Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the publication of the White Paper <i>Fixing our broken housing market</i>, what additional "transparent data" they expect to be able to collect, and what barriers there have been to the collection of data to date.

The White Paper includes proposed measures to improve data transparency in respect of: a) the pace of housing delivery; and b) the ownership of land.

The Government wants to ensure that new homes are built out as quickly as possible once planning permission is granted. There is currently no requirement for developers to report on the build out of new homes, and the information which the Government collects is limited. The White Paper proposes to introduce new requirements for developers to provide information about housing delivery – both at the planning application stage and after permission is granted. It also proposes that this information should be published as part of Authority Monitoring reports. These requirements are intended to improve the quantity, quality and consistency of information about build out rates. The responses to the White Paper consultation will inform further development of these proposals.

It can be difficult to establish the identity of all persons with an interest in land. As the White Paper makes clear, the Government would like to make data about land ownership, control and interests more readily available. To this end we are aiming to complete the Land Register by 2030, with all public-held land to be registered by 2025. We will also be consulting on options to improve the data held on those who have an interest in land.