Written questions by Dowden.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department plans to take if local authorities do not comply with the (a) Golden Rules and (b) revised NPPF in local planning decisions.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published on 12 December 2024 includes ‘Golden Rules’ for major development involving the provision of housing on land that is situated within, or released from, the Green Belt. The NPPF must be taken into account in preparing local development plans and is a material consideration in planning decisions. On 27 February 2025, my Department published updated planning practice guidance on the Green Belt which sets out how local planning authorities should apply the new ‘Golden Rule’ on green space provision, including how they should consider accessibility, quality, and alignment with Local Nature Recovery Strategies. The government has a variety of ways to assess the impacts of, and interactions between, policy changes. These include consultation processes and the publishing of a range of metrics to monitor the impacts of changes. The government monitors and publishes data on planning permissions granted, quarterly data on starts and completions, and annual statistics showing the extent of England’s Green Belt, including changes resulting from land being released from, or added to, the Green Belt. We also continuously engage with the planning sector, including local planning authorities, to understand the impact of our policy changes. This includes the implementation and effect of the Golden Rules.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with local authorities on applying the Golden Rules in local planning decisions.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published on 12 December 2024 includes ‘Golden Rules’ for major development involving the provision of housing on land that is situated within, or released from, the Green Belt. The NPPF must be taken into account in preparing local development plans and is a material consideration in planning decisions. On 27 February 2025, my Department published updated planning practice guidance on the Green Belt which sets out how local planning authorities should apply the new ‘Golden Rule’ on green space provision, including how they should consider accessibility, quality, and alignment with Local Nature Recovery Strategies. The government has a variety of ways to assess the impacts of, and interactions between, policy changes. These include consultation processes and the publishing of a range of metrics to monitor the impacts of changes. The government monitors and publishes data on planning permissions granted, quarterly data on starts and completions, and annual statistics showing the extent of England’s Green Belt, including changes resulting from land being released from, or added to, the Green Belt. We also continuously engage with the planning sector, including local planning authorities, to understand the impact of our policy changes. This includes the implementation and effect of the Golden Rules.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the United Nations on UNRWA neutrality.

The UK welcomes the active work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in implementing recommendations of the Colonna report. £1 million of the £41 million support for UNRWA in Financial Year 24/25 was earmarked to support implementation of the Colonna report and in June the UK was updated on implementation progress from UNRWA. The Minister of State for International Development met with UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini on 12 May where she reiterated support for the organisation and its critical role in delivering desperately needed aid and services to Palestinians. Israel must immediately allow the UN and aid partners to safely deliver all aid at scale to save lives, reduce suffering and maintain dignity.

How many and what proportion of police forces have dedicated teams for monitoring social media for malicious communications.

The requested data is not centrally held, and could only be collated for the purpose of answering these queries at disproportionate cost.

How many and what proportion of police staff regularly monitor social media for malicious communications.

The requested data is not centrally held, and could only be collated for the purpose of answering these queries at disproportionate cost.

How many arrests were made for online malicious communications in 2024.

The requested data is not centrally held, and could only be collated for the purpose of answering these queries at disproportionate cost.

How many staff are dedicated solely to monitoring social media for malicious communications in Hertfordshire Constabulary.

The requested data is not centrally held, and could only be collated for the purpose of answering these queries at disproportionate cost.

What the total cost was of police initiatives to monitor social media for malicious communications in the most recent period for which data is available.

The requested data is not centrally held, and could only be collated for the purpose of answering these queries at disproportionate cost.

How many and what proportion of police staff are dedicated solely to monitoring social media.

The requested data is not centrally held, and could only be collated for the purpose of answering these queries at disproportionate cost.

How many arrests were made of for online malicious communications in Hertfordshire in 2024.

The requested data is not centrally held, and could only be collated for the purpose of answering these queries at disproportionate cost.

What assessment her Department has made of lessons from (a) the JobsPlus and (b) other pilot programmes in informing the development of Local Get Britain Working plans.

The Jobs Plus pilot which began in summer 2024 is an exciting test of how housing and community-led employment support can help engage social housing communities. The first report, due this summer, will help us understand how Jobs Plus or similar models might help us achieve our objectives to Get Britain Working. Evaluation will be shared with a range of commissioners and stakeholders, including local authorities.Local Get Britain Working plans will support areas in identifying and addressing labour market challenges, tackling inactivity, and increasing employment rates. They are a key element in tackling challenges in labour market participation across England and in achieving the long-term ambition to achieve an 80% employment rate.Local government have been asked to lead a partnership of local labour market stakeholders and seek insights from a broader range of stakeholders. The guidance we published earlier this year included housing associations in the list of key partners to consider.Drawing on the range of experiences and expertise of partners within the area, the partnership will ensure a comprehensive analysis of key labour market issues and priorities as well as setting short- and longer-term objectives specific to the needs of the labour market locally.

What plans her Department has to support the national rollout of (a) JobsPlus and (b) other community-led employment programmes following the conclusion of the pilot phase.

