Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 5 November 2025, to Question 86340, on Asylum: Housing, for what policy reason the monetary value of Grant 7 and Grant 6 payments to individual local authorities is confidential.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office do not publicly publish our grant payment levels by Local Authority to protect our relationship with Local Government.

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 3.25 of the Autumn Budget 2025, HC1492, 26 November 2025, whether the funding for 350 planning officers is an additional (a) 50 and (b) 350 to the previous commitment for 300 planning officers.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

At the Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced a £46 million package of investment into the planning system as a one-year settlement for 2025-2026.

At the Budget on 26 November 2025, the Chancellor announced a further £48 million of investment over three years to support local planning authorities to attract, retain and develop skilled planners over a sustained period.

Of this, £28.8 million has been allocated to MHCLG’s Planning Capacity and Capability Programme, equating to £9.6 million additional per year for the next three years. This allocation will supplement existing budgets.

In total, the Programme now aims to deliver around 1,325 planners by the end of this Parliament, significantly exceeding our original manifesto commitment to deliver 300 new planning officers. Wider cross-government recruitment and investment in planning capacity and capability will increase this figure further to approximately 1,400 planners.

The new funding will support both graduate and mid-career entry routes into planning, including by means of expanding the Pathways to Planning Graduate Scheme and establishing a Planning Careers Hub.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister has recused himself on matters relating to the regulation and taxation of landlords.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

This Government has strengthened the Ministerial Code. Decisions relating to recusals are made with advice from the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards. Any relevant ministerial interests are published in the quarterly ‘List of Ministers’ Interests’. All tax decisions are taken by the Chancellor.