David Simmonds MP: written questions
190 published records · newest first.
Written questions
HomelessnessMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026Awaiting answerUIN 22100More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 5 August 2026 to Question HL2418, on Homelessness, how much had been allocated to (a) RDEL and (c) CDEL on homelessness and rough sleeping in each
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordHomelessnessMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22099More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 5 August 2026 to Question HL2418, on Homelessness, what is the total amount of (a) CDEL and (b) RDEL funding in each year of the Spending Review w
Answer: In line HM Treasury guidance, departments are expected to manage new pressures within existing budgets and therefore maintain robust contingency arrangements. Departments are required to identify around 5 percent of their allocated Departmental Expenditur...
Answered 10 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22098More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to address increases in the average rate of council tax across (a) Band D and (b) other Bands for those not on local council tax support.
Answer: It is for individual councils to decide their level of council tax, taking into consideration a range of local factors, including the impact on taxpayers. We expect local authorities to support vulnerable taxpayers in all bands from council tax increases ...
Answered 4 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: ResearchMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22097More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to ref: 5105613138 in her Department's document entitled MHCLG: spending over £25,000, May 2026, published on 10 August 2026, what are the terms of reference for t
Answer: The multiple disadvantage research carried out by Verian included the preparation of a series of webinars which will share the learning generated from the evaluation of Changing Futures 1 with the sector, and internal work to support the design and delive...
Answered 10 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: ResearchMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026Awaiting answerUIN 22096More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to ref: 5105612824 in her Department's document entitled MHCLG: spending over £25,000, May 2026, published on 10 August 2026, what are the terms of reference for t
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordUrban Areas: Planning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22095More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the No10 press release entitled PM vows to save hollowed out high streets with crackdown on vape and betting shops, 10 August 2026, whether an impact assessment
Answer: To give communities and councils greater control over the future of their high streets, we will consult on new planning rules so that most shops changing use to vape shops and adult gaming centres will need to submit a planning application before opening....
Answered 4 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordBusiness Rates: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22094More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled Business Rates Multipliers: Qualifying Retail, Hospitality or Leisure, updated on 30 March 2026, for what policy reason (a) banking hubs and (b) cash machines on
Answer: Banking hubs and cash machines are excluded because their primary function is the provision of financial services rather than retail, hospitality or leisure activity. Their location on a high street does not, in itself, bring them within the scope of the ...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordElectronic Cigarettes: ShopsTreasuryTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22093More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the 10 Downing Street joint press release entitled Burnham means business: PM slashes business rates bills for pubs, clubs and live music venues, published on 23 July 2026, how many vaping shops op
Answer: The HMRC Valuation Office does not hold data on the number of vaping shops operating in England.
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordElectronic Cigarettes: ShopsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22092More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2026, to Question 17622 on Shops: Planning Permission and with reference to the 10 Downing Street press release entitled PM vows to save hollowe
Answer: To give communities and councils greater control over the future of their high streets, we will consult on new planning rules so that most shops changing use to vape shops and adult gaming centres will need to submit a planning application before opening....
Answered 4 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordElectronic Cigarettes: ShopsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22091More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2026 to Question 17622 on Shops: Planning Permission and with reference to the 10 Downing Street press release entitled PM vows to save hollowed
Answer: To give communities and councils greater control over the future of their high streets, we will consult on new planning rules so that most shops changing use to vape shops and adult gaming centres will need to submit a planning application before opening....
Answered 4 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordElectoral Register: Northern IrelandMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22090More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Am I Registered service in Northern Ireland, whether her Department has assessed the potential merits of an electoral registration status check.
Answer: We are exploring a range of options to ensure that individuals are accurately registered, including different options to reduce administrative burden for Electoral Registration Officers and simplify processes for individual electors. We will provide more ...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordElectronic Cigarettes: ShopsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22089More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Prime Minister's article entitled High streets have lost their buzz - local people must be ones to get it back, published in the Daily Mirror of 10 August 2
Answer: To give communities and councils greater control over the future of their high streets, we will consult on new planning rules so that most shops changing use to vape shops and adult gaming centres will need to submit a planning application before opening....
