Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
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 plans to cover the costs in full for the provision of statutory obligations by councils for children resettled within a local authority in the Ukrainian resettlement scheme by the end of this Parliament.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Further details will be announced in the usual way, in due course.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with (a) Hertfordshire County Council and (b) the Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service on safety at Traveller sites in the context of the fire at Redbourn’s Ver Meadows Travellers site on 12 July 2025.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government continues to be updated on the recovery plan following the incident via the Recovery Coordinating Group (RCG) which includes representatives from Hertfordshire County Council, St Albans District Council and the fire and rescue service.
An independent fire investigation, requested by Hertfordshire County Council, will be shared in due course, and we will carefully consider any findings.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she is taking steps with her counterpart in the Scottish government to help mitigate the impact of the closure of Rural Housing Scotland on (a) housing and (b) infrastructure in rural Scotland.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Officials from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government regularly meet with officials from the Scottish Government to discuss a range of policy matters and interests.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
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 working with the Scottish Government to ensure similar progress on compulsory purchase order powers to accelerate the delivery of affordable housing, in the context of recent proposals to enhance these powers for councils in England and Wales.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Officials from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government regularly meet with officials from the Scottish Government to exchange views on compulsory purchase.
However, compulsory purchase and associated compensation legislation is a devolved matter. It is therefore, for the Scottish Government to decide what reforms to bring forward in Scotland.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding to Returning Officers to cover the costs of accessible voting devices that exceed the new burdens funding.
Answered by Rushanara Ali
The Elections Act 2022 requires Returning Officers to consider and provide support for electors with all forms of disability, including varying degrees of sight loss. The Tactile Voting Device, introduced in 2001, has proven effective for some voters with sight loss but we are aware that other options, such as magnifiers, digital reading applications and lighting aids, are also used to support individual elector’s preferences.
For local elections, costs incurred by Returning Officers to support voters with sight loss are typically met by local authorities, with new burdens funding made available where new burdens are imposed by legislation.
For UK Parliamentary and Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections, costs are met by the Consolidated Fund and Returning Officers can claim reimbursement for necessary and reasonable expenses incurred in delivering these polls, including expenditure incurred in the provision of accessible voting equipment. For equipment that will be used at both local and UK Parliamentary/PCC elections, costs can be shared between the funding sources.