Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much Homes England has spent on consultants since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Since 5 July 2024 to present Homes England has spent £2,240,319.90 (excluding VAT) on consultants to provide external advice and support on a number of key projects to improve the operations of the agency.
For transparency, all Agency consultancy spend over £250 is published on Homes England’s website.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
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 Answers of 14 February 2025 to Question (a) 29078 and (b) 29080 on Property Development: Air Pollution, whether air quality assessments for developments subject to an Environment Impact Assessment are a statutory requirement.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The degree to which air quality is assessed depends on the likely significant effects of the development on the environment.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question
To ask the Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church Commissioners have made of the potential impact of the Law Commission's consultation on burial and cremation, published on 3 October 2024, on the finances of local authorities taking over the maintenance of closed churchyards.
Answered by Marsha De Cordova
The National Institutions of the Church of England submitted a response to the Law Commission’s consultation on burial and cremation. That response supported the introduction of a statutory code of practice for local authorities’ maintenance of burial grounds, including closed churchyards.
It also agreed with the Law Commission’s proposal that the Secretary of State should have the power to reopen closed burial grounds and that where a churchyard is reopened, the local authority should continue to have responsibility for its maintenance.
Local authority finance itself is not an area within the remit of the Church of England.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much (a) Network North and (b) repurposed High Speed 2 funding was given to local highways authorities in 2024-25; and whether she plans to continue that funding in 2025-26.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In 2024/25 the previous Government allocated £150 million of additional highway maintenance funding to local highway authorities as part of its Network North plan, all of which was repurposed High Speed 2 funding. This Government has allocated £500 million of additional highway maintenance funding to local highway authorities for 2025/26. Funding beyond 2025/26 is a matter for the forthcoming Spending Review.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 33485 on Public Appointments: Political Activities, through what process a declaration of previous political activity within the last five years is made public.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Declarations of previous political activity within the last five years made by successful candidates in the Public Appointments process are published on the announcements page of the Public Appointments website. This can be found using the following link: https://apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk/announcements
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which (a) individuals and (b) organisations were invited to the Downing Street preview of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on 11 March 2025.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Ministerial meetings with external organisations will be published in the usual way on gov.uk
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 33369 on Roads: Hampshire, whether the change to local highways allocations for 2025-26 (a) is in addition to or (b) replaces the funding for highways from (i) Network North and (ii) repurposed HS2 funding announced on 4 October 2023.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The highway maintenance funding uplift of £500 million for 2025/26, which was announced by the Chancellor in October 2024, comes on top of the increase of £150 million in 2024/25 that was announced by the previous Government as part of the Network North plan. The 2024 Budget document makes clear that the £150 million Network North funding increase has, in effect, become part of the highway maintenance funding baseline. The Government will say more on future years’ funding after the Spending Review.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
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 7 March 2025 to Question 34616 on Voting Rights: Foreign Nationals, what checks are undertaken to ensure that Commonwealth citizens seeking to sign up to an electoral roll are qualifying Commonwealth citizens.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) are responsible for maintaining accurate electoral registers. EROs hold legal powers which allow them to request documentary evidence to confirm an applicant’s nationality, if they are not satisfied as to any applicant's nationality.
The application form to register to vote is clear about the possibility of applicants being required to provide additional evidence about their nationality, and that their nationality or immigration status may be checked against government records. The Electoral Commission has also published guidance for EROs on the types of evidence they may request, and advice on how to check immigration records held by the Home Office.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
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 non-regression principle in the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement on her Department's ability to introduce deregulatory measures to increase housebuilding.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to unlocking and accelerating the building of new homes without reducing relevant protections. For example, the new Nature Restoration Fund provided for by the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will enable developers to fund restoration more efficiently whilst securing improved outcomes for the environment. As such, the Bill would not have the effect of reducing the level of environmental protection of existing environmental law and the Secretary of State has confirmed as much via a statement under section 20(3) of the Environment Act.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
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 23 January 2025 to Question 25268 on Political Parties: Finance, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to prevent (a) Iranian, (b) Russian and (c) Chinese citizens who are resident in (i) Wales and (ii) Scotland donating to UK (A) political parties and (B) regulated donees.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the Question UIN 25690 on 30 January 2025.