Written questions by Chowns.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2025 to Question 44831 on Property Development: Recreation Spaces, if she will collect comprehensive information on the number of open public spaces in new housing developments that are owned by private companies.

The government remain committed to protecting residential freeholders on private and mixed-tenure housing estates from unfair charges. This year we will consult on implementing the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act’s new consumer protection provisions for the up to 1.75 million homes that are subject to these charges, and bring these measures into force as quickly as possible thereafter. These include ensuring that homeowners who pay an estate management charge have better access to information they need to understand what they are paying for, the right to challenge the reasonableness at the First-tier Tribunal (in England), and to go to the tribunal to appoint a substitute manager.The government is determined to end the injustice of ‘fleecehold’ entirely and we will consult this year on legislative and policy options to reduce the prevalence of private estate management arrangements, which are the root cause of the problems experienced by many residential freeholders. This consultation will help gather further data on this matter.The Department do not hold specific information on the number of open public spaces in new housing developments that are owned by private companies.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the number of open public spaces in new housing developments that are owned by private companies.

The government does not hold comprehensive information on the number of open public spaces in new housing developments that are owned by private companies.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on the UK's ability to meet its binding climate and nature targets.

The measures contained in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, including a new Nature Restoration Fund and streamlined consultation requirements for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, will help deliver the government’s climate and nature commitments.

Communities and Local Government, when she plans to publish the updated Future Homes Standard.

The Government understands the urgency of introducing new energy efficiency standards so that as many homes as possible are built to be zero-carbon ready. We are committed to implementing the Future Homes Standard this year, and we are taking the time to set the technical requirements at a level which is ambitious and keeps us on track to achieve our net zero ambitions, while also being achievable across all sites.In the meantime, please rest assured that an uplift to the energy efficiency standards in 2021, which came into effect in June 2022, set high standards for home energy efficiency. New homes built between now and the Future Homes Standard coming into force will likely be built to these 2021 standards. They should therefore have excellent fabric quality, including insulation, and are likely to include low-carbon technologies, such as solar panels or heat pumps.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the amount of social housing available for families in need of housing support who need four or more bedrooms.

Data is collected on the number of households on local authority housing registers requiring three or more bedrooms. This stood at 69,434 as of 31 March 2024. Data on households requiring four or more bedrooms is not collected but will be a subset of this number (Source: Section C, Local Authority Housing Statistics 2023-24. Please note the data in the table covers both general needs and supported housing lettings).In 2023/24 there were 41,159 new general needs social housing lettings with three or more bedrooms, of which 4,163 were lettings with 4 or more bedrooms. (Source: Table 2c (Social_housing_lettings_in_England_tenancies_summary_tables_April_2023_to_March_2024.ods. Please note the data in the table only covers general need lettings as the number of bedrooms is not collected for supported housing lettings).

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the standard of accommodation provided to seasonal agricultural workers on UK farms in line with the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.

The government appreciates the importance of all seasonal workers living in safe accommodation.The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) provides a framework for identifying hazardous condition in residential premises. Local authorities in England and Wales have a duty to keep the housing conditions in their area under review and have enforcement powers if they identify a hazard through an HHSRS assessment. This applies to accommodation for seasonal agricultural workers that is within scope of the HHSRS. However, as the HHSRS is a system designed for buildings, it does not apply to caravans or other non-building accommodation types.Guidance for sponsors of seasonal agricultural workers on a Seasonal Worker visa, which can be found on gov.uk here, is also issued. It sets a requirement that scheme operators must ensure that safe and hygienic accommodation is in place, that complies with all relevant UK laws.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking with local authorities to ensure that tied accommodation provided to seasonal agricultural workers meets the Housing Health and Safety Rating System standards.

The government appreciates the importance of all seasonal workers living in safe accommodation.The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) provides a framework for identifying hazardous condition in residential premises. Local authorities in England and Wales have a duty to keep the housing conditions in their area under review and have enforcement powers if they identify a hazard through an HHSRS assessment. This applies to accommodation for seasonal agricultural workers that is within scope of the HHSRS. However, as the HHSRS is a system designed for buildings, it does not apply to caravans or other non-building accommodation types.Guidance for sponsors of seasonal agricultural workers on a Seasonal Worker visa, which can be found on gov.uk here, is also issued. It sets a requirement that scheme operators must ensure that safe and hygienic accommodation is in place, that complies with all relevant UK laws.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to require all newbuild homes to include solar photovoltaic panels.

Future standards next year will set our new homes and buildings on a path that moves away from relying on volatile fossil fuels and ensures they are fit for a net zero future. This will support our ambition that the 1.5 million homes we will build over the course of this parliament will be high quality, well designed and sustainable. That is why the Deputy Prime Minister and I are clear that rooftop solar should play an important role, where appropriate, as part of the future standards for homes and buildings.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the ITN investigation into seasonal worker accommodation, broadcast 5 September 2024; and if she will take regulatory steps to ensure that accommodation on farms for seasonal agricultural workers on the Seasonal Worker visa meets minimum standards for (a) occupancy rates and (b) quality.

We recognise the importance of all seasonal workers living in safe accommodation.Guidance is issued to sponsors for seasonal agricultural workers on the Seasonal Worker visa. It sets a requirement that scheme operators must ensure that safe and hygienic accommodation is in place, that complies with all relevant UK laws.