Written questions by Hollinrake.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Chief Fire Adviser on the potential impact of the (a) ban on controlled heather burning on and (b) definition of deep peat on the risk of wildfires.

While the regulation of controlled heather burning and the definition of deep peat fall within the responsibility of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which addressed a similar question from the Hon. Member on 11 September 2025 (UIN 76603), the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is the lead government department for wildfire (from 1 April 2025). The Chief Fire Adviser post ceased with the introduction of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) in 2017. As did my predecessor, I meet regularly with Phil Garrigan, Chair of the NFCC, to discuss a range of issues in fire and resilience, including wildfire. I also understand that NFCC provided input to Defra’s consultation on the Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations in 2025. In December 2021 the Home Office, as the former lead government department for wildfire, published the Wildfire Framework for England.  The framework identifies responsibilities, clarifies relationships, and facilitates coordination at the government level and between key wildfire stakeholders in England. MHCLG continues to work with Defra and other partners to ensure that land management and environmental policies are aligned with effective wildfire resilience.

With reference to the Written Statement of 21 July 2024 on Government of service, HCWS870, whether the breach of the Ministerial Code by the former Deputy Prime Minister was deemed a serious breach.

I refer you to the advice provided by the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards and the subsequent exchange of letters between the Prime Minister and the former Deputy Prime Minister. These are published on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-from-the-independent-adviser-on-ministerial-standards-exchange-of-letters-between-the-prime-minister-and-angela-rayner-mp

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 76822 on Jeffrey Epstein, what records Integrated Corporate Services holds of meetings between Jeffrey Epstein and Ministers in the former Department for Business, Innovation and Skills between 2009 and 2010.

Any such information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 22 September 2025, to Question 76278, Lord Mandelson, what (a) vetting and (b) due diligence was carried out prior to the public announcement of the appointment of Lord Mandelson, and by whom.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 17 October to to Question 76245.

Communities and Local Government, when he plans to respond to the letter of 14 July 2025 from the hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton on publication of councillors’ home addresses.

A response was sent to the hon. Member on 27 October 2025.

When the Cabinet Secretary plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton of 10 June 2025 on the proposed Chinese Embassy and pre-determination.

I apologise for the delayed response to the Hon. Member’s letter. He will have received a letter of apology for this. He will receive a substantive reply as soon as possible.

Communities and Local Government, how many civil servants from his Department went on strike on 1 September 2025.

431 individuals are recorded as having taken part in strike action on 1 September 2025.

Communities and Local Government, how many homes would have been delivered in buildings waiting for Gateway 2 approval from the Building Safety Regulator for (a) over 12 weeks, (b) over 26 weeks, (c) over 52 weeks and (d) in total in each of the last six months.

We recognise that delays to the assessment of applications have been unacceptable, which is why we announced reforms to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) on 30 June, including plans to establish the BSR as a separate body. The BSR is already making operational and policy changes to speed up decision making, particularly on building control approval, including through the introduction of an Innovation Unit. Early signs are positive with all applications in the Innovation Unit so far on track to exceed or meet the 12-week SLA as they progress through the application process. To support transparency and accountability, the BSR published performance data on 16 October and will continue to do so monthly to track progress against this commitment. Gateway 2 decisions in July-September 2025 doubled to over 500 compared to around 250 in January-March 2025. In addition, the backlog of new-build applications has reduced from 134 on 30th June 2025 to 102 on 15th October 2025. The BSR has provided the sum of residential units that were without a decision covering these timeframes as of the 1st of each month spanning over 6 months: May -25Jun- 25Jul-25Aug-25Sep-25Oct-2512-25 weeks3,4172,2312,4122,0111,221026-51 weeks4,6033,9093,6932,9232,9152,01052+ weeks3086484836066060

Communities and Local Government, on average how many hours are spent reviewing (a) a successful and (b) an unsuccessful application for Gateway 2 approval from the Building Safety Regulator.

