Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
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 25 February 2026 to Question 78241 on MHCLG: Ministers’ Private Offices, whether there are any (a) direct ministerial appointments or (b) external paid consultants who provide advice to Ministers on housing and planning.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
MHCLG ministers are advised by civil servants employed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Given the technical nature of this work, the Department does procure some technical planning advice. All Ministerial advice from within the Department, however, is provided by civil servants
There are two Direct Ministerial Appointments as part of the Euston Housing Delivery Group and the Oxford Growth Commission where advice on housing and planning may form elements of advice to Ministers in the specific circumstances of Euston and Oxford. The Chair of the Euston Housing Delivery Group was appointed on 15 October 2024. The Chair of the Oxford Growth Commission was appointed on 12 May 2025.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is responsible for reforming the regulation of funeral directors.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care will lead on co-ordinating cross-Government work to raise standards in relation to the care and treatment of the deceased, supported by the Department of Business and Trade, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered New Zealand's retirement villages sector in developing policy on the future of the social care system in England.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the important role retirement villages play in providing high quality, safe, and suitable homes which can help people stay independent and healthy for longer and reduce the need to draw on health and social care provision.
The Department of Health and Social Care is working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to support the development of suitable older people’s housing. We are aware of relevant international evidence in this area, including examples cited in the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report such as older people’s housing models in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the publication MHCLG: spending over £25,000, January 2026, published on 25 February 2026, if she will set out the purpose and specific activity relating to the transaction CFO & Corporate Coram(Thomas Coram Foundation), Ref: 5105609031, Research, for £37,075.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the acknowledgement of my letter of 7 January 2026, its referral in error to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and the subsequent allocation of reference MC2025/27941 on 16 March 2026, (a) what steps her Department is taking to improve the handling of and response times to correspondence received from Members and (b) when she will provide a full written response to that letter.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HM Treasury recognises the important role Parliament has in holding the Government to account and the need to provide full and timely responses to requests for information.
Treasury Ministers have received significant volumes of correspondence since the Budget, which has led to a backlog.
In response, officials are working with Ministers’ offices to prioritise and clear outstanding cases as quickly as possible. Additional resource has been secured to assist Ministers’ offices with drafting and clearances.
The Treasury correspondence unit has also recently recruited two additional drafting officials to ensure appropriate resourcing of this important function and are working across the department to prioritise responses.
A response to case MC2025/27941 was issued on 27th April 2026 to the hon. Member for North Herefordshire.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department is responsible for reforming the regulation of funeral directors.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Department of Health and Social Care will lead on co-ordinating cross‑government work to raise standards in relation to the care and treatment of the deceased, supported by the Department of Business and Trade, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to page 27 of the policy paper Protecting What Matters, published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 9 March, for what reason the paper refers to "genders" rather than sex, given the Supreme Court judgement in the For Women Scotland case.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK Government is firmly committed to upholding the legal protections established by the Equality Act 2010, including those which protect people against unlawful discrimination and harassment based on the characteristics of sex and gender reassignment.
We have always been clear that the For Women Scotland Supreme Court ruling brought clarity to the definition of ‘sex’ for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010.
Protecting What Matters makes clear that the UK is a diverse, pluralistic, and equal society. Its reference to “people of all races, religions, sexualities, and genders” refers to the fact that UK society respects and values people of all backgrounds.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to page 36 of the policy paper Protecting What Matters, published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 9 March, whether the Special Representative on anti-Muslim hostility will be (1) a regulated public appointment, (2) appointed by open and fair competition, and (3) paid a salary.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Terms of Reference and appointment process for the Special Representative on anti-Muslim hostility will be published in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 17 March (HL14714), what is the policy of the Ministry for Housing, Community and Local Government on whether written representations to their consultations or calls for evidence from an individual or organisation subject to a policy of non-engagement are not read or substantively considered in that consultation process.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
As announced in the Protecting What Matters publication on the 9th March, we are currently updating and embedding the 2024 engagement principles which will assist public bodies to not confer legitimacy, funding or influence on extremist groups.
Each department must consider their own due diligence when choosing to engage with any organisation or individual and, if asked, we will advise and share information to help inform their decisions.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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 provide a list of training programmes used by civil servants in his department since 2020.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We define ‘training programmes’ as a broad term covering both individual courses (e.g. Advising and Briefing) and a collection of interventions under one scheme ‘banner’, (e.g. Beyond Boundaries).
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) provides training programmes for civil servants through a combination of cross‑government, departmental and locally procured learning alongside apprenticeships and structured development schemes.
Since 2020, Departmental capability-building activity has included learning accessed through Civil Service Learning and the Government Campus, which bring together core, functional and profession‑specific training across government. During this time, the Department has offered learning programmes covering topics including core skills, leadership and management, and specialist and domain-specific skills.
The Department does not hold a single centrally maintained list of all individual training courses undertaken, as learning is delivered by a range of teams. This includes a central Capabilities team, teams delivering profession-specific learning, and teams sharing domain-specific knowledge and best practice.