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 made of the adequacy of powers available to local authorities to (a) maintain and (b) intervene on land where ownership is (i) unknown and (ii) unregistered.

HM Land Registry (HMLR) are responsible for registering the ownership of land.

Approximately 11% of land in England and Wales remains unregistered.

My Department is working with HMLR to widen and deepen transparency of land ownership and control.