Written questions by Mullan.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of delays related to the Planning Inspectorate’s processes of appeals against local authority enforcement notices have on the ability of councils to comply with planning law; what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that enforcement action is not undermined by appeal processing times.

The government is committed to the efficient handling of planning appeals, and the Planning Inspectorate has been working to improve processing and handling times in respect of them. As part of those efforts, it is trialling a pilot service of enforcement appeals through digital services. The Planning Inspectorate's Strategic Plan commits to removing all casework backlogs by 2027. The Inspectorate continues to make considerable progress towards meeting that ambition across all casework areas. To help improve service delivery and user experience, the Inspectorate is expanding the ‘Manage your appeals’ service to include enforcement. In 2025/26, funding increased for PINS’s Resource Delivery budget (to £97.9 million) and their Capital Budget (to £15 million).

Communities and Local Government, what (a) statutory protections and (b) appeal mechanisms are available to people who are subject to charges arising from covenants imposed by freeholders.

Permission fees and administration charges should only be used where necessary and should cover only any reasonable costs incurred. Any fees and charges should be justifiable, transparent, and communicated effectively and that there should be a clear route to redress if things go wrong. By law, variable administration or permission charges must be reasonable, and leaseholders can challenge them by applying to the tribunal for a decision if they do not believe they are fair. Measures in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 require landlords to publish an administration charge schedule, giving leaseholders more information and providing clarity on potential charges they face. Leaseholders and freeholders burdened by a restrictive covenant have the option to seek modifications or discharges through the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) under Section 84 of the Law of Property Act 1925, which outlines specific conditions that must be met for a successful application. The respective restrictive covenant and the likelihood of getting it removed will be case specific and landowners should seek independent legal advice.

Communities and Local Government, whether the Planning Inspectorate has provided notice to Wealden District Council of a 21-day site notice under the Crown Development guidance in relation to the use of Crowborough Training Camp for asylum seeker accommodation.

The Planning Inspectorate can find no record of an application or appeal being made to it in relation to this development.

Communities and Local Government, whether the Planning Inspectorate has consulted Wealden District Council on the application to use the Crowborough Training Camp for asylum seeker accommodation.

The Planning Inspectorate has no record of receiving an application or appeal in relation to the site in question. I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question UIN 91420 on 20 November 2025.

Communities and Local Government, if she will publish the (a) justice impact test and (b) new burdens assessment her Department has undertaken on the Renters’ Rights Bill.

Justice Impact Tests are internal government documents which are not usually published by government. We will set out the funding we are making available to local authorities to meet new burdens arising from the Renters’ Rights Bill in due course.