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 16, what steps he is taking to promote Englishness and a national sense of identity in England.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
A great strength of our national identity is its pluralism. Whether we are from England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland; whatever our religion or belief; whether we were born here or abroad; or whatever the colour of our skin, we can all embrace our shared identity, celebrate what we have in common, and be proud of our country’s long history and heritage.
As set out in Protecting What Matters, we will set clear national integration expectations for communities across the country, focused on stronger social connections, shared identity, English language proficiency, and participation in work. We will also strengthen the national curriculum and qualifications in England to ensure high quality teaching of our nation’s history.
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 11 March 2026, to Question 116756, on Independent Review into Civil Unrest in Leicester, what is the timetable for publishing the report that was received by his Department on 1 July 2025.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is taking the time to review the Panel’s report to ensure that its response is in the best interest of communities in Leicester and beyond. We will respond in due course. Our ‘Protecting What Matters’ Action Plan, published on 9 March, considered learnings from the events of Leicester in 2022 and has set out measures we are taking to build social cohesion and protect our communities from harm, such as establishing an Advisory Board to support local authorities when tensions arise, and tackling harmful content in online spaces.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the rate of state-sponsored antisemitism within the United Kingdom.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government does not routinely comment on the detail of operational matters or specific threats. But the UK will always stand up to threats from foreign states. We continually assess potential threats to the UK and its residents and will continue to take the protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms and safety in the UK very seriously. Any attempt by a foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK will not be tolerated.
We are also taking broader action on antisemitism - rooting out extremism, tackling it in schools and universities, and in the NHS.
We are committed to tackling those who spread views that sow divisions between or within communities and oppose the values we share as a society.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many households on local authority housing waiting lists in each of the past five years were (a) UK nationals, (b) EU nationals and (c) non‑EU nationals, and what proportion of each group had a recognised immigration status conferring eligibility for social housing.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Information on the nationality of the lead applicant of households on housing registers is collected on a voluntary basis in the Local Authority Housing Statistics (LAHS).
Information is available for the past two years and is published in Section 6.7 of the Social Housing Lettings in England (tenants) statistical release. The 31 March 2024 snapshot can be found here and 31 March 2025 snapshot can be found here.
Please note that the percentages presented in these reports should not be used to estimate the number of households on housing registers in England with particular characteristics due to the low response rate and insufficient coverage of these voluntary questions. As the data is collected on an aggregated basis it is not possible to provide information on where lead applicants hold multiple particular characteristics. Further detail about the low coverage is published in Section 4.3 of the LAHS technical notes here for the figures as at 31 March 2024 and here for the figures as at 31 March 2025.
All lead applicants of households on housing registers are eligible for social housing. If a person’s visa means that they cannot access state benefits or local authority housing assistance, they would not be eligible to join a local authority's housing register.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for each of the past five years, what proportion of households on local authority housing waiting lists were (a) UK nationals, (b) EU nationals and (c) non‑EU nationals.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Information on the nationality of the lead applicant of households on housing registers is collected on a voluntary basis in the Local Authority Housing Statistics (LAHS).
Information is available for the past two years and is published in Section 6.7 of the Social Housing Lettings in England (tenants) statistical release. The 31 March 2024 snapshot can be found here and 31 March 2025 snapshot can be found here.
Please note that the percentages presented in these reports should not be used to estimate the number of households on housing registers in England with particular characteristics due to the low response rate and insufficient coverage of these voluntary questions. As the data is collected on an aggregated basis it is not possible to provide information on where lead applicants hold multiple particular characteristics. Further detail about the low coverage is published in Section 4.3 of the LAHS technical notes here for the figures as at 31 March 2024 and here for the figures as at 31 March 2025.
All lead applicants of households on housing registers are eligible for social housing. If a person’s visa means that they cannot access state benefits or local authority housing assistance, they would not be eligible to join a local authority's housing register.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
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 economic impact of reduced international student numbers on regional economies and local communities from 2028/29 onwards.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Higher Education Statistics Agency collects, processes and publishes data about higher education in the UK, including student numbers. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government supports and encourages collaboration between Mayoral Strategic Authorities, local authorities, and their higher and further education institutions – through policies such as Industrial Strategy Zones and Local Growth Plans – in recognition of the role that universities play in local communities and economic growth. The department, however, has not carried out a specific assessment on the impact from 2028/29 onwards.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for each of the past five years, what proportion of households in (a) new social housing lettings and (b) receipt of Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit held (i) refugee status, (ii) humanitarian protection, (iii) indefinite leave to remain, (iv) EU settled status, (v) EU pre‑settled status, (vi) family‑route visas with recourse to public funds, and (vii) any other immigration status conferring recourse to public funds.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Available social housing lettings data is not broken down by the nationality of the lead tenant and whether they are in receipt of housing-related benefits, or a lead tenant’s formal immigration status.
The number of new social housing lettings allocated to households who self-report as refugees can be found in the ‘Social Housing Lettings’ statistics tables 3p and 3pi on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many households in (a) social housing lettings and (b) receipt of Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit in each of the past five years held (i) refugee status, (ii) humanitarian protection, (iii) indefinite leave to remain, (iv) EU settled status, (v) EU pre‑settled status, (vi) family‑route visas with recourse to public funds, and (vii) any other immigration status conferring recourse to public funds.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Available social housing lettings data is not broken down by the nationality of the lead tenant and whether they are in receipt of housing-related benefits, or a lead tenant’s formal immigration status.
The number of new social housing lettings allocated to households who self-report as refugees can be found in the ‘Social Housing Lettings’ statistics tables 3p and 3pi on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Sam Carling (Labour - North West Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the cases currently under consideration by the Planning Inspectorate are appeals against enforcement notices.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Using data as of 31 December 2025, which is in line with the latest published official statistics found on gov.uk here, the proportion of open cases that are enforcement notices is 27%.
This is calculated as open enforcement notices divided by total open cases.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for each of the past five years, what proportion of new social housing lettings made to (a) UK nationals, (b) EU nationals and (c) non‑EU nationals received Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Available social housing lettings data is not broken down by the nationality of the lead tenant and whether they are in receipt of housing-related benefits, or a lead tenant’s formal immigration status.
The number of new social housing lettings allocated to households who self-report as refugees can be found in the ‘Social Housing Lettings’ statistics tables 3p and 3pi on gov.uk here.