Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of fast tracking urgent cases with Homes England where residents in buildings under 11 metres face financial hardship due to urgent fire safety measures.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department is committed to protecting residential leaseholders from bearing the costs of remediating historic fire safety-related cladding defects and offering support to both residents and leaseholders. Building owners and landlords for buildings under 11 metres tall are responsible for ensuring that historical fire safety defects are addressed without unnecessary delay. They should not pass the cost of cladding remediation works onto leaseholders.
Homes England, who are delivering the Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS) for buildings over 11m, are now leading the management of cases of residential buildings under 11 metres on behalf of the department. This ensures a streamlined and efficient approach across all building heights and enables them to address urgent cases. They are auditing Fire Risk Assessments and accompanying Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls to ensure assessments are consistent, proportionate, and aligned with PAS 9980 standards.
The Department intends to provide further information regarding exceptional cladding remediation funding for buildings under 11m in height in England in due course.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans publish the eligibility criteria used by Homes England to determine when a building under 11 metres qualifies as an exceptional case for targeted funding for urgent fire safety measures.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department is committed to protecting residential leaseholders from bearing the costs of remediating historic fire safety-related cladding defects and offering support to both residents and leaseholders. Building owners and landlords for buildings under 11 metres tall are responsible for ensuring that historical fire safety defects are addressed without unnecessary delay. They should not pass the cost of cladding remediation works onto leaseholders.
Homes England, who are delivering the Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS) for buildings over 11m, are now leading the management of cases of residential buildings under 11 metres on behalf of the department. This ensures a streamlined and efficient approach across all building heights and enables them to address urgent cases. They are auditing Fire Risk Assessments and accompanying Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls to ensure assessments are consistent, proportionate, and aligned with PAS 9980 standards.
The Department intends to provide further information regarding exceptional cladding remediation funding for buildings under 11m in height in England in due course.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
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 support leaseholders in residential buildings under 11 metres who face costs as a result of fire safety issues.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department is committed to protecting residential leaseholders from bearing the costs of remediating historic fire safety-related cladding defects and offering support to both residents and leaseholders. Building owners and landlords for buildings under 11 metres tall are responsible for ensuring that historical fire safety defects are addressed without unnecessary delay. They should not pass the cost of cladding remediation works onto leaseholders.
Homes England, who are delivering the Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS) for buildings over 11m, are now leading the management of cases of residential buildings under 11 metres on behalf of the department. This ensures a streamlined and efficient approach across all building heights and enables them to address urgent cases. They are auditing Fire Risk Assessments and accompanying Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls to ensure assessments are consistent, proportionate, and aligned with PAS 9980 standards.
The Department intends to provide further information regarding exceptional cladding remediation funding for buildings under 11m in height in England in due course.
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, pursuant to the answer of 12 February 2026, to Question 111132, on Planning Permission: Disclosure of Information, if he will list the full title, data, local authority and reference number of the two planning applications that were subject to Section 321 directions.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Section 321 Directions were issued in respect of applications at:
The Pavilions, Sandy Lane, Runcorn, WA7 4EX, Halton Borough Council (Reference: 17/00468/FUL) made on 26 February 2017 and withdrawn on 17 January 2022.
Heath Business and Technical Park, Heath Road South, Runcorn, WA7 4QX, Halton Borough Council (Reference: 22/00569/OUT) made on 23 March 2024, called in for Ministerial determination on 19 September 2024, and decision issued on 9 March 2026.
Both Directions were issued at the request of the Health and Safety Executive.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of hereditaments in England used wholly or mainly for community sport that receive (a) mandatory charitable rate relief, (b) mandatory Community Amateur Sports Club rate relief and (c) discretionary rate relief from local authorities; and what estimate he has made of the total value of relief awarded in each category in 2025-26.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department only collects aggregate data on the rateable values and reliefs and does not collect data broken down by type of business. Forecast data for 2025-26 is published on gov.uk here.
Support for ratepayers facing increases in their business rates bills at the 2026 revaluation is provided by the Transitional Relief Scheme and the Supporting Small Business Relief Scheme. Transitional Relief caps the bill increases of all ratepayers and is calculated from a base liability of the 2025/26 bill before all other reliefs.
Supporting Small Business Relief calculates support from a base liability of the 2025/26 bill including eligible reliefs. For the 2026 scheme, those ratepayers losing some or all of their Small Business Rate Relief, Rural Rate Relief, 2025/26 Retail, Hospitality and leisure Relief, or 2023 Supporting Small Business Rate Relief will be eligible for the 2026 Supporting Small Business Scheme.
