Written questions by Hollinrake.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to annex 14 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill: Impact assessment, published in May 2025, what she expects the average length of a strategic plan to be.

As the Planning and Infrastructure Bill Impact Assessment sets outs, the government expects that spatial development strategies will be concise and focused to reflect their role as high level strategic documents. As such, we expect future spatial development strategies to be significantly shorter than the current London Plan.While we do not intend to indicate precisely how long spatial development strategies should be, my department will provide strategic planning authorities with further guidance to support them in meeting this expectation.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the number of people not from the UK or EU who are sleeping rough.

The expectation is that migrants coming into the UK should be able to maintain and accommodate themselves without recourse to public funds. This reflects the need to maintain the confidence of general public that immigration brings benefits to our country, rather than add costs to the public purse. When individuals granted refugee status leave Home Office accommodation, they are entitled to help with finding accommodation from their local authority if homeless. If in priority need, they will be provided with temporary accommodation. The Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant funding can be used to help anyone, as long as areas act within the law in doing so.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2025 to Question 52274 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Aviation, when she plans to deposit this information.

I will arrange for this information to be deposited in the House of Commons Library.

Whether she plans to update the 20mph zone guidance for England.

We have no current plans to revise Setting Local Speed Limits. We believe that traffic authorities are best placed to decide where lower limits will be effective on the roads for which they are responsible, and that consultation and community support should be at the heart of the process.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2025 to Question 52267 on DESNZ: Islamophobia, what definition of Islamophobia was used in the training session.

The training and awareness session was delivered by the Anti-Islamophobia Working Group as an external provider. The material from the session is owned by the provider and therefore we cannot share the content due to commercial sensitivity.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's publication entitled MHCLG: spending over £25,000, March 2025, published on 28 April 2025, what the purpose was of the payment to the Science Museum on Recruitment.

The payment to the Science Museum was for the National Railway Museum Levelling Up Culture capital project announced at the Spring Budget 2024. It has been incorrectly categorised on the document published on 28 April 2025. Officials will seek to correct this error.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what proportion of valid votes were cast by (a) postal ballot and (b) proxy ballot, by Parliamentary constituency in the 2024 general election.

All votes are mixed for counting so it is not possible to distinguish the proportion of valid votes cast by post or proxy.The Commission has published data, where provided by Returning Officers, on the proportion of postal votes included in counts and the number of proxies appointed.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Commission has issued guidance on whether a government department can be a permissible donor.

A government department is not a permissible donor. However, political parties can receive public funds from government departments. The Commission’s guidance on permissibility states that any payment received by a political party out of public funds is regarded as received by a permissible donor. Parties must report these payments if above the reporting threshold.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2025, to Question 52267, on DESNZ: Islamophobia, if he will publish the training material and handouts produced for the training and awareness session.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero does not publish training materials as these resources are intended for internal use only. All training events are run in accordance with the Civil Service code.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what estimate the Commission has made of the total number of registered overseas electors at the 2024 general election; and how many applied for a postal or proxy vote.

191,338 overseas voters registered for the 2024 general election. Half (49%) of all registered overseas voters registered for a postal vote. The Commission does not collect data on how many overseas voters applied to vote by proxy.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what proportion of valid votes were cast by overseas electors, by Parliamentary constituency in the 2024 general election.

Due to the secrecy of the ballot, it is not possible to distinguish if a valid vote was cast by an overseas elector.The Commission has published data, where it could be provided by Returning Officers, on the proportion of overseas electors issued with a postal vote and the percentage that were returned by close of poll. It does not hold data on the number of overseas electors who chose to cast their vote by proxy or in person.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Commission plans to respond to the First Report of the Speaker's Conference on the security of MPs, candidates and elections, published on 22 June 2025, HC 570.

The Commission published a statement on 2 June on the day of publication of the report, welcoming the insights gathered by the Speaker’s Conference and their proposal for cross-cutting solutions.The Commission is looking at how we can support implementation of the report’s proposals, in partnership with the wider electoral community, and how to improve our support for candidates and campaigners ahead of elections next May.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the change in average household water bills on a family home in England in cash terms between (a) 2025 and (b) 2030; and what proportion of this change is (a) assumed inflation and (b) increases in charges other than inflation.

