Written questions by Moon.

If she will review the adequacy of fire safety guidance on installing EV chargers in car parks beneath blocks of flats.

The safety of electric vehicles (EV) and their charging is of paramount importance to the Government and is kept under regular review.All EV chargepoint installations are subject to regulations and electrical standards. In July 2023, the department published fire safety guidance for covered car parks, to support car park operators, designers, and owners when installing EV chargepoint infrastructure.

What proportion of the EV Infrastructure Grant has been (a) spent on and (b) allocated to external parking bays.

In 2025, £2.1 million has been spent on grants for parking bays to date. This represents 37 per cent of total spend on the Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant (EVCG) in 2025. These are estimated figures based on the proportion of parking bays and sockets funded.

What steps is he taking to ensure that charging meters in residential blocks that have been incorrectly classified as commercial are reclassified.

Electricity meters serving a premises used wholly or mainly as a private dwelling should be classified as domestic. If a person believes a meter has been incorrectly classified as commercial, they should raise it with the electricity supplier serving the premises, via the landlord if the contract with the supplier is with the landlord. Suppliers are obligated by Ofgem’s supply licence conditions to maintain accurate meter classifications.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of improving access to low-interest loans for councils delivering affordable homes via the Public Works Loan Board.

The government recognises the vital role that local authorities play in delivering affordable homes. The Public Works Loan Board provides councils with cost-effective loans for investment and service delivery, including affordable housing. We will continue to ensure the PWLB continues to meet local authorities’ financial needs and long-term strategies.

Whether he plans to increase the number of defibrillators at (a) care homes, (b) sheltered housing and (c) warden controlled properties.

The provision of defibrillators is a matter for local communities, working in partnership with local organisations and charities.Decisions as to whether automated external defibrillators should be fitted is a matter for the owners of those properties, with regard to any legal requirements on the operation of those premises.

What steps his Department is taking to formalise alternative routes to smart export guarantee eligibility for renewable energy installations that are not certified under the microgeneration certification scheme.

The Smart Export Guarantee eligibility criteria are set out in legislation. This requires that an installation and installer are certified through the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) or a scheme accredited as equivalent. There are no plans to review this requirement. While such certification is required to access the SEG, suppliers may choose to and, in many cases, do offer export tariffs outside the SEG arrangements.

What plans he has to monitor the potential impact of the April 2025 Statutory Sick Pay reforms on low-paid workers.

There were no reforms to Statutory Sick Pay in April 2025 other than annual uprating. From April 2026, we will be removing the Lower Earnings Limit as an entitlement criterion for Statutory Sick Pay and removing the waiting period. This means Statutory Sick Pay will be payable to all employees regardless of their earnings from their first full working day of sickness absence. The Government is committed to conducting a post implementation review of the Statutory Sick Pay measures within five years of implementation, including the impact on those in low paid employment.

Whether the Government will consider introducing VAT relief on construction costs for sub-market housing developments.

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services; this includes most construction works. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations. To stimulate the construction of new homes, the Government currently maintains a zero rate of VAT on new-build residential buildings. Additionally, residential renovations are subject to a reduced rate of VAT of five per cent if they meet certain conditions. These include conversions of buildings from one residential use to another, conversions from commercial to residential use, and the renovation of properties that have been empty for two or more years. These reliefs apply to all residential buildings, including sub-market housing. To support the delivery of 1.5 million new homes over the course of this parliament, the Government has confirmed a new 10-year £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme to kickstart social and affordable housebuilding at scale across the country. This is the biggest long-term investment in social and affordable housing in recent memory.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to prioritise the release of surplus public land to (a) councils and (b) housing associations for affordable housing projects at discounted rates.

This government has made significant progress in respect of the release of surplus and underutilised public land for new homes. On 27 March 2025, we announced the establishment of a new taskforce to unlock surplus public defence land for development. On 30 July, we announced a new company, Platform 4, to kickstart the delivery of up to 40,000 new homes on surplus rail land across the UK. While it is for individual Departments to set the prices at which they are willing to dispose of their assets, we are taking a joined-up approach and working across government to promote shared objectives, including building more social and affordable homes, and maximise broader public value.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has considered the potential merits of introducing loan guarantees for joint ventures between housing associations and local authorities to support affordable housing delivery.

My Department already operates guarantee schemes that support affordable housing delivery. Subject to eligibility criteria, joint ventures between Registered Providers (such as housing associations) and Local Authorities can qualify for these schemes.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the merits of introducing (a) ring-fenced grants and (b) bonuses for local authorities that exceed (i) affordable and (ii) sub-market housing delivery targets.

