Written questions by Farage.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with (a) local authority officers and (b) local authority elected representatives on the cancellation of the local elections in Essex, and if she will publish such conversations.

The Secretary of State has not had discussions with these local authorities on the cancellation of the local elections. Discussions on the applications to the Devolution Priority Programme have been had with all upper tier and unitary councils in the preparation of the programme, and those discussions covered all matters related to the timetable and process by both officials and ministers, as you would expect.

Communities and Local Government, how many social housing places are accommodating asylum seekers in (a) Clacton and (b) the UK.

Social housing stock is not used to accommodate asylum seekers. If a person's immigration status does not allow them recourse to public funds, as is the case in respect of asylum seekers, then they are not eligible for an allocation of social housing.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to ensure that housing targets do not negatively impact the delivery of local services for pre-existing communities (a) in Clacton constituency and (b) elsewhere.

The National Planning Policy Framework sets an expectation that the provision of local services is to be taken into account when planning for development. The Government is also committed to strengthening the existing system of developer contributions to ensure that new developments provide appropriate affordable homes and infrastructure. Further details will be set out in due course.