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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the nature mitigation mechanisms in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on the use of bat tunnels in new developments.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is confident that the Nature Restoration Fund proposed in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill provides a mechanism to avoid the kind of expensive intervention epitomised by the Sheephouse Wood Bat Protection Structure and instead drive meaningful outcomes for nature at the right scale.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether Articles 13 and 141 of the EU Treaty Articles have been assimilated into the English planning system.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Articles 13 and 14 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU have not been incorporated into the planning system in England.

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 9 July 2025 to Question 64498 on Waste Disposal: Fixed Penalties, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies of instances of local authorities using fly-tipping powers to fine households for breaches of waste receptacle offences that would not permit a waste receptacle fine under the harm to local amenity test.

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

This Government has not made an assessment of the potential implications for the department’s policies of instances of local authorities using fly-tipping powers to fine households for breaches of waste receptacle offences that would not permit a waste receptacle fine under the harm to local amenity test.

The principles of the Regulators Code apply to enforcement action carried out by local authorities. This includes that regulatory activity should be carried out in a way which is proportionate, transparent, accountable and consistent.

We are seeking powers in the Crime and Policing Bill to provide statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance to support councils to consistently, appropriately and effectively exercise existing enforcement powers.

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 4 July 2025 to Question 62604 on Planning: Disclosure of Information, whether information on the internal layout of Embassy developments can be redacted by a planning applicant, before it is submitted to a local planning authority.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The submission of application documents is a matter for applicants themselves.

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 8 July 2025 to Question 62598 on Right to Buy Scheme, what estimate she has made of the number of Right to Buy sales per year following those further reforms to the Right to Buy.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Preliminary modelling of the effects of lowering percentage discounts and extending the qualifying tenancy period for the Right to Buy indicates that sales could fall to c.1,000 homes per year in the short run. This estimate is based on early analysis and should be treated as indicative, pending further refinement. We will provide a fuller assessment ahead of introducing the necessary legislation.

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 30 June 2025 to Question 61622 on MHCLG: Translation Services, if she will list (a) the foreign languages and (b) the documents that were (i) translated and (ii) interpreted.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 67129 on 22 July 2025.

The department does not hold a central list of documents that were translated and interpreted.

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 18 June 2025 to Question 59784 on MHCLG: Research, if she will publish the specification of the research commissioned from the Department for Education on 19 March 2025 costing £57,600, published in the March 2025 transparency data.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

MHCLG commissioned Policy Lab to conduct a series of workshops with the Digital Planning Programme, on supporting the growth of the Property Technology market and exploring the barriers to greater adoption. The write up of these workshops is informing current policy development but contains information that is commercially sensitive. We will take a decision on publication after that process once the commercially sensitive information has been reviewed.

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 8 July 2025 to Question 64625 on Electoral Register: Young People, whether political parties were consulted.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Pursuant to the answer given to Question UIN 64625 on 8 July 2025, the government was elected on a manifesto commitment to give 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote in all elections. We are committed to act during this Parliament to do so – in turn strengthening our democracy, empowering young people to participate and building an informed and engaged electorate.

We will take time to engage with stakeholders in the electoral sector, devolved and local government, education, civil society - and importantly, with young people themselves - to ensure the change is implemented successfully.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has provided to local planning authorities on whether a reserved matters planning application can be rejected on the principle of development established in approved outline planning application.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government have published no such guidance. Guidance relating to outline planning permission and approval of reserved matters is set out in Planning Practice Guidance on making an application which can be found on gov.uk here.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her policy is on the use of Special Development Orders for private sector development which does not engage matters of national security.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Special Development Orders are a long-established part of the planning system. Each case is considered on its individual merits. The government has no plans to change this approach.

