Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether their Department plans to amend its policies on access to (a) toilets, (b) changing facilities and (c) other single-sex spaces in (i) Departmental buildings and (ii) other buildings within their Department’s remit following the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Supreme Court ruling made it clear that the provision of single-sex spaces is on the basis of biological sex. Providers should note and follow the ruling.
It is important that we ensure dignity and respect for all. Trans people should have access to services they need but in keeping with the ruling.
The Equality & Human Rights Commission, as Britain’s Equalities watchdog, is developing updated guidance to support service providers. Ministers will consider the EHRC’s updated draft once they have submitted it following further work in light of this ruling.
The Government is considering the implications of the Court’s judgment, including what this means for Government buildings.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
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 collates local authority-level data on service usage by foreign nationals.
Answered by Jim McMahon
This information is not held centrally.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the planning system in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on chalk streams protection.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Cleaning up our waters, including chalk streams, is a government priority. Restoring them to better ecological health means fixing the systemic issues in the water system.
Through the Water Environment Improvement Fund, the government is funding 45 projects this financial year (worth £2.5m of government investment) that improve chalk streams, each with the injection of private investment.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill establishes the Nature Restoration Fund which will create the opportunity for housing and infrastructure to do more to drive environmental recovery, including for chalk streams where these are covered by an Environmental Delivery Plan.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many (a) air miles and (b) flights she has completed since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Data on minister’s overseas travel and on senior civil servant’s business expenses is published on a quarterly basis. The latest available quarterly publications can be found here: MHCLG: ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings, July to September 2024 - GOV.UK MHCLG: senior officials’ hospitality, July to September 2024 - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the next tranche of levelling up funding is due to be paid to coastal towns.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Monitoring Returns determine the amount councils are paid in relation to each Levelling Up Fund project, with the next payments due in late March.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
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 provide a breakdown of sponsors of the Homes for Ukraine scheme by nationality.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are very grateful for the continued generosity of sponsors in opening up their homes to support Homes for Ukraine guests.
The department does not hold information on the nationality of sponsors. However, since 19 February 2024, Homes for Ukraine sponsors of new guests are required to be British or Irish citizens, or have settled status in the UK, on the date of the guest’s visa application.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
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) local authority officers and (b) local authority elected representatives on the cancellation of local elections in Suffolk; and if she will publish those discussions.
Answered by Jim McMahon
The Secretary of State has not had discussions with these local authorities on the cancellation of local elections.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
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) local authority officers and (b) local authority elected representatives on the cancellation of local elections in Norfolk; and if she will publish those discussions.
Answered by Jim McMahon
The Secretary of State has not had discussions with these local authorities on the cancellation of local elections.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
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 the total cost to the public purse for the provision of diversity, equality and inclusion courses for staff in her Department in 2024.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The total cost of centrally-funded EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) courses for MHCLG from January to December 2024 was £47,272.
The figure above covers costs relating to centrally-funded L&D activity where training includes the awareness of diversity, equality or inclusion as the main theme of the training.
This response covers all centrally funded activity that meets this definition. We do not have a central record of any training covered by this definition that may have been undertaken more locally by business areas; this information could only be provided at a disproportionate cost to the department.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the (a) total amount of people who are exempted from paying council tax for religious reasons and (b) estimated total value of council tax exemptions for religious reasons in each local authority in the last financial year.
Answered by Jim McMahon
It is not true to say that individuals can be exempt from council tax for religious reasons. A dwelling may be exempt from council tax where it is unoccupied but is held for the purposes of being occupied by a minister, of any religious denomination, in order for them to perform their duties.
Based on the latest available data 1,203 dwellings were in receipt of this exemption in England in 2024. The Government does not collect data on the council tax revenue foregone in providing this exemption.