Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 tacking steps to help tackle land banking in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In May 2025, the government published a Planning Reform Working Paper: Speeding Up Build Out inviting views on further action the government should take to speed up homes being built. It can be found on gov.uk here.
On the same day, we launched a technical consultation on implementing measures to improve the transparency of build rates from new residential developments, which includes proposals to implement provisions in Section 113 of the LURA on the power to decline to determine applications. That consultation can be found on gov.uk here.
We are now analysing the responses to both consultations, and we will set out our next steps in due course.
Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on a new NPPF. The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals designed to ensure major development proposals are capable of being implemented within a reasonable period – taking into account tenure mix, local market conditions and development history of the site.
We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the system of installer self‑certification through Competent Person schemes on consumer protection for Green Deal participants.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Both the Green Deal and the competent person schemes contain consumer protections but they work independently of each other. Therefore, work paid for through the Green Deal and carried out by a competent person scheme installer will benefit from both sets of consumer protections. The Department has done no recent research of the effects of competent person schemes on consumer protection for Green Deal participants.
The Green Deal is a Department for Energy Security and Net Zero policy. It was a loan scheme that existed to help people make energy saving improvements to their home that was mostly active during 2013-2015. The Green Deal has its own consumer protection system provided for by the Green Deal Framework Regulations and Code of Practice, and its own system of participant authorisation requiring certification of installers by the Green Deal Oversight and Registration Body.
Competent person scheme operators register and oversee installers who can self-certify that their work meets the building regulations. These schemes have existed for more than 20 years and cover small building work such as plumbing and electricity. The scheme operators offer consumer protections such as ensuring registered installers are properly qualified and dealing with complaints.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the regulatory framework governing park homes in England.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to strengthening protections for park home residents and improving the standards of park home site management. We will continue to keep the relevant legislation under review.
I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 63787 on 4 July 2025, UIN 115901 on 9 March 2026, UIN 63787 on 4 July 2025, UIN 114577 on 2 March 2026, UIN 110494 on 11 February 2026, and UIN 110492 on 11 February 2026.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what legislative measures are being considered to regulate the operation of vape shops within grade-listed or historically significant buildings, including any statutory powers local councils may exercise to prevent occupancy by high-risk commercial tenants.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 120420 on 19 March 2026.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 implications for his polices of the time taken to digitalise property deeds by HM Land Registry.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 103008 on 13 January 2026.
Asked by: Lord Jamieson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 9 April (HL15984), what frameworks and oversight mechanisms will be used to allocate the £37 million intended for voluntary, community and faith organisations to help to reduce long-term rough sleeping.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The £37 million for voluntary, community and faith organisations (VCFS) will be allocated through a national grant programme (the Ending Homelessness and Communities Fund), via a competitive application process, as set out within the prospectus.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 of council tax debt enforcement on the level of demand for local authority homelessness services in (a) England, (b) Thurrock, (c) Basildon and (d) Essex in the last 12 months.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government expects councils to be proportionate in the actions they take to recover debts and sympathetic to those in hardship.
The government has now published a response to its consultation on council tax administration setting out a package of reforms to the enforcement of council tax debts. These will deliver a fairer and more supportive system for taxpayers, reducing the number of households facing enforcement action. This consultation response can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 introduce measures to cap or regulate service charges imposed by park home site operators.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has no current plans to legislate to prevent the use of terms in agreements requiring park home residents to pay variable service charges, but we will keep the matter under review.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many civil servants in their Department were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Civil Servants are appointed on merit on the basis of fair and open competition and are expected to carry out their role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.
Allegations of misconduct can be multi-faceted and have complex circumstances. Whistleblowing procedures include allegations of public interest and record whether an issue is deemed to be a Civil Service Code breach. To protect the personal data of employees, we do not report on small numbers of cases. The Department does not record the number of cases specifically relating to the Civil Service Code breaches outside of Whistleblowing procedures, but any allegations of such breaches are dealt with seriously as part of internal procedures.
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, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the time taken to deliver Disabled Facilities Grant adaptations where the property requiring adaptation is owned by a social landlord but communal (a) grounds, (b) footpaths and (c) parking areas are held by (i) private developers and (ii) managing agents.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government recognises the importance of timely Disabled Facilities Grant adaptations to help disabled people live independently and safely. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide adaptations to eligible people, and have powers to agree a more generous local policy. To support this £723 million will be available for the Disabled Facilities Grant in 2026-27, an increase of £12 million on 2024–25.
The government’s Disabled Facilities Grant guidance, which can be found on gov.uk here, encourages local authorities to work closely with landlords and other relevant parties such as private developers and managing agents, and work towards good practice timescales to reduce delays in the delivery of adaptations.
MHCLG funds a national body, currently, Foundations, to support local authorities with delivery of Disabled Facilities Grants. Foundations can provide advice, including on complex cases involving communal areas and multiple owners, to help local authorities deliver adaptations efficiently and on time. Further information is available on their website: https://www.foundations.uk.com.