Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what distance will be classified as near to a train station for the default yes position the department is currently consulting on as part of its review into the national planning policy framework.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is currently consulting on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
The consultation sets out the details of the proposed approach to land around stations, including those that are defined as well-connected and those that are within and outside of settlements. It can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether any other transport infrastructure will be considered in the government's consultation on a default yes position for development around train stations in the national planning policy framework.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is currently consulting on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
The consultation sets out the details of the proposed approach to land around stations, including those that are defined as well-connected and those that are within and outside of settlements. It can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether access to healthcare will be a consideration in the default yes position for housing developments around train stations when consulting on the national planning policy framework.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is currently consulting on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
The consultation sets out the details of the proposed approach to land around stations, including those that are defined as well-connected and those that are within and outside of settlements. It can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance exists on balancing data protection with safeguarding when families seek to support vulnerable adults in accessing local authority services including housing registers; and what discretion local authorities have to share information with family members in such circumstances.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs and, where eligible, for meeting those needs, such as under the Care Act 2014.
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 provides mechanisms by which others can support, and if appropriate make decisions for, a person who lacks mental capacity. A person who is aged 18 or over and who has capacity (a donor) can make a lasting power of attorney (LPA) appointing one or more trusted third parties (often family members or friends) to act as attorney. An attorney with powers under an LPA can act or make decisions for the donor, including accessing services on their behalf. If no LPA has been made and a person lacks capacity, the Court of Protection can appoint a deputy to manage the person’s affairs.
Statutory guidance on social housing allocations sets out how local housing authorities should approach information sharing in relation to the management of their allocation scheme including how data should be processed in line with UK data protection laws.
If a person is likely to have difficulty making an application for an allocation of social housing without assistance, local housing authorities must ensure that any necessary assistance is available free of charge.
The cross-government Changing Futures programme is working with 15 local partnerships to test new approaches to improve access to support for adults experiencing multiple disadvantage – including combinations of homelessness, substance misuse, mental ill health, domestic abuse and contact with the criminal justice system. A further £56m has been announced in the homelessness strategy to build on learning from Changing Futures through a new multiple disadvantage programme.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help ensure vulnerable adults can access essential services when they cannot navigate processes independently and family members lack formal powers of attorney.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs and, where eligible, for meeting those needs, such as under the Care Act 2014.
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 provides mechanisms by which others can support, and if appropriate make decisions for, a person who lacks mental capacity. A person who is aged 18 or over and who has capacity (a donor) can make a lasting power of attorney (LPA) appointing one or more trusted third parties (often family members or friends) to act as attorney. An attorney with powers under an LPA can act or make decisions for the donor, including accessing services on their behalf. If no LPA has been made and a person lacks capacity, the Court of Protection can appoint a deputy to manage the person’s affairs.
Statutory guidance on social housing allocations sets out how local housing authorities should approach information sharing in relation to the management of their allocation scheme including how data should be processed in line with UK data protection laws.
If a person is likely to have difficulty making an application for an allocation of social housing without assistance, local housing authorities must ensure that any necessary assistance is available free of charge.
The cross-government Changing Futures programme is working with 15 local partnerships to test new approaches to improve access to support for adults experiencing multiple disadvantage – including combinations of homelessness, substance misuse, mental ill health, domestic abuse and contact with the criminal justice system. A further £56m has been announced in the homelessness strategy to build on learning from Changing Futures through a new multiple disadvantage programme.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that planning policy adequately reflects the potential risks posed by dynamic environments such as a) estuaries, b) floodplains and c) coastlines.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Chapter 14 of the National Planning Policy Framework sets out a holistic approach to meeting the challenges of climate change, coastal change, and flooding. It makes clear that the planning system should take full account of all climate impacts, including coastal change and flood risk.
The Framework outlines a sequential approach to flood risk management, requiring inappropriate development to be directed away from areas at highest risk, and providing strong safeguards where development is necessary in these areas. It also specifies that local planning authorities should limit the planned lifetime of development in Coastal Change Management Areas through temporary permissions and restoration conditions if necessary to reduce unacceptable levels of future risk to people or development.
The government is considering whether further changes are required to sufficiently reflect the risks to such areas and we intend to consult on a new suite of national policies for decision making before the end of this year.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
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 direct electricity providers to periodically conduct Electrical Installation Condition Reports.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 80904 on 10 October 2025.
Electricity providers, the electricity network operators and electricity suppliers, the companies who distribute and supply electricity to homes and businesses, have no role in electrical safety inspections and are not responsible for electrical safety in homes and businesses.
For social rented homes we have introduced regulations, that came into force this month, requiring all landlords to have the electrical installations in their properties inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years. This is in line with regulations already in place in the private rented sector. Social landlords must also have the electrical equipment that they provide under the tenancy checked by a qualified person at least every five years.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of processing times at HM Land Registry.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Improving speed of service remains a top priority for HM Land Registry (HMLR). Plans to achieve this will be outlined in its forthcoming Strategy 2025+ being published shortly.
As its sponsor department, MHCLG holds HMLR to account for performance and operational delivery and are in regular communication with HMLR about their processing times.
HMLR has been making improvements in this area through hiring and training more staff and by improving the efficiency of the services its customers use. The introduction of new pre-submission validation checks will speed up processes and reduce staff time spent on dealing with errors or mistakes. The age of outstanding post-completion applications is now under 12 months across all service lines, from a peak of 20 months in February 2023.
HMLR processing times are publicly available on gov.uk here.
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. HMLR processes nearly 1,400 expedited applications every day, with more than 95% actioned within 10 working days.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
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 (a) review and (b) update legal obligations on electricity providers to (i) inspect, (ii) evaluate and (iii) replace (A) outdated and (B) dangerous wiring.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
An electricity Distribution Network Operator's responsibility ends at the domestic cutout fuse. An electricity supplier’s responsibility ends at the meter. Anything on the consumer side of the meter is the building owner’s responsibility, including domestic wiring. Building owners have a responsibility to manage their building with a view to the safety of occupiers and people who work in or may be around the building. New building work, including installation of controlled services, must meet the requirements of the Building Regulations including, at Schedule 1 Part P, Electrical Safety. Electrical work must be carried out in accordance with the Building Regulations.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to update the National Planning Policy Framework to facilitate the installation of electric vehicle charging points for homeowners without driveways.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that in setting local parking standards for residential and non-residential development, planning policies should take into account the need to ensure adequate provision of spaces for charging plug-in and other ultra-low emission vehicles. This includes consideration of charging points for homeowners without driveways. The Framework is also clear that applications for development should be designed to enable charging of plug-in vehicles in safe, accessible, and convenient locations.