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 1,801–1,820 of 2,926 · this parliament
What plans she has to use local authorities to help procure accommodation for asylum seekers.
The Home Office is working closely with a range of stakeholders to fulfil its statutory obligations, while reducing the overall cost of asylum accommodation for the taxpayer.
Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to conduct electoral pilots under the Representation of the People Act 2000.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has no plans at present to conduct electoral pilots under the powers in the Representation of the People Act 2000 in England.
Pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2025, to Question 37217, on Energy: Shops, whether the installation of energy efficiency measures to meet the minimum energy efficiency standards are a positive material change for the purposes of (a) business rate valuations and (b) revaluations.
In assessing the effect of energy efficient measures, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) must first consider the occupancy. If a shop is owner-occupied, then an Energy Performance Certificate is not required. If the shop is let, the extent and nature of any works being undertaken are considered, to determine whether the installation of energy efficiency measures impact the rating assessment. These include where Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) works are required to replace existing facilities with a modern equivalent. While MEES exemptions may apply, new installations such as heating and air conditioning are considered an improvement and may increase the rating assessment. Improvement Relief may apply to support the occupiers of shops for rating assessment increases that occur following improvement works carried out after 1 April 2024.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to the terms of reference of the Working Group on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition for what reasons the recommendations of the Group to the Minister will not be made public.
The appointment period for the Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group commenced on 24 March 2025, following the publication of the Working Group Terms of Reference. It is important that government is transparent in the actions it takes to address all forms of hatred, however any independent work should also have the space to consider sensitive and complex issues in private. This is the approach the Working Group will take when considering the appropriate and sensitive language to describe, understand and define unacceptable treatment, prejudice, discrimination and hate targeting Muslims or anyone who is perceived to be Muslim. The advice the group produces will be private initially, giving the Government the time and space to consider recommendations, including what a proposed definition/s should be and the merits for adopting a definition. Once the Government has had time to review the advice, it will consider its next steps.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to the guidance entitled Green Belt, published on 27 February 2025, whether a regulatory impact assessment was prepared in relation to the new guidance.
No. Regulatory impact assessments are prepared to support the appraisals of new primary or secondary legislation.
Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has issued on whether a flag flown outside at ground level requires planning permission, where it does not have deemed consent.
Relevant government guidance available on gov.uk sets out the planning rules for the display of flags.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's Working Group on Anti Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition, on what date the six month appointment period commenced.
The appointment period for the Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group commenced on 24 March 2025, following the publication of the Working Group Terms of Reference. It is important that government is transparent in the actions it takes to address all forms of hatred, however any independent work should also have the space to consider sensitive and complex issues in private. This is the approach the Working Group will take when considering the appropriate and sensitive language to describe, understand and define unacceptable treatment, prejudice, discrimination and hate targeting Muslims or anyone who is perceived to be Muslim. The advice the group produces will be private initially, giving the Government the time and space to consider recommendations, including what a proposed definition/s should be and the merits for adopting a definition. Once the Government has had time to review the advice, it will consider its next steps.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2024 to Question 16572 on Chinese Embassy: Planning Permission, if she will publish the information disclosed under the Environmental Information Regulations with reference EIR2024/31081 of 3 March 2025.
A further call-in request was received from Innovate UK on 16 October 2024, after the planning application had been called in on 14 October 2024. We do not routinely publish planning representations seeking call in of applications.
Pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2025 to Question 38050 on Planning and Infrastructure Bill, whether Ministers attended the Downing Street preview of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on 11 March 2025.
Ministerial meetings with external organisations will be published in the usual way on gov.uk.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to the guidance entitled Plan for Neighbourhoods: prospectus, published on 12 March 2025, if she will publish the evaluation reports on the New Deal for Communities.
The Plan for Neighbourhoods prospectus was published on 4 March, and the Plan for Neighbourhoods: governance and boundary guidance was published on 12 March. The prospectus drew from the publicly available evaluation and analysis of the New Deal for Communities and where analysis is referenced or cited, there is a link to the source material in the prospectus.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 37220 on Admiralty House, how many civil servants provided support to the Deputy Prime Minister for the move.
As this support was provided in relation to the move to an official residence it is not possible to identify a specific number of staff.Professional removal and cleaning services were hired and paid for personally by the Deputy Prime Minister and at no cost to the Department.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 31949 on Temporary Accommodation: Construction, what proportion of new homes built under that scheme will be for social rent.
All homes delivered through the Local Authority Housing Fund must be affordable/low-cost. It is up to local planning authorities to determine the precise rent level and tenure of homes delivered in line with the scheme objectives. This could include social rent, affordable rent, or a temporary accommodation rent.
At which flat number at Admiralty House is the Deputy Prime Minister resident.
As has been the case under successive administrations, the Prime Minister allocates official residences to ministers, either on the grounds of security or to allow them to better perform their official duties. The Deputy Prime Minister was allocated one of the Admiralty House flats by the Prime Minister. On security grounds, the government does not specify flat numbers.
How many asylum hotels stood down by the previous government have been reopened since the 5 July 2024.
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave to the Urgent Question on Asylum Seekers: Hotel Accommodation on 20 November 2024.
Whether it is her Department's policy to consult (a) council leaders, (b) council chief executives and (c) Members of Parliament before an asylum hotel is stood up in an area.