Answered 4 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordElections: Operating CostsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22088More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Impact Assessment for the Representation of the People Bill, published on 14 May 2026, whether the non-monetised costs to local authorities will be compensa
Answer: Local authorities will be fully funded in line with the New Burdens doctrine, which compensates local authorities for additional net expenditure resulting from central government policy. We will keep our assessment of local authority impacts under review,...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordBarbecues: ParksMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22087More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on how many local authorities have byelaws against barbeques in public parks in operation.
Answer: This data is not held centrally. Local authorities are responsible for making and administering byelaws in their areas, and the Department does not maintain a central record of all specific byelaws currently in force.
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordHousing: Greater ManchesterMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026Awaiting answerUIN 22086More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on on the number of new build dwellings supported by Greater Manchester Combined Authority's Housing Investment Loans Fund funding provided
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: ConcessionsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22085More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of people qualify for the single person council tax discount in (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27; and what estimate she has made of the aggregate value of
Answer: The Department collects data on the number of dwellings entitled to a single person discount but does not collect data on the number or proportion of people who qualify for the discount. The latest available data shows that, as of 6 October 2025, 8.5 mill...
Answered 4 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: Workplace PensionsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22084More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of (i) Local Government Pension Schemes, and (ii) asset pools which have adopted investment policies which divest in (a) firms
Answer: The Department published statutory guidance on Investment Strategy Statements on 29th June 2026 which can be found here. As this set out, LGPS pools are responsible for implementing the investment strategies which their partner administering authorities h...
Answered 4 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Capital InvestmentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22083More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the HM Treasury webpage entitled Business case publications: collection, last updated 13 August 2026, whether her Department holds Government Major Projects Por
Answer: The Department currently has three Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP) programmes: the Building Safety Remediation Programme, the Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP), and the National Housing Delivery Fund (NHDF). Business cases for these ...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Capital InvestmentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22082More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the HM Treasury collection, Business case publications: collection, last updated on 13 August 2026, whether her Department holds Government Major Projects Portf
Answer: The Department currently has three Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP) programmes: the Building Safety Remediation Programme, the Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP), and the National Housing Delivery Fund (NHDF). Business cases for these ...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordAngela Rayner: Business InterestsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026Awaiting answerUIN 22081More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the (a) Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards and (b) the Cabinet Office Propriety and Ethics Team on the publication of her memoir; and
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: SurchargesTreasuryTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22080More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether single adult households will be able to claim the 25% single person discount on the council tax surcharge.
Answer: The Government has set out plans to introduce the High Value Council Tax Surcharge, which will increase fairness within the system.The Government has consulted on the design of the High Value Council Tax Surcharge, including on a deferral scheme to suppor...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22079More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to devolve decisions on the dispersal of asylum seekers to (a) local councils and (b) combined authority mayors.
Answer: The Home Office remains responsible for meeting its statutory obligations to accommodate asylum seekers under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Decisions on the procurement and allocation of asylum accommodation are therefore a matter for the Home Offi...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordEmergencies: Mobile PhonesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026WithdrawnUIN 22078More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what representations have been received to her department from the National Fire Chiefs Council on the nationwide UK Emergency Alert issued on 14 August 2026.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordEmergencies: Mobile PhonesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22077More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what representations have been received to her department from the National Fire Chiefs Council on the nationwide UK Emergency Alert issued on 14 August 2026.
Answer: All Emergency Alerts are sent in conjunction with agencies or public bodies that are responding to emergencies. The decision to issue this alert was not taken lightly. It was made in direct cooperation with the National Fire Chiefs Council.The alert was i...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordRevenue and Customs: DatabasesTreasuryTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22076More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Valuation Office uses Acorn consumer classification (CACI) data.
Answer: The VO does not use ACORN classification data.
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament record
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