The government does not believe that the New Homes Bonus is an effective incentive. It often rewards authorities for housebuilding that would have occurred in the absence of any incentive, and its efficacy is further blunted by the interactions with the remainder of the Settlement.

What assessment has her Department has made of the adequacy of provision of school uniform for children with physical disabilities.

Decisions regarding school uniform policies are the responsibility of school governing boards and they should consider the needs of all pupils when developing their policies on school uniform. To support schools, the department has published non-statutory guidance on developing and implementing their school uniform policy, which includes advice on meeting their equality obligations. This guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform/school-uniforms.The guidance states that a school uniform should be inclusive, and we expect schools to be considerate when implementing their policy so that their uniform can be worn by all pupils.The guidance also states that schools should be willing to allow for some individual variations to their uniform policy, where necessary, to avoid indirect discrimination. For instance, reasonable adjustments must be made, as appropriate, for pupils with a disability.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing an electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme for civil service departments.

Currently electric vehicle salary sacrifice schemes are not available for central Civil Service departments. HM Treasury approval would be required for any such scheme to be implemented. HM Treasury keeps all policies under review and will consider carefully any requests which are made for scheme expansion.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department issues to local planning authorities on anonymisation of public comments on planning applications.

My Department has not issued guidance in respect of this matter.The Planning Advisory Service has published guidance to help local planning authorities adhere to the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation in exercising their planning duties. It can be found here.

What support her Department is providing to small independent funeral directors in response to market pressures from large direct cremation providers.

The government provides comprehensive support for small businesses across all industries, including the UK funeral sector. Resources such as the Business Growth Service, via business.gov.uk, and local Growth Hubs can support small independent funeral directors as they face market pressures from large direct cremation providers.In addition, the recently announced Small Business Plan sets out this Government’s approach for economic transformation alongside the Modern Industrial Strategy and Trade Strategy. The Plan includes proposals to tackle the scourge of late payments, modernise the tax system, improving access to finance, revitalise high streets and equip small businesses with digital skills.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has considered requiring the installation of public access defibrillators in new housing developments as part of (a) planning guidance and (b) building regulations.

The Government recognises the importance of improving access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces.We have no current plans to require the installation of public access defibrillators in new housing developments through planning guidance or building regulations. However, we keep planning policies, guidance and building regulations under review.The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government regularly engages with other government departments on matters relating to planning policy and guidance.

Communities and Local Government, if he will issue guidance to local planning authorities and neighbourhood planning groups on encouraging the inclusion of public access defibrillators in new housing developments.

The Government recognises the importance of improving access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces.We have no current plans to require the installation of public access defibrillators in new housing developments through planning guidance or building regulations. However, we keep planning policies, guidance and building regulations under review.The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government regularly engages with other government departments on matters relating to planning policy and guidance.

What steps his Department is taking to help support people who were underpaid wages by their former employers.

The Government takes enforcing the minimum wage very seriously. We are clear that anyone entitled to the minimum wage should receive at least the correct minimum wage rate based on their age or apprenticeship status.HMRC enforces minimum wage regulations on behalf of DBT and considers all complaints from workers. Workers do not need to be currently employed to raise concerns and can complain about underpayments by former employers. If an underpayment of wage is found, HMRC will order employers to pay the workers their money back, and a penalty to the government. HMRC will investigate any underpayments from the last 6 years.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has held discussions with the Department of Health and Social Care on integrating public access defibrillators into housing infrastructure planning.

The Government recognises the importance of improving access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces.We have no current plans to require the installation of public access defibrillators in new housing developments through planning guidance or building regulations. However, we keep planning policies, guidance and building regulations under review.The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government regularly engages with other government departments on matters relating to planning policy and guidance.

What steps his Department is taking to regulate advertising by direct cremation companies to ensure transparency about the handling and care of the deceased.

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 prohibits unfair commercial practices. These include misleading actions and omissions, that are likely to impact the average consumer’s transactional decisions. Traders who engage in commercial practices that are misleading omissions, or misleading actions, may be committing a criminal offence.In July 2025, the final report of the independent inquiry into the issues raised by the David Fuller case recommended the introduction of a statutory regulatory regime for those caring for the deceased. The Department will publish an interim update on progress in winter 2025 and a final response by summer 2026. This will include updates on the recommendations for the funeral sector which set out that direct cremation businesses should also be considered in this context, and mandatory standards to protect the security and dignity of the deceased should be applied to these businesses and to any emerging new models of delivery of care for the deceased.