The Jobs Plus pilot which began in summer 2024 is an exciting test of how housing and community-led employment support can help engage social housing communities. The first report, due this summer, will help us understand how Jobs Plus or similar models might help us achieve our objectives to Get Britain Working. Evaluation will be shared with a range of commissioners and stakeholders, including local authorities.Local Get Britain Working plans will support areas in identifying and addressing labour market challenges, tackling inactivity, and increasing employment rates. They are a key element in tackling challenges in labour market participation across England and in achieving the long-term ambition to achieve an 80% employment rate.Local government have been asked to lead a partnership of local labour market stakeholders and seek insights from a broader range of stakeholders. The guidance we published earlier this year included housing associations in the list of key partners to consider.Drawing on the range of experiences and expertise of partners within the area, the partnership will ensure a comprehensive analysis of key labour market issues and priorities as well as setting short- and longer-term objectives specific to the needs of the labour market locally.

What steps she is taking to ensure that Local Get Britain Working plans (a) are designed in partnership with community-led housing organisations and (b) reflect local labour market needs.

The Jobs Plus pilot which began in summer 2024 is an exciting test of how housing and community-led employment support can help engage social housing communities. The first report, due this summer, will help us understand how Jobs Plus or similar models might help us achieve our objectives to Get Britain Working. Evaluation will be shared with a range of commissioners and stakeholders, including local authorities.Local Get Britain Working plans will support areas in identifying and addressing labour market challenges, tackling inactivity, and increasing employment rates. They are a key element in tackling challenges in labour market participation across England and in achieving the long-term ambition to achieve an 80% employment rate.Local government have been asked to lead a partnership of local labour market stakeholders and seek insights from a broader range of stakeholders. The guidance we published earlier this year included housing associations in the list of key partners to consider.Drawing on the range of experiences and expertise of partners within the area, the partnership will ensure a comprehensive analysis of key labour market issues and priorities as well as setting short- and longer-term objectives specific to the needs of the labour market locally.

If she will take steps to increase levels of transparency in litigation funding.

The Government recognises the critical role third-party litigation funding plays in ensuring access to justice.Following the PACCAR judgment, concerns have been raised about the need for greater regulation of the litigation funding market, including the potential need for greater transparency in relation to Litigation Funding Agreements.The Civil Justice Council is considering these matters as part of its review of litigation funding, which will conclude in summer 2025. The Government will take a decision on further steps regarding litigation funding once the report and its recommendations have been received.

What steps his Department plans to take to (a) tackle, (b) prevent and (c) monitor poor quality care in council-commissioned care homes.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and social care in England. The CQC monitors, inspects, and regulates adult social care services, including council-commissioned care homes, to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety. Inspection reports on individual providers are made publicly available.Where concerns on quality or safety are identified, the CQC uses a range of regulatory and enforcement powers to take action to ensure the safety of the people drawing on care and support.This could include using requirement notices to highlight areas that need improvement, or placing adult social care providers into special measures to closely supervise the quality of their care. In cases of significant concern, the CQC can take action that could lead to the removal of a provider’s registration or, in the most serious cases, take criminal action.The CQC also assesses local authorities’ delivery of their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. This includes the local authority’s duty to work closely with local providers to ensure high quality services that put the wellbeing of the people who draw on care at the centre of decisions. Local authorities should also keep contracts under review to confirm that care requirements are being met, and to seek to continuously improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of services.I recently met with Sir Julian Hartley on 14 March 2025, where we discussed the CQC’s recent challenges and how we will continue working closely together on key priorities.

Whether he has made an assessment with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and HMRC of the number of people currently practicing in the hair and beauty sector using disguised employment practices.

The Department for Business and Trade does not hold this information. However, we are clear that disguised employment practices such as false self-employment are unacceptable. Employers should never seek to deny people their employment rights and avoid their own legal obligations by claiming someone is self-employed when in reality they are not.The Government is committed to tackling false self-employment and HMRC will investigate evidence suggesting businesses have misclassified individuals for tax purposes. The Government has also set up a forum with the hair and beauty industry to support compliance in the sector.

How many apprentices are working in the hair and beauty sector.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Rt. Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 26th February is attached.

How many people are currently employed in the hair and beauty sector.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Rt. Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 26th February is attached.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the increase in employer National Insurance contributions on hair and beauty sector.

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations as well as an overview of the equality impacts.       The Office for Budget Responsibility also published the Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO), which sets out a detailed forecast of the economy and public finances.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of the British Hair Consortium commissioned CBI Economics report entitled Securing the future of UK hairdressing and beauty: the economic, fiscal and societal case for VAT reform, published on 19 February 2025.

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £171 billion in 2024/25. Tax breaks reduce the revenue available for vital public services and must represent value for money for the taxpayer. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations. Changes to the VAT threshold have to be carefully balanced considering the potential benefits to small businesses, the economy as a whole and tax revenues.