Asked by: Sally Jameson (Labour (Co-op) - Doncaster Central)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the proposed £50 million capital investment in the Coalfields Regeneration Trust to support SME industrial development.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 117179 on 10 March 2026.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to establish grants or tax incentives to convert existing empty buildings into emergency housing for homeless people.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government wants to see more empty homes brought back into use across the country.
We are allocating £950 million of capital for the fourth round of the Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF) for councils in England to increase their supply of better-quality temporary accommodation for homeless people and resettlement accommodation for people on the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP). MHCLG gives local authorities flexibility to shape their delivery of LAHF according to local circumstances. This can include purchasing empty homes and conversion of other vacant properties to provide more homelessness accommodation.
Local authorities have strong powers and incentives to tackle empty homes. They have discretionary powers to charge additional council tax on properties which have been left unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for one or more years. As we outlined in the English Devolution White Paper, we intend to strengthen the ability of local authorities to take over the management of empty homes. Further details will follow in due course.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with the the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on the proposed £50 million capital investment in the Coalfields Regeneration Trust to support SME industrial development.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Hon.Member to Question UIN 114606 answered on 9 March.
Asked by: Steve Yemm (Labour - Mansfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on proposed capital funding for the Coalfields Regeneration Trust to support SME industrial development.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Hon.Member to Question UIN 114606 answered on 9 March.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
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 adequacy of mechanisms of accountability of Local Resilience Forum Chairs to Members of Parliament.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, statutory duties for emergency planning rest with individual Category 1 responders, who fulfil these duties collaboratively through Local Resilience Forums (LRFs). LRFs are not statutory bodies and therefore hold no independent legal responsibilities.
Each Category 1 responder remains accountable through its own governance arrangements—for example, local authority leadership or Police and Crime Commissioners.
LRF Chairs are drawn from Category 1 organisations and serve in a coordinating and facilitative role, bringing partners together to plan for emergencies.
Guidance encourages LRF Chairs to maintain constructive relationships with elected members and MPs to support awareness, communication, and public confidence. This government recognises the valuable role MPs play in emergencies, strengthening community preparedness and supporting local response efforts.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what consideration his Department has given to ensuring that council tax flexibility for fire and rescue services is applied across different governance models, including services delivered through county councils and standalone fire and rescue authorities.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local authorities are responsible for deciding the level of their council tax. The Secretary of State sets referendum principles for a range of local authorities with different responsibilities, including fire services. The principles are considered on an annual basis, taking into account any changes in those responsibilities, and are consulted on as part of the annual Local Government Finance Settlement.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many additional staff were recruited to the Building Safety Regulator by the end of 2025; and whether the recruitment target set for that year was met.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has increased their regulatory capacity throughout 2025. There were 115 posts approved, with 83 members of staff already onboarded.
The BSR’s monthly Building Control Approval data was released on 25th February 2026 for data between December 2025 and February 2026. The median wait time between submission and approval of Gateway 2 applications for cladding remediation works on Higher-Risk Buildings which include some older applications was 31 weeks.
Newer applications (received in 2026) are currently being determined significantly quicker due to both improving quality of applications as well as more efficient BSR processes. The BSR is currently launching a plan that will further drive down application times and help unsafe buildings be remediated at pace.
In relation to remediation applications, the statutory target for issuing a determination is eight weeks.
The BSR confirms that, of the 117 Gateway 2 remediation applications received since November 2025, the current position is as follows:
Status | Number | Timeframe |
Invalidated | 7 | Determined within the 8-week SLA |
Rejected | 5 | Determined after more than 12 weeks |
Withdrawn | 1 | Withdrawn after more than 12 weeks |
Live Case | 45 | Still within the 8-week SLA |
Live Case | 26 | Exceeding 8 weeks but under 12 weeks |
Live Case | 30 | Exceeding 12 weeks |
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many cladding remediation applications submitted to the Building Safety Regulator have exceeded the 12-week service level agreement for determination since November 2025.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has increased their regulatory capacity throughout 2025. There were 115 posts approved, with 83 members of staff already onboarded.
The BSR’s monthly Building Control Approval data was released on 25th February 2026 for data between December 2025 and February 2026. The median wait time between submission and approval of Gateway 2 applications for cladding remediation works on Higher-Risk Buildings which include some older applications was 31 weeks.
Newer applications (received in 2026) are currently being determined significantly quicker due to both improving quality of applications as well as more efficient BSR processes. The BSR is currently launching a plan that will further drive down application times and help unsafe buildings be remediated at pace.
In relation to remediation applications, the statutory target for issuing a determination is eight weeks.
The BSR confirms that, of the 117 Gateway 2 remediation applications received since November 2025, the current position is as follows:
Status | Number | Timeframe |
Invalidated | 7 | Determined within the 8-week SLA |
Rejected | 5 | Determined after more than 12 weeks |
Withdrawn | 1 | Withdrawn after more than 12 weeks |
Live Case | 45 | Still within the 8-week SLA |
Live Case | 26 | Exceeding 8 weeks but under 12 weeks |
Live Case | 30 | Exceeding 12 weeks |
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the current average time is between submission and approval of Gateway 2 applications for cladding remediation works on high-risk buildings.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has increased their regulatory capacity throughout 2025. There were 115 posts approved, with 83 members of staff already onboarded.
The BSR’s monthly Building Control Approval data was released on 25th February 2026 for data between December 2025 and February 2026. The median wait time between submission and approval of Gateway 2 applications for cladding remediation works on Higher-Risk Buildings which include some older applications was 31 weeks.
Newer applications (received in 2026) are currently being determined significantly quicker due to both improving quality of applications as well as more efficient BSR processes. The BSR is currently launching a plan that will further drive down application times and help unsafe buildings be remediated at pace.
In relation to remediation applications, the statutory target for issuing a determination is eight weeks.
The BSR confirms that, of the 117 Gateway 2 remediation applications received since November 2025, the current position is as follows:
Status | Number | Timeframe |
Invalidated | 7 | Determined within the 8-week SLA |
Rejected | 5 | Determined after more than 12 weeks |
Withdrawn | 1 | Withdrawn after more than 12 weeks |
Live Case | 45 | Still within the 8-week SLA |
Live Case | 26 | Exceeding 8 weeks but under 12 weeks |
Live Case | 30 | Exceeding 12 weeks |
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, whether his Department has considered the effectiveness of household fuseboards in reducing fire risk.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Part P of the Building Regulations 2010 covers electrical safety in dwellings and is intended to protect people from fire or injury. In England, installation of new household circuits, addition or alteration of circuits in specified locations and replacement of a consumer unit or fuse board are notifiable electrical works and must comply with Building Regulations Part P. In existing buildings, fire risk assessments under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 require responsible persons to demonstrate how they are managing fire safety in their buildings, which may include risk arising from electrical equipment.