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 reduce the amount of planning paperwork for new build (a) homes and (b) flats.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

On 28 May 2025, the government published the Planning Reform Working Paper: Reforming Site Thresholds (which can be found on gov.uk here) which sought views on taking a gradated approach to the planning system, removing and streamlining disproportionate requirements on small and medium sites.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to merge Homes England into her Department.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

There are no plans to merge Homes England into MHCLG.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance she has provided to local authorities on (a) spending Community Infrastructure Levy receipts, (b) deriving related interest from unspent funds and (c) how such interest should be allocated in two-tier areas between districts and counties.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department has published guidance on CIL which includes how receipts should be spent. The guidance, which is available gov.uk here, makes clear that charging authorities should work closely with county councils in setting priorities for how CIL receipts will be spent.

I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Question UIN 56282 on 10 June 2025 and Question UIN 54059 on 6 June 2025.

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 14 June 2025 to Question 59791 on Greater Manchester Combined Authority: Housing Investment Programmes, whether (a) her Department and (b) Homes England have had recent discussions with (i) Sheikh Mansour and (ii) Abu Dhabi United Group on housing development in Greater Manchester.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I am not aware of any recent engagements between my Department or Homes England with Sheikh Mansour and the Abu Dhabi United Group regarding housing development in Greater Manchester.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2025 to Question 64049 on Alcoholic Drinks, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the (a) production of organic wines and sparkling wines in British vineyards and (b) use of renewable technologies on achieving environmental objectives, in the context of green bond objectives.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The Green Financing Programme’s objective is to raise funds via green gilts and retail Green Savings Bonds for policies with a positive climate or environmental impact. All eligible policies financed by the Programme are drawn from policies agreed by HM Treasury and departments in the Spending Review.

In the context of the Green Financing Programme, HM Treasury does not conduct impact assessments of existing or potential policies. Spending departments are responsible for the decision to conduct ex-ante or ex-post impact assessments of their policies.

HM Treasury does publish a biennial Impact Report of policies funded via the Green Financing Programme, using data from other departments. The most recent such report was published in September 2023 and can be found via the following website link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/651446cdb1bad4000d4fd916/HMT-UK_Green_Financing_Allocation_Impact_Report_2023_Accessible.pdf

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Future Homes Standard will permit (a) air conditioning and (b) air to air reversible heat pumps in (i) new build and (ii) refurbished dwellings.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Under the Future Homes Standard (FHS), which will apply to new builds only, new homes will be required to be built with low carbon heating. We do not mandate specific technologies in the Building Regulations and so we expect a range of different types of heat pumps or other low carbon technologies to be used.

While the FHS will not be focused on overheating, Part O of the Building Regulations requires that new residential buildings are built to mitigate the risk of overheating. Mechanical cooling can be used, however, given the government’s net zero commitment, our preferred means of mitigating overheating is through passive means. Developers must demonstrate that all possible passive means of cooling a dwelling have been implemented before adopting mechanical cooling. As part of the Future Homes and Buildings Standard consultation, which closed in March 2024, we sought evidence on whether current overheating standards are appropriate or require amendment. The government will set out the evidence it received and its response to this in Autumn 2025.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has issued guidance to special advisers on undertaking opposition research involving individual politicians.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare

As has been the case under successive governments, special advisers are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers at all times. No specific guidance has been issued on special advisers undertaking opposition research involving individual politicians.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Downing Street press release entitled PM call with President Xi Jinping of China: 23 August 2024, what discussions the Prime Minister had with President Xi Jinping during the telephone call on the proposed Chinese Embassy in London.

Answered by Catherine West

During his phone call with President Xi on 23 August 2024, the Prime Minister set out his priorities for his government, including national security, secure borders and economic stability.

The leaders discussed areas of shared collaboration, and potential areas of cooperation between the UK and China, including on trade, the economy and education.

As permanent members of the UN Security Council, the leaders agreed on the importance of close working in areas such as climate change and global security.

