Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her department is taking to support democratic elections overseas, including in relation to challenging practices by foreign governments of (a) cancelling and (b) delaying elections.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 17 December 2024 to Question 19695.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance has been given to local authorities by his department on whether (a) churches, (b) synagogues and (c) mosques may be used as polling stations.

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

The independent Electoral Commission is responsible for providing guidance to Returning Officers, including on the booking of appropriate polling places. The Electoral Commission is also responsible for setting standards and monitoring the performance of Returning Officers.

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 his press release of 16 December 2025 entitled Urgent review into foreign financial interference in UK politics, what is the evidential basis that political donations can currently be made to shell companies.

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

Currently, the legal test for permissible donations from companies is that they are registered under the Companies Act 2006, incorporated in the UK, and carrying on business in the UK. This last requirement is vague and easy to satisfy, even without having a genuine and strong connection to the UK. It means a newly created shell company with no trading history can legally donate.

This is an unacceptably low threshold and a vulnerability in our system highlighted by many independent experts, including the Electoral Commission, the Committee on Standards in Public Life and the National Crime Agency.

That is why we have introduced reforms which will require companies (and limited liability partnerships) making donations to demonstrate a genuine and substantive connection to the UK or Ireland, preventing the use of shell companies to channel foreign or illicit money into UK politics. We are introducing new, stringent eligibility criteria for companies and limited liability partnerships wishing to make political donations. Companies/LLPs will have had to make sufficient revenue to cover their donation; be headquartered in the UK; and be majority owned or controlled by UK electors or UK citizens usually resident in the UK. These changes are to ensure that political donations reflect genuine UK-based interests and help prevent foreign interference in our democracy.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his polices of trends in the number of registered postal votes in the last six months.

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

Information relating to postal vote applications is held by independent Electoral Registration Officers rather than the UK Government and so it is not possible to provide more information about the number of postal vote applications that were not renewed during any period. The department does not actively track trends in the level of postal vote renewals, or the number and proportion of postal vote applications that were renewed, over any period.

The Government will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and with local authorities to support independent Electoral Registration Officers with postal vote application activities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the full report by Philip Rycroft into foreign financial interference in UK politics will be laid before the House when it is completed.

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

In December, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government announced an independent review into countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics. The review findings will be delivered to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Security Minister by the end of March 2026.

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government will ensure Mr Rycroft’s report is made available to Parliament at the earliest opportunity after it is received.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether automatic electoral registration, following the proposed reduction in the voting age, will be used to add attainer voters under 16 to the electoral roll.

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

Should some form of automated registration be introduced using the powers set out in the Representation of the People Bill, this does not apply to attainers (those aged 14 or 15). The duty on Electoral Registration Officers would only apply where they become aware of a person who is of voting age (i.e. someone aged 16 or older). 14- and 15-year-olds will be able to submit their own applications to be attainers.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has been made of the potential impact of adopting an opt-in approach to the open electoral register on the level of revenues to local authorities accrued from the sale of open electoral register data to third parties.

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

The primary purpose of the electoral register is to enable those who are eligible to vote, to register and ensure only people who are eligible to vote are permitted to do so.

HMG has not made assessment of the impact on the level of revenue to LAs accrued from the sale of the open register. However, the Impact Assessment published alongside the Representation of the People Bill, did consider the potential impact on its commercial value.

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 21 November 2025, to Question 90712, on Elections: Proof of Identity, whether prepaid bank cards offered by financial institutions registered outside the United Kingdom, including companies such as Suits Me, will be eligible as proof of identity.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 116475 on 9 March 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 his oral contribution in response to the hon. Member for Braintree during the Oral Statement of 23 February 2026 on Local Government Reorganisation, Official Report, column 80, whether his (a) officials or (b) special advisers had oral discussions with local authorities that submitted requests to postpone their local elections in May 2026.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 118044 on 10 March 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers have had discussions with representatives of (1) political parties and (2) political groups of the LGA on the provision of guidance to local authorities on requests to delay May 2026 local elections.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 118044 on 10 March 2026.

