Written questions by Cleverly.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the abolition of (a) the New Homes Bonus and (b) payments for bringing empty homes back into use on the number of empty homes.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 73762 on 9 September 2025.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 21 July 2025, HCWS872, on Combating Hatred Against Muslim Fund, what was included in the bid by the British Muslim Trust for the contract to provide a comprehensive service to monitor and support victims of anti-Muslim hatred.

The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government received 34 applications to the Combating Hatred Against Muslim Fund. All applicants were required to submit a detailed business plan as well as provide answers to questions related to 16 criteria. More information on the 16 criteria which applications were assessed against can be found on the fund’s prospectus - Combatting Hate Against Muslims fund: prospectus - GOV.UK. Due diligence checks were undertaken into all high scoring applicants. Financial checks were undertaken using the Spotlight due diligence tool. This uses risk indicators, developed by national security and fraud experts to inform decisions about whether to award a grant or contract, and onward monitoring, providing real time information from a range of government and commercial data sources in order to risk assess grant applicants including any linked directors, companies and beneficial owners.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2025 to Question 23864 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Photography, what the length of the fixed term loan of the Secretary of State's photographer; and whether he plans to keep such a role in post.

MHCLG does not currently employ a photographer on a part or full-time basis and has no plans to. We do not comment on individual staffing matters.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help enable people living in social rented housing to own pets.

The government wants to ensure more tenants can experience the benefits of pet ownership. Many social landlords set out their pet policies in their tenancy agreements and will allow tenants to keep pets where it is appropriate to do so. Consideration is given to whether the pets can be well looked after and any adverse effects on the lives of neighbours and those living nearby. We encourage all social landlords to adopt similar policies. The circumstances in which pets may be kept is, however, for social landlords to determine locally, taking account of the views of their tenants.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 16490 on Deputy Prime Minister: Departmental Responsibilities, what the total number of staff who are employed within his Department’s Policy and Strategy Unit is; what the headcount figures are for (a) Directors, (b) Deputy Directors, (c) senior policy advisers at Grade 6/7, (d) policy advisers at HEO/SEO and (e) any other staff; and whether he has plans to change the number.

The Department’s Policy and Strategy unit sits within a wider Director-led Strategy Directorate. It is comprised of two Deputy Directors, supported by 19 senior policy advisors (at grade 6/7) and 4 policy advisors (at grade HEO/SEO). The approach to recruitment and staffing levels is in line with the approach taken to date for these central functions.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2025 to Question 67391 on Building: Safety, whether his Department has made an estimate of the potential regulatory cost of London having different building safety standards to the rest of England.

The Department has not made a specific estimate of the potential regulatory cost of London having different building safety standards to the rest of England. Building regulations are set nationally under the Building Act 1984 and apply uniformly across England. Local authorities, including those in London, may apply additional planning or enforcement measures. Where regulatory changes are proposed, the Department undertakes an Impact Assessment in accordance with HM Treasury’s Green Book guidance. These assessments consider the costs and benefits of regulatory proposals, including regional impacts where relevant, for example recognising the higher prevalence of high-rise buildings in London. To date, no Impact Assessment has been undertaken specifically to quantify the cost implications of London diverging from national building safety standards. The Department continues to work closely with the Greater London Authority and other stakeholders to ensure building safety reforms are implemented consistently and proportionately across all regions. We keep regional impacts under review as part of our ongoing engagement with the Building Safety Regulator and future updates to guidance.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) building regulations and (b) planning policy on levels of installation of air conditioning in new build homes.

Part O of the Building Regulations, which was introduced in June 2021 and came into force in June 2022, ensures new homes are designed to minimise the risk of overheating.Given the Government’s net zero commitment, our preferred means of mitigating overheating is through passive measures, which ensure little or no energy is required to manage indoor temperatures. While mechanical cooling, such as air conditioning, is effective at reducing overheating, it is not a desirable or financially efficient solution due to the energy it consumes. Widespread reliance on mechanical cooling would place additional demand on the national grid, slowing the transition to a zero-carbon system and requiring further generation capacity. There are also implications for households, as the costs associated with mechanical cooling could exacerbate fuel poverty where people are unable to afford to run cooling systems.Mechanical cooling can still be used to comply with Part O. However developers must first demonstrate that all reasonable passive measures have been implemented before adopting mechanical solutions.

Communities and Local Government, if he will use his powers under section 10 of the Local Government Act 1999 with Cambridge City Council in relation to its adoption of a 4 day week.

Local authorities are independent employers responsible for the management of their own workforces. While it is not government policy to support a four-day working week in local authorities, the government will not intervene using powers under section 10 of the Local Government Act 1999 nor will it be micromanaging local authorities in relation to this working arrangement.

Communities and Local Government, what meetings his Department has had with representatives of the Labour Infrastructure Forum.

My Department received a representation from the Labour Infrastructure Forum on 26 June regarding their recently published report on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. To date, there has been no engagement between the Department and the Labour Infrastructure Forum on this report.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 83 of his Department's policy paper entitled Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections, published on 17 July 2025, whether the code of conduct will include Islamophobia.

