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 set out the Department’s rationale for requiring 40 per cent of new homes to be built to M4(2) standards under the National Planning Policy Framework, in the context of the requirement that all new homes should be at this standard that was consulted upon previously.

I refer the hon. Member to the government response to the proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system consultation, which was published on 17 August and can be found on gov.uk here.