Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
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 take steps through the forthcoming Elections Bill to regulate the online targeting of people with (a) misinformation and (b) disinformation by (i) foreign states and (ii) others seeking to influence the outcome of elections and referenda.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
It is, and always will be, an absolute priority to protect our democratic processes from both mis and disinformation and from foreign interference. Any new regulation addressing mis and disinformation must be carefully balanced with the need to protect freedom of expression and the legitimate public debate which is also crucial to a thriving democracy. Since March, the Online Safety Act has required services to take steps to remove illegal disinformation content. Illegal disinformation content includes state-sponsored disinformation in scope of the Foreign Interference Offence, and disinformation aimed at disrupting elections where it is a criminal offence in scope of the regulatory framework. This can include false statements of fact about a candidate’s personal character or conduct and undue influence on voters.
The Defending Democracy Taskforce coordinates work to protect UK political parties, elected officials and electoral infrastructure from threats including foreign interference and the Joint Election Security and Preparedness unit coordinates work to protect UK elections and referendums. The Counter Political Interference and Espionage Action Plan launched last month to disrupt and deter spying from states.
The Government’s strategy for modern, secure and inclusive elections, published in July, sets out our plan to strengthen oversight of and safeguards against known and emerging threats, including foreign interference. We will deliver a robust and proportionate response to known risks, protecting the integrity of our system and reinforcing public trust in democracy.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
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 take steps in the forthcoming Elections Bill to to require submission of all on- and offline advertisements to the Electoral Commission as soon as they are published with data on who has sponsored the advertisement readily available to the public.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Current imprint rules require campaigners to include the name and address of a promoter, any person on whose behalf the material is published, and, for printed material, the printer’s details.
The Government has committed to adding unregistered third-party campaigning organisations to the list of entities who are required to include a digital imprint on their organic digital campaigning material and extend the Electoral Commission’s remit to be the primary enforcer of all imprint rules.
The Government has no plans to introduce a real-time submission system for digital and print advertisements to the Electoral Commission at this time, but welcome the steps taken by social media companies to create “advert libraries”.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
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 a) the Intelligence and Security Committee report on Russia, HC 632, published on 21 July 2020, and b) the 2017-2019 Robert Mueller special counsel investigation in the United States, if he will instruct the relevant UK authorities to launch an investigation into whether UK elections have been affected by Kremlin-linked political interference.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government takes any attempts to intervene in democratic processes very seriously. It is, and always will be, an absolute priority to protect our democratic and electoral processes, including from foreign interference.
On 16th December, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government announced an independent review into countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics. Review findings will be delivered to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Security Minister by the end of March and will inform the forthcoming elections and democracy bill. This builds on the major reforms announced in the Elections Strategy in July, and the launch last month of the Counter Political Interference and Espionage Action Plan to disrupt and deter spying from states.
The Government’s strategy for modern, secure and inclusive elections, published in July, sets out our plan to strengthen oversight of and safeguards against known and emerging threats, including foreign interference through covert political funding. We will deliver a robust and proportionate response to known risks, protecting the integrity of our system and reinforcing public trust in democracy.
This sits alongside the government’s robust toolkit of measures to investigate and disrupt the threat from foreign interference in UK politics. This includes the National Security Act 2023, the Defending Democracy Taskforce, which coordinates work to protect UK political parties, elected officials and the electoral infrastructure, and the Joint Election Security and Preparedness unit, which coordinates work across government to protect UK elections and referendums. However, as the tactics of foreign interference actors evolve, the Government is committed to ensuring our approach also evolves to effectively combat the threat.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to respond to the consultations on (a) improving the Energy Efficiency of Socially Rented Homes and (b) reforms to the EPC regime; and whether she had discussions with representatives of social landlords on the potential impact of her timetable for responding to those consultations on decisions about investing in their homes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department is currently reviewing responses to both consultations and will publish government responses to both shortly.
We have engaged extensively with social landlords in respect of both consultations and are committed to providing them with clarity on the new SRS Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards and EPC reforms as soon as possible.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
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 his Department's publication entitled Delivering a decade of renewal for social and affordable housing, published on 2 July 2025, when he plans to set out an (a) timetable and (b) delivery plan for the £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 7 November 2025, my Department published a policy statement setting out the full details of the Social and Affordable Homes Programme as part of our plan to kickstart a decade of social and affordable housing renewal.
The statement accompanies guidance to bidders from Homes England and the Greater London Authority. It can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to implement the Future Homes Standard.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government understands the urgency of introducing new energy efficiency standards so as many homes as possible are highly efficient and use low-carbon heating.
We are committed to implementing the Future Homes Standard in the coming months, and are taking the time to set the technical requirements at a level which is ambitious and keeps us on track to achieve our net zero ambitions, while also being achievable across all sites.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
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 26 March 2025 to Question 39353 on Housing: Fees and Charges, whether he plans to implement the recommendations in the final report of the Older People’s Housing Taskforce.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 26 November 2024 (HCWS249), the government is giving careful consideration to the recommendations from the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
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 make an assessment of the potential merits of setting a target for social housing.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has not yet set a national target for social and affordable housing although we keep the position under review.
Accurately forecasting long-term delivery is inherently challenging even in respect of grant-funded social and affordable housing, but we have made clear that we believe the Social and Affordable Homes Programme could deliver around 300,000 social and affordable homes over its lifetime with around 180,000 for Social Rent.