Asked by: David Baines (Labour - St Helens North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reforms to the statutory consultee system on Sport England's ability to represent the interests of grassroots sports clubs during planning applications.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 119470 on 23 March 2026.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 April 2026 to Question 124238 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, how many applicants have successfully received funding under the Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant for Households with On-Street Parking; and what the total value is of funding awarded under that scheme.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As of 1 January 2026, the Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant for Households with On-Street Parking grant has funded 39 sockets with a grant value of £13,531. The grant funds the installation of charge points at residential properties with on-street parking if they are also installing a cross-pavement solution. This grant is in addition to the £25 million Electric Vehicle Pavement Channels Grant for local authorities.
The Government has consulted on measures to reduce planning permission requirements for cross-pavement solutions, further supporting households with on-street parking, and will be responding in due course.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with local planning authorities on efficiently preparing Article 4 directions under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 for houses in multiple occupation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The procedure for Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) to make an Article 4 direction is laid out in Schedule 3 of The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, which is available on gov.uk here.
Additional guidance can be found in the “When is permission required?” Planning Practice Guidance, which is available on gov.uk here.
My Department engages with LPAs in respect of Article 4 directions on an ongoing basis.
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, what estimate his Department has made of the number of properties that have had planning permission for over six months yet no building work has yet commenced.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 122315 on 1 April 2026.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will reinstate a route to settlement by allowing time spent under the Ukraine Schemes to count towards the 10‑year settlement pathway.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
As the conflict in Ukraine continues, the Government recognises the impact that uncertainty can have on Ukrainian individuals and families who have built their lives in the UK, including pressures relating to housing, employment and education. The Government has therefore taken concrete steps to provide greater certainty and stability, including extending the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme and widening the application window to support effective forward planning.
From the outset, the Government has been clear that the Ukraine schemes are temporary in nature and do not provide a route to settlement. Time spent in the UK under the Ukraine schemes does not count towards the Long Residence route. This reflects the Ukrainian Government’s wishes for His Majesty’s Government to offer temporary sanctuary, due to their strong desire for the eventual return of its citizens to Ukraine once it is safe to do so.
The Government recognises the importance of longer‑term clarity and is actively considering the future position. In doing so, it is drawing on a wide range of evidence from across government, academia, civil society and stakeholder engagement. It will respond in a responsible and considered manner, and intends to make a further statement later this year to support Ukrainians in planning effectively for their futures.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will introduce a transition visa at the end of the Ukraine Permission Extension period.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
As the conflict in Ukraine continues, the Government recognises the impact that uncertainty can have on Ukrainian individuals and families who have built their lives in the UK, including pressures relating to housing, employment and education. The Government has therefore taken concrete steps to provide greater certainty and stability, including extending the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme and widening the application window to support effective forward planning.
From the outset, the Government has been clear that the Ukraine schemes are temporary in nature and do not provide a route to settlement. Time spent in the UK under the Ukraine schemes does not count towards the Long Residence route. This reflects the Ukrainian Government’s wishes for His Majesty’s Government to offer temporary sanctuary, due to their strong desire for the eventual return of its citizens to Ukraine once it is safe to do so.
The Government recognises the importance of longer‑term clarity and is actively considering the future position. In doing so, it is drawing on a wide range of evidence from across government, academia, civil society and stakeholder engagement. It will respond in a responsible and considered manner, and intends to make a further statement later this year to support Ukrainians in planning effectively for their futures.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish the Equal Experts Discovery Report, including appendices and supporting research materials, before further public expenditure on the Alpha and Beta phases of the BNG metric digitisation programme.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The statutory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) metric is a Government‑owned tool and is currently only available to users in spreadsheet format. The existing tool has well‑recognised issues relating to accessibility, usability, and data integrity, which the Government's digitisation project will address. Contract C24064 is for Application Development Services and provides digital specialist support and programme delivery capability. The Discovery phase of the BNG metric digitisation project explored a wide range of user needs and potential options and does not represent a delivery commitment. Discovery reports are not routinely published but can be made available on request. Defra first became aware of written representations from private sector companies alleging procedural irregularities in the BNG metric digitisation procurement on 4 March 2026. Checks were undertaken to make sure the work is following due process. User research activities conducted during the Discovery phase were reviewed and found to be compliant with Government standards for research, and therefore further advice has not been sought. We are keen to work with private sector BNG technology providers to ensure digitisation of the BNG metric is a success.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what date her Department first became aware of written representations from private sector companies alleging procedural irregularities in the BNG metric digitisation procurement; what steps her Department has taken in response to those representations; and whether her Department has sought advice from the Comptroller and Auditor General.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The statutory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) metric is a Government‑owned tool and is currently only available to users in spreadsheet format. The existing tool has well‑recognised issues relating to accessibility, usability, and data integrity, which the Government's digitisation project will address. Contract C24064 is for Application Development Services and provides digital specialist support and programme delivery capability. The Discovery phase of the BNG metric digitisation project explored a wide range of user needs and potential options and does not represent a delivery commitment. Discovery reports are not routinely published but can be made available on request. Defra first became aware of written representations from private sector companies alleging procedural irregularities in the BNG metric digitisation procurement on 4 March 2026. Checks were undertaken to make sure the work is following due process. User research activities conducted during the Discovery phase were reviewed and found to be compliant with Government standards for research, and therefore further advice has not been sought. We are keen to work with private sector BNG technology providers to ensure digitisation of the BNG metric is a success.
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, if he will place in the Library a copy of the formal third-party representations submitted in response to the Special Development Order planning application for Universal Studios.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 81310 on 28 October 2025 and UIN 87785 on 17 November 2025.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to make it a requirement for local planning authorities to take into account the need to replace or upgrade existing rooftop telecommunications equipment when determining planning applications.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Between 18 December 2025 and 26 February 2026, the government undertook a call for evidence in respect of reforming planning rules to accelerate deployment of digital infrastructure. It can be found on gov.uk here.
We are currently analysing the feedback received with a view to determining next steps, which may include consulting on draft measures and, where appropriate, bringing forward necessary legislation.