Every parliamentary written question tabled by Kevin Hollinrake this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 1,501–1,520 of 2,926 · this parliament
Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2025 to Question 42467 on Electoral Commission: Companies House, whether the Electoral Commission plans to access Companies House data.
The Commission regularly accesses data published by Companies House as part of its work enforcing political finance laws. It will make decisions on requests for additional data as appropriate to its enforcement work.
Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 43087 on Elections: Expenditure, what guidance the Electoral Commission has given on whether items of notional expenditure below £50 count towards the aggregate spending limit.
The Commission’s guidance for candidates states that items provided for free or at a non-commercial discount with a value of £50 or less are not regarded in law as notional spending. They do not need to be recorded on a candidate’s spending return or counted towards their spending limit.
Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 41450 on Electoral Commission: Companies House, whether the Electoral Commission has made requests to Companies House to obtain additional information under the provisions in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.
The Electoral Commission has not made any requests to Companies House under the provisions in the Economic Crime and Transparency Act 2023.
Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2025 to Question 45675 on Candidates: Expenditure, whether the Electoral Commission releases candidate returns under the Freedom of Information Act.
The Electoral Commission does not release candidate spending returns under the Freedom of Information Act.The Representation of the People Act 1983 requires returning officers to make candidate spending returns available for two years. As such, spending returns are considered reasonably accessible by other means, and so are exempt from disclosure by the Commission under section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act.
Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Electoral Commission issues to candidates on declaring notional expenditure associated with policing and security while campaigning in the regulated period as an election expense.
The Commission’s guidance on candidate spending laws explains that reasonable expenses relating to the protection of persons or property, such as hiring security, do not count as candidate spending. It therefore does not need to be declared on a candidate’s spending return.
Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Act 2024 on the work of the Electoral Commission.
The Commission regularly assesses the impact of legislation on its work, including the Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Act 2024. The Act makes a number of changes to electoral law in Wales, including the establishment of an Electoral Management Board, new provisions on voter registration, powers for a wider range of electoral innovation pilots, and alignment with legislation for reserved elections in some areas such as accessibility, undue influence, and notional expenditure.The Commission has been working with the Welsh Government and the wider electoral community to ensure that changes to elections in Wales are delivered successfully. It will develop updated guidance and resources for electoral administrators, campaigners and voters to reflect the changes that are being introduced. The Commission also has a duty to evaluate any pilots that are held in Wales.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press notice entitled Government calls last orders on red tape choking pubs, clubs, and restaurants in major boost to the British night out, published on 4 April 2025, whether her Department plans to give all combined authority mayors the power to call-in Licensing Act 2003 applications and premises reviews.
The government will work with the Greater London Authority to review strategic licensing powers and explore a pilot scheme, providing the Mayor of London with new powers over strategic licensing. Following any pilot, the government will consider the case for rolling this out to other mayors across England.
Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has issued guidance to (a) local planning authorities and (b) the Planning Inspectorate on whether applicants for planning permission should be required to provide information on their (i) protected characteristics and (ii) associated diversity information.
The government has not issued guidance specific to planning applications on providing information relating to protected characteristics and associated diversity information.
What estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of judicial reviews by Client Earth to (a) her Department and (b) its agencies.
There have been no judicial reviews by Client Earth against the Ministry of Justice or its agencies.While Client Earth has brought judicial review cases against several other Government Departments, there is no centrally held data on the total cost of these cases.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press notice entitled OBR concludes planning reforms will bring housebuilding to its highest level in 40 years, published 26 November 2025, further to the HM Treasury press release on 26 March 2025, whether it is her Department's target to deliver 1.5 homes by the end of this Parliament in (a) England or (b) the UK.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 5686 on 11 October 2024.
Communities and Local Government, who attends daily meetings between her Department and Birmingham City Council.
