David Simmonds MP: written questions
457 published records · newest first.
Written questions
AllotmentsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71491More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an estimate of the number of people on waiting lists for an allotment.
Answer: There are strict criteria in place to protect statutory allotments – these are sites covered by the Allotment Act 1925. A local authority cannot sell or dispose of statutory allotment land without the consent of the Secretary of State, who will only grant...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordSecond Homes: Council TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71490More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to commission research to assess the consequences of the second homes council tax premium on the housing market in England.
Answer: It is for individual councils to decide whether to apply a premium in their area, taking into account local circumstances. The government does not currently make housing market assessments based on the use of premiums.
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordPolice: FinanceHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71489More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2025 to Question 65011 on Police: Finance, what estimate she has made of the total monetary value of council tax receipts from the police precept in England in (a) 20
Answer: The published total council tax receipts for policing 2024-25 and 2025-26 can be found below (£m): 2024-252025-26Total value5,650.06,057.6Year-on-year increases341.4407.7As set out in the Spending Review (SR) 2025 document, published 11 June 2025, the Pha...
Answered 11 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordIndependent Commission on Community & CohesionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71488More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress the Social Cohesion Taskforce has made on its objectives in the last 12 months.
Answer: The Social Cohesion Taskforce is a civil service team considering how to tackle divisions in our society and build common ground. Ministers will update on progress of the Taskforce in due course.
Answered 12 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordSites of Special Scientific Interest: EbbsfleetMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71487More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 40908 on New Towns: Planning Permission, whether she has received representations from Ebbsfleet Development Corporation on rem
Answer: The Secretary of State has received no representations from the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation to remove the Site of Special Scientific Interest designation at Ebbsfleet.
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordSecond Homes: Council TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71486More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which local billing authorities have set a second homes premium on council tax in 2025-26.
Answer: The Department will publish data on the number of second homes liable for a council tax premium in November as part of the annual council taxbase statistics.
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: Employers' ContributionsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71485More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether councils will receive compensatory payments for increases in employer National Insurance contributions in (a) 2026-27 and (b) 2027-28.
Answer: The government provided an additional £515 million for local government in 2025-26 to manage the impact of changes to employer National Insurance Contributions. The recent Spending Review provides over £5 billion of new grant funding over the next three y...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning Authorities: RecruitmentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71484More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to provide funding to local authorities for additional planning officers in (a) 2026-27 and (b) 2027-28.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the Question UIN 67508 on 21 July 2025.
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Government Art CollectionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71483More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what items from the Government Art Collection have been (a) installed and (b) deinstalled in (i) her office in Marsham Street, (ii) her office in Whitehall and (iii) Admiralty Ho
Answer: This information is not held by MHCLG. The Government Art Collection is administered by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Answered 19 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordGreen Belt: Planning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71482More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what planning appeal decisions the Planning Inspectorate has made in relation to Grey Belt land since December 2024 by (a) reference number and (b) local authority.
Answer: The Planning Inspectorate does not hold the requested information in a readily searchable way, and planning appeals do not have a marker for Grey Belt. As such, it is not possible to identify planning appeal decisions relating to grey belt land since Dece...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: Greater ManchesterMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71481More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2025 to Question 62596 on Greater Manchester Combined Authority: Property Development, what information (a) her Department and (b) Homes England
Answer: The Greater Manchester Housing Investment Loan Fund is operated by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA). MHCLG and Homes England do not hold information in individual developments in this programme. GMCA is therefore best placed to respond to this...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordRefugees: FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71480More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding is provided to councils with high numbers of people granted refugee status; and whether the Fair Funding 2.0 proposals would affect this level of funding.
Answer: The government has been listening closely to the views expressed by the public, local authorities and other stakeholder bodies on the proposals set out in the Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation.No final decisions on the outcome of the review have yet be...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordMotability: ParentsDepartment for EducationTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71479More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued guidance to local authorities on taking into account the provision of Motability Scheme transport to parents when considering requests for the provision of home to school trans
Answer: The department issues statutory guidance for local authorities on travel to school for children of compulsory school age, 5 to 16. This explains that a child’s eligibility for free travel is not affected by any further benefits or allowances a parent may ...
