Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether public conveniences are eligible for retail, hospitality and leisure business rate relief in 2025-26.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Retail Hospitality and Leisure Rate Relief Scheme 2025/26 does not expressly provide relief for public conveniences. Public toilets may indirectly benefit from RHL relief where they are not separately-assessed and instead form part of a larger property, such as a shop or café, which itself is eligible for the relief. Nevertheless, the Non-Domestic Rating (Public Toilets) Act 2021 provides a statutory 100% business rates relief for separately-assessed public toilets in England and Wales, including those operated by both local authorities and private sector operators.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of using (a) no-deposit and (b) deposit alternative schemes in the private rented sector on tenants; and what plans she has to ensure tenants are protected from costs associated with those schemes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is aware of the issues raised in 2023 by the Competition and Markets Authority in relation to deposit products.
While my Department has not conducted a detailed assessment of ‘zero-deposit’ or ‘deposit alternative’ products, we continue to monitor their impact on private rented sector tenants.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is responsible for the Tenancy Deposit Protection system, managing the six contracts which deliver the government-arranged schemes that protect tenants' deposits.
As part of the upcoming re-procurement of these contracts we are reviewing the current tenancy deposit system and will explore what improvements can be made to ensure the best possible protection for tenants.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 paragraph 55(a)(ii) of the report by the Competition and Markets Authority entitled Summary of CMA market study final report into housebuilding, published on 26 February 2024, what steps her Department plans to take to (a) introduce a consistent set of quality standards for new homes and (b) enable new home buyers to (i) be able to customise their new home and (ii) resolve snags and faults more easily.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government published its response to the recommendations made by the Competition & Markets Authority market study into housebuilding on 22 October 2024. It can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of paragraph 55(a)(i) of the report by the Competition and Markets Authority entitled Summary of CMA market study final report into housebuilding, published on 26 February 2024.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government published its response to the recommendations made by the Competition & Markets Authority market study into housebuilding on 22 October 2024. It can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of paragraph 43 of the report by the Competition and Markets Authority entitled Summary of CMA market study final report into housebuilding, published on 26 February 2024.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government published its response to the recommendations made by the Competition & Markets Authority market study into housebuilding on 22 October 2024. It can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 16 June 2025 to Question 57573 on Housing: Sales, when her Department plans to launch the consultation on new reforms to the section 20 ‘major works’ procedure.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As set out in my Written Ministerial Statement of 21 November 2024 (HCWS2440), the government are committed to consulting on new reforms to the section 20 ‘major works’ procedure that leaseholders must go through when they face large bills for such works. We will set out more detail shortly.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what status local designations have under the National Planning Policy Framework.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Locally designated sites have no special status within the National Planning Policy Framework. However, under the Framework local plans are expected to identify, map and safeguard locally designated sites of importance for biodiversity, including Local Wildlife Sites. As a result, locally designated sites will be considered by local planning authorities when assessing proposals for development.
Asked by: Allison Gardner (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent South)
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 press release entitled Vulnerable people given greater access to social housing, published on 19 June 2025, whether the new regulations will apply to victims of (a) child abuse and (b) parent-on-child violence.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The regulations in question will apply to domestic abuse victims over the age of 16, as defined by the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. Only those aged over the age of 16 can hold a social housing tenancy.
The regulations will also apply to care leavers within the scope of the corporate parenting duty. These include eligible children, relevant children, and former relevant children.
Local authorities have the discretion to exempt and support those not covered by these regulations, considering local need and special circumstances.
Asked by: Juliet Campbell (Labour - Broxtowe)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department is taking steps to simplify the planning permission process for pubs.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should plan positively for the provision and use of community facilities, such as pubs.
On 28 May 2025, the government published the Planning Reform Working Paper: Reforming Site Thresholds (which can be found on gov.uk here) which seeks views on taking a gradated approach to the system as a whole – removing and streamlining disproportionate requirements on small and medium sites, while maintaining and strengthening requirements on major development.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 page 7 of the New Towns Taskforce’s interim update Building new towns for the future, published in February 2025, what models other than local authority maintenance of assets are being considered.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 36088 on 14 March 2025.