garrigan, Chair of the NFCC, to discuss a range of issues in fire and resilience, including wildfire. I also understand that NFCC provided input to Defra’s consultation on the Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations in 2025.

In December 2021 the Home Office, as the former lead government department for wildfire, published the Wildfire Framework for England.  The framework identifies responsibilities, clarifies relationships, and facilitates coordination at the government level and between key wildfire stakeholders in England. MHCLG continues to work with Defra and other partners to ensure that land management and environmental policies are aligned with effective wildfire resilience.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2025 to Question 76603 on Peatlands: Fires, whether (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have received representations from the National Fire Chiefs Council on that issue.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) responded to Defra’s consultation on heather and grass burning in England earlier this year. Their response is published on their website: 250523-Heather-and-Grass-Burning-in-England-Consultation-Response-FINAL.pdf.

I also met with NFCC to discuss their consultation response, prior to the amendments to the Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2021 being finalised. Defra and NFCC, as well as representatives from various Fire and Rescue Services, continue to work together in this area.