Further information on business rates reliefs can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of hereditaments used wholly or mainly for community sport in England that will see an increase in their (a) rateable value and (b) business rates liability from 1 April 2026; and what transitional arrangements will apply to those hereditaments.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department only collects aggregate data on the rateable values and reliefs and does not collect data broken down by type of business. Forecast data for 2025-26 is published on gov.uk here.
Support for ratepayers facing increases in their business rates bills at the 2026 revaluation is provided by the Transitional Relief Scheme and the Supporting Small Business Relief Scheme. Transitional Relief caps the bill increases of all ratepayers and is calculated from a base liability of the 2025/26 bill before all other reliefs.
Supporting Small Business Relief calculates support from a base liability of the 2025/26 bill including eligible reliefs. For the 2026 scheme, those ratepayers losing some or all of their Small Business Rate Relief, Rural Rate Relief, 2025/26 Retail, Hospitality and leisure Relief, or 2023 Supporting Small Business Rate Relief will be eligible for the 2026 Supporting Small Business Scheme.
Further information on business rates reliefs can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number and proportion of sports clubs and community sport facilities in England that will qualify for the retail, hospitality and leisure business rates multipliers from 1 April 2026.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department only collects aggregate data on the rateable values and reliefs and does not collect data broken down by type of business. Forecast data for 2025-26 is published on gov.uk here.
Support for ratepayers facing increases in their business rates bills at the 2026 revaluation is provided by the Transitional Relief Scheme and the Supporting Small Business Relief Scheme. Transitional Relief caps the bill increases of all ratepayers and is calculated from a base liability of the 2025/26 bill before all other reliefs.
Supporting Small Business Relief calculates support from a base liability of the 2025/26 bill including eligible reliefs. For the 2026 scheme, those ratepayers losing some or all of their Small Business Rate Relief, Rural Rate Relief, 2025/26 Retail, Hospitality and leisure Relief, or 2023 Supporting Small Business Rate Relief will be eligible for the 2026 Supporting Small Business Scheme.
Further information on business rates reliefs can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Jas Athwal (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment their Department has made of trends in the level of discrimination faced by (a) Sikhs and (b) Jews as ethnic groups in the provision of their Department's services.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Public bodies usually collect ethnicity data in line with the ethnicity harmonised standard, which is developed by the independent Office for National Statistics.
The current harmonised standard is based on the 2011 Census questions used across the UK; those questions were updated for the 2021 and 2022 Censuses. The current standard does not include specific “Sikh” and “Jewish” categories for a person’s ethnic group.
The ONS is reviewing the harmonised standard to ensure this remains appropriate and meets the needs of both data users and respondents. In October 2025, the ONS launched its ‘Harmonisation Ethnicity consultation’ on user needs for additional response options in a future ethnicity standard.
All forms of racial and religious discrimination are completely unacceptable, including that directed at Sikhs and Jewish people. The Government continues to work closely with the police and community partners to combat these forms of hatred, wherever and however it manifests.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
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 on former coalfield communities not covered by the Pride in Place programme of current government growth funding; and what consideration has been given to the Coalfields Regeneration Trust’s proposal for £50 million of match-funded capital investment in SME industrial units.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I recognise the excellent work of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, supporting coalfield communities across the country reach their full potential. I met with the Trust recently to hear more about this work and their future ambitions.
Our Pride in Place strategy sets out how we will support the most in-need communities to deliver their local priorities. The £5.8bn Pride in Place programme and the £150m Pride in Place Impact Fund will support many coalfield communities. However beyond these, every part of the country benefits from our wider Pride in Place strategy to put people in control of their neighbourhoods.
We are working to improve high streets through initiatives such as High Street Rental Auctions; the Community Right to Buy, giving communities the chance to take ownership of valued buildings; and streamlining the compulsory purchase process to support regeneration.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress his Department has made in undertaking a viability assessment for the use of (a) an alternative body and (b) a mechanism to make initial rent determinations in cases of Section 13 rent appeals.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Officials in my Department engage regularly with a range of stakeholders, including officials working in Rent Services Scotland.
Subject to a final viability assessment, the government intends to establish an alternative body or mechanism to the First-tier Tribunal to make initial rent determinations. We will confirm further details in due course.