Written questions by Stafford.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the abolition of Assured Shorthold Tenancies on university students in cases where previous fixed-term tenancies were due to end within two months of the date of abolition.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, whether the Government has considered the potential merits of introducing legislation to prohibit individuals convicted of terrorism offences from standing for elected public office.

The Government currently has no plans to change the disqualification criteria for those standing for election for these offences but keeps the counter‑terrorism framework under constant review to ensure it is fit for purpose.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has considered the potential merits of strengthening penalties for people who vote on behalf of family members without proper authorisation.

It is essential that every elector is able to cast their vote in secret and free from any form of coercion. While the vast majority of people vote lawfully, any instance of personation or coercion at the polling station is unacceptable and undermines confidence in our democratic process. Personation, undue influence and offences under the Ballot Secrecy Act are all serious offences which can carry sentences of up to six months’ imprisonment, a fine, or both – reflecting the severity of these crimes.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential risk to public safety arising from the publication of sensitive information relating to the physical security of properties on local authority planning registers.

My Department has made no such assessment.

Communities and Local Government, what progress his Department has made on setting out plans to seek further evidence from the park homes sector on the rationale for the maximum 10 per cent commission payable on the sale of a park home.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 97962 on 15 December 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with (a) Waverley Borough Council and (b) East Hampshire District Council on the provision of Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspaces and housing delivery.

Local planning authorities must ensure that development does not adversely affect the integrity of sites protected under the Habitats Regulations (including through mitigation measures where appropriate).Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) is one type of mitigation for the recreational pressures that new housing can place on protected habitats like Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). It provides an attractive alternative green space for new residents, drawing visitors away from sensitive habitats.Local planning authorities are responsible for ensuring that developers deliver SANGs where they are needed, following an Appropriate Assessment under the Habitats Regulations of a relevant development. It is therefore for local planning authorities to monitor local capacity of SANGs.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department collects or holds data on the number of residential planning permissions that cannot be implemented due to a lack of available Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace capacity.

Local planning authorities must ensure that development does not adversely affect the integrity of sites protected under the Habitats Regulations (including through mitigation measures where appropriate).Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) is one type of mitigation for the recreational pressures that new housing can place on protected habitats like Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). It provides an attractive alternative green space for new residents, drawing visitors away from sensitive habitats.Local planning authorities are responsible for ensuring that developers deliver SANGs where they are needed, following an Appropriate Assessment under the Habitats Regulations of a relevant development. It is therefore for local planning authorities to monitor local capacity of SANGs.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the availability of Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace capacity within local planning authorities covering the (a) Thames Basin Heaths, (b) Thursley, Hankley and Frensham Commons, and (c) Wealden Heaths Phase II Special Protection Areas.

Local planning authorities must ensure that development does not adversely affect the integrity of sites protected under the Habitats Regulations (including through mitigation measures where appropriate).Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) is one type of mitigation for the recreational pressures that new housing can place on protected habitats like Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). It provides an attractive alternative green space for new residents, drawing visitors away from sensitive habitats.Local planning authorities are responsible for ensuring that developers deliver SANGs where they are needed, following an Appropriate Assessment under the Habitats Regulations of a relevant development. It is therefore for local planning authorities to monitor local capacity of SANGs.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2026 to Question 106884, whether the requirement for local planning authorities to maintain published plans and drawings of residential development on planning registers applies indefinitely after that development has been completed.

It is important that there is a publicly available record of what has been granted planning permission, as this may be used for a range of purposes. For example, these may be used to identify breaches in planning control, or for conveyancing purposes.However, legislation does not specify how long published plans and drawings of residential development should be retained on planning registers.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the risk to public safety from the publication of sensitive information relating to the physical security of properties on local authority planning registers.

My Department has made no such assessment.I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 106884 on 27 January 2026.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 27th January 2026 to Question 106884, what assessment he has made of the efficacy of local planning authorities in restricting the publication of ‘sensitive’ information relating to the physical security of a property on planning registers.

