Written questions by Hollinrake.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2025 to Question 22777 on Land Registry: Buildings, how many staff are assigned to each of those office locations.

Further to the answer given to Question UIN 22777 on 27 January 2025, the figure given for each office is the number of individual members of staff based at that office who attended the office on at least one day within the specified month.A member of staff is recorded as having attended the office on any given day if they spent the majority of that day at a HM Land Registry office (or another workplace that is not a HM Land Registry office such as other government department, supplier premises or customer offices, where they needed to do so for work).The number of staff assigned to each of HM Land Registry’s offices on 30 November 2024 and 26 February 2025 can be found in the table below. No adjustment has been made to attendance numbers to account for those on short term leave. Office LocationNet Headcount (excluding long-term absences) 30 November 2024Net Headcount (excluding long-term absences) 26 February 2025Birkenhead547540Coventry278286Croydon398402Durham827816Fylde444445Gloucester361358Hull371383Leicester310326Nottingham580566Peterborough297300Plymouth804803Swansea879881Telford359353Weymouth275272Total67306731

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2025 to Question 30642 on Tower Hamlets Council, which opposition parties are represented on the Board; and if she will ensure that each opposition party on the council is able to send a councillor to the Board.

I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 30642 on 19 February 2025.The Deputy Prime Minister has directed that Tower Hamlets Council should include at least two opposition councillors on its Transformation and Assurance Board. The exact approach to that is, quite properly, a matter for the Council itself not for Ministers.The Council is responsible, subject to the Directions given by the Deputy Prime Minister, for its own improvement journey and the government is committed to working in a spirit of partnership to ensure councils across the country are fit, legal and decent.

Communities and Local Government, whether the next round of the Affordable Housing Programme will include provision for the housing needs of older people given the pace of demographic change; and if she will implement the recommendation to expand provision of the Older People’s Shared Ownership scheme set out within the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report entitled Our Future Homes: Housing that promotes wellbeing and community for an ageing population, published on 26 November 2024.

The government will set out details of future investment in social and affordable housing at the Spending Review. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent.The government is committed to enhancing provision and choice for older people in the housing market and we will continue to consider this issue as we develop our long-term housing strategy.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2025 to Question 902375 on Electoral Register: Wales, if she publish the minutes of the Interministerial Group on Elections for meetings held since 4 July 2024.

The Interministerial Group met on 12 February 2025 and the communique will be published in due course.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the consultations on establishing mayoral combined authorities, published on 17 February 2025, for what reason respondents are asked their sexual orientation to respond to the consultation.

Collecting demographic information in the consultation helps us to understand whether the responses we receive are representative of those who live and work in the areas involved in the consultations. This will also help MHCLG conduct an equality impact assessment to ensure compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty. We are not asking for information that identifies individuals in consultation responses, and the demographic information provided is anonymous.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 29617 on Heathrow Airport, whether she plans to have a vote in Parliament on the revised Airports National Policy Statement.

The Government has invited proposals for a third runway at Heathrow to be brought forward by the summer. Once proposals have been received, the government will review the Airports National Policy Statement in line with the requirements of the Planning Act 2008. When conducting the review, the Secretary of State will comply with the consultation, publicity and parliamentary requirements of the Planning Act 2008.

Communities and Local Government, whether the forthcoming housing strategy will consider (a) the housing needs of older people given the pace of demographic change and (b) the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report entitled Our Future Homes: Housing that promotes wellbeing and community for an ageing population, published on 26 November 2024.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 28990 on 18 February 2025.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2025 to Question 30633 on Democracy and Elections, whether she plans to hold discussions with (a) the Conservative and Unionist Party, (b) other opposition parties represented in the House of Commons and (c) Sinn Fein on this matter.

The Government is consulting with various stakeholders ahead of setting out our approach to elections and electoral reform for this Parliament.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Written Statement of 29 January 2025, HCWS396, on Growth Corridor Strategy, if she will place the list the proposed locations of each of the 18 submissions for large-scale new developments within the Oxford-Cambridge corridor.

The government has tasked the New Towns Taskforce, an independent expert advisory panel chaired by Sir Michael Lyons, with developing recommendations to ministers on suitable locations for new towns, as well as how to fund and deliver them. The Taskforce will submit its final report this summer.The Taskforce will not be sharing information about its locations evidence base prior to publication of the final report.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2025 to Question 25272 on Political Parties: Finance, whether the Labour Party has been consulted by (a) Ministers, (b) her Department and (c) special advisers as a stakeholder.