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 considered moving mayoral combined authority elections that were delayed from May 2026 to May 2028, to May 2027; and what representations he has received on this matter.

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

The government intends to hold inaugural mayoral elections for the four Devolution Priority Programme places that are also undertaking local government reorganisation in May 2028, so that areas can complete the reorganisation process before Mayors take office.

Devolution is strongest when it is built on firm foundations, and this extra time will allow these four areas to establish robust institutions ahead of their Mayors taking office in 2028. With the consent of the constituent councils, the government will establish the institutions as soon as possible and provide each area with a proportion of their investment funds to ensure they can start delivering on key local priorities and deliver the benefits of devolution on the ground.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to hold a consultation to amend electoral law to ban imprinted (a) candidate and (b) political party electoral communications being published in foreign languages during the short campaign election period.

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

The government has no plans to regulate or consult on the use of foreign languages in campaign material.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment has been made by (a) his Department and (b) the Defending Democracy Taskforce of sectarianism in election campaigning.

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

Harassment and intimidation of voters, electoral staff and campaigners, both online and in person, is totally unacceptable, whatever the driving cause, and has a profoundly detrimental impact on our democratic process. The Government has welcomed and responded to the report made by the Speakers Conference, which explored the broad factors influencing incidents of harassment and intimidation against candidates and MPs

Before an election takes place, an ‘Election Cell’ is set up by the Joint Election Security and Preparedness Unit (JESP). This brings together government departments, the police, the intelligence agencies, the Devolved Governments, and external partners to monitor and respond to any emerging issues across physical, cyber and information security. MHCLG's Community Cohesion Unit is also a core part of JESP’s Election Cell; the Community Cohesion Unit works closely during election campaigns with local partners, including the police to monitor and address issues related to cohesion.

Government is also working closely with the Electoral Commission to develop an updated Code of Conduct for campaigning to set clear expectations for behaviour during election campaigns.

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 prevent automatic electoral registration from adding European Union citizens to (a) the UK Parliamentary electoral roll and (b) the local electoral roll where they do not qualify because of their immigration status.

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

The government is committed to upholding the integrity of electoral registers. We are exploring a wide range of more automated approaches to enable improvements in both the completeness and accuracy of electoral registers, including making greater use of public sector data and digital services. Any new approaches to registration will be tested for their efficacy in improving the completeness and accuracy of the registers.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what is the timetable for a Government response to the working group on Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim hatred.

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

On 9 March 2026, government adopted a non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim hostility. The definition was published 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 the Representation of the People Bill will allow candidates and agents to use PO Box addresses.

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

Through the Representation of the People Bill we are removing the requirement for candidates who are acting as their own election agent to have their home address published on the notice of election agents, ensuring that those who partake in our democracy are safe and secure in their homes.

Election agents (including candidates acting as their own agents) will still need to have an office address where legal papers could be served, therefore this cannot be a PO box. Furthermore candidates must provide their current home address on their nomination form, which therefore also cannot be a PO box. Candidates can already however request for their home address not to be published.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to answer of 11 September 2025, to Question 74719, on Electoral Register, whether user research has now been commissioned or tendered.

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

The government is actively exploring a range of approaches to improve the completeness and accuracy of the register. User research is undertaken throughout the policy and digital service development process.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to review the legal age at which an individual may enter into consumer credit and legally binding contracts.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Capacity to contract is a core principle in British contract law and is designed to protect people who lack the necessary capacity to enter into a binding agreement. Most adults, typically those who are aged 18 and over, are presumed to possess contractual capacity.

The Consumer Credit Act (1974) makes it a criminal offence to offer credit to a minor.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether digital ID will be provided to 16 and 17 year olds.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government has now launched a public consultation on the digital ID where we want to hear as wide a range of views as possible.

The scope of the digital ID system is still in development and we are inviting the public to have their say in the consultation as we develop a useful, inclusive and trusted system.