A readout of this discussion can be found on gov.uk.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has had recent discussions with the Parking and Traffic Regulations Outside London Adjudication Joint Committee on automatic number plate recognition powers for off-street car parks.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Whilst the Secretary of State has held no meetings with the Parking and Traffic Regulations Outside London Adjudication Joint Committee, the government is committed to raising standards for off-street private parking operators.

On 11 July, the government published a consultation document setting out its proposals for raising standards across the private parking industry ahead of preparing a code of practice and an accompanying compliance framework for private parking operators. The consultation document can be found on gov.uk here. The consultation closes on 5 September.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2025 to Question 68763 on Alcoholic Drinks, for what reason domestic alcohol production is excluded from green bonds.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

All eligible policies financed by the Green Financing Programme are drawn from policies agreed by HM Treasury and departments in the Spending Review. These policies are assessed based on their contribution to the government’s climate and environmental objectives.

The Framework excludes financing of the direct manufacture of alcoholic beverages, alongside other named exclusions, in line with international convention and investor expectations for green bond frameworks. This approach enables the UK’s green gilts to be accessible to the greatest possible pool of investors, improving value-for-money.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has set a target for reducing the number of deaths attributable to particulate air pollution.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There is not currently a Government target to reduce the number of deaths attributable to particulate air pollution. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs set two targets for particulate matter, an emissions reduction target and a Population Exposure Reduction Target, which will continue to reduce peoples’ average exposure across the country. The Department of Health and Social Care will continue to work across Government to reduce people’s exposure to pollutants harmful to health.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has produced guidance on the political restrictions of the deputy mayors of the (a) Greater London Authority and (b) combined authority mayors.

Answered by Jim McMahon

The department has not published guidance on the political restrictions of the deputy mayors of the Greater London Authority, or the deputy mayors appointed by combined authority mayors.

Officers working in local government are subject to the Local Government Officers (Political Restrictions) Regulations 1990, which sets out the political restrictions they are subject to. For the deputy mayors of combined authorities it would not be necessary to publish guidance because the postholders are not officers. The deputy mayors appointed under 67(1)(b) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 are subject to political restriction, and the Greater London Authority published guidance on politically restricted posts.

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 4 July 2025 to Question 64190 on Unitary Councils: Cambridgeshire, whether the same timetable will apply to other proposed new unitary councils with (a) November and (b) September response deadlines.

Answered by Jim McMahon

The government is committed to ending two-tier local government in England and moving to a single tier of local government in all parts of the country as soon as practicable. This will create simpler structures for the public, strengthen disjointed services and help councils pursue efficiencies. We anticipate that for areas submitting final proposals at the end of September, a consultation could be launched in November, closing in the new year, and for areas submitting final proposals at the end of November a consultation could be launched in the new year closing after the local elections in May 2026.

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 Written Statement of 24 June 2025 on Simplified Local Leadership Structures, HCWS736, through what legislative means the committee system will be abolished.

Answered by Jim McMahon

The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, introduced to the House of Commons on 10 July 2025, makes provision to change the available governance arrangements for councils in England, by amending the Local Government Act 2000 to remove the committee system and require those currently operating the committee system to move to the leader and cabinet model.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 July 2025 to Question 68482 on House of Lords Composition, how the Select Committee on the composition of the House of Lords will be selected; what will be the political balance; and whether it will be a Joint Committee with this representation from the House of Commons.

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

As stated in the Answer of 24 July, the Government intends to propose the establishment of a House of Lords Select Committee to look at how best to implement the manifesto commitments on a retirement age and participation requirement. The details of the Select Committee, including its proposed chair, membership and timescales of reporting, will be put to the House of Lords for agreement after the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill receives Royal Assent.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many applications have been made to the Building Safety Regulator since 4 July 2024; and how many of those (a) were approved, (b) were rejected and (c) are awaiting Gateway (i) 2 and (ii) 3 approval.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The table below shows number of building control approval applications received by the BSR and how many of those where approved, rejected, and are awaiting approval, for both Gateway 2 and 3, since 4 July 2024.

