Written questions by Cleverly.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the written evidence submitted by the Home Office to the Home Affairs Select Committee inquiry on the Home Office's management of asylum accommodation, AAC0141, HC 580, which local authorities are participating in pilots relating to the Accommodation Strategy.

This Government is committed to ending the use of asylum hotels. To support that goal, we are investing £500 million in a new, more sustainable asylum accommodation model, developed in consultation with local authorities. This will help make available basic alternative accommodation so that it can be used on a temporary basis to house asylum seekers waiting for their cases to be processed. Our ambition is that this investment will leave a lasting legacy of housing for local communities and reduce pressure on local housing markets. This new funding will complement ongoing Home Office reforms to the asylum accommodation estate, including pilot schemes to repurpose derelict buildings and to develop other community-led alternatives to the use of hotels. MHCLG and the Home Office are working closely with councils and devolved partners to co-design this approach. Funding allocations to local authorities are yet to be finalised and will be confirmed in due course.

Communities and Local Government, which local authorities are participating in asylum seeking housing pilots; and how much funding has been allocated to those pilots.

This Government is committed to ending the use of asylum hotels. To support that goal, we are investing £500 million in a new, more sustainable asylum accommodation model, developed in consultation with local authorities. This will help make available basic alternative accommodation so that it can be used on a temporary basis to house asylum seekers waiting for their cases to be processed. Our ambition is that this investment will leave a lasting legacy of housing for local communities and reduce pressure on local housing markets. This new funding will complement ongoing Home Office reforms to the asylum accommodation estate, including pilot schemes to repurpose derelict buildings and to develop other community-led alternatives to the use of hotels. MHCLG and the Home Office are working closely with councils and devolved partners to co-design this approach. Funding allocations to local authorities are yet to be finalised and will be confirmed in due course.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of recommendation four of the Licensing policy sprint: joint industry and HM government taskforce report, published on 31 July 2025, on the newspaper industry.

Following the Licensing taskforce report, the Government published a Call for Evidence on reforming the licensing system on 7 October, which closed on 6 November. The Call for Evidence invited views on the impact of licensing reforms, including in relation to Recommendation 4 of the taskforce on ending the requirement for printed statutory notices in local newspapers for alcohol licences. The reforms collectively aim to create a modern, proportionate, and enabling system that supports economic growth, revitalises high streets and fosters vibrant communities.More broadly, the Government is concerned about the sustainability of local journalism and DCMS is developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. We also recognise that local press continues to play a central role in informing local communities, and that statutory notices can be important in helping inform the public of decisions made by their council which may affect their quality of life, local services or amenities, or their property.Additionally, the sector’s Public Notice Portal is a welcome innovation, taking advantage of print publishers’ growing digital audiences and providing a centralised resource for all types of public notice. We also welcome the Portal's current expansion to include archive and consultation functions to help public bodies and commercial entities engage with the public more effectively.DCMS is monitoring the progress of the Portal, and the effect that it has on the audience reach of public notices. This type of industry innovation and collaboration is integral to securing the sector’s future. It will be taken into account in our planned review of statutory notices as part of the Local Media Strategy, which will more broadly consider the merits of making changes to existing requirements to place statutory notices in print local newspapers, including the impact this has on local transparency and the newspaper industry, including in Hertfordshire. The review will also take forward final decisions on the future of alcohol licence notices. More will be announced on the Strategy and the review in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2025 to Question 75606 on Community Development: English Language, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of providing English language support in (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26.

The information on actual spend is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 October 2025 to Question 71483 on MHCLG: Government Art Collection, if she will provide this information.

The Government Art Collection is a working collection, used across government buildings in the UK and the global estate, which means that artworks may change their display location from time to time in response to new display steers and requests.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2025 to Question 75606 on Community Development: English Language, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of providing English language support in (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26.

The Ministry of Justice has a statutory duty to provide Language Services to enable access to justice for users for whom English is not their first language. Language Service needs and spend are assessed to ensure these services offer good value for money for taxpayers while maintaining high standards of service delivery.The services provided under the Ministry of Justice’s contracts include face-to-face, video, and telephone interpretation for spoken foreign languages, as well as written translation and transcription.In financial year 2024/25, the Ministry of Justice spent £36,920,721 providing these services via contract.To date, in financial year 2025/26, the Ministry of Justice spent £20,478,950 providing these services via contract. Expenditure to date is comparable with the same point as last financial year, so we anticipate that overall spend for 2025–26 will be broadly consistent with expenditure in the previous financial year.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 81310 on Universal Studios: Bedfordshire, whether her Department has submitted a representation to the planning application.

In line with appropriate procedure, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport did not submit a representation to the planning application.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 78182 on Retail Trade: Planning Permission, whether the proposing licensing regime for the retail sale of vaping products will regulate the (a) number and (b) cumulative impact of vaping shops that are permitted to operate in a locality.