Through this consultation we are asking the public what age they think is appropriate to have digital ID.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a scheme to assist political parties with the implementation costs of the Representation of the People Bill.

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

The Government has no plans to introduce a scheme to support political parties with the implementation costs of the Representation of the People Bill.

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 Representation of the People Bill Impact Assessment, February 2026, Table 8, what proportion of the donation value that would now be impermissible was made to (a) Reform Party, (b) Brexit Party and (c) the regulated donors from that party.

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

As set out in Representation of the People Bill Impact Assessment, Table 8, we estimate that around 26% - 29% of donations from companies made in the year prior to the 2024 General Election would not meet the permissibility criteria.

All businesses, including small businesses, will need to meet strict new criteria in order to make political donations. Requiring donors to demonstrate a genuine UK connection is key in protecting against foreign actors from using shell companies to channel foreign or illlicit money into UK politics.

Impacts have not been assessed at an individual party level. We are not restricting donations to specific parties; the measures apply equally to recipients of political donations. This ensures that donees adhere to the same standards, thereby safeguarding all UK political parties from foreign interference.

The vast majority of businesses do not make political donations and therefore will not be affected by these rule changes.

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 Representation of the People Bill Impact Assessment, February 2026, para 386, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of corporate donation reforms on small businesses wishing to make donations.

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

As set out in Representation of the People Bill Impact Assessment, Table 8, we estimate that around 26% - 29% of donations from companies made in the year prior to the 2024 General Election would not meet the permissibility criteria.

All businesses, including small businesses, will need to meet strict new criteria in order to make political donations. Requiring donors to demonstrate a genuine UK connection is key in protecting against foreign actors from using shell companies to channel foreign or illlicit money into UK politics.

Impacts have not been assessed at an individual party level. We are not restricting donations to specific parties; the measures apply equally to recipients of political donations. This ensures that donees adhere to the same standards, thereby safeguarding all UK political parties from foreign interference.

The vast majority of businesses do not make political donations and therefore will not be affected by these rule changes.

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 Representation of the People Bill Impact Assessment, February 2026, Table 8, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of that bill on levels of permissible donations.

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

As set out in Representation of the People Bill Impact Assessment, Table 8, we estimate that around 26% - 29% of donations from companies made in the year prior to the 2024 General Election would not meet the permissibility criteria.

All businesses, including small businesses, will need to meet strict new criteria in order to make political donations. Requiring donors to demonstrate a genuine UK connection is key in protecting against foreign actors from using shell companies to channel foreign or illlicit money into UK politics.

Impacts have not been assessed at an individual party level. We are not restricting donations to specific parties; the measures apply equally to recipients of political donations. This ensures that donees adhere to the same standards, thereby safeguarding all UK political parties from foreign interference.

The vast majority of businesses do not make political donations and therefore will not be affected by these rule changes.

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 policy paper entitled Improving voter registration, published on 2 March 2026, if he will make it his policy to place markers on the electoral roll where (a) UK nationals and (b) foreign citizens have been automatically added.

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

The Government has no plan to make it its policy to place markers on the electoral register to differentiate between UK nationals and foreign citizens.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment Homes England has made of the level of off-balance sheet liabilities amongst strategic partners participating in the Affordable Homes Programme.

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

It is not the role of Homes England to undertake liquidity tests on strategic partners participating in the Affordable Homes Programme.

The Regulator of Social Housing considers whether Registered Providers (RPs) of social housing are delivering the outcomes set out in the regulatory standards, which include viability as well as governance.

As part of the strategic partner onboarding process, Homes England check with the Regulator of Social Housing the gradings of any given RP, including their viability to access capital funding.

Non-registered providers, as part of the Investment Partner Qualification process, are required to provide financial information, which is assessed by Homes England’s Financial Due Diligence team. This is assessed on the pass or fail basis. Guidance on Investment Partner Qualification can be found on gov.uk here.

Homes England also conduct Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions checks. The information they ask for in relation to this can be found on gov.uk here.

