Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the UK fulfils its obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination to ensure that public authorities do not engage in or support any act or practice of racial discrimination.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We recognise the importance of the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination to combat and eradicate racial discrimination worldwide, and we will continue to uphold our obligations. We are committed to upholding Britain’s long-standing record of protecting the rights of individuals against unlawful discrimination. The Public Sector Equality Duty in the Equality Act 2010 requires public authorities, and those carrying out public functions, to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between different people.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle hate speech directed towards minority faith communities.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to tackling all forms of religious hatred, wherever and however it manifests.
On 9 March 2026, we published our Protecting What Matters which details the specific action being taken by government to tackle religious hatred across the country. This can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Future Homes Standard on housing affordability.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Future Homes Standard (FHS) has now been published and will come into force on 24 March 2027.
The Department is intending to monitor the impacts of the standard following implementation, including impacts on developers and housing affordability.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the command paper, Protecting What Matters, CP 1540, 9 March 2026, page 31, whether the Social Cohesion Measurement Framework will include English language proficiency.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Social Cohesion Measurement Framework will be available to local government, civil society and impact investors across England, to help them identify emerging tensions. Work on the framework is underway and we will publish fuller details in due course.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that efforts by local authorities to encourage the restoration of empty dwellings by providing exemptions from long-term empty home premiums do not result in buildings becoming more derelict.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local authorities have discretionary powers to change additional council tax on properties which have been left unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for one or more years. The Government recognises that there are circumstances where it may not be appropriate for a premium to apply and we have introduced a number of statutory exemptions to premiums. These include 12 months exemption for empty homes undergoing major repairs or structural alterations to support bringing empty homes back into use and to prevent buildings becoming more derelict. The taxpayer will have to apply for the exception, and provide supporting evidence to the relevant local authority.
It is for the local authorities to decide where it is appropriate to apply the premium, taking into account a number of factors, including local circumstances and government guidance.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of postal delays on the delivery of postal ballots for 2026 local elections.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local Returning Officers undertake stringent risk assessments and contingency planning as part of running elections, including the monitoring of known or emerging postal issues.
Officials in the Ministry of Housing and Communities and Local Government meet regularly with suppliers to discuss matters relating to elections including capacity, capability and contingency planning, and I will meet with senior representatives of Royal Mail to discuss preparedness ahead of the May elections.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the cost to developers of installing solar panels on new homes under the Future Homes Standard.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government has not estimated a single standalone cost for installing solar PV on new homes under the Future Homes Standard. The published Impact Assessment instead considers solar PV as part of the overall package of measures required to meet the Standard.
The Department intends to monitor impacts on developers following implementation.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the 2013 Written Ministerial Statement advising local authorities against translating into foreign languages remains his department’s policy.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We are clear that the ability to use and understand our shared language should be a fundamental basis for participating in society and an expectation of those who wish to call the UK home.
To support this, we are reviewing English language provision to identify best practice, and explore how innovation, including digital delivery, can increase the number of people able to speak English.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the command paper, Protecting What Matters, CP 1540, 9 March 2026, page 28, whether the cross-government integration strategy will be published as a substantive policy or strategic document in its own right.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We will provide more detail of the cross-government integration strategy in due course.
The Social Cohesion Taskforce is an internal Civil Service team comprised of civil servants. Following existing precedent, we will not be identifying members.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the command paper, Protecting What Matters, CP 1540, 9 March 2026, page 44, if he will name the members of the Social Cohesion Taskforce.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We will provide more detail of the cross-government integration strategy in due course.
The Social Cohesion Taskforce is an internal Civil Service team comprised of civil servants. Following existing precedent, we will not be identifying members.