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 1,521–1,540 of 2,926 · this parliament
Pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 32140 on Candidates: Gender, whether she plans to consult the Parliamentary Parties Panel on this matter.
The Government is committed to commencing the Equality Act 2010’s provision requiring registered political parties to publish anonymised data relating to the diversity of their candidate selections. Officials are exploring options to take to commence the provisions under section 106, including any consultation arrangements.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of equal pay legislation and case law on levels of industrial action in local authorities.
As set out in the King’s Speech in July, the government is committed to making the right to equal pay effective for ethnic minority and disabled people. This measure will be part of the upcoming Equality (Race and Disability) Bill. In delivering this commitment, we are giving close consideration on how to make the equal pay scheme work better for everyone. This will include any potential impact of changes to the equal pay scheme on local authorities. To understand the challenges and find the appropriate solutions in developing this policy, we launched a 12 week call for evidence on a number of areas of equality law on April 7, which will close on 30 June.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release 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 the pilot scheme for strategic licensing powers for the Mayor of London will require primary legislation.
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. The government and the Greater London Authority will work closely with local stakeholders to design the pilot scheme.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release 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 the pilot scheme will apply to the application process for pavement licences.
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. The government and the Greater London Authority will work closely with local stakeholders to design the pilot scheme.
Whether she plans to lay the legislative reform order consulted on by the previous government on allowing faith groups to hold outdoor religious weddings.
The Law Commission’s 2022 report on weddings raises a number of issues around weddings law, including giving greater choice in how and where individuals can get married.Given marriage will always be one of our most important institutions, it is right that we take the time to carefully consider this report before we set out our position on weddings reform in the coming months.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 41465 on Permitted Development Rights, whether local authorities are required to publish Article 4 Directions; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the absence of a central repository of Article 4 Directions on (a) householders and (b) developers.
An assessment of the potential impact of the absence of a central repository of Article 4 Directions has not been undertaken. Householders and developers should check with their local authority whether an Article 4 Direction applies in a specific area.
Communities and Local Government, what guidance she has issued on whether incumbent (a) councillors, (b) council mayors, (c) Police and Crime Commissioners and (d) combined authority mayors may (i) stand for election and (ii) continue to hold office as Members of Parliament; and whether she plans to change these provisions in relation to restrictions.
Councillors, elected mayors of single authorities, combined authorities (‘CAs’) and combined county authorities (‘CCAs’) and Police and Crime Commissioners (‘PCCs’) are not disqualified from standing for election as Members of Parliament (‘MPs’). PCCs, including CA and CCA mayors who also hold the PCC function, if they are successfully elected, will need to stand down from their offices before accepting the office of MP. Currently, the remaining types of elected officials are not disqualified from holding both elected offices. The English Devolution White Paper set out that government will introduce proposals limiting individuals from holding the office of MP and Mayor of a Strategic Authority (including CAs, CCAs and the Greater London Authority) simultaneously. It is the role of the Electoral Commission to provide guidance for local government, PCC and Parliamentary candidates. Guidance on the disqualifications that apply to each can be found on their website.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release entitled £2 billion new investment to support biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation, published on 25 March 2025, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of affordable housing programme expenditure in the 2026-27 financial year on economic growth.
Social and affordable housing delivers economic gains through increased housing supply and further societal benefits.Prior to the immediate injection of £2 billion announced at Spring statement, the departments modelling, published in this NAO report, showed that for every £1.00 spent on the 21-26 programme provides £2.70 of benefits, with 89% of the programme’s net benefit to society arising from increased housing supply measured via land value uplift.
Pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2025 to Question 21687 on Home Office: Sanitation, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the updated building regulation published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government entitled Toilet accommodation: Approved Document T, published on 1 October 2024, on the provision of gender-neutral toilets in her Department’s buildings.