MHCLG Resilience & Recovery Directorate officials attend the multi-agency coordinating group established in response to the declaration of a major incident by Birmingham City Council. Area Team officials are also meeting twice weekly with Birmingham City Council's operational team to support the council's efforts to clear the backlog of waste on the streets. In addition, a number of meetings continue to take place as part of the regular dialogue between MHCLG officials and the leadership of the city council to ensure the welfare of Birmingham residents and a swift resolution to the dispute.
Communities and Local Government, whether her Department holds information on the number of days each Minister in her Department has spent working primarily at her Department's offices outside London since 5 July 2024, broken down by location.
MHCLG Ministers work closely with local leaders across the country, including visiting and working from locations outside of London, including the Department’s offices across the UK. MHCLG does not hold a central record of the number of days Ministers work from each office.
Communities and Local Government, whether (a) her Department and (b) the Planning Inspectorate have issued guidance on the Supreme Court judgement UKSC/2022/0064 in relation to considering the potential impact of planning applications and appeals on the environment.
The Supreme Court judgement UKSC/2022/0064 clarified that downstream emissions are to be considered for oil extraction projects where those emissions are an inevitable consequence of the oil extraction. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero have since consulted on draft supplementary EIA guidance for assessing the effects of scope 3 emissions on climate from offshore oil and gas projects. The consultation responses are being reviewed, and the updated guidance is expected to be published as soon as possible.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Government backs mayor to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport, published on 9 April 2025, how much of the £30 million funding was not already allocated to the combined authority in the Integrated Settlement.
The £30 million funding is devolved existing funding that has been unlocked for the mayor to invest in local priorities by providing flexibility on its use through the new, flexible, long-term Integrated Settlement which we intend to implement in SYMCA from 2026/27, following them demonstrating readiness and building capacity locally.
Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the cost of a national Housing First scheme.
I refer the Hon Member to the answers given to Question UIN 31735 on 13 February 2025 and Question UIN 15811 on 3 December 2024.
Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the value for money of a national Housing First rollout.
I refer the Hon Member to the answers given to Question UIN 31735 on 13 February 2025 and Question UIN 15811 on 3 December 2024.
Communities and Local Government, what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have had with the Welsh Government on council tax revaluation and re-banding.
The government maintains regular engagement with the Welsh Government on a range of issues. Council tax is a devolved matter, but we are aware that the Welsh Government has set out its intention to introduce a revaluation of council tax bands from 2028 and has consulted on wider reforms.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of trends in the level the cost of homelessness support on local government.
This Government has inherited record levels of homelessness, and we recognise the cost pressures this has put on councils. That’s why we have increased funding for homelessness services in 2025/26 by £233 million to nearly £1 billion, alongside a local government finance settlement for 2025/26 which makes available over £69bn for local government, a 6.8% cash terms increase on 2024/25.
With reference to the Answer of 25 February 2025 to Question HL4920 on Public Spaces Protection Orders: Enforcement, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of outsourced companies encouraging staff to levy fines (a) for the profit of those companies and (b) in return for incentive payments.
The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of tools and powers they can use to respond to anti-social behaviour (ASB), including the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO).It is for local authorities to determine how to operate the powers and to ensure use remains just and proportionate. Where local authorities contract enforcement to third parties, contractors are bound by the same legal obligations, and the same safeguards in legislation, as councils themselves. Local authorities are also obliged to follow the rules set out in the Public Contract Regulations 2015 in appointment of such companies.
Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the number of retrospective Community Infrastructure Levy requirements on small-scale development.
Local planning authorities which have adopted the Community Infrastructure Levy are responsible for charging, collecting and administering the levy in their area, in line with legislation and with regard to guidance issued by government. The levy is intended to provide a transparent and certain approach to the collection of developer contributions as developers, including smaller scale developers, should be made aware upfront of what they will be liable to pay and when it will become payable. The government has not made an estimate of the number of retrospective CIL requirements on small-scale development. However, we are committed to improving the existing system of developer contributions, including CIL. This includes considering any concerns about the operation of CIL, including in respect of retrospective planning applications, and the process for obtaining exemptions by people developing their own homes.