For too long, investment has not kept pace with the challenges of an ageing infrastructure system, a rapidly growing population and climate change. It is Ofwat's responsibility to independently scrutinise water company business plans and ensure that the prices water companies charge their customers are fair and proportionate. Ofwat’s final determinations set out in December 2024 that bills in England and Wales will increase by an average £31 (or 36%) per year, before inflation, between 2025 and 2030. Individual bills will vary depending on the circumstances of each household: for instance, metered customers’ bills depend on their water use and non-metered customers’ bills can depend on the rateable value or assessed water use of the property. Government expects water companies to ensure their customers know what support schemes are available and how to access them if they need help. Water companies have more than doubled the number of customers that will receive help with their bills through social tariffs – from 4% of customers supported in 2020-25, to 9% by 2030.

Food and Rural Affairs, what the average water usage per household is in volume terms by number of (a) bedrooms and (b) occupants.

This information is publicly available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-resources-2023-2024-analysis-of-the-water-industrys-annual-water-resources-performance/water-resources-2023-2024-analysis-of-the-water-industrys-annual-water-resources-performance

With reference to Appendix 2 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill Impact Assessment, Annex 1: Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects reform, what the target date is for the publication of EN-8 on Nuclear Fusion Energy.

The Department plans to publish its response to the consultation on a Fusion Energy National Policy Statement EN-8 soon. Further details will be available in due course.

Communities and Local Government, when her Department plans to respond to the First Report of the Speaker's Conference on the security of MPs, candidates and elections, published on 22 June 2025, HC 570; and whether political parties will be consulted prior to that response.

This government has made it clear that intimidation and abuse of those participating in public life has no place in our society and cannot be tolerated. We value the work done by the Speaker’s Conference to bring attention to and investigate this important issue. We will carefully consider the recommendations made by the Speaker’s Conference in their first report and will respond in due course. The government intends to engage with both political parties and external stakeholders prior to a formal response. This is a complex challenge, so the joint efforts of government, the police and parliament are crucial to addressing this issue. We will continue to engage with the Speaker’s Conference as they move into the next phase of their work

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of Water UK’s response to the Independent Water Commission’s Call for Evidence, April 2025.

The Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, will recommend reforms to reset the water sector and is expected to form the largest review of the industry since privatisation. It is considering a wide range of areas, as set out in the Commission’s Call for Evidence(opens in a new tab). The Commission aims to build consensus for a resilient and innovative water sector and a robust wider regulatory framework that will deliver long-term benefits, restore rivers, lakes, and seas to good health, provide a reliable and efficient water supply in a changing climate, and ultimately serve both customers and the environment. The Commission’s interim Report was published on 03 June 2025; the report's findings can be found at Independent Water Commission publishes interim findings - GOV.UK. The final report and recommendations will be published later in the summer. More than 50,000 submissions were submitted to the Call for Evidence, including Water UK, and the Commission has engaged widely with a range of stakeholders. Once the Commission has made recommendations, both Governments will respond and consult on proposals. These recommendations are expected to form the basis of further legislation to attract long-term investment and clean up our waters for good.

Food and Rural Affairs, what the source of revenue to fund social tariffs under Section 13 of the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 is; and whether costs will be imposed (a) directly and (b) indirectly on the water bills of residential customers who do not have social tariffs.

This Government is working with industry to ensure that eligible customers across the country get the support to which they are entitled.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Commission has issued on political donations being made via cryptocurrencies.

The Commission’s guidance on permissibility of donations includes information on cryptocurrencies. The guidance states that the same legal requirements apply to donations received in cryptocurrencies as any other donations. Parties must ensure that they obtain donors’ details, so they can check permissibility. As with other types of assets, parties must report the value in pounds at the time of the donation.The Commission will continue to review its guidance and support for parties to ensure that they are aware of how the law applies to cryptocurrency donations.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 May 2025 to Question 52265 on Repossession Orders: Private Rented Housing, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Renters’ Rights Bill on court waiting times for private rented sector repossession claims.

As with any piece of legislation, the Government works across Departments to assess the impact. We continue to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to assess and agree the impact of the Renters’ Rights Bill on the justice system. We regularly publish statistics on Court and tribunal waiting times and this will continue as this Bill is implemented.