The Building Safety Regulator’s (BSR) handling time for each application is dependent on a range of factors, primarily the quality of the application and the additional information submitted by the applicant. As can be seen in the table below, the average handling time by hour varies.Average Assessment HoursCategory ACategory BConversion from Non-HRB to HRBNew BuildUn-Categorised01/10/2024 to 01/09/2025371911817617 BSR officials have provided the table below which demonstrates the average number of days taken to approve a Gateway 2 (GW2) application. Average of Decision (Days) Month BeginningCategory ACategory BConversion from Non-HRB to HRBNew BuildUn-CategorisedGrand Total01/10/2024132132 152 13401/11/2024153159 15501/12/202415712376127 15001/01/2025179171 17801/02/2025165147 20435818101/03/2025225179 15821701/04/2025229239211 11422301/05/2025193194 36726221501/06/2025213236 35325823601/07/2025212270 32540022801/08/2025195122 27334820901/09/2025200178184338420223Grand Total193174173284272202 Information on the length of documents submitted as part of applications is not something the BSR actively collects data for. The length and number of documents required to support a GW2 application varies, and there is no correlation between page length and achievement of a GW2 determination as the size and complexity of projects varies considerably. The BSR is actively supporting the Construction Leadership Council to develop and publish a further suite of industry guidance on the statutory documents accompanying building control approval applications, staged approvals for single tower HRBs and construction phase and gateway three (completion certificate stage). This is expected in November. The BSR has also published four new pieces of guidance, including:Building control approval for higher-risk buildings - GOV.UKMaking changes to a higher-risk building project - GOV.UKPreparing information for a building control approval application - GOV.UKApplying for a completion certificate - GOV.UK

Communities and Local Government, what the average number of pages is that an applicant submits to achieve Gateway 2 clearance from the Building Safety Regulator.

The Building Safety Regulator’s (BSR) handling time for each application is dependent on a range of factors, primarily the quality of the application and the additional information submitted by the applicant. As can be seen in the table below, the average handling time by hour varies.Average Assessment HoursCategory ACategory BConversion from Non-HRB to HRBNew BuildUn-Categorised01/10/2024 to 01/09/2025371911817617 BSR officials have provided the table below which demonstrates the average number of days taken to approve a Gateway 2 (GW2) application. Average of Decision (Days) Month BeginningCategory ACategory BConversion from Non-HRB to HRBNew BuildUn-CategorisedGrand Total01/10/2024132132 152 13401/11/2024153159 15501/12/202415712376127 15001/01/2025179171 17801/02/2025165147 20435818101/03/2025225179 15821701/04/2025229239211 11422301/05/2025193194 36726221501/06/2025213236 35325823601/07/2025212270 32540022801/08/2025195122 27334820901/09/2025200178184338420223Grand Total193174173284272202 Information on the length of documents submitted as part of applications is not something the BSR actively collects data for. The length and number of documents required to support a GW2 application varies, and there is no correlation between page length and achievement of a GW2 determination as the size and complexity of projects varies considerably. The BSR is actively supporting the Construction Leadership Council to develop and publish a further suite of industry guidance on the statutory documents accompanying building control approval applications, staged approvals for single tower HRBs and construction phase and gateway three (completion certificate stage). This is expected in November. The BSR has also published four new pieces of guidance, including:Building control approval for higher-risk buildings - GOV.UKMaking changes to a higher-risk building project - GOV.UKPreparing information for a building control approval application - GOV.UKApplying for a completion certificate - GOV.UK

Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides to developers on the level of information required to satisfy Gateway 2 approval for an application to the Building Safety Regulator.

The Building Safety Regulator’s (BSR) handling time for each application is dependent on a range of factors, primarily the quality of the application and the additional information submitted by the applicant. As can be seen in the table below, the average handling time by hour varies.Average Assessment HoursCategory ACategory BConversion from Non-HRB to HRBNew BuildUn-Categorised01/10/2024 to 01/09/2025371911817617 BSR officials have provided the table below which demonstrates the average number of days taken to approve a Gateway 2 (GW2) application. Average of Decision (Days) Month BeginningCategory ACategory BConversion from Non-HRB to HRBNew BuildUn-CategorisedGrand Total01/10/2024132132 152 13401/11/2024153159 15501/12/202415712376127 15001/01/2025179171 17801/02/2025165147 20435818101/03/2025225179 15821701/04/2025229239211 11422301/05/2025193194 36726221501/06/2025213236 35325823601/07/2025212270 32540022801/08/2025195122 27334820901/09/2025200178184338420223Grand Total193174173284272202 Information on the length of documents submitted as part of applications is not something the BSR actively collects data for. The length and number of documents required to support a GW2 application varies, and there is no correlation between page length and achievement of a GW2 determination as the size and complexity of projects varies considerably. The BSR is actively supporting the Construction Leadership Council to develop and publish a further suite of industry guidance on the statutory documents accompanying building control approval applications, staged approvals for single tower HRBs and construction phase and gateway three (completion certificate stage). This is expected in November. The BSR has also published four new pieces of guidance, including:Building control approval for higher-risk buildings - GOV.UKMaking changes to a higher-risk building project - GOV.UKPreparing information for a building control approval application - GOV.UKApplying for a completion certificate - GOV.UK

