Written questions by Hayes.

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 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.

Communities and Local Government, how many times the Islamophobia Definition Working Group has met.

The working group has met weekly since it was first established. The meetings included engagement with relevant stakeholders.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to (a) maintain and (b) promote local green spaces in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

The government is firmly committed to creating better access to parks and green spaces for all sections of society. Green spaces such as South Holland’s Ayscoughfee Gardens are an essential part of local social infrastructure which supports more connected, stronger communities. The MHCLG-owned Green Flag Award sets the national quality standard for parks and green spaces, the scheme aims to meet the needs of the communities they serve and has helped to transform thousands of parks and green spaces across the countryMHCLG has also established the Parks Working Group, which brings together sector experts with government officials to find innovative ways of managing parks, creating employment, hosting economic activities and encouraging inward investment. Finally, the government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) allows communities to designate land as Local Green Space, in order to protect green areas that are important to them.

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

The cost to provide Digital equipment to enable staff to work effectively from home for the 3 years 07/07/2022 to 06/07/2025 is £272,301.85.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to increase the number of disability-accessible houses in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 40122 on 26 March 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to protect supported housing in Lincolnshire.

Local authorities are best placed to decide how their funding is spent locally. This Spending Review provides over £5 billion of new grant funding for local services that communities rely on. This includes £3.4 billion of new grant funding through the Local Government Finance Settlement. The £3.4 billion, when taken together with a 3% core council tax referendum principle and a 2% adult social care precept, results in an average overall real terms increase in local authority core spending power of 2.6% per year between 2025-26 and 2028-29.

Communities and Local Government, how many compulsory purchase powers have been granted as part of nationally significant infrastructure project approvals since 2022.

The government does not hold data on the total number of compulsory acquisition powers that have been granted from the 55 Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects decided since the start of 2022. All compulsory acquisitions approved as part of a Development Consent Order are recorded and can be found on the Planning Inspectorate website here.

Communities and Local Government, what (a) training and (b) resources her Department has provided to fire and rescue services to respond to fires related to electric cars.

It is the responsibility of fire and rescue authorities to ensure that firefighters receive the appropriate resources, equipment and training they need to safely respond to the wide range of incidents which they attend. We will continue to work closely with the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) to ensure fire and rescue services have access to the training, resources and equipment they need to keep the public safe.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to increase the number of apprenticeship starts in her Department.

We remain committed to supporting the use of apprenticeships across all government departments to break down barriers to opportunity. This includes supporting the Government's commitment to 2,000 digital apprenticeships through its TechTrack scheme by 2030 to improve digital skills and drive improvements and efficiency in public services. Additionally, a new cross-Government Level 3 apprenticeship programme in Business Administration, The ‘Civil Service Career Launch Apprenticeship’ (CLA), will see new apprentices kickstart their careers, across various departments, starting from January 2026.” Since 2023, the Ministry of Housing, Community, and Local Government has increased the proportion of its staff on apprenticeships from 2% to 5.1%. We are currently exploring how additional entry level programmes in digital, data and AI, including the TechTrack Level 4 Business Analyst apprenticeship, can be used to build the department’s capability in this vital area.