Written questions by Dance.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the need for greater standardisation of Council's in England approach to approving health and safety training providers for their services.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to ensure that planning decisions affecting villages in Yeovil constituency adequately protect their (a) local character, (b) historic setting and (c) surrounding landscapes.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to encourage housing developers to prioritise the development of brownfield land over greenfield land for new housing in Yeovil constituency.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to introduce (a) stronger incentives or (b) planning reforms to increase the use of previously developed land before greenfield sites are approved for housing developments in Yeovil constituency.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, if he will review national planning policy to strengthen protections for rural communities in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) Somerset where proposed housing developments would alter the character and identity of villages.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to prevent park homes owners from being charged higher pitch fees than other park home owners on the same site.

When a site owner sells a park home and enters into a new pitch agreement with a purchaser, they may set the pitch fee at a higher level than the pitch fee paid by existing residents. When an existing resident sells a park home, the purchaser will pay the...

Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to set national standards for minimum numbers of swift bricks in (a) new developments and (b) certain home extensions.

The government recognises that swift bricks are a vital means of addressing the long-term decline of the breeding swift population. While swift brick coverage is increasing, we made clear during the passage of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill that we ...

Communities and Local Government, what his current timeline is for furthering devolution for the Wessex area.

Following the call for expression of interest for Foundational Strategic Authority on 12 February 2026, the Government is considering the proposal for the Wessex area. Subject to further meaningful engagement with local leaders, the Government will set ou...

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies of houses being built on unadopted roads in rural areas in (a) Yeovil constituency (b) Som

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS1210) made on 18 December 2025. The two consultations both closed on 12 March 2026. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure temporary accommodation in rural areas is (a) safe and (b) accessible for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

The statutory homelessness code of guidance sets out that temporary accommodation placements must be suitable to the needs of a household, including the needs of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. The code of guidance sets out that ...

Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to bring forward secondary legislation to implement changes to marriage value under the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.

I refer the hon. Members to the answer given to Question UIN 103549 on 14 January 2026 and the King's Speech 2026 background briefing notes which can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the average time to complete the digital registration of property deeds by HM Land Registry.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 103008 on 13 January 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his polices of the time taken to digitalise property deeds by HM Land Registry.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 103008 on 13 January 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to reduce administration for small local property developers in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

On 1 April 2026, the government launched the new National Housing Bank which will provide loans and financial support to SME developers. I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 111043 on 12 February 2026.

Communities and Local Government, whether he is taking steps to encourage the use of small local property developers in building new homes in Yeovil constituency.

On 1 April 2026, the government launched the new National Housing Bank which will provide loans and financial support to SME developers. I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 111043 on 12 February 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of tacking steps to help tackle land banking in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

In May 2025, the government published a Planning Reform Working Paper: Speeding Up Build Out inviting views on further action the government should take to speed up homes being built. It can be found on gov.uk here. On the same day, we launched a technical consultation on implementing measures to improve the transparency of build rates from new residential developments, which includes proposals to implement provisions in Section 113 of the LURA on the power to decline to determine applications. That consultation can be found on gov.uk here. We are now analysing the responses to both consultations, and we will set out our next steps in due course. Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on a new NPPF. The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals designed to ensure major development proposals are capable of being implemented within a reasonable period – taking into account tenure mix, local market conditions and development history of the site. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to reduce barriers for people seeking to self-build their own properties in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published on 12 December 2024 includes measures designed to strengthen support for self and custom build housing by promoting mixed tenure development, including plots for self and custom build, and strengthening the wording around small site allocation for SME housebuilders. Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on a new NPPF. The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals relating to supporting a diverse mix of homes and supporting small and medium sites. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the financial pressure placed on local authorities by the rising cost of temporary accommodation provision.

The government is providing £3.6 billion funding for homelessness services from 2026/27 to 2028/29, including more than £2.2 billion for local authorities to prevent and address homelessness and rough sleeping through the Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant, as well as £969 million for temporary accommodation within the Revenue Support Grant. You can find local authority level allocations on gov.uk here. We published our national strategy, A National Plan to End Homelessness, in December 2025. You can find our plan to tackle homelessness on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to increase the supply of one-bedroom social housing for young people in (a) Yeovil constituency (b) Somerset and (c) England.

My Department has held no recent discussions with local planning authorities regarding specific barriers to delivering one-bedroom social rented homes for young people. I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 101227 on 7 January 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the Government’s target to build 1.5 million new homes, will be one-bedroom social homes, suitable for young people.

My Department has held no recent discussions with local planning authorities regarding specific barriers to delivering one-bedroom social rented homes for young people. I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 101227 on 7 January 2026.