Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether it is his policy to commence section 43 of the Deregulation Act 2015.

The Government has no current plans to commence Section 43 of the Deregulation Act 2015. Local authorities may include in their local plans policies which set reasonable requirements for new development to meet higher energy performance standards than those required in building regulations. Policies must not be inconsistent with relevant national policies. The Written Ministerial Statement of 25 March 2015 set out relevant national policy.