Lewis Cocking MP: written questions
252 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Elections: Norfolk and SuffolkMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78946More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with (a) district and (b) county councils in Norfolk and Suffolk on cancelling the planned local elections in May 2026.
Answer: The Department has had no discussions with district or county councils in Norfolk or Suffolk about cancelling the planned local elections in May 2026.
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordIndependent Commission on Community & CohesionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78945More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether councillors and mayors will be able to sit on her Department's new social cohesion taskforce.
Answer: As set out in my response to UIN 78208, the Social Cohesion Taskforce is an internal Civil Service team comprised of civil servants. As part of our work, we have been engaging with a wide range of relevant stakeholders, including those with experience of ...
Answered 22 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordElectoral Register: FraudMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78944More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help tackle fraudulent electoral registration.
Answer: The Government is committed to upholding the integrity of electoral registers. A robust system of identity verification forms part of the electoral registration process. This includes the ability to match an applicant’s data with Department for Work and P...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordSecond Homes: TaxationTreasuryTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78943More
Question: To ask the Chancellor for the Exchequer, whether she plans to increase (a) regulation or (b) taxation on second homes.
Answer: The government keeps all taxes under review as part of the usual tax policy making process.
Answered 17 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAllotments: Green BeltMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78942More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2025 to Question 40156 on Green Belt, whether allotments are deemed to be Grey Belt land.
Answer: My Department published updated guidance on Green Belt policy on 27 February 2025 to assist local authorities and other decision-makers in determining whether land is grey belt. It can be found on gov.uk here. It is for decision-makers to consider how to ...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordHM Land Registry: StandardsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78941More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the average amount of time is for the Land Registry to update the title deeds on gov.uk following a purchase of a dwelling.
Answer: HM Land Registry’s processing times are publicly available on gov.uk here.
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HotelsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78940More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has issued on whether public disturbances outside asylum hotels are a material consideration in relation to (a) planning harm and (b) change of use f
Answer: My Department has not issued any such guidance.
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordEmpty Property: Council TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78939More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many dwellings in each local authority in England are classified as Class F under regulation 2 of the Council Tax (Liability for Owners) Regulations 1992.
Answer: The Department publishes local authority level data on the number of dwellings receiving the Class F exemption as part of the Council Taxbase statistics. The latest data is based on a snapshot taken in October 2024 and can be found at the following link C...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordFlagsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78938More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with (a) Brighton and Hove council, (b) Tower Hamlets council and (c) Birmingham City Council on the taking down of St George’s flags.
Answer: The Prime Minister has been clear that he supports the flying of flags across the country. Flags should be an embodiment of bringing our country and our communities together. Decisions about whether flags should be removed are devolved to local authoritie...
Answered 21 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordIslamophobiaMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78937More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions the Government had with the US Government on the definition of Islamophobia.
Answer: The government does not have an official definition of anti-Muslim hatred/Islamophobia and so it has not engaged with any foreign government on this. However, we have established a working group to advise government on a definition of anti-Muslim Hatred/I...
Answered 21 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78936More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on the (a) use of Special Development Orders to obtain planning approval, (b) planning application call-in and (c) planning appeal recovery for asylum seeker a
Answer: The Secretary of State’s powers relating to Special Development Orders are set out in section 60 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Policies on calling in planning applications and recovering appeals are set out in the Written Ministerial Statemen...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordBlue Badge Scheme: ChildrenDepartment for TransportTabled 9 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 76072More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing the separate eligibility criteria for children under three for the Blue Badge scheme.
Answer: Since 17 June 2011, children under the age of three have been eligible for a Blue Badge if they fall under either or both of the following criteria: (a) a child who, because of a condition, must always be accompanied by bulky medical equipment which canno...
Answered 16 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordMayor of London: PlanningMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75354More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2025 to Question 38045 on Councillors: Planning, if she will make it her policy to require the Mayor of London to undertake the same compulsory
Answer: As set out in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, it is the intention that mayors will be required to undertake mandatory training.
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordMigrant Workers: VisasHome OfficeTabled 5 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75353More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the correspondence of July 2025 from the Leader of Kent County Council on visas for social care workers from overseas, if she will publish her Department's response to Kent County Co
Answer: The Government does not routinely publish Ministerial correspondence.
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: BroxbourneHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 73108More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers are being housed in homes of multiple occupation in Broxbourne constituency.
Answer: The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of supported asylum seekers accommodated by local authority area, not constituency. These statistics can be found in the Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HotelsHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72790More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of asylum seeker hotels on (a) local crime rates and (b) police resource allocation.
Answer: The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. The Home Office works in collaboration with local authorities and other partners to ensure that accommodation sites are successfully man...
Answered 9 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordLegal Aid Scheme: AsylumMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72789More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the cost to the public purse was of providing legal aid to asylum seekers charged with criminal offences in the UK in the last year.
Answer: Expenditure data for asylum seekers across all legal aid schemes is not held centrally.
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordOffenders: DeportationHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72788More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign nationals have avoided deportation following criminal convictions due to the absence of a removal agreement with their country of origin.
Answer: The specific information requested is not readily available from published statistics and could only be obtained for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost. However, this government has already removed almost 5,200 foreign nation...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: WomenHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72787More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of asylum accommodation on women's safety in those communities.
Answer: The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. The Home Office works in collaboration with local authorities and other partners to ensure that accommodation sites are successfully man...
Answered 9 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72786More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of accommodating asylum seekers with unknown or unverifiable criminal histories on public safety.
Answer: The Home Office has a legal obligation to accommodate asylum seekers where they would otherwise be destitute. All asylum seekers undergo checks against policing and immigration databases.Decisions on allocation of asylum seekers to accommodation are made ...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: ReoffendersHome OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72785More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department records the number of repeat offenders within the asylum seeker population.
Answer: The information you have requested is not available from published statistics.The UK will always offer protection to those in genuine need, but we will not allow our asylum system to be exploited by those who commit crimes or endanger our communities.Any ...
Answered 9 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordOffenders: DeportationMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72784More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the deterrent effect of immediate deportation for foreign nationals convicted of criminal offences.
Answer: The removal of Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) is a priority of this Government, which is why we are introducing new measures to enable the earlier removal of determinate sentenced FNOs as soon after sentencing as possible.Deportation is a significant p...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordSexual Offences: AsylumMinistry of JusticeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71678More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many asylum seekers have been prosecuted for sexual offences in the last year; and what proportion were housed in government-funded accommodation at the time.
Answer: The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of defendants prosecuted for sexual offences. This can be obtained in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, which can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Transport: TicketsDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71677More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consideration is being given to the needs of older people in the implementation of digital-only ticketing systems for public transport.
Answer: The Government is not responsible for all digital ticketing. However, when implementing any Government policy, due regard is given to the Public Sector Equality Duty and to protected characteristics, such as age, across all modes of public transport.For t...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: Digital TechnologyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71676More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of digital exclusion on older people’s ability to access NHS services.
Answer: People unable to access the NHS App or online services, or visit their general practice (GP) in person, can ask for a feature called proxy access available through the NHS App. This function allows a trusted relative or carer to act on the patient’s behal...
Answered 9 Sept 2025
Original Parliament record
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