Written questions by Hayes.

Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department are (a) on temporary contract and (b) consultants.

The Department engages temporary workers and consultants where there is a business requirement that means it will be more beneficial to do so in order to provide the necessary expertise or a short-term resourcing solution where permanent capability is not required.As of 30 November 2025, (a) 143 civil servants in the Department were employed on temporary contracts - approximately 4% of the Department’s full-time equivalent (FTE) workforce.Information on the number of off-payroll engagements, including (b) consultants engaged by the Department, is published as part of the Department’s Workforce Management Information, which is available here.

Communities and Local Government, how many residential buildings have registered with the Building Safety Fund in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

No buildings in South Holland and the Deepings constituency registered with the Building Safety Fund. Between 1 and 5 buildings in Lincolnshire registered and have since been transferred to the Cladding Safety Scheme to streamline delivery. To note the department does not hold complete addresses for buildings that did not proceed to a full application.

Communities and Local Government, how much HM Land Registry has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years.

HM Land Registry (HMLR) has spent £52,336 on translation and interpretation services, including sign-language interpretation, in the previous 5 years as below. The significant majority of the expenditure relates to translating HMLR official documents into Welsh under the statutory requirements set out in the Welsh Language Act 1993. 2020-21 14,7182021-22 10,3572022-23 8,9172023-24 6,9552024-25 11,389Grand Total 52,336

Communities and Local Government, if he will list the titles of all the events organised by Civil Service networks in his Department since 2017.

The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost to the Department.

Communities and Local Government, how many (a) single sex and (b) gender neutral bathroom facilities his Department provides in its main Whitehall building.

MHCLG’S main Whitehall building, in (Fry) 2 Marsham Street has 60 single sex toilets with 3 cubicles in each, and 0 urinals. We do not have non-gendered universal toilets (individual self-contained lockable toilet rooms which contain a toilet, washbasin and hand-drying facilities). However, we do have 10 accessible toilets for our wheelchair users.(Fry) 2 Marsham Street does not have any gender-neutral toilets (i.e. toilets where users, of any gender, share a single space containing toilet cubicles, urinal facilities and shared hand washing facilities).

Communities and Local Government, what data his Department holds on the number of fire service call outs in response to fires involving solar panels in England for each of the last five years.

MHCLG collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) in England through the Incident Recording System (IRS), which includes the cause of fire and source of ignition. These statistics are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fire-statistics.However, the IRS does not record whether an incident involved solar panels. As a result, the Department does not hold data on the number of fire service call outs specifically involving solar panels for the last five years.Additional information is available here: Number of fires in England with “solar panel” or “photovoltaic panel” mentioned in the additional information free text - GOV.UK. This dataset is based on free-text searches for “solar panel” and “photovoltaic panel” in IRS records, by calendar year. As these results are not systematically categorised, accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed. Mentions of solar panels may not be closely linked to the fire, as the phrase “solar panel” may have been included in the free-text as part of a wider context, and some FRSs provide no free-text data. The dataset was last analysed and published in 2023, covering the calendar year to December 2022.

Communities and Local Government, what (a) training and (b) resources her Department has provided to fire and rescue services to respond to fires at large photovoltaic solar developments.

It is the responsibility of fire and rescue authorities to ensure firefighters receive the training they need to safely respond to incidents, and to do so in light of their individual areas’ risk profiles and Community Risk Management Plans. We will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure fire and rescue services have the resources they need to protect communities. Standalone fire and rescue authorities will see an increase in core spending power of up to £69.1 million in 2025-26: including the National Insurance Contribution Grant, this is an increase of 3.6% in cash terms compared to 2024-25. Decisions on how their resources are best deployed to meet their core functions and mitigate risks in their local areas are a matter for each fire and rescue authority.

Communities and Local Government, what proportion of social housing was occupied by people born overseas in each of the last five years.

Housing is a devolved matter, with each of the four nations of the UK developing their own policies and data collections to monitor the impact of them. The English Housing Survey published by my Department, which can be found on gov.uk here, shows that households living in social housing in England with a non-UK national lead tenant comprised: 10.6% of all households living in social housing in England in 2023/2410.0% of all households living in social housing in England in 2022/238.4% of all households living in social housing in England in 2021/227.0% of all households living in social housing in England in 2020/218.4% of all households living in social housing in England in 2019/20. It is important to note that such households can contain UK nationals as well as non-UK national lead tenants.

Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the number of first-time house buyers in Lincolnshire in each of the last five years.

My Department does not collect data on the number of first-time buyers. The Office for National Statistics publishes data on first-time buyer mortgage sales by local authority in the UK. They can be found on its website here. Data covers the period between 2006 and 2024. Data for 2025 has not yet been published.

Communities and Local Government, what recent steps has he taken to help tackle council tax fraud.

