David Simmonds MP: written questions 2025
375 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Legal CostsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23916More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2024 to Question 2635 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Public Expenditure, if she will provide a breakdown of the £
Answer: The £5 million was a contingency in case an organisation or group named as “extremist” brought a successful defamation claim, obtaining damages and costs against the department. It was an overall figure so no further breakdown is available. As the departm...
Answered 14 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordIslamophobiaMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23915More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2024 to Question 3829 on Islamophobia, whether she plans to undertake a formal consultation on the definition of Islamophobia.
Answer: The government engages regularly with faith communities to help foster strong working relationships. We are exploring a more integrated and cohesive approach to tackling racial and religious hatred, including Islamophobia, and further details will be set ...
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: Foreign NationalsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23914More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, in what circumstances foreign nationals not eligible for social housing are eligible for Government funded (a) temporary and (b) permanent accommodation.
Answer: Eligibility for social housing and statutory homelessness assistance are both determined by immigration status. If a person’s visa means that they cannot access state benefits or local authority housing assistance, they will not be eligible for statutory ...
Answered 16 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordChinese Embassy: Planning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23913More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 January 2025 to Question 19356 on Chinese Embassy: Planning Permission, where the public hearings will take place for the public inquiry.
Answer: The venue for the public inquiry is Tower Hamlets Professional Development Centre, 229 Bethnal Green Road, London, E2 6AB. These details are published at the following link.
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordSleeping RoughMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23912More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme 2021-24 is being allocated by bidding.
Answer: Bidding rounds for the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme ended in June 2022. Decisions on where to allocate funding were made by the previous government.
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: PaymentsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23911More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many council tax payers pay over 12 months.
Answer: Council tax is usually paid in 10 instalments across the year. Households have a right to request to pay their council tax in 12 monthly instalments. The government has not collected data on how many households pay their council tax across 12 instalments ...
Answered 21 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning: ReformMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23910More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will list the name of each organisation that responded to the National Planning Policy framework consultation excluding those who asked for their submission to be confiden
Answer: I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 20653 on 24 December 2024.
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordCouncil TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23909More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 4.1.6 of his Department’s policy paper entitled Local authority funding reform: objectives and principles, published on 18 December 2024, whether the
Answer: No. Average council tax will not be the assumed council tax metric in the proposed funding reforms. Rather, the consultation proposes the government will take into account the tax base in each authority (i.e. the number of dwellings liable for council tax...
Answered 21 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordIndustrial DisputesDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23908More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of repealing the Trade Union Act 2016 on the use of leverage campaigns in industrial disputes.
Answer: The Government published an impact assessment on 21 October 2024, setting out its assessment of the expected impacts of the repeal of the Trade Union Act 2016 via the Employment Rights Bill.
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: Foreign NationalsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 8 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22720More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 January 2025 to Question 19776 on Affordable Housing, in what circumstances foreign nationals who are not eligible for social housing are eligible for
Answer: Eligibility for social housing and statutory homelessness assistance are both determined by immigration status. If a person’s visa means that they cannot access state benefits or local authority housing assistance, they will not be eligible for statutory ...
Answered 16 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordChinese Embassy: Planning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 8 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22719More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the potential role of the United Front Work Department in relation to the planning
Answer: An appointed Inspector will hold a public inquiry which will hear a range of evidence for and against the proposals, after which a decision will be made by MHCLG ministers. As this case will come before ministers in MHCLG to determine, it would not be app...
Answered 31 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordCouncil TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 8 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22718More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 4.1.6 of the consultation entitled Local authority funding reform: objectives and principles, published on 18 December 2024, whether councils which ha
Answer: The government is inviting views on the objectives and principles of local authority funding reform, including on measuring differences in locally available resources such as council tax. Following this consultation, we will develop, publish and consult o...
Answered 17 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordCouncillors: ConductMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22386More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to amend the guidance entitled Illustrative text for local code of conduct, last updated on 20 September 2013, to include a free speech protection
Answer: I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 20985 on 9 January 2025, which states that government has launched a consultation on a range of proposals to strengthen the local government standards regime. This includes proposals for the possi...
Answered 15 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Cost EffectivenessMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22385More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will publish a breakdown of efficiency savings made by her Department in (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26.
