Written questions by Jarvis.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to improve fire safety in homes; what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of existing fire safety regulations for household furnishings and consumer products; what plans the Government has to increase public awareness of fire prevention and household fire risks; and what steps he is taking to ensure that any future changes to fire safety regulations do not reduce protections for consumers or increase the risk of fire-related deaths and injuries.

The Government’s national ‘Fire Kills’ campaign provides clear, practical advice to help people prevent fires in the home and respond safely if a fire occurs, and this year has focused on the need to have sufficient smoke alarms. The campaign also supports fire and rescue services in delivering their statutory duty to promote fire safety through local prevention activity. There has been a long-term downward trend in the number of dwelling fires over the past 10 years. In the year ending December 2025, there were 26,298 dwelling fires. This was a decrease of 16% with the year ending December 2015 where there were 31,213 dwelling fires. The Government works closely with fire and rescue services, regulators and industry to monitor emerging risks, including those associated with modern consumer products, and to ensure that guidance and standards remain appropriate and effective. MHCLG works closely with Department for Business and Trade (DBT) on fire safety matters. The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (FFRs), as well as general consumer product safety, is the responsibility of DBT. DBT has launched a consultation setting out the Government’s intention to reform the FFRs to maintain a high level of fire safety while facilitating a reduction in the use of chemical flame retardants. The Government remains clear that maintaining and improving public safety is paramount, and there are no plans to reduce protections for consumers or to introduce changes that would increase the risk of fire related deaths and injuries.

Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to issue guidance to local authorities on maintaining non-digital access routes for services such as Home Waste Recycling Centres, for residents who are digitally excluded; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of how local authorities balance digital service delivery with the need to maintain non-digital access routes for digitally excluded residents.

Local councils have a legal obligation to ensure their services are accessible. This includes offering non-digital options for all vital services, such as applications for Council Tax reductions, Housing Benefit, and Blue Badges. This is set out in the Equality Act 2010. I also refer the hon Member to the Digital Inclusion Action Plan: First Steps.

Communities and Local Government, when his Department will respond to the consultation entitled Reforms to the statutory consultee system which closed on 13 January 2026.

A government response will be published in due course.

Communities and Local Government, if he will assess the potential merits of establishing a Government body to coordinate Government policy for disadvantaged neighbourhoods; and whether he plans to implement a National Strategy for Neighbourhood Recovery.

My department has launched the Pride in Place Programme, which demonstrates this Government’s firm commitment to backing neighbourhoods that have for too long been left behind and overlooked. This flagship programme will deliver up to £5.8 billion funding and support up to 284 of the most deprived places across Britain over the next decade. On top of this, our Pride in Place Strategy set out a broader plan for giving communities across the country the tools and powers they need to bring people together and drive change in their neighbourhood. We will work across government departments to maximise the benefits of this programme for these neighbourhoods.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle homelessness in Eastleigh constituency.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 99477 on 19 December 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what his planned timetable is for implementing the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 103549 on 14 January 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement on the delivery of non-statutory services in Hampshire.

This Local Government Finance Settlement is our most significant move yet to make English local government more sustainable. The provisional Settlement 2026-27 will make available almost £78 billion in Core Spending Power for local authorities in England, a 5.7% cash-terms increase compared to 2025-26. For Hampshire we are making available up to £1,360.0 million in 2027-28 in Core Spending Power, an increase of 18% compared to 2024-25. The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the National Fire Chiefs Council on the adequacy of the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026-2027 to 2028-2029 funding formula for fire and rescue services.

The Government recognises that the current fire funding formula was designed over a decade ago. In line with responses to the principles of reform consultation in December 2024, the Government updated the fire and rescue relative needs formula by using the most up-to-date data available. In the medium term, we will work with the fire sector on a comprehensive review of the formula ahead of the next Spending Review.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that local authorities give due regard to the Armed Forces Covenant.

Local authorities are bound by the Armed Forces Covenant when they discharge their housing and homelessness duties, and independent Returning Officers and Electoral Registration Officers support service personnel and their families to register and to vote. There is statutory guidance for local authorities which takes account of the special circumstances of those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces and their families when discharging homelessness duties which can be found here, and when allocating accommodation, which can be found here.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the regulatory and charitable framework governing housing associations that operate shared ownership schemes.

The majority of Shared Ownership providers are registered with the Regulator of Social Housing. This means that they are required to meet the applicable regulatory standards. These include standards relating to governance and financial viability, alongside relevant consumer standards, including those relating to transparency, influence, and accountability. Where they are registered charities, not for profit registered providers are also required to adhere to charity law principles, to ensure that their purpose serves the public interest. As part of the new Social and Affordable Homes Programme, we are placing new expectations on providers to improve the experience of shared owners. These include giving greater consideration to long-term customer affordability, increasing transparency and fairness on costs, and giving customers the ability to opt out of fees for services that are optional.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for complaints submitted to the Housing Ombudsman to be (a) processed and (b) resolved.

