Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will review the adequacy of fire risk assessment requirements for retail premises which stock (a) vapes and (b) other small electricals containing lithium-ion batteries.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places a range of legal duties on Responsible Persons (the person in control of a premises which can include building owners, landlords and employers), chief among which is the need to undertake a fire risk assessment. This is to identify any general fire safety precautions that need to be taken to make sure that the premises, and people within it, are safe from fire, and put those precautions in place.
To help Responsible Persons discharge their duties, MHCLG makes available a suite of guidance which it is currently reviewing and updating, including the offices and shops guide, so it better reflects current legislation, practice and emerging risks. This update will give consideration to the risks arising from products such as vapes and other small electrical items containing lithium-ion batteries.
Asked by: David Williams (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what mechanisms his Department has put in place to help ensure that communities are consulted on the use of Pride in Place funding in Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The community will decide how to invest £20m of Pride in Place Funding allocated to Bradeley and Chell Heath. A Neighbourhood Board led by an Independent Chair, made up of local people, will come up with a plan for this investment. The programme’s Prospectus sets out that all Boards must work with their wider community through deep and meaningful engagement and demonstrate this in plans, otherwise progress will be delayed. We have brought forward £150,000 of funding for all neighbourhoods in Phase Two of the programme, so engagement can begin immediately.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to update domestic electrical safety guidance and regulations on plug-in solar.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Part P of the Building Regulations 2010 and Approved Document P make clear that electrical installations in dwellings should be designed and installed in such a way to protect people from electric shock and fire hazards. The Building Safety Act 2022 requires the Building Safety Regulator to keep the safety and standard of buildings under review. As new evidence emerges, updating of Building Regulations or statutory guidance in Approved Documents can then be considered; this includes the electrical safety requirements in Part P of the Building Regulations. Approved Document P refers to the electrical installation standards in BS7671 Requirements for Electrical Installations as the way of showing compliance with Part P requirements. Building owners remain responsible for managing building safety and performance risks of all kinds in a proportionate, risk-based and evidence backed manner.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he will take to avoid disruption to successful programmes previously supported by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
While the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) ended in March 2026, funding for 2025-26 can still be used to support investment in activities up to 30 September 2026, to allow local authorities and partners time to maximise spend of their existing allocations.
The Government’s new approach emphasises more stable, longer-term funding and clearer planning horizons through the Local Government Finance Settlement, alongside targeted interventions that support growth and strengthen communities, including the Local Growth Fund and the Pride in Place Programme.
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, which organisations responded to the Working Group on Anti-Muslim Hatred/ Islamophobia Definition call for evidence.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Working Group launched a Call for Evidence which closed on Sunday 20 July. It was open to the public and any individual or organisation was able to submit evidence. The government does not routinely publish the details of individual respondents to calls for evidence.
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, whether his Department provides micro-grants to communities to help tackle hidden poverty.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Our £5.8bn Pride in Place programme is supporting 284 communities across the UK with up to £20m in funding to address the local issues that matter most to them. Funding can be spent on a wide range of local priorities, including supporting families in poverty.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure local authorities are applying statutory guidance on housing support for survivors of domestic abuse.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Under Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, Tier 1 local authorities in England are required to assess local need for, and commission, support for victims of domestic abuse and their children within safe accommodation. To support delivery of the duty, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has provided £499m to local authorities over the next three years.
Statutory guidance sets out how local authorities should carry out their functions and which they are expected to consider when making commissioning decisions: Delivery of support to victims of domestic abuse in domestic abuse safe accommodation services - GOV.UK
MHCLG monitors delivery through mandatory annual data returns and publishes this data. The most recent data is available here: Support in domestic abuse safe accommodation: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.
The Department continues to work closely with local authorities, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner and sector partners to support delivery and promote best practice.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will place in the Library of the House a breakdown of leasehold properties in England and Wales by remaining lease term, using data held by HM Land Registry; and whether that data can be disaggregated to constituency level.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
HM Land Registry publishes a Registered Leases dataset which is updated monthly. It can be found on gov.uk here. The dataset provides information on land and property in England and Wales with registered leases, including lease start dates and durations.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 19 March 2026 to Question 120874, whether his Department plans to publish the baseline information it holds on private parking appeals; and if he will provide a breakdown of the number of disputes and appeals relating to private parking charges for each of the last five years.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government does not hold a breakdown of the number of disputes and appeals relating to private parking charges for each of the last five years.
Some baseline information on private parking appeals includes information already in the public domain such as the trade associations’ annual reports and these may be accessed via the IAS and POPLA sites.
Any other relevant information will be published in the government response when the Code is laid in autumn 2026.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities have introduced Article 4 directions to restrict the number of houses in multiple occupation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Since 1 January 2023, 45 local planning authorities have notified the Secretary of State of ‘Article 4’ Directions removing permitted development rights in relation to Houses in Multiple Occupation.