Council tax is administered by local authorities. It is therefore for them to manage and address any potential cases of fraud in the council tax system. Councils have powers to impose penalties on households which knowingly provide false information as well as a range of powers to recover and enforce unpaid council tax. Our plain English guide to council tax highlights councils’ powers to address fraud. The government will continue to keep these powers under review.

Communities and Local Government, what measures his Department has in place to run critical services in the event of a major internet outage.

Providing critical services in the event of a major internet outage requires that the department has suitable technology solutions in place, that services are well designed and governed, recovery requirements are assessed and they are aligned with business continuity plans. The department has tested plans in place to keep the department functioning in response to the most serious risks facing the UK, including those that could come about as a result of a significant loss of power, like a major internet outage. As part of wider resilience planning in government, MHCLG works with local partners on resilient communication methods which support contact in the event of a power or internet outage.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocations to Lincolnshire since 2023.

UKSPF provides a total of £3.5 billion of funding for local investment over four years (2022-26), with all places in the UK receiving an allocation via a funding formula. The funding methodologies for the periods 2022-25 and 2025-26 are published on gov.uk. Changes were made to the English allocation methodology for 2025-26 to support mayoral combined authorities with capital for early development of local growth plans and local priority investments, as well as targeting places with the highest levels of deprivation. The county of Lincolnshire received a total of £34.7m (including a £1.97m Multiply allocation) across 2022-25 and a further £14.8m of UKSPF funding for 2025-26 through the newly established Greater Lincolnshire Combined Authority to deliver interventions in line with their local priorities.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the level of funding for Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service.

On 3 February, the Ministry published the 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement which sets out funding allocations for all local authorities including fire and rescue. As Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service is a county service, it is funded by the Central Government and council tax precept via its parent authority, Lincolnshire County Council. This financial year, Lincolnshire County Council will have a core spending power of £740.3 million, an increase of 5.4 % compared to 2024/25. The Ministry will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure fire and rescue services have the resources they need to protect communities.

Communities and Local Government, on how many days the Union Flag was flown on his Department's main buildings in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

MHCLG’s headquarters is 2 Marsham Street, London and the Union Flag has been flown every day throughout 2024 and 2025. In addition, our 2nd headquarters in i9,Wolverhampton also has a flag pole, although we do not maintain records of what flags have been flown when. The Union Flag is flown for the majority of the year and alternative flags are only flown according to official guidance issued by DCMS.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the number of additional electors who will be added to the electoral roll following the franchise being extended to 16 and 17 year olds in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

As outlined in the recently published ‘Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections’, the Government believes that enabling 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in all UK elections will foster early and sustained participation in civic life and enhance engagement in our democratic processes. By delivering this manifesto commitment, we want young people to find their voice and exercise their right to vote. In June 2025, the House of Commons Library published constituency-level estimates of the number of 16- and 17-year-olds across the UK, based on Office for National Statistics (ONS) data from 2022 for Great Britain and 2023 for Northern Ireland. These figures provide indicative estimates of the population and should be treated as approximations rather than precise counts. The Government recognises the importance of understanding the implications of this policy change. Accordingly, an Impact Assessment will be published alongside forthcoming legislation in due course. Legislation will be introduced as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.

The Department has not spent money on social media influencers since July 2024. Influencers can be effective in reaching audiences that the government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to require local referenda for local government reorganisation proposals in Lincolnshire.

Local government reorganisation will deliver better outcomes for residents and save significant money which can be reinvested in public services. Simpler structures with fewer politicians can improve democratic accountability as residents know who to look to and it is clearer who is responsible for what We do not have any plans to require local referenda as part of the local government reorganisation process. Under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, Parliament set out the statutory process for establishing unitary councils in two-tier areas. As set out in the invitation letter, areas must demonstrate how the local community has been engaged in developing proposals.

Communities and Local Government, how much HM Land Registry has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

Following the coronavirus pandemic, HM Land Registry (HMLR) has enabled all staff to work both from home and from the office in line with the government’s 60% office attendance requirements. Heads of departments have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. As part of this change, HMLR has, through its standard IT and equipment refresh programme, provided all staff with laptops and the necessary equipment to enable them to work in a hybrid fashion. This is now the standard departmental provision of equipment and as such the majority of the associated costs are not specific to home working. As part of this approach, HMLR offers new staff appropriate furniture and peripheral IT equipment to enable them to work at home as part of this hybrid arrangement. It is estimated that this can cost up to £500 per person and is based upon need.

Communities and Local Government, what recent steps she has taken to increase community involvement in the planning process.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 46945 on 30 April 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the (a) number and (b) proportion of people granted asylum status who are living in the private rented sector.

My Department does not hold data on the number, or the proportion, of people granted asylum who are living in the private rented sector.