The Housing Ombudsman is independent of government.As its Sponsor Department, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government tracks its progress on delivery in line with Cabinet Office Standards for working in partnership.The Housing Ombudsman’s Corporate Strategy for 2025-30 sets stretching KPIs (agreed by the Secretary of State) aimed at further reducing casework timescales.Complaints and enquiries received by the Ombudsman have increased from 32,126 in 2022-23 to 40,945 in 2023-24. The organisation has grown from an average full time equivalent staff (FTE) of 187 in 2022-23 to 340 FTE in 2023-24. There was a 107% increase in the number of determinations made by the Ombudsman in 2024-24.The Corporate Strategy sets out how the Ombudsman will continue to meet this demand by further expanding the workforce and continuing to explore new approaches to case investigations.Work to reduce the number of complaints needing to reach the Service is also ongoing and includes the Ombudsman sharing best practice to help landlords improve their complaint handling. A transformation programme launched at the start of 2025-26 also aims to drive further efficiencies from processes and systems.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of establishing a national fire and rescue service statutory advisory body to oversee national standards on (a) fire cover, (b) training, (c) equalities and (d) health and safety.

The government has accepted, in principle, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s recommendation to establish a national college of fire and rescue. The Inquiry report suggested a range of potential functions for a college to fulfil, including the development of policies and procedures to ensure both the effectiveness of fire and rescue services and the safety of firefighters and the public. The government response to the Inquiry’s report notes that a necessary first step in the process will be to consult on the functions a college should have, what these functions should look like and how the college could best be structured and delivered. We expect to launch this consultation in the coming months. Any future college function relating to national standards would build on the work already undertaken by the Fire Standards Board (FSB), which currently develops and maintains a suite of professional standards for fire and rescue services in England. The 19 standards currently published by the FSB cover a range of topics relating to operational management, leadership and ethics.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that there is an adequate supply of age-appropriate housing for people over 65.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 74681 on 12 September 2025.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department holds information on the level of homelessness in Eastleigh constituency.

The Government publishes homelessness statistics by local authority in England on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the funding model for fire and rescue services.

On 3 February, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published the 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement (LGFS) which sets out funding allocations for all local authorities, including Fire and Rescue Authorities. These allocations, which include the National Insurance Contribution Grant, will see standalone fire and rescue authorities receiving an increase in core spending power of £69.1 million in 2025/26. This is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25. Overall, fire and rescue authorities received around £2.87 billion in 2024/25. In addition to settlement funding, the Government has provided Fire and Rescue Authorities with several grants intended for specific purposes, such as the Fire Pensions Grant and Protection Uplift Grant.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service in the Spending Review 2025.

On 3 February, the Ministry published the 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement which sets out funding allocations for all local authorities including fire and rescue. Standalone fire and rescue authorities will see an increase in core spending power of up to £69.1 million in 2025/26. Including the National Insurance Contribution Grant, this is an increase of 3.6% in cash terms compared to 2024/25. The Settlement also sets out a threshold for council tax increases in 2025/26 of £5. This financial year, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Authority will have a core spending power of £99.8 million, an increase of 3.7 % compared to 2024/25. The Ministry will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure fire and rescue services have the resources they need to protect communities.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of conditional selling by estate agents.

Figures relating to conditional selling by estate agents are not held by the department. It is unacceptable for estate agents to withhold offers from sellers because the potential buyer declines to use their additional services. Where there is evidence of such practices, agents can face sanctions including a ban. The government is committed to protecting people from abuse and poor service at the hands of unscrupulous property agents and to improving estate agent standards more generally. The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team (NTSEAT) is the lead estate agent enforcement authority. Alongside local authority Trading Standards teams, they are responsible for ensuring estate agents comply with the Estate Agents Act 1979 and other relevant legislation. NTSEAT have powers to issue warnings and banning orders against rogue agents. In cases of conditional selling, it is essential that any misconduct or manipulation in the offer process is reported to help build a clearer picture of the problem and support potential investigations. My Department engages regularly with NTSEAT to discuss how best to address specific issues, including conditional selling, and continue to look at options to improve standards across the estate agent sector.

Communities and Local Government, what support her Department provides to local authorities to (a) build and (b) maintain sports facilities.

The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25.The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.DCMS and its ALB provide direct funding to sports facilities. The government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England - which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. Additional funding for grassroots sport facilities is also delivered through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme, which is providing £98 million across the UK in 2025/26 to support new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities.In June the Culture Secretary announced another £400 million to transform community sport facilities across the whole of the nation following the Spending Review. We will now work closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what each community needs and then set out further plans.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of the decision to remove The Gardens Trust as a statuatory consultee on planning applications that may affect a site nationally designated on the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement 10th March (HCWS510), the government intends to consult on the impacts of removing statutory consultee status from a limited number of bodies, including The Gardens Trust.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to allow heritage-appropriate alternative materials to be used for listed properties in instances where traditional materials are (a) unavailable and (b) prohibitively expensive.

It is for local planning authorities to determine applications for proposed works to listed buildings, including what materials should be used. Each case will be different and needs to be considered on its own merits. As such, the government does not intend to make changes to national policy in this area.