Oliver Dowden MP: written questions
181 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Railway Stations: AccessDepartment for TransportTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90265More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what is her Department’s timetable for announcing future rounds of funding for the Access for All programme.
Answer: Access for All funding for the current Spending Review period has been allocated, with projects to be announced in due course. We would expect any future rounds to align to future Spending Review periods. Until then, accessibility upgrades can be funded v...
Answered 21 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HertsmereHome OfficeTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90264More
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 contracts on the private rented housing market in Hertsmere constituency.
Answer: We are working towards a more fair and equitable spread of asylum accommodation across the UK, working in partnership with Local Government through our Place Based engagement structures and asylum accommodation plans.Under those plans and through that eng...
Answered 21 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HertsmereHome OfficeTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90263More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers are being housed in homes of multiple occupation in Hertsmere constituency.
Answer: We are working towards a more fair and equitable spread of asylum accommodation across the UK, working in partnership with Local Government through our Place Based engagement structures and asylum accommodation plans.Under those plans and through that eng...
Answered 21 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordNew Towns: InfrastructureMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90262More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that appropriate infrastructure is built when building new towns.
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.
Answered 21 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordNew Towns: Green BeltMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90261More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Green Belt protection is factored in when making decisions on new towns.
Answer: Green Belt policy is set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The NPPF is a material consideration in planning decisions.
Answered 21 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: ReorganisationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90260More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Local Planning Authorities have an up-to-date local plan before local government reorganisation.
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 3 June 2025 (HCWS676) and the answer given to Question UIN 70545 on 15 September 2025.
Answered 21 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordLeasehold: ReformMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90259More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to include leasehold houses in Right To Manage eligibility.
Answer: The government has commenced the Right to Manage measures in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. They came into effect on 3 March 2025. These changes implement the Law Commission recommendation to increase the non-residential floorspace limit from...
Answered 21 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90258More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that Local Planning Authorities have enough resources to enforce planning conditions if developers do not comply with planning appli
Answer: Local planning authorities have a wide range of enforcement powers, with strong penalties for non-compliance. It is for authorities to decide how and when they use their powers depending on the circumstances of each case. It is also for local planning aut...
Answered 21 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90257More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if his Department will publish further guidance to Local Planning Authorities on the weight given in the planning balance to a failure to comply with the Golden Rules.
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 58228 on 24 June 2025. The government’s planning practice guidance on viability makes clear that where development is subject to the ‘Golden Rules’, site specific viability assessment should n...
Answered 21 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90256More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2025 to Question 58228 on Planning: Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Local Authorities are upholding the Gol
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 58228 on 24 June 2025. The government’s planning practice guidance on viability makes clear that where development is subject to the ‘Golden Rules’, site specific viability assessment should n...
Answered 21 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture and Business: Inheritance TaxTreasuryTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 70546More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to (a) Business Property Relief and (b) Agricultural Property Relief on the level of resources required at HMRC.
Answer: On 21 July 2025 HMRC published a policy paper on the agricultural property relief and business property relief reforms for Inheritance Tax. The summary of impacts includes an estimate of HMRC’s costs to deliver the measure. https://www.gov.uk/government/p...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal PlansMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 70545More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Local Planning Authorities have an up-to-date local plan.
Answer: The plan-led approach is, and must remain, the cornerstone of our planning system. To progress toward our ambition of universal local plan coverage, the government has made clear that it will drive local plans to adoption as quickly as possible. Later thi...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordNeighbourhood PlansMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 70544More
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 decision to end the commissioning of new neighbourhood planning support services on Neighbourhood Plans tha
Answer: Following the Spending Review, my Department announced that it is unable to commission new neighbourhood planning support services for 2025 onwards. After more than a decade of taxpayer support, our assessment is that neighbourhood planning should now be ...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordNeighbourhood Plans: FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 70543More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2025 to Question 60598 on Neighbourhood Plans, what guidance her Department has provided to local planning authorities so that they can continue
Answer: Following the Spending Review, my Department announced that it is unable to commission new neighbourhood planning support services for 2025 onwards. After more than a decade of taxpayer support, our assessment is that neighbourhood planning should now be ...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordNeighbourhood PlansMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 70542More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department has taken to protect localism when neighbourhood plans are being created.