The work to give effect to this commitment is ongoing, and we are engaging with key stakeholders, such as the Electoral Commission. My department has not consulted political parties on these proposals yet.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2024 to Question 10528 on Candidates: Expenditure, what guidance the Government issued to (a) candidates, (b) parties and (c) election agents on notional invoices in Representation of the People Act returns before 2001.

The government is not responsible for issuing guidance on campaign expenditure. From 2001, it has been the role of the independent regulator, the Electoral Commission, to issue guidance on campaign expenditure, including notional expenditure. Retrieving the information on the position prior to 2001 could only be done at a disproportionate cost to the department.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2025 to Question 16552 on MHCLG: Marketing, if she will provide (a) an extract and (b) hyperlink to the details of the expenditure on the re-branding.

The costs of rebranding fell significantly below the threshold for publishing expenditure, but records indicate costs incurred amounted to £13,921.70.

Whether 10 Downing Street has a list of organisations or groups that it does not engage with.

10 Downing Street does not hold a list of this nature.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has issued to local authorities on whether a local authority’s decision to respond to the invitation for two-tier restructuring requires approval of that authority’s (a) executive or (b) full council.

On 5 February, I formally invited proposals for local government reorganisation from all the councils in two tier areas and their neighbouring unitary councils. It is for councils themselves to decide what approval processes they should follow in responding to my invitation in line with their own individual constitution arrangements.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2025 to Question 24244 on Government Departments: Sanitation, what steps her Department is taking to review the toilet policy; and with reference to the Government Property Strategy, published on 31 August 2022, whether it remains the policy of the Government Property Agency to adopt the proposed guidance on appropriate toilet provision for both men and women by 2025.

I refer the hon. member to the answer given in response to PQ24244 on 23 January.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 26555, on Households: English Language, what his planned timetable is for the substantive response and deposit.

The substantive response and deposit have now been published.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed population size for unitary councils on (a) democratic accountability, (b) local identity and (c) the ability of a local councillors to provide effective representation; and if she will take steps to reduce the proposed population size where those issues cannot be mitigated.

On 5 February 2025, I formally invited proposals for local government reorganisation from all the councils in two tier areas and their neighbouring unitary councils.The invitation letter sets out the criteria against which proposals will be assessed in coming to a decision on implementation. These include the criteria that new unitary structures must be the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks; reflect local identity considerations; and enable stronger community engagement and genuine opportunity for neighbourhood empowerment. It also asks councils in their interim plans to include early views as to the councillor numbers that will ensure both effective democratic representation for all parts of the area, and also effective governance and decision-making arrangements.It will be for councils to consider the assessment criteria as they develop and submit proposals that are in the best interest of their area.

Communities and Local Government, whether private members’ clubs with licensed premises are eligible for full retail, hospitality and leisure business rate relief.

The administration of business rates, including billing, enforcement and decisions on the award of relief is the responsibility of local government. Local authorities are responsible for making decisions and do so having regard to guidance published by the government and the circumstances of the individual property.Local authority guidance on the Retail Hospitality and Leisure scheme can be found at: Business Rates Relief: 2024/25 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Scheme - GOV.UK.

If she will make an estimate of the potential impact of the Government’s policies on extending equal pay rights as set out in the policy paper entitled Next Steps to Make Work Pay, published on 8 November 2024, on the cost to local authorities of (a) salaries and (b) legal settlements for people from ethnic minorities.

The government is committed to strengthening equal pay and ending pay discrimination. Through planned legislation, we will make the right to equal pay effective for ethnic minority and disabled people. We will also put in place measures to ensure that outsourcing of services can no longer be used by employers to avoid paying equal pay, and we will implement a regulatory and enforcement unit for equal pay. As we progress these measures, we will work in partnership with employers, trade unions and civil society and carefully consider their economic and social impact, including on employers, workers and the public sector. An equality impact assessment will be conducted as part of this.

For what reason the Minister for Social Security and Disability attended the Muslim Council of Britain's leadership dinner on 25 January 2025.

I attended the event in order to bid farewell to the outgoing General Secretary, Zara Mohammed.