As part of their Programme Management processes, Homes England monitor all homes delivered by Strategic Partners. Their compliance audit processes are set out in the Capital Funding Guide on gov.uk here.

No checks are undertaken on the off-balance sheet liabilities. As a grant programme the Affordable Homes Programme does not carry hard credit risk exposure, such as debt provision, so a purposely high-level review is undertaken.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will set out the liquidity tests undertaken by Homes England on strategic partners participating in the Affordable Homes Programme.

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

It is not the role of Homes England to undertake liquidity tests on strategic partners participating in the Affordable Homes Programme.

The Regulator of Social Housing considers whether Registered Providers (RPs) of social housing are delivering the outcomes set out in the regulatory standards, which include viability as well as governance.

As part of the strategic partner onboarding process, Homes England check with the Regulator of Social Housing the gradings of any given RP, including their viability to access capital funding.

Non-registered providers, as part of the Investment Partner Qualification process, are required to provide financial information, which is assessed by Homes England’s Financial Due Diligence team. This is assessed on the pass or fail basis. Guidance on Investment Partner Qualification can be found on gov.uk here.

Homes England also conduct Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions checks. The information they ask for in relation to this can be found on gov.uk here.

As part of their Programme Management processes, Homes England monitor all homes delivered by Strategic Partners. Their compliance audit processes are set out in the Capital Funding Guide on gov.uk here.

No checks are undertaken on the off-balance sheet liabilities. As a grant programme the Affordable Homes Programme does not carry hard credit risk exposure, such as debt provision, so a purposely high-level review is undertaken.

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 and Homes England audit the number of homes delivered by strategic partners participating in the Affordable Homes Programme.

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

It is not the role of Homes England to undertake liquidity tests on strategic partners participating in the Affordable Homes Programme.

The Regulator of Social Housing considers whether Registered Providers (RPs) of social housing are delivering the outcomes set out in the regulatory standards, which include viability as well as governance.

As part of the strategic partner onboarding process, Homes England check with the Regulator of Social Housing the gradings of any given RP, including their viability to access capital funding.

Non-registered providers, as part of the Investment Partner Qualification process, are required to provide financial information, which is assessed by Homes England’s Financial Due Diligence team. This is assessed on the pass or fail basis. Guidance on Investment Partner Qualification can be found on gov.uk here.

Homes England also conduct Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions checks. The information they ask for in relation to this can be found on gov.uk here.

As part of their Programme Management processes, Homes England monitor all homes delivered by Strategic Partners. Their compliance audit processes are set out in the Capital Funding Guide on gov.uk here.

No checks are undertaken on the off-balance sheet liabilities. As a grant programme the Affordable Homes Programme does not carry hard credit risk exposure, such as debt provision, so a purposely high-level review is undertaken.

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 Representation of the People Bill, whether an election offence of intimidating council staff can apply after the close of poll, including to election counts.

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

Provisions in the Representation of the People Bill will empower courts to give tougher sentences to those who abuse candidates, campaigners, elected representatives and electoral staff by introducing a new statutory aggravating factor. The Bill will also extend the disqualification order regime, so that intimidatory offences against electoral staff can now lead to the application of a disqualification order.

As drafted, a relevant offence committed after the close of poll would lead to the application of the aggravating factor and a disqualification order, as long as the offender can be shown to have been motivated by hostility towards electoral staff.

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 Representation of the People Bill, at what point political parties and elected representatives will have access to the date of birth of an attainer elector.

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

Under the provisions set out in the Representation of the People Bill as they stand, no political parties or elected representatives will have access to the date of birth of attainers (those aged 14 and 15) under any circumstances.

The Government takes the safeguarding of young people and their data seriously, with strict controls set out in legislation on who can access information from the electoral register and for what purpose. The approach set out in the Representation of the People Bill balances the need for proportionate safeguards within our electoral system, without disadvantaging young voters from being able to participate in it.

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 Representation of the People Bill, what his Department’s definition is of a British citizen usually resident in the United Kingdom; and what (a) immigration and (b) domiciled status this requires.

