Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 8 September 2026 to Question 20285 on Political Parties: Finance, whether the Electoral Commission has assessed the potential impact of escrow accounts on the effectiveness of the enhanced Know Your Donor due diligence checks.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
The Commission has not assessed the potential impact of escrow accounts on the effectiveness of the enhanced Know Your Donor checks.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question
To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Electoral Commission was consulted on the Government (a) moving the dates of the 2026 combined authority mayoral elections to 2028, and (b) moving some of the rescheduled 2028 combined authority mayoral elections back to 2027.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
No, the Commission was not consulted.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 September 2026, to Question 19147, on Council tax: Valuation, and further to page 85 of the Explanatory Memorandum to the Local Government Finance (Wales) Act 2024, whether the HMRC Valuation Office is forecasting a future appeal rate for the council tax surcharge in England (a) higher, (b) lower or (c) the same, as the average 3.15% rate, (min 2%, max 5%) assumed by the Valuation Office Agency and Valuation Tribunal for Wales for the council tax revaluation in Wales.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Wales Council Tax Revaluation and the introduction of the High Value Council Tax Surcharge are not directly comparable for the purposes of estimating appeal rates. The valuation to identify properties worth more than £2m will be done in a targeted way, without specific reference to existing council tax bands. The Welsh revaluation applies across all Council Tax bands in Wales.
Government recently consulted on the HVCTS challenge and appeal process and will publish its response shortly.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 8 September 2026, to Question 20227, on Taxation: Research, if he will place in the Library a copy of each of the four research reports.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
These research reports will be published in line with our publication procedures, where they meet the required quality standards for research publication, and will be published on gov.uk in line with the Government Social Research Publication Protocol.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2026 to Question 28983 on Council Tax: City of Westminster and Wandsworth, whether he had discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the decision to disapply the council tax referendum thresholds in the six councils.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Council tax flexibility for six local authorities was agreed as a part of the 2026/27 Local Government Finance Settlement, which was published under the previous administration.
The Chancellor has regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on a range of topics.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Office for National Statistics has supplied the HMRC Valuation Office with property attribute data from the 2021 Census for individual dwellings.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the hon. Member’s Parliamentary Question of 9th October is attached.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Asylum Support Accommodation Programme (ASAP): SRO appointment letter for Becca Jones, January 2026, updated 2 July 2026, what work has the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority undertaken on asylum seeker accommodation.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) provides independent assurance and expert project delivery advice to projects and programmes on the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP).
The Asylum Support Accommodation Programme (ASAP) is a GMPP. NISTA has undertaken independent assurance and provided expert advice to the Home Office on these programmes. This has included assurance reviews, support for the Major Projects Review Group and associated approvals, and advice and challenge to support programme delivery.
NISTA continues to engage with the Home Office as these programmes progress through their respective assurance and approval processes.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 2 September 2026, to Question 19725, on ADHD and Autism: Diagnosis, what steps is NHS England taking to ensure integrated care boards meet targets for improving autism and ADHD services.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Independent review into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, ADHD and autism, led by Professor Peter Fonagy, was published on 9 October, providing analysis and recommendations across a wide range of issues relating to the current provision of services in this area.
The Government issued an initial response on the day of publication, but we will set out the full action we are taking in response to the review recommendations in our new Mental Health Strategy to be published later this year, which will be relevant to the issues raised by the Hon. Member. The response is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-pledges-earlier-support-to-tackle-mental-health-crises
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether new town and parish councils created following unitary local government restructuring will be subject to council tax referendum principles.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
To date, town and parish councils’ precepts have not been subject to referendum principles. This position applies to town and parish councils generally, including those established following local government restructuring. The Government determines referendum principles on an annual basis, considering relevant prevailing factors. No decisions have been taken in respect of future years.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 Oral Statement of 7 September 2026 on Local Government Reorganisation, Official Report, columns 667-669, what is her policy on imposing strategic authorities if local councils in the locality do not support a strategic authority.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Cabinet Statement, “Rewiring the State”, set out the Government’s ambition is to ensure every area in England has, or is in the process of establishing, a strategic authority by the end of 2027, with strategic authorities in place everywhere by the end of 2028.
The statutory process for the establishment of new strategic authorities requires the consent of all upper-tier Local Authorities within the footprint of the proposed Authority. It is for local areas to propose a devolution geography that can support strong partnership working, and the Government is committed to working with all areas to establish the right partnerships and to empower leaders across the country to deliver good growth in every postcode.