Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
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 bring forward further legislative proposals on planning reform.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Any new primary legislation will be formally announced to Parliament in the usual way.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
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 merits of using automated parking systems to help tackle (a) congestion and (b) parking issues.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government recognises the growth of automated vehicle technologies and services in the UK.
The government is focused on delivering the Private Parking Code of Practice, which is being developed in accordance with the Private Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019. Any technological innovations will need to be compliant with the standards in the Code which will be made public 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, what are the internal areas within the proposed Chinese Embassy that would be exempt from UK inspection and verification.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
All material planning considerations, including national and international law, will be taken into account in reaching a decision on this case. The full reasons for the decision will be set out in the final decision letter.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
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 reform estate adoption in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, and (d) the North East.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement published on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
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 meet with the Fire Brigades Union to discuss the safety of firefighters when tackling wildfires.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The health and safety of firefighters is of the utmost importance. The government recognises the risks that firefighters face and is grateful to them for their bravery.
Fire and rescue authorities, as employers, must take action to protect firefighter physical and mental health, this includes ensuring that firefighters receive the appropriate equipment and training they need.
The government is proactively engaging with the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) alongside other fire and rescue sector stakeholders both at Ministerial and at official level.
The FBU is also a member of the Ministerial Advisory Group on Fire and Rescue Reform (MAGFRR) which has been established under this government. The MAGFRR brings together key fire and rescue sector leaders to discuss policy and key issues.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
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 impact of cancelling of the A12 widening scheme on sites of proposed housing developments in local plans in local authorities in Essex.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 66157 on 17 July 2025.
Local development plans should address needs and opportunities in relation to infrastructure and identify what infrastructure is required and how it can be funded and brought forward. When preparing a Local Plan, Planning Practice Guidance recommends that local planning authorities use available evidence of infrastructure requirements to prepare an Infrastructure Funding Statement. Such Statements can be used to demonstrate the delivery of infrastructure throughout the plan-period.
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 28 October 2025, to Question 81310, on Universal Studios: Bedfordshire, if he will make it his policy to publish all online written representations to planning applications for Special Development Orders.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Special Development Orders are a long-established part of the planning system, and each case is considered on its individual merits.
In July 2025, my Department set out how it intends to inform the public of its decision on a request for planning permission for an Entertainment Resort Complex and associated development in Bedford.
There is no statutory requirement to publish representations received in relation to Special Development Orders and the government has no plans to change this.
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 28 October 2025 to Question 83343 on Elections: Pilot Schemes, what his planned timetable is for announcing which local authority areas will be selected for election pilots in May 2026; how many will be selected; what the budget is for that programme; and how many bids were submitted by the deadline.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We are currently reviewing applications from local authorities wishing to pilot at the May 2026 elections and we will share further details 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, what estimate he has made of the incidence of unauthorised travellers frustrating Temporary Stop Notices by subdividing land into multiple plots.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has not made a specific estimate of the incidence of unauthorised travellers frustrating Temporary Stop Notices by subdividing land into multiple plots.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
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 review housing allocation guidance to ensure that care leavers’ (a) welfare and (b) community ties are taken into account when determining (i) local connection and (ii) housing priority.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local authorities have discretion to manage their housing registers (waiting lists) and are free to develop solutions that make best use of their social housing stock.
Many local authorities have adopted a residency or local connection test for social housing which requires people to have a well-established local association or to have lived in the area for a certain period before they can put their name on the housing waiting list. Statutory guidance also makes clear that local authorities are expected to take proper account of special circumstances, by making provision for appropriate exceptions.
We recognise that not all care leavers wish to settle in areas that they have a local connection to. As a result, we laid regulations to exempt care leavers under 25 from local connection or residency tests in order to access social housing. These regulations came into force on 10 July 2025.
Statutory guidance was also updated to strongly encourage local authorities to give the same level of priority to those care leavers who have been placed in their authority area and wish to stay, as their own care leavers whom they have a duty to provide support and assistance up to age 25. Local authorities should also consider exempting care leavers more broadly to recognise that a lack of family stability and their experiences whilst in or leaving care might mean that some care leavers may not have a tangible connection to an area.
The guidance on social housing allocations, which the government keeps under review, can be found on gov.uk here.