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

The British Nationality Act 1981 sets out who is a British citizen and how British citizenship may be obtained.

Section 5 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 lays down general principles of residence for electoral purposes, which a registration officer must follow when deciding whether a person is resident at a particular address. The Electoral Commission’s guidance sets out clearly that each decision about residence should be made by the registration officer on a case-by-case basis.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to obtain Legislative Consent from devolved Administrations in Wales and Scotland for the Representation of the People Bill.

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

As is usual, the government has written to counterparts in the devolved governments asking for their consent to the Bill where this interacts with devolved competence. The Secretary of State confirmed this at Second Reading of the Bill.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether partnerships are the Government's preferred model for housing delivery.

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

Partnership models, in which housebuilders work with Registered Providers and Build to Rent operators to deliver a range of housing tenures, are an essential part of our housing market. They help to create diverse communities and meet a variety of local needs, while also building out between 30%-60% faster on average than mono-tenure schemes.

A number of housebuilders are already adopting a partnership approach, creating greater diversity in the housing market and making an important contribution to housing supply.

The government has no single preferred model for housing delivery but given the benefits it provides we do support increased uptake of the partnership approach. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) now makes clear that Local Planning Authorities should set a tenure mix on sites of over 150 units and we are providing direct support for partnerships through Home Building Fund equity investment and our new National Housing Bank.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what Home England's financial commitment is to Vistry, including subsidiaries and joint ventures, in terms of (a) funding under the affordable homes programme, (b) loans and (c) equity investments.

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

Under the Affordable Homes Programme 2016-23, Homes England allocated Vistry over £24m to deliver 670 homes, with the last payment in 2023/24.

Under the Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26, Vistry have been allocated over £252m to deliver 3,578 homes.

Homes England has made two loans to entities of which Vistry are part: The Sherford Consortium, which Vistory own 66.67% of, has a loan from Homes England of £32,000m. Stanton Cross Developments LLP, in which Vistry has a 50% share, has a loan from Homes England of £35,000m.

In terms of equity investments, Homes England and Countryside Properties (part of Vistry Group) contracted the £150m Joint Venture PlacePoint LLP in September 2025. Homes England’s investment in that venture totalled £60m.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance HM Prison and Probation Service has issued on political restrictions for Crown Servants by grade, including restrictions on standing for (a) local and (b) Parliamentary elections.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

HM Prison and Probation Service employees are civil servants and are bound by the Civil Service Code, which requires them to serve the government of the day with integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

In HMPPS, this is reinforced through the Outside Activities Policy and the Conduct and Discipline Policy. These policies set out the political restrictions that apply to Crown Servants and require employees to seek permission before taking part in certain political activities. The level of restriction varies by grade and role.

Employees must not undertake political activity while on duty, in uniform or on official premises. Employees who wish to stand for election to local authorities or to Parliament must seek prior approval in line with the Civil Service Management Code and HMPPS policies.

Employees are signposted to guidance on conduct for civil servants at each election period and during party conference season to ensure clear expectations of behaviour.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Integrated Care Boards are required to (a) undertake and (b) publish (i) equality and (ii) patient impact assessments when commissioning decisions may result in reductions to (A) planned service activity and (B) access to care.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Commissioners must comply with duties placed on them under the Equality Act 2010 regarding the public sector equality duty and the duty to reduce health inequalities, and to secure public involvement and consultation in the planning, development, and decisions about commissioning arrangements.

NHS England has published guidance to support commissioning decisions and the impact on service users forms a key part of the assurance process. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/planning-assuring-and-delivering-service-change-for-patients/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Integrated Care Boards are required to publish the (a) evidence base, (b) modelling assumptions and (c) workforce capacity assessments used to determine commissioned elective activity levels against projected population demand.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There is no current requirement for integrated care boards (ICBs) to publish either the evidence base, modelling assumptions, or workforce capacity assessments used to determine commissioned elective activity levels against projected population demand.

National Health Service funding for local services, including elective activity, is allocated to ICBs using NHS England’s Fair Share model and the NHS resource allocation formula.