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed reforms of Landfill Tax on the ability to deliver (a) 1.5 million homes and (b) 150 major infrastructure projects over this parliament.

The Government recently consulted on proposals for reform of Landfill Tax to ensure the regime remains effective in encouraging waste to be diverted away from landfill and to support our environmental goals. As part of the consultation, the Government has received a wide range of views from stakeholders, including representatives from the construction sector. The consultation closed on 28 July, and the government is considering responses and will set out next steps, including a summary of responses, in due course. This government is committed to delivering 1.5 million homes over 5 years as set out in the Plan for Change, and any final proposals will be designed to maintain the environmental effectiveness of the tax while supporting these plans.

What estimate she has made of the cost to housing developers from the proposed reforms of Landfill Tax; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of this cost on housing delivery.

The Government recently consulted on proposals for reform of Landfill Tax to ensure the regime remains effective in encouraging waste to be diverted away from landfill and to support our environmental goals. As part of the consultation, the Government has received a wide range of views from stakeholders, including representatives from the construction sector. The consultation closed on 28 July, and the government is considering responses and will set out next steps, including a summary of responses, in due course. This government is committed to delivering 1.5 million homes over 5 years as set out in the Plan for Change, and any final proposals will be designed to maintain the environmental effectiveness of the tax while supporting these plans.

Communities and Local Government, what progress his Department has made on clearing the backlog caused by the Building Safety Regulator since 30 June 2025.

We recognise that delays to the assessment of applications have been unacceptable, which is why we announced reforms to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) on 30 June, including plans to establish the BSR as a separate body. The BSR is already making operational and policy changes to speed up decision making, particularly on building control approval, including through the introduction of an Innovation Unit. Early signs are positive with all applications in the Innovation Unit so far on track to exceed or meet the 12-week SLA as they progress through the application process. To support transparency and accountability, the BSR published performance data on 16 October and will continue to do so monthly to track progress against this commitment. Gateway 2 decisions in July-September 2025 doubled to over 500 compared to around 250 in January-March 2025. In addition, the backlog of new-build applications has reduced from 134 on 30th June 2025 to 102 on 15th October 2025. The BSR has provided the sum of residential units that were without a decision covering these timeframes as of the 1st of each month spanning over 6 months: May -25Jun- 25Jul-25Aug-25Sep-25Oct-2512-25 weeks3,4172,2312,4122,0111,221026-51 weeks4,6033,9093,6932,9232,9152,01052+ weeks3086484836066060

What discussions her Department had with housing developers before publishing the consultation with proposals to reform the Landfill Tax regime.

The Government recently consulted on proposals for reform of Landfill Tax to ensure the regime remains effective in encouraging waste to be diverted away from landfill and to support our environmental goals. As part of the consultation, the Government has received a wide range of views from stakeholders, including representatives from the construction sector. The consultation closed on 28 July, and the government is considering responses and will set out next steps, including a summary of responses, in due course. This government is committed to delivering 1.5 million homes over 5 years as set out in the Plan for Change, and any final proposals will be designed to maintain the environmental effectiveness of the tax while supporting these plans.

Communities and Local Government, on average how many days it takes for the Building Safety Regulator to approve a successful Gateway 2 application.