I have made no assessment.The Hon Member may think the job of the Policing Minister is to make assessments of the Home Office’s toilets, but I believe it is to restore neighbourhood policing in our country, tackle antisocial behaviour, and deliver this Government’s unprecedented mission to halve knife crime over the next decade.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant her Department's press release 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 the strategic licensing powers for the Mayor of London will allow the Mayor to review, revoke or curtail existing premises licences.
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. The government and the Greater London Authority will work closely with local stakeholders to design the pilot scheme.
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps with the Secretary of State for (a) the Home Department and (b) Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure a consistent approach to preventing fixed penalty notices being issued by companies to generate (i) revenue and (ii) profit.
Existing guidance on enforcement of environmental offences for local councils makes clear that private firms should not be able to receive greater revenue or profits just from increasing the volume of penalties. This enforcement guidance, attached to the code of practice on litter and refuse, enforcement guidance is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6683d9b24e8630de328546a1/Code_of_practice_for_litter_and_refuse__Part_1A.pdf Local councils remain responsible for the whole enforcement process. Councils that outsource any area of environmental enforcement to private companies should ensure that the contractor fulfils all the requirements set down for the council itself. Defra is currently considering whether to place this guidance on a statutory footing and is working with other government departments as needed.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to London Council's press release entitled London borough leaders make united call for ‘seat at the table’ in new devolution settlement, published on 3 April 2025, what her policy is on giving a greater role to London boroughs in pan-London governance.
The Government remains committed to engaging local authorities, including London Borough Councils, and the wider local government sector on the detail of our reforms set out in the English Devolution White Paper. As part of this process, it will be important to consider London’s unique devolution settlement, including drawing on existing ways of working between the Greater London Authority and London Boroughs.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department engages with Client Earth.
Defra engages with a range of stakeholders including Client Earth.
Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to reform Homes England as an Arm’s Length Body.
On 7 April 2025, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster asked all Departments to review all arms length bodies to ensure there is the appropriate Ministerial oversight of delivery and that we are maximising the efficiency and effectiveness of all parts of Government. My department is actively engaging with this review and any reforms to our arms length bodies we choose to make will be announced in due course.
Representing the House of Commons Commission, what requirements re-elected Members of Parliament have to declare political donations received in the period from the dissolution of Parliament to their swearing in as a Member of Parliament.
This is not a matter for the House of Commons Commission.The rules are set out in the Code of Conduct and the Guide to the Rules relating to the Conduct of Members, approved by the House on 12 December 2022 (HC 1083).https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmcode/1083/1083-1.pdfMembers seeking advice on the registration of specific interests should contact the Registrar of Members’ Interests.
Communities and Local Government, whether any elections scheduled for May 2026 will be postponed.
We have no plans to postpone elections scheduled for May 2026.
Communities and Local Government, what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) civil servants have had with the Welsh Government on council tax (i) revaluation and (ii) 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, when her Department plans to issue updated land use in England statistics.
The Department will publish the updated land use statistics in due course. The publication date will be pre-announced on GOV.UK.
Communities and Local Government, what proportion of dwellings were built on land designated as previously undeveloped Green Belt in England in each year since 1997 for which figures are held.
The Department publishes a statistical release entitled ‘Land use change statistics – new residential addresses’, which includes information on the proportion of dwellings built on land designated as previously undeveloped Green Belt in England. The live table P310 provides data from 2013-14 to 2021-22, and can be found here. The live tables P243 and P246 provide data from 1989 to 2011, and can be found here. Figures for 2022-23 will be published in due course.
Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed abolition of two-tier local government in Surrey on the debt held by Woking Borough Council.
On 5th February, I wrote to all councils in Surrey to formally invite proposals for unitary local government. As set out in the criteria in the statutory guidance accompanying that invitation, it is for councils to develop robust and sustainable proposals that are in the best interests of the whole area. For areas where there are exceptional circumstances where there has been failure linked to capital practices, such as in Woking Borough Council, proposals should reflect the extent to which the implications of this can be managed locally, including as part of efficiencies possible through reorganisation. We are working with Woking in the context of reorganisation in Surrey to understand what support may be required for the exceptional debt as part of the upcoming Spending Review.