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 18 September (HL3066), what data they collect on the various forms of sectarianism listed; and what assessment have they made of what this data reveals about (1) causes, (2) distribution, and (3) incidence.

Answered by Baroness Blake of Leeds - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The department does not collect data on sectarianism as a distinct category and has not undertaken an assessment of its specific causes, distribution or incidence. However, the department continues to engage with issues relating to sectarianism where these have implications for community cohesion. This work contributes to the Government’s wider approach to strengthening social cohesion and addressing activities that undermine it.

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 8 April (HL15918), what progress they have since made in further improving HM Land Registry application processing times.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Improving speed of service remains the top priority for HM Land Registry (HMLR) and I’m pleased to report that good progress is being made.

Since the previous response on 8 April 2026, HMLR has continued to improve processing times by investing in its people and technology, increasing automation of simple application types and improving the information received from customers through further pre-submission validation checks. HMLR is also developing the use of artificial intelligence to undertake administrative tasks, allowing the expertise and experience of their skilled civil servants to be focused on applications that are more complex or require legal judgement.

The age of outstanding post-completion applications is now less than 9 months across all service lines. In the first six months of 2026/27, HMLR completed over 338,000 more applications than in the same period last year. Building on this progress, HMLR is finalising plans to tailor its services to better reflect the different needs of its customers.

HMLR processing times are publicly available on gov.uk here: HM Land Registry: processing times - GOV.UK.

Anyone who is concerned that a delay to their application may cause financial, legal, or personal problems or put a property sale at risk, can apply to have their application expedited free of charge. So far this financial year, HMLR has processed around 1,700 expedited applications every day, and processed more than 95% of them as far as possible within 10 working days. This means that HMLR either ensured the property was fully registered, or requested information needed from other parties including on related previously received applications, before they could fully register the expedited application.

HMLR also prioritise time-critical pre-completion information services that are needed before a property transaction can take place. HMLR receive over 22 million of these each year with almost all completed within three working days, and over 90% delivered instantly.

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 28 September (HL3483), what public interest reason there is for not publishing in full the presentations received from councils, elected representatives, and political groups regarding the planned cancellation of the May 2026 local elections.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government considers that councils and other stakeholders should be able to provide their frank views and local perspectives to inform decision-making, and routine publication of individual representations could affect the willingness of stakeholders to do so. A summary of the representations received was published, and the Government also published the former Secretary of State's correspondence setting out his responses to councils. The Government currently has no plans to publish individual representations.

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 15 September (HL2868), whether, where an authority can demonstrate a five-year housing land supply and has achieved a Housing Delivery Test result of at least 75%, the presumption in favour of sustainable development would not be engaged even where there is an identified need for additional social housing.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published in August 2026, introduces a revised presumption in favour of sustainable development which, in combination with new policies on development inside and outside of development boundaries, promotes a sustainable pattern of development.

It does this by steering proposals to appropriate locations: maximising the use of suitable land within urban areas and taking a more selective approach to the types and locations of development outside settlements.

The Housing Delivery Test (HDT) and five-year housing land supply (5YHLS) policies are important mechanisms within the planning system to ensure homes are delivered in line with needs. While failing against either HDT or 5YHLS is one of the circumstances in which housing outside settlements may be allowed, it does not mean that planning permission for housing will be automatically granted, and local planning authorities must consider a range of factors when determining planning applications.

Equally, while the presence of a 5YHLS and an HDT score above 75% are not in themselves circumstances in which development outside settlements may be acceptable under policy S5, there may be case-specific circumstances which support approval.

As set out in the government response to the NPPF consultation, the government will publish updated guidance in due course to assist local authorities in assessing the housing needs of different groups. This will include how unmet for housing should be considered for the purposes of policy S5 in the new NPPF.

You can find the full government response and new NPPF on gov.uk here (and attached).

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