The Government is clear that all forms of harassment, intimidation and abuse are unacceptable and have no place in our democracy. As set out in the Restoring Trust in our Democracy strategy, we will work with the Speaker’s Conference and the Electoral Commission to develop a code of conduct for campaigning which is fit for purpose. This code will aim to reduce harassment and intimidation of all forms, improve the tone of campaigning, and promote a safer and more inclusive democratic environment.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the document entitled Licensing of houses in multiple occupation and selective licensing of other residential accommodation (England) General Approval 2024, published on 16 December 2024 on landlords.

The General Approval 2024 grants local authorities the ability to introduce selective licensing schemes of any size in their area, without requiring Secretary of State approval. No changes have been made to the legislative requirements for introducing and managing a selective licensing scheme. Local authorities must continue to meet the requirements under Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004. We trust local authorities to assess local housing conditions and introduce a selective licensing scheme where there is a need to address local issues. No recent assessment has been undertaken on the impact of the selective licensing General Approval 2024.

Communities and Local Government, which international conferences were attended by Homes England in the 2024-25 financial year; and what the cost was of attending each conference.

Homes England attended two international conferences in the 2024-25 financial year, MIPIM and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). The total cost to attend MIPIM was £25,213.91 which included flights, hotels and tickets for all attendees. The total cost to attend ULI was £319.20 which included flights and hotel.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Written Statement of 21 November 2024 entitled Leasehold and Commonhold reform, HCWS244, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of such reforms on the cost of lease extensions for leases which (a) are for 80 years or more and (b) have a low ground rent.

An Impact Assessment for the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 was published in December 2023. It can be found on gov.uk here. An addendum to the Impact Assessment, providing the government’s latest assessment of the impact of the Act’s reforms to leasehold enfranchisement, was published in April 2025. It can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2025 to Question 52871 on Community Development: English Language, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of providing English language support to people in the UK in the (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26 financial years.

The below answer refers to funding made by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government only. The provisions described are in addition to what other departments may offer. Councils receive a tariff of £5,900 per Homes for Ukraine arrival in their area to support guests to rebuild their lives and fully integrate into communities. Councils can use this funding flexibly which could include supporting guests to access English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision. Homes for Ukraine funding allocations are published on gov.uk here. The department provided £11.5 million of funding for English language courses and employment support for up to 12,500 Ukrainians across the UK through the ‘STEP Ukraine’ programme. The department has also allocated £3 million in grant funding to Strategic Migration Partnerships (SMPs) in England to strengthen the capacity of ESOL teachers and expand community-based English language support for eligible Afghans, Ukrainians, and Hong Kong BN(O)s until March 2026. This builds on the £1 million SMP ESOL capacity grant delivered in 2023–24, which trained over 350 teachers and supported more than 2,500 resettled learners The Hong Kong British National (Overseas) Welcome Programme, which is in its fifth year of funding, provides demand led funding to councils in England which can be accessed to cover the costs of English language courses. In 2024-25, the department allocated £4.5 million to councils. Continued funding is available in 2025-26.

Communities and Local Government, which trade unions in (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies receive (i) facility time and (ii) diversity network time.

The Department recognises 3 Unions: PCS, Prospect & FDA. Our agencies each have their own recognised Trade Unions. Facility time is granted in line with Cabinet Office guidance. Requesting time for staff network activities is a separate provision to the facility time granted to recognised Unions. Requests for Diversity Network time are considered in accordance with Departmental policy.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Council Tax second homes premium on trends in levels of people changing their property status to business rate holiday lets; and what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his polices of trends in levels of people seeking to meet the 140 day rule to be eligible for business rates.

It is for individual councils to decide whether to make use of the premium, taking into account all relevant local factors.There are clear criteria that a dwelling must meet before it can be assessed as a holiday let for business rates purposes. The dwelling must have been available to let for at least 140 days in the past year and actually let for at least 70 days in the past year. The government will continue to keep these criteria under review.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has provided guidance on the potential use of public funds by local authorities to (a) campaign on and (b) seek to influence Government decisions on unitary local government restructuring; and what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of this practice.

In coming to any decision on communications, local authorities are required by legislation to consider the Recommended Code of Practice on Local Authority Publicity. Decisions should observe the principles of objectivity and cost effectiveness, as well as being even-handed and appropriate.Local authorities have been carrying out engagement to help develop local government reorganisation proposals and they are required to give due regard to the Code when doing so.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2025 to Question 68123 on Business Premises: Rents, if he will place a copy of the research in the Library.

The government published a full Impact Assessment upon First Reading of the Bill on 10 July. The Impact Assessment provides a summary of the economic analysis and research the government relied upon to reach the decision.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 30143 on Byelaws, what legislative vehicle his Department plans to use to implement its proposals on byelaws from the English Devolution White Paper.

Byelaw reform proposals outlined in the English Devolution White Paper will be subject to consultation. The government will consider how proposals will be implemented following this.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 104 of the MHCLG annual report and accounts 2024-25, published in July 2025, whether Homes England is now making use of the software licensing; and whether the £324,000 has been permanently lost.

Homes England entered into an agreement to acquire software licences for use on an investment project in early development during 2024/25. Due to delays in progressing the project, the Agency was unable to utilise the licences within that financial year, resulting in an unavoidable payment. The circumstances and financial implications are detailed in Homes England’s Annual Report and Accounts 2024/25.