Answer: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has already outlined savings found as part of the Fixing the Foundations: Public Spending Audit 2024-25. This included an agreement to £154 million in savings in response to the HM Treasury (HM...
Answered 15 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordGrants: Rural AreasMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22384More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the change in grant is in (a) cash and (b) real terms in areas with a significant rural population between 2024-25 and 2025-26.
Answer: The provisional Settlement for 2025-26 makes available £69 billion for local government, which is a 3.5% real terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. The final Settlement will increase further, to incorporate the £515 million of fundin...
Answered 15 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Media: National Security and Politics and GovernmentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22383More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2024 to Question 18514 on Social Media: National Security and Politics and Government, whether her Department has issued guidance on whether
Answer: The Government does not issue guidance on political finance matters. The Electoral Commission, as the independent body responsible for regulating political finance, has a statutory duty to provide guidance on donations.
Answered 15 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordChinese Embassy: Planning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22382More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 20283 on Chinese Embassy: Planning Permission, if the (a) Chinese Embassy (b) the Chinese Government and (c) its representa
Answer: Prior to the application being called in, there was no such correspondence. Following call in, there has been correspondence between the Planning Inspectorate and interested parties ahead of the forthcoming public inquiry.
Answered 17 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPedestrian Areas: Greater LondonMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22381More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what representations she has received from (a) Westminster City Council and (b) business representatives on proposals to (i) create a Mayoral Development Corporation for and (ii)
Answer: An open letter from the Leader of Westminster City Council was published on 18 September 2024, a copy of which can be found here.Responsibility for designating any area of land in Greater London as a Mayoral development area rests with the Mayor of London...
Answered 15 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government Services: FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22380More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 27 December 2024 to Question 20641 on Local Government Services: Rural Area, what the (a) cash (b) real terms and (c) proportional change in core spendi
Answer: The provisional Settlement for 2025-26 makes available £69 billion for local government, which is a 3.5% real terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. The final Settlement will increase further, to incorporate the £515 million of fundin...
Answered 15 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22379More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 16 December 2024 on the Devolution White Paper, HCWS316, what steps her Department is taking to end the use of (a) competit
Answer: The Government has committed to simplifying the wider local funding landscape, reviewing and reducing the number of grants (and ringfences), and consolidating grants into the Local Government Finance Settlement wherever possible. This will support local a...
Answered 15 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordDisposable Income: TaxationTreasuryTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22378More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the policy paper entitled Plan for Change, published on 5 December 2024, CP1210, whether (a) council tax and (b) other local taxes will be included in the target of higher Real Household Disposable
Answer: Real Household Disposable Income (RHDI) is reported by the ONS as part of the UK Economic Accounts. RHDI represents the total income of households in a given period after direct taxes have been accounted for, with an adjustment for inflation. RHDI per per...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: Council TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22377More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to make changes to the council tax social care precept prior to the conclusions of the Casey Commission on social care.
Answer: The government has no plans to change the adult social care precept. However, on 8 January, the government laid regulations which will change how billing authorities include information on the Adult Social Care precept on council tax bills from 2025/26. T...
Answered 15 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordHomes for Ukraine SchemeMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22376More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to payments for the Homes for Ukraine scheme on (a) homelessness and (b) temporary accommodation.
Answer: The latest data on the number of thank you payments made between April 2024 and June 2024 is published here:Annex A: Homes for Ukraine local authority funding allocations April 2024 to June 2024 (England) - GOV.UKAnnex A: Homes for Ukraine local authority...
Answered 20 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordHomes for Ukraine Scheme: Impact AssessmentsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22375More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether an (a) Impact Assessment and (b) Equality Impact Assessment was produced for changes to the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Answer: The latest data on the number of thank you payments made between April 2024 and June 2024 is published here:Annex A: Homes for Ukraine local authority funding allocations April 2024 to June 2024 (England) - GOV.UKAnnex A: Homes for Ukraine local authority...
Answered 20 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordHomes for Ukraine SchemeMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22374More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many households are being supported in each local authority area by sponsors receiving thank you payments under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Answer: The latest data on the number of thank you payments made between April 2024 and June 2024 is published here:Annex A: Homes for Ukraine local authority funding allocations April 2024 to June 2024 (England) - GOV.UKAnnex A: Homes for Ukraine local authority...
Answered 20 Jan 2025
Original Parliament record
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