Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
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 final report from the Working Group on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Working Group have now submitted their independent advice to Ministers who will take the time to review and consider the advice carefully before confirming next steps in due course.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has (a) received reports of technical problems with and (b) investigated the functionality of the online evidence submissions form for the Islamophobia/Anti-Muslim Hatred Definition Working Group.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Working Group launched a Call for Evidence to build on the extensive consultation they’ve already undertaken. The Call for Evidence closed on Sunday 20 July. It was open to the public and any individual or organisation was welcome to submit evidence. There are no known technical issues with the functionality of the Call for Evidence submission form and an email inbox was available for individuals and organisations to report any technical issues.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the consultation on the Islamophobia/Anti-Muslim Hatred Definition will take evidence from (a) the Muslim Council of Britain, and (b) other organisations with whom the Government has a policy of non-engagement.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Working Group is an independent, non-statutory body which will provide advice to ministers on a definition of anti-Muslim hatred/islamophobia. Ministers will consider the advice that the independent working group provides.
Any proposed definition by the independent Working Group should comprehensively reflect multiple perspectives and implications for different communities. The Working Group launched a Call for Evidence to build on the extensive consultation they’ve already undertaken. The Call for Evidence closed on Sunday 20 July. It was open to the public and any individual or organisation was welcome to submit evidence.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
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 18 June 2025 to Question 58747 on Police and Crime Commissioners: Combined Authorities, whether she plans to transfer police and crime commissioner powers to combined authorities where the mayoral geography aligns with the geography of two police force areas.
Answered by Jim McMahon
In the English Devolution White Paper we committed to exploring whether a single Mayor can take responsibility for Police and Crime Commissioner functions across two or more police forces, where this would result in coterminous boundaries, and bring forward any legislative changes as part of the English Devolution Bill. We will announce further details in due course.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will publish a list of the organisations that were invited to provide evidence to the Working Group on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The work to provide a definition of anti-Muslim hatred is being undertaken by an independent working group. They will provide advice to Ministers as per the established terms of reference and the Government will provide a response in due course.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
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 Government press release entitled Rooftop solar for new builds to save people money, published on 6 June 2025, if she will make it her policy to require rooftop solar panels installed on new homes under the Future Homes Standard to be fitted by individuals with proven competency in both (a) electrical and (b) roofing.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government will publish the Future Homes Standard (FHS) this autumn to ensure new homes are zero carbon ready, meaning they will require no future retrofit work as the electricity grid fully decarbonises.
The FHS will apply to all new homes and will ensure they have low carbon heating and high levels of energy efficiency. We will set out appropriate transitional arrangements for the FHS in due course to ensure a smooth adoption of the new standards.
To ensure the quality and safety of installations, including the requirements around structural safety, fire safety and electrical safety, works must be approved by building control or carried out by someone registered as part of the competent persons scheme.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what role qualified roofing professionals will have in assessing the condition of roofs before solar PV installations under the Future Homes Standard.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Future Homes Standard, which will be set through the Building Regulations in autumn this year, will apply to new-build homes only. As solar PV will play a fundamental role in the new standards, we would expect roofs to be designed to accommodate solar panels from the outset, rather than requiring an assessment of roof condition post-construction. The Future Homes Standard will not apply to existing homes, which is where such assessments of roof condition might be necessary.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of transferring Police and Crime Commissioner powers to combined authorities on communities.
Answered by Jim McMahon
As set out in the English Devolution White Paper, the government’s ambition is that where mayoral geographies align with police force geographies, Mayors will be, by default, responsible for exercising Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) functions. By enabling more Mayors to take on PCC functions, we aim to provide efficient, accountable, and visible local leadership. More Mayors with public safety functions means strengthening Mayors’ accountability and enables them to forge stronger links and partnerships for the good of people in their areas. It will also enable them to better join up local services and take an integrated approach to improving local outcomes.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much her Department has spent on contingency accommodation for (a) asylum seekers, (b) those granted asylum, and (c) those in the country illegally in each year since 2020.
Answered by Rushanara Ali
My department has not provided any funding for contingency accommodation for asylum seekers, those granted asylum or those in the country illegally as the Home Office has departmental responsibility for the asylum system and irregular migration.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much her Department has spent on homelessness and rough sleeping in each year since 2020.
Answered by Rushanara Ali
The Department’s spending for each year is published through annual reports. You can find links to these here: 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24. The 2024/25 annual report will be published in due course. The Government spent over £873 million on homelessness and rough sleeping in 2024/25.
You can find details of homelessness and rough sleeping allocations for 2025/26 here.