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

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of homes that have not been built as a result of delays in the planning system since 2019; and what assessment they have made of the contribution of delays in the planning system to the housing shortage in England.

My Department has not made a specific assessment of how delays in planning decisions have affected housing supply, but our 2025 planning reforms were judged by the Office for Budget Responsibility to add £6.8bn to the economy and boost UK housebuilding to its highest level in 40 years by 2029/30.

The government recognises the importance of an efficient planning system in supporting housebuilding, which is why it is significantly increasing its ambition to grow the planning workforce. Building on the original commitment to recruit 300 planners, it is now targeting around 1,400 new recruits across the planning system by the end of this Parliament. This is backed by an additional £48 million committed at the 2025 Budget to strengthen public-sector planning capacity, alongside wider support including specialist training through the Planning Advisory Service and targeted funding to help authorities accelerate applications.