Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 1 September 2026 to Question 17446, on Prayer: Public Places, whether the Home Office has issued guidance on whether silent public prayer is permissible in a safe access zone.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to protecting freedom of expression and religion, while ensuring that individuals can access abortion services without harassment or intimidation.
The legislation does not specify particular behaviours which are permissible or not permissible in safe access zone. It is for the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the courts, who are operationally independent of Government, to determine whether conduct meets the threshold for an offence in the circumstances of a particular case.
The Crown Prosecution Service has published guidance which explains that activities such as vigils or silent prayer could fall within the scope of the offence depending on the intent and circumstances of the case. Operational guidance to police forces on the policing of safe access zones is provided by the College of Policing.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question
To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Electoral Commission provides on whether Commonwealth citizens can stand for election to (a) Parliament and (b) local government, and what are the necessary qualifications in terms of leave to remain.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
The Electoral Commission’s guidance for candidates and agents sets out the qualification requirements for UK parliamentary elections and local government elections in England. Commonwealth citizens must meet these requirements to stand, and they must either have indefinite leave to remain or not need leave to enter or remain.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question
To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Electoral Commission was consulted prior to the announcement of the cancellation of unitary elections in May 2027.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
The Commission was not consulted on the announcement of the cancellation of unitary elections in May 2027.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to make changes to the dispersal system for asylum seekers to different local authority areas.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office remains responsible for meeting its statutory obligations to accommodate asylum seekers under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Decisions on the procurement and allocation of asylum accommodation are therefore a matter for the Home Office.
The Department works closely with local authorities, Strategic Migration Partnerships and other local partners to inform decisions on asylum accommodation provision. Local authorities are consulted on proposed dispersed accommodation properties and are able to provide local information and intelligence to support decision-making.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions has the (a) Secretary of State and (b) Minister for Local Government had with (i) Birmingham City Council, (ii) the Best Value intervention team, (iii) trade unions on the bin strike in Birmingham.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
During the acute phase of the waste dispute last year, the Government took decisive action in lock step with the Council to ensure waste in the city was safely and sustainably managed. The result was to establish a regular, reliable waste collection service despite industrial action.
The ongoing waste dispute is damaging for the residents and reputation of the great city of Birmingham. It is disappointing that a resolution has not yet been achieved, but this matter remains a local issue and is between Birmingham City Council, as the employer, and Unite, representing employees. The Government is not a party to this dispute, but we continue to urge both parties to work together to bring about a sustainable solution to end the strike, in the interests of the people of Birmingham.
We take the progress made across Birmingham City Council very seriously. A successful and prospering Birmingham is a priority for this government, and the department regularly engages with the Council in line with standard practice for statutory interventions. This is alongside receiving regular updates on progress from Commissioners, including on the waste dispute.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
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 ref: 5105613138 in her Department's document entitled MHCLG: spending over £25,000, May 2026, published on 10 August 2026, what are the terms of reference for the Multiple Disadvantage Research to be conducted by Verian Group UK Limited.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The multiple disadvantage research carried out by Verian included the preparation of a series of webinars which will share the learning generated from the evaluation of Changing Futures 1 with the sector, and internal work to support the design and delivery of the evaluation of Changing Futures 2.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
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 Answer of 5 August 2026 to Question HL2418, on Homelessness, what is the total amount of (a) CDEL and (b) RDEL funding in each year of the Spending Review which is currently uncommitted.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In line HM Treasury guidance, departments are expected to manage new pressures within existing budgets and therefore maintain robust contingency arrangements. Departments are required to identify around 5 percent of their allocated Departmental Expenditure Limits that could be reprioritised if unforeseen pressures arise, either through unallocated provision, contingency plans, or a combination of the two.
Consistent with this approach, MHCLG retains a degree of budget flexibility rather than committing all funding at the start of the financial year. The precise level of flexibility changes as budgets are allocated and decisions taken over the course of the financial year and the Spending Review period.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what was the business case for the Avant Homes payment plan agreement for its Developer Remediation Contract of January 2026; and how many other housing developers have been given payment plans agreements.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Under the Developer Remediation Contract, developers committed to fix or pay to fix over 2,600 buildings at a cost to themselves of around £4.2bn. This includes repaying taxpayers for money spent to fix any of those buildings through government schemes.
The terms of the Contract, which are publicly available, provide for any developer who signed it to request a payment plan to allow it to spread those repayments over an agreed period, with interest.
Developer eligibility is informed by due diligence undertaken by government.
To date, government has agreed a payment plan with one developer (Avant Homes).
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to HMRC official statistics, Non-domestic rating: challenges and changes statistical commentary, 6 August 2026, whether there is a forecast for the total number of (a) Checks, (b) Challenges and (c) appeals in England against the 2026 rating list over the full rating cycle.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
The Valuation Office does not publish forecasts for the number of Checks, Challenges or Appeals that may be made against the 2026 rating list in England over the course of the rating cycle.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the answer of 26 February 2026 to Question 113649 on Council Tax: Valuation, whether there is HMRC Valuation Office guidance on physical inspections of dwellings for council tax valuations.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN19141 tabled on 15 July 2026.