Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions has she had with fire and rescue authorities about whether their community risk management plans could be supported by military aid.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 places a legal requirement on Fire and Rescue Authorities to assess, make and maintain plans, and generally become more self-reliant in responding to crises within their remit.
These plans, including their Community Risk Management Plans, should be developed on the basis of responding to incidents without the need for military assistance.
Military Aid to Civilian Authorities (also known as MACA), may be requested to support civilian authorities, such as fire and rescue services (FRSs) when their capacity is overwhelmed.
Effective engagement with Military Advisors, such as JRLO (Joint Regional Liaison Officers) is encouraged and well established within FRS major incident response structures.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to WPQ 21898 answered on 29 September 2026 about Emergencies Mobile Phones, whether her assessment of the effectiveness of the use of the national emergency alerts system on 14 August 2026 is based on any other evidence streams in addition to the decrease of wildfires outlined by the National Fire Chief's Council.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
In assessing the effectiveness of the Emergency Alert issued on 14 August 2026, the Government is reviewing several operational and technical evidence streams alongside the reduction in wildfire responses observed by the National Fire Chiefs Council:
Operational reporting from frontline fire and rescue services, reflecting conditions at the time of broadcast when wildfires were active and major incidents had been declared nationwide under mutual aid arrangements.
Technical delivery analysis compiled in partnership with the Government Digital Service and Mobile Network Operators.
Direct correspondence and feedback submitted by the public, local authorities, and emergency responders regarding device behaviour, duplicate notifications, accessibility requirements, and bilingual message delivery.
Assessments from local emergency responders and Local Resilience Forums regarding public awareness and adherence to urgent safety advice during the heightened period of risk.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the institutional reactions of [a] Civil service representatives and [b] Trade Unions about the movement of civil service workforce to the new Number 10 facility.
Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office engages regularly with its workforce on policy.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
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 trends in the level of charges requested by Freeholders to Leaseholders for the completion of a deed of variation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department does not hold data on trends in the level of charges for the completion of a deed of variation.
Leaseholders who are dissatisfied with costs incurred as part of a deed of variation can challenge the reasonableness of those costs through the First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
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 hold discussions with the Land Registry on the potential impact of errors in the processing of title deeds on leaseholders.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
HM Land Registry (HMLR) operates a statutory indemnity scheme under Schedule 8 to the Land Registration Act 2002. Where an individual suffers loss as a result of a qualifying mistake in the register, they may be entitled to compensation. HMLR also has established processes to correct mistakes in the register when they are identified.
It should be noted that almost 20% of applications result in requests for more information, referred to as ‘requisition’ letters, when there is missing or incorrect information. Depending on the complexity of the issue and responsiveness of all parties, this can generate significant delays of multiple months to the application.
To improve the quality of applications, HMLR are sharing avoidable requisition data to help customers see where issues are arising and focus their improvement activity where it can have the greatest impact.
HMLR also offer free guidance, training and dedicated support to help firms submit more complete and accurate applications. Their training can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the £343 million announced for community mental health centres and mental health emergency departments is intended for capital expenditure on buildings and estate development.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
High needs funding for children and young people with complex needs is continuing at an increased level of over £12 billion in the 2026/27 financial year, following an increase of 11% in 2025/26. Of that total, Lincolnshire Council is being allocated over £150 million through the high needs funding block of their 2026/27 Dedicated Schools Grant.
The department is also investing around £1.8 billion over the next three years for local area partnerships, including local authorities and Integrated Care Boards, to develop a new ‘Experts at Hand’ offer. This offer is designed to strengthen the capability of mainstream education settings by providing access to support from key services and health and specialist education practitioners.
For deaf children and young people in mainstream settings, this includes access to specialist teachers, such as teachers of the deaf, to support settings to identify and meet needs through timely, targeted approaches and adaptations to teaching.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to WPQ 35144, answered on 23 October 2026, how many full-time equivalent officials have been assigned to work on the review of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
The Treasury does not routinely publish information on staffing at the level requested.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of reductions in funding for the Homes for Ukraine Scheme on levels of benefit payments to displaced Ukrainian families.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Homes for Ukraine scheme has evolved from an emergency response into an established programme. The funding changes are intended to ensure that the scheme remains sustainable and affordable, so that it can continue supporting those fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Thank you payments recognise the generosity of sponsors and hosts and contribute towards day-to-day hosting costs. They are not rent or a long-term funding arrangement. From 1 January 2027, thank you payments will reduce from £350 to £100 per household each month.
The local authority tariff will reduce from £5,900 to £3,300 per arrival but will remain un-ringfenced and can support rematching and homelessness prevention.
The Government considered the available evidence on homelessness risks when deciding the future funding arrangements for Homes for Ukraine. Based on the evidence, we do not expect the changes to lead to a significant increase in homelessness. We will continue to work closely with local authorities through ongoing engagement and monitoring.
The impact of these funding changes on benefit expenditure will depend on sponsor/host behaviour in individual circumstances. Ukrainian guests with valid Homes for Ukraine visa have recourse to public funds. Where a guest moves into a formal rental or lodging arrangement, any entitlement to benefits will be assessed under the standard eligibility rules which apply to the general public in the UK.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of the long-term sustainability of the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Homes for Ukraine scheme has evolved from an emergency response into an established programme. The funding changes are intended to ensure that the scheme remains sustainable and affordable, so that it can continue supporting those fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Thank you payments recognise the generosity of sponsors and hosts and contribute towards day-to-day hosting costs. They are not rent or a long-term funding arrangement. From 1 January 2027, thank you payments will reduce from £350 to £100 per household each month.
The local authority tariff will reduce from £5,900 to £3,300 per arrival but will remain un-ringfenced and can support rematching and homelessness prevention.
The Government considered the available evidence on homelessness risks when deciding the future funding arrangements for Homes for Ukraine. Based on the evidence, we do not expect the changes to lead to a significant increase in homelessness. We will continue to work closely with local authorities through ongoing engagement and monitoring.
The impact of these funding changes on benefit expenditure will depend on sponsor/host behaviour in individual circumstances. Ukrainian guests with valid Homes for Ukraine visa have recourse to public funds. Where a guest moves into a formal rental or lodging arrangement, any entitlement to benefits will be assessed under the standard eligibility rules which apply to the general public in the UK.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate she has made of the level of savings from reductions in funding to the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Homes for Ukraine scheme has evolved from an emergency response into an established programme. The funding changes are intended to ensure that the scheme remains sustainable and affordable, so that it can continue supporting those fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Thank you payments recognise the generosity of sponsors and hosts and contribute towards day-to-day hosting costs. They are not rent or a long-term funding arrangement. From 1 January 2027, thank you payments will reduce from £350 to £100 per household each month.
The local authority tariff will reduce from £5,900 to £3,300 per arrival but will remain un-ringfenced and can support rematching and homelessness prevention.
The Government considered the available evidence on homelessness risks when deciding the future funding arrangements for Homes for Ukraine. Based on the evidence, we do not expect the changes to lead to a significant increase in homelessness. We will continue to work closely with local authorities through ongoing engagement and monitoring.
The impact of these funding changes on benefit expenditure will depend on sponsor/host behaviour in individual circumstances. Ukrainian guests with valid Homes for Ukraine visa have recourse to public funds. Where a guest moves into a formal rental or lodging arrangement, any entitlement to benefits will be assessed under the standard eligibility rules which apply to the general public in the UK.