The BSR will be regularly publishing data demonstrating the volumes of applications received, outcomes and decision times for determination. The first tranche of this data for Gateway 2 applications was published 9 July 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the new definition of Islamophobia will be adopted by the police for (a) the recording of non-hate crime incidents and (b) deciding whether to prosecute an individual for telecommunications or public order offences.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government established an independent Working Group to advise the Government on a definition of Islamophobia/Anti-Muslim hatred. Should the Government accept the recommendations of the Working Group, the definition used will be non-statutory. It will enable Government and other relevant bodies to have a greater understanding of unacceptable treatment and prejudice against Muslim communities. Once the Government has had time to review this independent advice, it will consider its next steps.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of QR code fraud in municipal car parks; and what guidance she has provided to (a) local authorities and (b) the public to help mitigate this.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

QR Code Fraud is a crime.

The Department for Business and Trade provide funding for general consumer education and information campaigns to Citizens Space.

On behalf of the Consumer Protection Partnership, Citizens Advice run an annual scams awareness campaign. The October 2024 campaign was focused on financial scams and included Parking QR code scams. The campaign was actively promoted in print and social media at both national and local level.

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 her Department's transparency data entitled MHCLG: ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings, January to March 2025, published on 26 June 2025, what the (a) cost and (b) name was of each of the hotels she used during her visit to Africa.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Deputy Prime Minister did not use hotel accommodation during this visit.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the new surcharge on hereditaments with Rateable Values above £500,000 from 2026-27 will be revenue-neutral in relation to the cost of the new Retail, Hospitality and Leisure rate multiplier from the 2026-27 financial year onwards; and whether the business rates regime will have a (a) positive or (b) negative cost to the public purse in the 2025-26 financial year.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

To deliver our manifesto pledge, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for high street retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with Rateable Values (RVs) below £500,000 from 2026-27.

This tax cut must be sustainably funded, and so we intend to apply a higher rate from 2026-27 on the most valuable properties - those with RVs of £500,000 and above. These represent less than one per cent of all properties, but cover the majority of large distribution warehouses, including those used by online giants.

The rates for these new business rates multipliers will be set at Budget 2025 so that the Government can take into account the upcoming revaluation outcomes as well as the economic and fiscal context. When the new multipliers are set, HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the expected effects of the new multiplier arrangements.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the new surcharge on hereditaments with Rateable Values above £500,000 from 2026-27 will be revenue neutral in relation to the cost of the new Retail, Hospitality and Leisure rate multiplier from 2026-27.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

To deliver our manifesto pledge, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for high street retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with Rateable Values (RVs) below £500,000 from 2026-27.

This tax cut must be sustainably funded, and so we intend to apply a higher rate from 2026-27 on the most valuable properties - those with RVs of £500,000 and above. These represent less than one per cent of all properties, but cover the majority of large distribution warehouses, including those used by online giants.

The rates for these new business rates multipliers will be set at Budget 2025 so that the Government can take into account the upcoming revaluation outcomes as well as the economic and fiscal context. When the new multipliers are set, HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the expected effects of the new multiplier arrangements.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2025 to Question 64077 on Film: Business Rates, if she will make it her policy to increase the level of film studio business rate relief to compensate for new business rates surcharge from 2026-27.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced an intention to introduce a higher business rates multiplier on the most valuable properties – those with Rateable Values (RVs) of £500,000 and above – from April 2026 to fund permanently lower multipliers for retail, hospitality and leisure properties with RVs below £500,000.

Eligible film studios receive 40 per cent relief on gross business rates bills until March 2034. Business rates bills are calculated by applying the relevant multiplier first and so film studios will receive 40 per cent relief on their total liability. As set out in supporting guidance, the Government may review the level of relief in the event of significant changes in RVs at future revaluations.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the number of headcount members of the Government Communication Service; and what estimate he has made of the number of embedded communications across central government that are not included with the Government Communication Service.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Government Communications is made up of around 6,000 professional communicators from across the UK, supporting and promoting the work of 25 ministerial departments, 21 non-ministerial departments and over 300 agencies and other public bodies. The list provided for the response to IR2025/05101 breaks this down further, and will be submitted for entry into the House of Commons library.