Answered 3 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMayors: MembersMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71478More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has had recent discussions with combined authority mayors on provisions in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill on restrictions on being Members of P
Answer: My department has engaged with Mayors and the local government sector ahead of publication of the English Devolution White Paper, where this policy was introduced.The post of mayor is a significant role at the forefront of delivering change and demands th...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: Greater LondonMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71477More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the number of housing starts in London in Q2 2025 on her target to build 1.5 million homes over this Parliament
Answer: Delivering historic levels of housebuilding in London is a critical part of the government’s commitment to build 1.5 million homes within this parliament. The government fully recognises the scale and breadth of the housing delivery challenge in London. W...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordEnglish Language: EducationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71476More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding was allocated to English for Speakers of Other Languages in 2024-25; what is the budget for 2025-26; and what proportion in each case was allocated as grants to
Answer: The below answer refers to funding made by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government only. The provisions described are in addition to what other departments may offer. Councils receive a tariff of £5,900 per Homes for Ukraine arrival in t...
Answered 12 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordEnglish Language: EducationDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71475More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding was allocated to English for Speakers of Other Languages provision in 2024-25; what is the budget for 2025-26; and what proportion in each case was allocated as grants to local authorit
Answer: Funding for adults to develop the English language skills they need is made available across government – from the Home Office, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education. The d...
Answered 15 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71474More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2025 to Question 59362 on Asylum: Housing, whether her Department provides guidance on objections to specific properties which (a) should be accepted by accommodation
Answer: The Home Office Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) are published and set out our requirements for the sourcing and procurement of accommodation, including how providers should work and consult with local authorities on a range of issues, fr...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71473More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 55303 on Asylum: Housing, if she will publish the template accommodation contract for housing asylum seekers between (a) her Department, (b) its contr
Answer: The document is available at https://atamis-8888.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#58000000L5A4/a/4I000001QuuT/sGjvxn0.zVTmJRxP5zk64Vp4prQLfMGIuGWdVxlBIsA as Schedule 22 in Home Office AASC contracts.
Answered 12 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordPolice: FinanceHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71472More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the (a) cash terms and (b) real terms increase in the police settlement for 2025-26 includes (i) the increase in council tax and (ii) the compensatory funding for the increase in National Insu
Answer: The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provides funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. This is an overall increase of up to £1.2 billion when compared to the 2024-25 settlement.This includes precept actuals, whic...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HotelsHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71471More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department,, how many asylum hotels are in operation in each local authority area.
Answer: The asylum accommodation estate is provided by Serco, Mears, Clearsprings Ready Homes and CTM. The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of supported asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be fou...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71470More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will list the name of each contractor who currently provides asylum hotels and accommodation to her Department.
Answer: The asylum accommodation estate is provided by Serco, Mears, Clearsprings Ready Homes and CTM. The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of supported asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be fou...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71469More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 15 July 2025, to Question 65280, on Asylum: Housing, if she will place the requested information from Question 65280 in the Library of the House in light of the hyperlinks on
Answer: The award notices Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts are already published and available on Contracts Finder as follows:Wales AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts Finder(opens in a new tab)South AASC - Asyl...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordIslamophobia: Non-crime Hate IncidentsHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71468More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to use the Islamophobia Working Group definition for non-criminal hate incidents.
Answer: The work he refers to is being overseen by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.As agreed with the Home Secretary, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing are currently conducting a review of non-crime hate inciden...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71467More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2025 to Question 46900 on Asylum: Housing, how many dwellings have been procured via Cushman and Wakefield across England since July 2024; and what the total number
Answer: The Home Office does not publish information on the location of asylum accommodation sites for safety and security reasons. The Home Office continues to work with Cushman and Wakefield to identify potential sites for Home Office acquisition as part of the...
Answered 17 Sept 2025
Original Parliament record
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