This Government inherited an asylum system under exceptional strain, with tens of thousands of people stuck in limbo without any prospect of having their claims processed. At their peak use under the previous government, in the autumn of 2023, more than 400 asylum hotels were being leased by the Home Office, at a cost of almost £9 million a day. Inevitably, due to the size of the backlog we inherited, the Government has been forced to continue with the use of hotels for the time being. It remains our absolute commitment to end the use of hotels over time, as part of our reduction in overall asylum accommodation costs. When a hotel has been identified for use as contingency accommodation, Home Office officials will write to the local authority Chief Executive and the constituency MP to inform them of plans to accommodate asylum seekers there.The Home Office continues to work closely with local authorities to manage all the pressures arising from the provision of asylum accommodation including the impact on wider local authority obligations and plans.
How many miles of road Highways England manages in each county of England.
National Highways is responsible for managing England’s strategic road network, which is made up of over 4,500 miles of centrally managed motorway and main A-roads. The latest available data on road length of centrally managed motorways and A-roads broken down by local authority can be found on GOV.UK (Table RDL0102): https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/road-length-statistics-rdl.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to the guidance entitled Green Belt, published on 27 February 2025, for what reason she has issued the guidance in paragraph 005 on villages and the Green Belt.
The definition of grey belt, for the purposes of plan-making and decision-making, is provided in the glossary of the revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024. Grey belt is land in the Green Belt that is previously developed land or other land that does not make a strong contribution to the following Green Belt purposes (a) checking the sprawl of large built-up areas, (b) preventing the merging of neighbouring towns, and (d) preserving the setting and special character of historic towns. It is for individual local planning authorities to decide if land is grey belt and to determine whether and how to amend Green Belt boundaries through the preparation or updating of plans, including neighbourhood plans where appropriate. It is also for each local planning authority to assess, as a material consideration when writing Local Plan policies or determining planning applications, what environmental impacts could occur. National planning policy and our recently published guidance on Green Belt assessment are clear that release of, or development on, Green Belt land should not fundamentally undermine the ability of the remaining Green Belt across the area of the plan from serving all five of the Green Belt purposes. The definition of grey belt, and the revised Framework more widely, were determined following extensive consultation, including with relevant public bodies. For further detail, I refer the hon. Member to the government response to the proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system consultation which can be found on gov.uk here. Our guidance introduces new criteria to drive a more consistent approach to the identification of grey belt land, and to inform Green Belt assessments. It is for these Green Belt assessments to consider if any particular features act to preserve visual separation. Green Belt guidance is clear that assessing the contribution land makes to Green Belt purposes (a), (b) and (d) relates to large built-up areas, towns, and historic towns respectively, rather than villages. The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that villages can be included in the Green Belt where it is necessary to restrict development because of the contribution the village makes to the Green Belt. If the character of the village should be protected for other reasons, other means should be used, such as conservation area or normal development management policies. The National Planning Policy Framework and the Green Belt guidance do not introduce a definition of historic town, town, or village. The responsibilities of local planning authorities to recognise and protect their historic assets, making use of built heritage and conservation expertise as necessary, remain unaltered. Local planning authorities continue to have a wide range of enforcement powers, with strong penalties for non-compliance, which they can use to tackle all types of unauthorised development.
Communities and Local Government, what (a) capital and (b) resource funding was allocated to the Future High Streets Fund in 2024-25 by the previous Government; and what funding is now allocated.
The Future High Streets Fund was originally intended to run up until the end of financial year 23/24. In August 2023 MHCLG was granted approval from the HM Treasury to extend the Future High Streets Fund and rollover any remaining payments into financial year 24/25. The below allocation was forecast in March 2024 under the previous government based on remaining payments due. This has now been paid in full. FY 24/25: (Previous Government Forecast)FY 24/25 (Current Government Actual) Capital£78,750,470£78,750,470Resource£0£0
Pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2025, to Question 33937, on Fire and Rescue Services, what her policy is on protected characteristic diversity targets for the recruitment of firefighters.
Responsibility for recruitment of firefighters in pursuit rests with individual fire and rescue authorities in England.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to (a) paragraph 5.140 of the Spring Budget 2024 and (b) her Department's press release entitled £1.5 billion to restore pride in Britain's neighbourhoods, published on 4 March 2025, whether the funding awarded on 4 March 2025 differs from that announced in the Spring Budget; and whether there has been changes to (a) locations covered and (b) the total endowment funding.
The Long-Term Plan for Towns programme was launched in 55 towns in September 2023 by the previous administration and expanded to an additional 20 places in March 2024, as confirmed in paragraph 5.410 of the Spring Budget 2024.This programme was an unfunded commitment for which the previous administration had no plan as to how that promise would be delivered.All 75 towns across the UK that were originally selected to receive Long-Term Plan for Towns funding will receive the funding under the Plan for Neighbourhoods package, the funding for which was announced at Autumn Budget 2024, and further policy detail published on 4 March. We are making good on those commitments, giving each of the 75 places the certainty that they will receive up to £20 million of funding and support over the next decade.The Long-Term Plan for Towns: Technical Q&A, published 28 March 2024, outlined that the total funding and support offered to local authorities would be up to £20 million. The Plan for Neighbourhoods prospectus, published 4 March, outlines that the total funding and support offered to local authorities will be up to £20 million.