Answer: Following the Spending Review, my Department announced that it is unable to commission new neighbourhood planning support services for 2025 onwards. After more than a decade of taxpayer support, our assessment is that neighbourhood planning should now be ...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordNeighbourhood Plans: Advisory ServicesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 70541More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to replace new neighbourhood planning support services with any other services.
Answer: Following the Spending Review, my Department announced that it is unable to commission new neighbourhood planning support services for 2025 onwards. After more than a decade of taxpayer support, our assessment is that neighbourhood planning should now be ...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordNeighbourhood Plans: Advisory ServicesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 70540More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of continuing to commission new neighbourhood planning support services.
Answer: Following the Spending Review, my Department announced that it is unable to commission new neighbourhood planning support services for 2025 onwards. After more than a decade of taxpayer support, our assessment is that neighbourhood planning should now be ...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordGreen BeltMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 70539More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changing the Planning Practice Guidance assessment criteria of identifying grey belt land from being judged as
Answer: The government has not changed the five purposes of the Green Belt set out in paragraph 143 of the NPPF, and we do not propose to alter its general extent. The contribution Green Belt land makes to the five purposes is only one consideration in local plan...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordGreen BeltMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 70538More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the consistency of Local Planning Authorities in identifying grey belt land.
Answer: The government has not changed the five purposes of the Green Belt set out in paragraph 143 of the NPPF, and we do not propose to alter its general extent. The contribution Green Belt land makes to the five purposes is only one consideration in local plan...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanningMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 70537More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the consistency of Local Planning Authorities in applying the (a) NPPF and (b) Planning Practice Guidance.
Answer: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government does not directly assess the consistency of Local Planning Authorities in applying the National Planning Policy Framework and Planning Practice Guidance. However, independent Planning Inspectors ex...
Answered 17 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordGreen BeltMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 70536More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2025 to Question 58609 and the Answer of 26 March 2025 to Question 39471, for what reason only Green Belt purposes (a), (b) and (d) were include
Answer: The government has not changed the five purposes of the Green Belt set out in paragraph 143 of the NPPF, and we do not propose to alter its general extent. The contribution Green Belt land makes to the five purposes is only one consideration in local plan...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordGreen BeltMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 70535More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2025 to Question 58609 on Green Belt: Planning, and the Answer of 26 March 2025 to Question 39471 on Green Belt, for what reason her Department
Answer: The government has not changed the five purposes of the Green Belt set out in paragraph 143 of the NPPF, and we do not propose to alter its general extent. The contribution Green Belt land makes to the five purposes is only one consideration in local plan...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAntisemitismMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 70534More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce cases of antisemitism.
Answer: Antisemitism has absolutely no place in our society. Tackling antisemitism in all its forms is a top priority for this Government. We are working closely with HMG’s Independent Adviser on Antisemitism on the most effective methods to tackle antisemitism a...
Answered 12 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordBushey Station: AccessDepartment for TransportTabled 22 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 69861More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's announcement Railway stations awarded Access for All accessibility funding, published on 24 May 2024, what her planned timetable is for the completion of Access for All constr
Answer: In May 2024, the previous government identified 50 stations, including Bushey, for initial feasibility work to assess their potential for future upgrades under the Access for All programme. Network Rail has now completed this initial feasibility work. We ...
Answered 3 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordRailway Stations: AccessDepartment for TransportTabled 22 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 69860More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 58611 on Railways: Access, when her Department will fund Network Rail to undertake the next round of feasibility studies.
Answer: Network Rail has completed initial feasibility work for the 50 projects being considered for inclusion in the Access for All programme within the 2025 Spending Review funding period. We plan to update stakeholders in due course.
Answered 3 Sept 2025
Original Parliament record
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