The Building Safety Regulator’s (BSR) handling time for each application is dependent on a range of factors, primarily the quality of the application and the additional information submitted by the applicant. As can be seen in the table below, the average handling time by hour varies.Average Assessment HoursCategory ACategory BConversion from Non-HRB to HRBNew BuildUn-Categorised01/10/2024 to 01/09/2025371911817617 BSR officials have provided the table below which demonstrates the average number of days taken to approve a Gateway 2 (GW2) application. Average of Decision (Days) Month BeginningCategory ACategory BConversion from Non-HRB to HRBNew BuildUn-CategorisedGrand Total01/10/2024132132 152 13401/11/2024153159 15501/12/202415712376127 15001/01/2025179171 17801/02/2025165147 20435818101/03/2025225179 15821701/04/2025229239211 11422301/05/2025193194 36726221501/06/2025213236 35325823601/07/2025212270 32540022801/08/2025195122 27334820901/09/2025200178184338420223Grand Total193174173284272202 Information on the length of documents submitted as part of applications is not something the BSR actively collects data for. The length and number of documents required to support a GW2 application varies, and there is no correlation between page length and achievement of a GW2 determination as the size and complexity of projects varies considerably. The BSR is actively supporting the Construction Leadership Council to develop and publish a further suite of industry guidance on the statutory documents accompanying building control approval applications, staged approvals for single tower HRBs and construction phase and gateway three (completion certificate stage). This is expected in November. The BSR has also published four new pieces of guidance, including:Building control approval for higher-risk buildings - GOV.UKMaking changes to a higher-risk building project - GOV.UKPreparing information for a building control approval application - GOV.UKApplying for a completion certificate - GOV.UK

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the causes of the decline in the number of houses delivered in London this year.

When it comes to development, London faces challenges that are common to all parts of England over recent years. These include a significant increase in building material prices; a rise in financing costs; and planning capacity and capability pressures. In addition, the capital faces a number of challenges unique to its housing market which differs in important ways from the rest of the country. These include the fact that London is overwhelmingly reliant on flatted developments; has depended over recent decades on demand from international buyers and investors; and has a higher proportion of landowners (and traders acting on their behalf) who are global investors allocating development funding based on competing returns globally and across asset classes. The government is acutely aware of the housing delivery challenge in London. We are committed to working in partnership with the Mayor of London, London Boroughs, and other partners to significantly increase rates of housebuilding in the capital as part of our ambitious Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament. On 23 October 2025, the Secretary of State and the Mayor of London announced a new package of support for housebuilding in London. Details of that package can be found on gov.uk here. This package sits alongside reforms to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) announced on 30 June 2025, including operational and policy changes to speed up decision making, particularly on building control approval and the introduction of an Innovation Unit and batching process. Early signs are positive with all applications in the Innovation Unit so far on track to exceed or meet the 12-week SLA target.

Communities and Local Government, what recent guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on the expiry dates of postal voting mandates for individual electors with postal votes.

The Electoral Commission, as the independent electoral regulator, holds responsibility for issuing guidance to Electoral Registration Officers on electoral registration, including on the expiry dates of postal voting mandates for individual electors with postal votes. The Government continues to support local authorities as they undertake activity related to the expiry of postal vote arrangements through New Burdens funding and engagement with the electoral sector.

Pursuant to the Answer of 29 August 2025 to Question 68763 and to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 74201 on Alcoholic Drinks, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing the financing of alcohol-related spending in green bond frameworks.

The Government provides financial support for green technologies, including those related to the manufacturing of alcoholic beverages. These policies are not funded via the Green Financing Programme: in line with international norms and investor expectations for green bond frameworks, the financing of the direct manufacture of alcoholic beverages is excluded from the Green Financing Framework. This approach enables the UK’s green gilts to be accessible to the greatest possible pool of investors, improving value-for-money. Allowing the financing of alcohol-related spending within the Framework would not change policy decisions or the level of public spending but could prohibit some investors from purchasing the green gilt, thus reducing value-for-money.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to consult with political parties formally on the political finance technical measures outlined in the policy paper entitled Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections, published on 17 July 2025.

The political finance measures are building on long-standing, well-established recommendations from expert stakeholders across the electoral landscape.In developing our measures for the Elections paper, we have worked closely with key stakeholders. We are keen to continue this important engagement with all stakeholders, including political parties, as we progress this work.