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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to visit York before the General Election.

Since 2010, Coalition Ministers have undertaken regular visits to a wide variety of local authority areas in England, whilst balancing their Parliamentary work, internal Ministerial meetings in London and meetings of Cabinet Committees. Ministers also regularly host delegations from local authorities for meetings in Westminster.

York's historic city, the traditional county town of Yorkshire, has a rich tapestry of cultural attractions and a thriving economy, including a particularly strong service industry sector and a fine university. I fear it is unlikely that Ministers will be able to visit this week before the dissolution of Parliament, but this will be our loss at not being able to see what York has to offer first hand.

My Department does not centrally hold information on political visits that will take place after dissolution, but I understand the my rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State (Eric Pickles) will be seeking to visit a wide number of places across the country.