James Cleverly MP: written questions 2025
637 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Electronic Purchasing Card SolutionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75439More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2025 to Question 43889 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution, what the total aggregate
Answer: Cabinet Office guidance on Transparency Reporting advises Departments publish £500 and above. In compliance with this MHCLG currently publishes details of all spending over £500 using an electronic purchasing card solution (ePCS) on a monthly basis. This ...
Answered 19 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75438More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has issued guidance to local authorities on purchasing empty homes for the purpose of housing asylum seekers.
Answer: The department has not issued any guidance at this stage to local authorities on purchasing empty homes for the purpose of housing asylum seekers. We continue to work closely with the Home Office and local authorities to develop a more sustainable model o...
Answered 22 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordCouncillors' InterestsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75437More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 July 2025 to Question 69064 on Councillors' Interests, whether the requirement to declare sponsorship towards election expenses includes raising fund
Answer: The response to Question UIN 69064 was clear that the guidance and law require councillors to be transparent in disclosing their pecuniary interests such as sponsorships, which includes financial benefits received towards their election expenses.
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: AllotmentsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75436More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's statutory guidance entitled Flexible use of capital receipts: direction, updated on 26 March 2025, whether the sale of a local authority allotm
Answer: The government has not changed the rules with respect to disposing of allotments. There remain in place strict criteria to protect allotments, whereby councils must seek approval from the Secretary of state to dispose of a statutory allotment and only sel...
Answered 16 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordMembers: CorrespondenceDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 5 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75392More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he plans to reply to the correspondence from the Rt hon. Member for Braintree of 18 June 2025.
Answer: The Rt.hon Member’s correspondence has been transferred to the Department of Health and Social Care as the department responsible for the topic of enquiry.
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning and Infrastructure BillMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75194More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has had discussions with the European Commission in relation to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.
Answer: The former Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government did not have discussions with the European Commission in relation to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.
Answered 16 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanningMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75193More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what role the precautionary principle plays in the planning system.
Answer: The National Planning Policy Framework sets clear expectations that a precautionary approach should be taken across a range of issues including where development could occur in locations affected by flood risk, coastal change or various other natural or m...
Answered 12 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Bodies: LanguagesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75192More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to issue updated guidance to public bodies not to translate into foreign languages for domestic audiences.
Answer: I refer the Rt hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 31875 on 10 March 2025.
Answered 12 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAgent of ChangeMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75191More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release entitled Red tape slashed to revamp high streets with new cafes and bars, published on 26 July 2025, whether her Department plans to make chan
Answer: Following the recommendation made in the Licensing Taskforce report published in July, the government is exploring whether the ‘agent of change’ principle in the licensing regime should be strengthened to better protect existing licensed premises and resi...
Answered 16 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitality Industry: Alcoholic DrinksHome OfficeTabled 4 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75190More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to allow all licensed pubs and restaurants to provide (a) off-sales and (b) take-away pints.
Answer: The Government recognises the important role that pubs and restaurants play in local communities and the wider economy. The temporary easement introduced during the pandemic, which allowed on-trade premises to provide off-sales without a variation, expire...
Answered 12 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: University of CambridgeMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75188More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's transparency data entitled MHCLG: spending over £25,000, June 2025, published on 31 July 2025, what was the purpose of the funding to Cambridge
Answer: This spend was a recharge to the University of Cambridge for the salary of the current Chief Scientific Adviser who is a Professor of Engineering at Cambridge.
Answered 11 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Electronic Purchasing Card SolutionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75186More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will publish each Electronic Purchasing Card transaction on her department's cards since 4 July 2024, listing the (a) merchant name, (b) date, (c) volume and (d) transacti
Answer: In line with Cabinet Office guidance MHCLG currently publishes details of all spending over £500 using an electronic purchasing card solution (ePCS) on a monthly basis.
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordElectoral RegisterMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75185More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her timetable is for implementation of automatic voter registration.
Answer: As set out in the July 17 policy paper ‘Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections’, the Government is committed to creating a more automated approach to electoral registration over the coming years. Before implementing...