My Department has made no such assessment. We keep planning practice guidance and procedures under review.

Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to publish the 2024 Housing Delivery Test results.

Following delays to the publication of the 2023 Housing Delivery Test (HDT) results under the previous government, this government is committed to re-establishing a regular publication cycle. We therefore intend to combine the data collections for the 2024 and 2025 HDTs and to publish both sets of results as soon as possible this year.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential public safety considerations of detailed internal residential plans remaining publicly accessible online after development has been completed.

Plans and drawings of proposed residential development, including any plans for internal arrangements, submitted with a planning application must be maintained and published by local planning authorities on their planning registers. Local planning authorities should not publish information on their register which they consider to be ‘sensitive’, including information relating to the physical security of a property.

Communities and Local Government, when local authorities will be informed of their indicative allocations of the Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant for each consecutive financial year from 2026 to 2029.

Provisional allocations of the Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant have been published on gov.uk here. Final allocations will be published in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of guidance issued to local planning authorities on the increase in housing delivery targets through revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework; and whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of that guidance in enabling authorities to meet statutory obligations.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 includes a new Standard Method for assessing housing needs that is aligned to our Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million new safe and decent homes in England by the end of this Parliament The standard method is used by local authorities to inform the preparation of their local plans. Once local housing need has been assessed, authorities should then make an assessment of the number of new homes that can be provided in their area. This should be justified by evidence on land availability, constraints on development, such as National Landscapes and areas at risk of flooding, and any other relevant matters. The approach taken is then be tested by the Planning Inspector during the examination of the Local Plan. Alongside the publication of a new Standard method, my Department also published revised planning practice guidance to reflect these changes. This can be found on gov.uk here. We will keep the need for additional planning practice guidance under review.

Communities and Local Government, when he plans to announce the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Grant for the 2026-27 financial year.

As announced in the Local Government Policy Statement on 20 November, found here, the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Grant will be worth at least £480 million over the 3 years from 2026/27 and the distribution will follow the existing allocation formula. Further details will be in the Local Government Finance provisional settlement before Christmas.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of levels of Community Infrastructure Levy in the Borough of Waverley on the supply of new (a) residential and (b) commercial premises in that borough.

My Department has made no such an assessment.

Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to implement the same rules on (a) binding contracts and (b) upfront information in property transactions as are in place in Scotland.

On 6 October 2025, the government published two consultations outlining reform proposals to transform home buying and selling. They can be found on gov.uk here and here. The consultations include proposals to require sellers and estate agents to provide upfront property information and to support binding contracts. Final decisions are subject to the outcome of these consultations.

Communities and Local Government, what recent steps he has taken to support (a) religious freedom and the (b) protection of minority faith groups.

Freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental human right. Everyone in Britain has the right to feel safe and at ease where they live. The Government is committed to protecting individuals’ right to practise their religion freely and will not tolerate religious hatred in any form. Those who incite religious hatred will face the full force of the law.Faith Groups in England and Wales that are particularly vulnerable to religiously or racially motivated hate crime are eligible for funded protective security measures through the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme. This scheme offers physical security enhancements, such as CCTV, intruder alarms, and secure perimeter fencing.An Antisemitism Working Group has been established to advise the Government on effective strategies to tackle hate against Jewish communities. Additionally, the government continues to work with the independent advisor Lord Mann in combating antisemitism through meaningful engagement with diverse communities.The Government has also established an independent working group to advise on a non-statutory definition of Anti-Muslim Hatred. The working group have engaged widely to ensure their proposed definition accounts for the variety of backgrounds and experiences of communities across the United Kingdom.

Communities and Local Government, if his Department will respond to the correspondence of 16 July 2025 from the hon. Member for Farnham and Bordon regarding the Woolmead site in the Farnham and Bordon constituency.

A response to the hon. Member was issued on 20 October 2025.