The Government Communication Service headcount can be found on Gov.uk at this link here.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 July 2025 to Question 66478 on Innovation: Beer and Public Houses, for what reason implementation of provisions on raising the upper alcohol limit for drinks labelled as alcohol-free to 0.5% alcohol by volume from 0.05%, proposed in the consultation entitled Updating labelling guidance for no and low-alcohol alternatives of September 2023, is delayed.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government committed to tackling harmful levels of alcohol consumption through exploring options to standardise which products can describe themselves as alcohol free. One of the first steps will be to explore raising the upper alcohol limit for drinks labelled as alcohol-free to 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV) from 0.05% ABV, aligning with international standards.

Alongside the plan, a large multi-year National Institute for Health and Care Research study is underway to examine the public health impacts of NoLo products, and we look forward to the findings the study being available in the coming year.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has received representations from the Mayor of London on the provision in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill to disqualify a person from being a mayor and a Member of Parliament simultaneously.

Answered by Jim McMahon

My department has engaged with Mayors and the local government sector ahead of publication of the English Devolution White Paper, where this policy was introduced.

The post of mayor is a significant role at the forefront of delivering change and demands the full attention of any post holder. That is why the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill will prohibit individuals from holding the office of Member of Parliament (or being a member of the devolved legislatures in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) and mayor simultaneously. This is already the case for Mayors who hold Police and Crime Commissioner responsibilities.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2025 to Question 64507 on Business Rates, if she will publish the written responses.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The interim report will provide a summary of responses to the Transforming Business Rates discussion paper.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her policy is on the sale of allotments.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

There are strict criteria in place to protect statutory allotments – these are sites covered by the Allotment Act 1925. A local authority cannot sell or dispose of statutory allotment land without the consent of the Secretary of State, who will only grant it if they are satisfied that either adequate alternative provision is made for displaced plot holders, or that such provision is unnecessary or not reasonably practicable.

The rules on sales of assets have also been in place since 2016 and they have not changed. In fact, ministerial approval for sales of allotments were lower in 2024/25 than the average for previous years.

The information regarding the number of people on waiting lists for an allotment is held by individual Local Authorities, not MHCLG, as they have the responsibility for the running, management and organisation of allotments.

Government has made no formal assessment on the merits of selling statutory allotment sites in rural or smaller communities. The protections under the Allotment Act 1925, and the requirements under the Small Holdings and Allotment Act 1908 for local authorities to provide allotments where there is demand, provides the framework to ensure allotments are available to all communities.

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 4 August 2025 to Question HL9888 on Elections: Political Parties, which smaller political parties or third parties have been restricted from dual registering as both a political party and a third party.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 69631 on 3 September 2025.

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 Government’s Elections Strategy, published on 17 July 2025, whether prepaid cards will be permitted as voter identification.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Prepaid cards will be accepted as voter ID if they are issued by a UK bank and display the elector’s name.

We will be bringing forward the relevant legislation when Parliamentary time allows.

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 30 June 2025 to Question 62882 on Elections: Essex, for what reason Castle Point district council is listed as having elections in May 2026.

Answered by Jim McMahon

Since responding to Question UIN 62882 on 30 June 2025, it has been drawn to our attention that Castle Point Borough Council has resolved to change from electing by thirds to holding whole council elections every four years and is not therefore due to hold elections in May 2026. There is no duty on councils to inform government when they change their scheme of elections and I am grateful for the opportunity to correct the record.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the press release entitled Senior business leaders bolster Treasury board of 13 August 2025, whether the three new Board members had declarable political activity.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Appointments to the HMT Board are regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Sir Charlie Mayfield, Edward Twiddy and Jenny Scott have not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.