On 8 October 2025, we launched a Call for Evidence to gather views on a range of topics related to tobacco, vapes, and nicotine products, including the implementation of the proposed licensing scheme for the retail sale of these products. The Call for Evidence asks detailed questions, including on factors that should be taken into consideration when making decisions on the granting of a premises licence, such as the location and density of retailers. We welcome feedback on the questions in the Call for Evidence.The evidence gathered will be used to inform the development of the licensing scheme, and we will launch a subsequent consultation on our policy proposals before bringing forward secondary legislation. The Call for Evidence is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/tobacco-and-vapes-evidence-to-support-legislation/tobacco-and-vapes-evidence-to-support-legislation

What estimate she has made of the number of (a) shops, (b) sports stadiums, (c) film studios and (d) airports that would be liable for the surcharge on Rateable Values above £500,000.

As announced at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government will introduce permanently lower business rates multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values (RVs) below £500,000 from 2026/27. This permanent tax cut will ensure that they benefit from much-needed certainty and support. The Government is sustainably funding this by introducing a higher multiplier on properties with RVs of £500,000 and above.The Valuation Office Agency has published data on the number of properties with current RVs of £500,000 or above.Every three years, all non-domestic properties are revalued. The next revaluation will take effect on 1 April 2026. This may affect which properties are in scope of the new higher multiplier. Further detail will be published at the Budget.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 82325 on Holiday Accommodation: Registration, where the pilot will take place; and on what statutory basis the pilot is operating.

The new national short-term lets registration service entered its user testing pilot at the end of October to ensure it is robust, easy to use and meets the needs of the scheme ahead of launch in 2026. Feedback will be gathered from users who provide short-term lets across England as part of this development phase, in line with the Government Service Standard.

Whether her Department has commissioned research into the (a) underlying causes of trends in the number of children with special educational needs and (b) adequacy of funding to local authorities for supporting such children.

International evidence indicates that the number of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is also increasing in comparable countries. Although definitions and systems vary considerably, the key drivers include improved understanding and diagnosis of need, as well as social and medical factors. The department is strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve inclusive practice in mainstream settings, for example through our recently published evidence reviews, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/identifying-and-supporting-the-needs-of-children-with-send-in-mainstream-settings. The department also funds a What Works in SEND programme, which is delivered by Research and Improvement for SEND Excellence Partnership. This programme produces research and local area case studies that harness best practice from practitioners and partner organisations on local area SEND service delivery. The department is providing over £12 billion in the current 2025/26 financial year for supporting children and young people with complex SEND. This will help with the financial pressures that local authorities and schools are facing. The Schools White Paper, due to be published in the new year, will set out how we plan to move forward with reforms to improve the SEND system in future years.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2025 to Question 64084 on Night Time Industries Association, if he will publish (a) the letter from the Association and (b) his Department's response.

Responses are issued directly to the original correspondent in line with the Cabinet Office guidance for correspondence - Guide to Handling Correspondence - September 2024 A letter has been issued directly to the original correspondent.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has issued guidance on council farms.

Defra recently published the 74th annual report to Parliament on smallholdings in England. The report indicated that council farms continue to play an important role in the tenanted agricultural sector across England.

Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance has her Department been to local highways authorities on the use of pesticides to ensure that pavements are safe and accessible for pedestrians.

There is a legal requirement to minimise the use of pesticides along roads and in areas used by the public. It is for each Local Authority to decide the best way of delivering cost-effective weed control in its operations while protecting people and the environment.

Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on which local authorities have introduced (a) three-weekly and (b) monthly residual household rubbish collections.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Isle of Wight East, Joe Robertson, on 20 December 2024, PQ UIN 19914.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 82043 on City of Sanctuary UK, if she will publish the minutes of the three meetings.

Officials routinely engage with a range of different organisations.The department does not usually publish minutes between officials and stakeholders.

Pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 78673 on Travellers: Caravan Sites, if he will publish his Department's engagements with the National Police Chief’s Council including (a) notes of meetings and (b) exchanges of correspondence.

The Home Office regularly engages with the National Police Chiefs’ on policy issues relating to operational policing.The Government is working on a response to the Court’s judgment. In the Crime and Policing Bill Committee stage debate on 17 November, Home Office Minister Lord Hanson committed to set out the Government’s response to the judgment ahead of the Report stage of the Bill.In considering the Court’s judgment, the Government will carefully balance the rights of individuals to live a private life without discrimination, while recognising the importance of protecting public spaces and communities affected by unauthorised encampments.

Whether the Valuation Office Agency has had recent discussions with the (a) Scottish Government and (b) Scottish Assessors Association on (i) council tax (A) revaluation and (B) re-banding and (ii) the automated valuation model.

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) routinely meet with devolved governments. The VOA has not discussed banding with Scottish Government or Scottish Assessors Association (SAA) but has provided an overview of their model assisted valuation to the SAA as part of regular knowledge sharing.

Whether local councillors will be included in Making Tax Digital scheme.

Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax will be introduced from April 2026 for sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000. Qualifying income is the total income from self-employment and property, assessed before expenses. Local Authority councillors are office holders rather than sole traders. Their income and allowances do not count towards qualifying income for the purposes of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. Where a councillor has additional qualifying income from self-employment or property, they will need to comply where that income exceeds the MTD thresholds. If a councillor is required to use MTD, and where expenses are claimed through a return, the councillor would make that claim as part of the end-of-year tax return through their MTD software.

Pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2025 to Question 75123 on Angela Rayner, whether he was informed before his statement on 3 September 2025.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer of 15 October 2025, Official Report, PQ 75123.