Asked by: Sam Carling (Labour - North West Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the cases currently under consideration by the Planning Inspectorate are appeals against enforcement notices.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Using data as of 31 December 2025, which is in line with the latest published official statistics found on gov.uk here, the proportion of open cases that are enforcement notices is 27%.
This is calculated as open enforcement notices divided by total open cases.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that the new Chinese Embassy (a) follows planning permission and conditions and (b) complies with building regulations.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the paragraphs 103-105 of the Secretary of State’s decision letter which can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether planning permission should only be granted in a tilted balance scenario where there is evidence that delivery of the proposal would fall within the 5 year housing land supply period.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
It is for the relevant decision maker to determine the weight to give to relevant policies in light of the specific facts and circumstances of any given planning application, including in the application of the tilted balance.
Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals for a revised presumption in favour of sustainable development, underpinning the way the new policies direct different forms of development to the most appropriate locations – in effect applying a permanent presumption in favour of suitably located development.
We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides to local planning authorities on escalating enforcement action, including the use of injunctions under section 187B of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, in cases involving repeated or sequential breaches of planning control.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 119662 on 18 March 2026.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the new Chinese Embassy (a) follows its planning permission and conditions and (b) complies with building regulations.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 110795 on 12 February 2026.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides to local planning authorities on escalating enforcement action, including the use of injunctions under section 187B of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, in cases involving repeated or sequential breaches of planning control.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given Question UIN 119662 on 18 March 2026
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to update guidance to enable local planning authorities to take account of cumulative breaches of planning control across subdivided land where individual plots are under separate ownership.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has no current plans to update guidance in respect of this matter.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to collect data on the number of planning applications or appeals in which Grey Belt policy is cited.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department is currently exploring with local planning authorities ways in which data relating to grey belt land might usefully be collected. However, no decisions have yet been made.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the average length of time for security measures to be implemented following funding being approved through the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Protective Security for Mosques Scheme provides fully funded protective security measures to eligible mosques and associated community centres across the UK.
Implementation timelines under the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme can vary, as they are influenced by a range of operational and site‑specific factors. Once a site has been approved, it is referred to our delivery partners for the necessary survey and subsequent installation activity.
In some cases, additional steps may be required before installation can proceed, such as local planning permission or the production of bespoke security equipment tailored to the site. These elements, which sit outside the Home Office’s direct control, can contribute to longer timeframes.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department’s consultation entitled Reforming planning rules to accelerate deployment of digital infrastructure will consider increasing permitted width upgrades to existing ground-based mobile masts alongside proposed increases to permitted height upgrades.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The call for evidence, Reforming planning rules to accelerate the deployment of digital infrastructure, closed on 26 February 2026 and was jointly led by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. It sought views on a range of proposals to reform planning rules in England to support investment in, and the rollout of, digital infrastructure.
These proposals focused on expanding permitted development rights for digital infrastructure such as ground-based masts, rooftop equipment and fibre exchanges, as well as extending the period for temporary deployment without planning permission. This included proposals to increase the height of ground-based masts, including monopoles, currently permitted under prior approval.
As part of the review of responses, we will assess the evidence received, including where it may relate to limits on infrastructure size permitted under existing planning regulations, to inform ongoing policy development in this area. Subject to the evidence, we will determine next steps, which may include consulting on draft measures and, where appropriate, bringing forward legislation.