Written questions by Kumar.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing mandatory, specialist domestic abuse training for all housing officers in England.

The Government has not undertaken an assessment of mandating specialist domestic abuse training for all housing officers in England. Local authorities, under their statutory duties in Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, are required to assess the need for and provide support for all victims of domestic abuse and their children while in safe accommodation. To support delivery of this duty, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government provided local authorities in England £160 million in 2025/26, a £30 million uplift from the previous year, and £499 million funding will be allocated to local authorities over the next three years. Statutory guidance to local authorities is available (Delivery of support to victims of domestic abuse in domestic abuse safe accommodation services - GOV.UK) providing further details on how the duty should be delivered, including the expectation for local authorities to strengthen their understanding of domestic abuse locally, which may include through training.

Communities and Local Government, whether the Health and Safety Executive has assessed the potential merits of establishing a single mandatory national register of electricians under its statutory oversight, modelled on the Gas Safe Register, to improve public safety and create a clear standard of professional accountability.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers to Questions UIN 101292 and 101294 on 6 January 2026. The Government takes electrical safety very seriously but has seen no need to establish a mandatory national register of electricians modelled on the Gas Safe Register. Any individual or organisation carrying out building work must demonstrate that they are competent to do so. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 already require that people carrying out electrical work of any sort must be competent to prevent danger and injury, or must be under a degree of supervision that is appropriate to the nature of the work. The Building Regulations require work to the fixed electrical system in the home to be carried out safely to protect people from fire and injury. In domestic situations, competent electricians can self-certify that their work is compliant with Part P of the Building Regulations, in line with statutory guidance set out in Approved Document P Electrical Safety – Dwellings. All electricians that have been authorised by a government approved Competent Person Scheme are listed on the Registered Competent Person Electrical Register. The department is working with the Building Safety Regulator on reforms of the Competent Person Schemes to improve public and building safety.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of enforcement mechanisms relating to electrical safety and compliance with Part P regulations; and whether his Department plans to strengthen oversight of local authority building control and Competent Person Schemes in this regard.

Neither the Department, nor the Ministry of Justice, hold information on enforcement action broken down by which part of the building regulations was breached. Local authority building control teams have powers that enable them to intervene where it is found that buildings are in breach of any of the Building Regulations and there is no initial notice in force from a private sector Registered Building Control Approver (RBCA). The department is working with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) on reforms of the competent person schemes to improve public and building safety. In the new year, the BSR will publish a call for evidence about their ‘conditions of authorisation’, which are the rules that organisations must follow to become or remain competent person scheme operators, with a view to updating these rules to make them more effective. This call for evidence is part of wider work to improve the schemes and their oversight. The Building Control Independent Panel is also looking at the enforcement of the building regulations as part of its work; we expect their final report in the Spring of 2026 and will respond shortly thereafter. As part of its ongoing work as steward of the built environment, the Department continues to keep enforcement and the regulations under review.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people are adequately protected from unsafe or unregulated electrical work in homes, particularly where such work is carried out by non-registered or unqualified persons.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers to Questions UIN 101292 and 101294 on 6 January 2026. The Government takes electrical safety very seriously but has seen no need to establish a mandatory national register of electricians modelled on the Gas Safe Register. Any individual or organisation carrying out building work must demonstrate that they are competent to do so. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 already require that people carrying out electrical work of any sort must be competent to prevent danger and injury, or must be under a degree of supervision that is appropriate to the nature of the work. The Building Regulations require work to the fixed electrical system in the home to be carried out safely to protect people from fire and injury. In domestic situations, competent electricians can self-certify that their work is compliant with Part P of the Building Regulations, in line with statutory guidance set out in Approved Document P Electrical Safety – Dwellings. All electricians that have been authorised by a government approved Competent Person Scheme are listed on the Registered Competent Person Electrical Register. The department is working with the Building Safety Regulator on reforms of the Competent Person Schemes to improve public and building safety.

Communities and Local Government, how many prosecutions have been brought under Part P of the Building Regulations in England and Wales in each year since their introduction in 2005; and if the Department will publish this information to improve transparency and accountability in electrical safety enforcement.

Neither the Department, nor the Ministry of Justice, hold information on enforcement action broken down by which part of the building regulations was breached. Local authority building control teams have powers that enable them to intervene where it is found that buildings are in breach of any of the Building Regulations and there is no initial notice in force from a private sector Registered Building Control Approver (RBCA). The department is working with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) on reforms of the competent person schemes to improve public and building safety. In the new year, the BSR will publish a call for evidence about their ‘conditions of authorisation’, which are the rules that organisations must follow to become or remain competent person scheme operators, with a view to updating these rules to make them more effective. This call for evidence is part of wider work to improve the schemes and their oversight. The Building Control Independent Panel is also looking at the enforcement of the building regulations as part of its work; we expect their final report in the Spring of 2026 and will respond shortly thereafter. As part of its ongoing work as steward of the built environment, the Department continues to keep enforcement and the regulations under review.

Communities and Local Government, what plans her Department has taken to help tackle land banking.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 60243 on 24 June 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions has she had with brick manufacturers on meeting the demand for new homes.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 60503 on 25 June 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department plans to take to help support councils to require developers to (a) complete and (b) refurbish (i) building sites and (ii) existing empty buildings.

The Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) for 2021-26 allows a proportion of programme delivery to come from new build and second-hand home acquisitions and funding replacement homes on regeneration schemes where there is a positive impact on overall housing supply.Local authorities can also access funding through the AHP and Local Authority Housing Fund to bring homes back into use. Where funding, tax, and informal approaches are ineffective, local authorities can use formal enforcement levers to bring homes back into use such as Empty Dwelling Management Orders and Compulsory Purchase Orders.The government recognise the frustrations that stalled or delayed sites can cause to communities.Once housebuilders have been granted permission for residential development, meeting local housing needs and preferences, we expect to see them built out as quickly as possible.Local planning authorities already have powers to issue a completion notice to require a developer to complete their development if it is stalled. If they fail to do so, the planning permission for the development will lapse.The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 includes policies designed to support increased build out rates, including the promotion of mixed tenure development.On 25 May, the government published a Planning Reform Working Paper: Speeding Up Build Out (which can be found on gov.uk here) inviting views on further action the government should take to speed up homes being built.On the same day, we launched a technical consultation on implementing measures to improve the transparency of build rates from new residential development, which includes proposals to implement provisions in Section 113 of the LURA on the power to decline to determine applications. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here. Subject to the outcome of the consultation, the government intends bring forward the regulations to implement these measures at the earliest practical opportunity with the new build out reporting framework coming into force from 2026.Local planning authorities have a wide range of enforcement powers, with strong penalties for non-compliance, which they can use where development has not taken place in accordance with the planning permission given. It is for authorities to decide how and when they use their powers depending on the circumstances of each case.