Answered 11 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordFast Food: PlanningMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75184More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to amend national planning policy guidance to explicitly exclude sandwich shops from the fast food outlet ban in paragraph 97 of the National Plann
Answer: It is for local planning authorities, when receiving a planning application, to consider whether, given the type of food and service to be provided at the location proposed, they consider the outlet to be either a hot food takeaway or a fast-food outlet. ...
Answered 12 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordBusiness Premises: RentsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75183More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of banning upward-only rent reviews for commercial leases on the valuations of commercial property owned by local
Answer: The Government has carefully assessed the evidence for banning upwards only rent reviews and published full details in the Impact Assessment for the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill.Based on the data and evidence-base we have available, w...
Answered 12 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Industrial DisputesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75182More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to meet representatives of the Public and Commercial Services Union to discuss the industrial action affecting her Department.
Answer: There is ongoing dialogue between representatives of Public and Commercial Services Union representatives and departmental officials. Departmental officials are responsible for employment related matters and are best placed to engage with the Trade Union....
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAffordable Housing: Empty PropertyMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75181More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Affordable Homes Programme will support the (a) renovation and (b) putting back into use of long-term empty homes.
Answer: The primary focus of the new 2026-27 to 2035-36 Social and Affordable Homes Programme will be the supply of new homes. However, it will also be accessible for regeneration schemes that provide a net increase in homes on a site and will allow for some acqu...
Answered 12 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordParish and Town Councils: Council TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75180More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on what the average Band D parish precept was in (a) Wiltshire, (b) Shropshire and (c) Cornwall in each year since 2008-09.
Answer: The Department publishes annual council tax level statistics, including town and parish council precepts. Statistics for 2025-26 can be found on gov.uk here. Table 2 shows council tax by class of authority and Table 6 shows the average Band D parish prece...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordParish and Town Councils: Council TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75179More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on what the average Band D council tax was in parished areas in (a) England, (b) unitary council areas, (b) London, (c) two-tier areas and (
Answer: The Department publishes annual council tax level statistics, including town and parish council precepts. Statistics for 2025-26 can be found on gov.uk here. Table 2 shows council tax by class of authority and Table 6 shows the average Band D parish prece...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordBelong: FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75178More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding her Department has provided to the Belong Network to develop national cohesion guidance; and whether there is a grant agreement.
Answer: MHCLG provided £410,000 in the financial year 2024-25 to the Local Government Association (LGA) to boost Local Authorities’ capacity and capability to develop effective local cohesion strategies, to bring people together. This will fund the creation of gu...
Answered 12 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAnti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group: Disclosure of InformationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75175More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Terms of Reference for the Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group, for what reason the advice provided to her Department by the independen
Answer: It is important that government is transparent in the actions it takes to address all forms of hatred. However, any independent work should also have the space to consider sensitive and complex issues in private. This is the approach the Working Group wil...
Answered 16 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitality Industry: LicensingHome OfficeTabled 4 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74953More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the press release entitled Red tape slashed to revamp high streets with new cafes and bars, published on 26 July 2025, whether she plans to amend the statutory guidance entitled Revi
Answer: On 31 July, the Government published a report by a Licensing Taskforce which explored how we may deliver a more proportionate, consistent and transparent licensing regime with the aim of boosting growth.The Government response, published alongside the Tas...
Answered 16 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: Greater LondonMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74952More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will hold discussions with the Mayor of London on making an assessment of the reasons for trends in the level of housing starts in London.
Answer: The government recognises the significant challenges affecting housing delivery challenge in London. We are committed to working in partnership with the Mayor of London, boroughs, and others to significantly increase rates of housebuilding in the capital....
Answered 12 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: Building AlterationsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 3 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74720More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many applications were submitted for household extensions in (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25.
Answer: The Department publishes a quarterly statistical release entitled ‘Planning applications in England’, which includes figures on ‘larger household extensions’ permitted development right decisions, as well as on ‘householder development’ decisions. Data fo...
Answered 12 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordElectoral RegisterMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 3 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74719More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 August 2025 to Question HL9815 on Electoral Register, what her planned timetable is for the commissioning of user research.
Answer: The Government is actively exploring a range of approaches to improve the completeness and accuracy of the register. User research is undertaken throughout the policy and digital service development process.
Answered 11 Sept 2025
Original Parliament record
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