Medium Term Planning Framework has set clear expectations for improvements in access, levels of performance, and financial discipline. In 2026/27, every NHS trust must deliver a minimum 7% improvement in 18-week performance or be at a minimum of 65%, whichever is greater, to deliver national performance target of 70%. In line with this expectation, NHS England has engaged with systems on the development, assurance, and sign-off of ICB and NHS trust plans to ensure delivery of this ambition alongside the others set out in the planning framework.

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 EROs on accepting scanned copies of postal vote application forms.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

For elections taking place in England, or at a UK Parliamentary general election, the Electoral Commission’s guidance for Electoral Registration Officers sets out the number of ways voters can apply for a postal vote. Postal vote application forms are not prescribed, and a paper postal vote application can be in any format, including an email with a scanned attachment.

Postal vote applications must contain all the required information, and the applicant’s signature and date of birth must be presented in the prescribed format, for the voter’s identity to be verified and application confirmed.

The Commission publishes similar guidance for elections in Scotland and in Wales.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Electoral Commission has issued updated guidance following the passage of the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

I refer the Hon. Gentleman to the answer provided to Question 116490 which explains that the Commission’s guidance was updated to reflect the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023.

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 use of (a) churches, (b) synagogues and (c) mosques as polling stations.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

Returning Officers are responsible for deciding where polling stations should be situated. The Commission provides guidance for Returning Officers on booking suitable polling stations. Returning Officers are often faced with limited options in selecting polling stations. The Commission’s guidance advises them to select a suitable venue based on size and accessibility.

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 on the language of imprints.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

There are no requirements in law on the language of imprints. The Electoral Commission’s guidance on print and digital imprints sets out the information that must be included in an imprint. Imprints must be legible or in the case of audio material, audible, no matter what device is used to access the information.

The purpose of an imprint is to ensure that voters know who is responsible for campaign material. Where material is published to target voters whose first language is not English, an imprint in the same language would be one way of ensuring that this is transparent to those voters.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, how long the Electoral Commission will hold data from proposed returns under the Representation of the People Bill; and whether that data will be (a) published online and (b) archived.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Representation of the People Bill proposes extending the Electoral Commission’s remit to include enforcement of the candidate spending regime. The Bill would require candidates to submit spending returns to the Commission and to Returning Officers.

Returning Officers will continue to make spending returns available for a two-year period. The Commission will publish spending returns through its Political Finance Online system, beyond the two-year retention period. This will provide important transparency for voters.

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 provided on the resignation of election agents without the consent of the candidate after the close of nomination.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Commission’s guidance for candidates and agents outlines that once an agent has accepted their appointment, they cannot resign and must fulfil the duties required of them unless the candidate revokes their appointment.

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 provided on the withdrawal of certificates authorising party political descriptions before the close of nominations.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Commission provides guidance for candidates and agents on the certificate of authorisation and the nominations process. There is currently no provision to allow for the withdrawal of certificates of authorisation once received by the Returning Officer.

The Representation of the People Bill proposes a change to enable parties to withdraw support from a candidate up to 48 hours before the end of the nominations period, where nomination papers have already been submitted.

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 provided on whether named promoters on (a) hard copies and (b) digital imprints can be unincorporated associations.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Electoral Commission’s guidance on print and digital imprints states that an unincorporated association, such as a political party, may be the promoter of campaign material. Some parties choose to have a named individual as the promoter, publishing the material on behalf of a party whose details are also on the imprint. Other parties choose to list only the party on the imprint. Both approaches provide transparency for voters.

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 on declaring corporate sponsorship to Members’ Associations.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Electoral Commission’s guidance sets out that sponsorship of events, publications, or research must be treated as a donation and the same permissibility checks apply. A members’ association must report donations (including sponsorship) when the amount from one source exceeds £11,180.

Found: Letter dated 11/03/2026 from Steve Reed MP to Hansard Managing Editors, Paul Holmes MP and Carla Denyer