Paul Holmes MP: written questions 2026
195 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: DarlingtonMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 14979More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2026 to Question 5340 on MHCLG: Darlington, what was the average percentage attendance rate of assigned Darlington staff in the most recent work
Answer: In the most recent working week for which figures are available, 44% of staff assigned to the Darlington office attended the workplace. This equates to attendance by 74 staff from a total assigned workforce of 168 colleagues based in Darlington.
Answered 14 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordCommunity DevelopmentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 14978More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2026 to Question 5349 on Sustainable Communities Act 2007, when was the last (a) proposal submitted to the Secretary of State and (b) invitation
Answer: The last proposal submitted under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 was in November 2019. The government issued the second invitation to local authorities to submit proposals under the Act in 2010, and that invitation remains open.
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordMembers and Political Parties: FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 14977More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2026, to Question 11405, on Members and Political Parties: Finance, whether local accounting units will be required to undertake due diligence o
Answer: All donations with a value above £500 must be checked for permissibility in accordance with the requirements set out in the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (PPERA). The Know Your Donor regime will introduce new risk-based due diligence ch...
Answered 10 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordHeat PumpsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 14976More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what dwellinghouse (i) building standards and (ii) building regulations cover (a) standalone air conditioning units and (b) air to air heat pumps, and what noise limits apply to
Answer: There are no permitted development rights for standalone air conditioning units. However, in certain circumstances, planning permission is not required where it would not materially affect the external appearance of the building. Part P of the Building Re...
Answered 10 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordPolitical Parties: FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 14975More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2026, to Question 8263, on Political Parties: Finance, on what date were political parties informed that the retrospective ban from 25 March 202
Answer: Political parties were informed of the moratorium on crypto asset donations of any value, including those thresholds, in the Secretary of State’s announcement on 25 March 2026.
Answered 10 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordLeukaemia: DiagnosisDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 26 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13560More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce avoidable delays in the diagnosis of leukaemia.
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring that the National Health Service diagnoses cancer earlier and treats it faster so that more patients, including those with leukaemia, survive.The National Disease Registration Service collects information on how man...
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordElections: Pilot SchemesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7169More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to use local election pilots under Section 10 of the Representation of the People Act 2000 to amend the (a) franchise and (b) registration criteria.
Answer: The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has no plans to use powers under Section 10 of the Representation of the People Act 2000 to amend electoral franchise or registration criteria.The narrow powers under Section 10 of the R...
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordIdentity CardsCabinet OfficeTabled 4 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6803More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the answer of 11 March 2026 to Question 118513 on Identity Cards: Northern Ireland, whether the new Digital ID will list the date of birth of the individual.
Answer: Yes, the new national digital ID will include your date of birth.
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordIdentity Cards: Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland OfficeTabled 4 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6802More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the answer of 11 March 2026 to Question 118513 on Identity Cards: Northern Ireland, why it is detrimental to have the electoral ID used as a form of secondary identification by citizens
Answer: The intended purpose of the Northern Ireland electoral ID card is for an elector to be able to prove their identity when voting. The Electoral Office for Northern Ireland (EONI) produces the cards. It is not the responsibility of EONI to provide a seconda...
Answered 12 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordElections: Proof of IdentityMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6801More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his proposals to require candidates to provide identification to nominate, whether this will require the same identification requirements as needed to vote in p
Answer: Following Royal Assent for the Representation of the People Bill 2026, the Government will bring forward regulations in due course to set out the detailed provisions.
Answered 12 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordElections: Local GovernmentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6040More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to consider (a) a uniform publication of local election results by local authorities and (b) an official central repository of local election results.
Answer: The Government does not have any current plans to introduce a uniform approach to the publication of local election results by local authorities. Returning Officers are responsible for publishing election results in their local areas.Regarding a central r...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordElectoral Register: FraudMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6039More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of fraudulent electoral registration.
Answer: Data on allegations and outcomes of electoral fraud is recorded by police forces across the UK and provided to the Electoral Commission. The Electoral Commission publishes this information annually on its website in the section titled ‘research, reports a...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordElections: Proof of IdentityMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6038More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether virtual bank cards will be accepted as identification to vote at a polling station.
Answer: I refer the Hon. Member to the Representation of the People Bill 2026, which sets out that only physical bank cards will be accepted at the polling station.
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordMembers: CorrespondenceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6037More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government in the Third Sitting of the Public Bill Commit
Answer: As indicated during the Public Bill Committee debate on 24 March 2026, in response to points raised by the Hon. Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, I intend to write to him shortly with further details on issues relating to children in secure accomm...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordElections: Local GovernmentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6036More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding has been allocated to local election pilots in (a) 2026 and (b) 2027.
Answer: The maximum available budget for the 2026 pilots is approximately £5.84m, the majority of which was allocated to one-off software development for real-time digital registers, which were needed to enable the pilots. We anticipate this development work supp...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPolitical Parties: FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6035More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 124675 on political donations, whether donations to Irish political parties, where passed on to Northern Ireland parties
Answer: The statutory framework for donations to UK political parties explicitly provides for Northern Ireland parties to receive donations from eligible people and organisations based in Ireland. Donations to Northern Ireland parties from eligible Irish sources ...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPolitical Parties: FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6034More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 21 April 2026 to Question 124762 on Political Parties: Finance, what consideration has been made of using powers under the Electronic Communicatio
Answer: As I set out in my answer to Question UIN 124762 on 21 April 2026, this will be a matter for the Electoral Commission to consider.
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordCandidatesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6033More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 118898 on Candidates, what consideration has been made by his Department of amending legislation to allow agents to resi
Answer: The Department has no plans to amend legislation to allow election agents to resign after close of nominations.
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordElections: CampaignsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6032More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 118899 on Elections: Campaigns, if he will amend (i) legislation and (ii) statutory guidance to ensure that hard copy an
Answer: Transparency around who is promoting campaign material is a key part of equipping people with the tools to scrutinise political messages and make informed decisions in elections and referendums. Under UK law, printed and digital campaigning material in sc...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPolitical Parties: FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6031More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of registers held by the Republic of Ireland’s Companies Registration Office in providing data and information for politic
Answer: The Representation of the People Bill introduces strengthened measures in relation to political donations, including enhanced checks on donor eligibility. The Government is committed to maintaining the integrity and transparency of the UK's political fina...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordElections: Proof of IdentityMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6030More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 124770 on Elections: Proof of Identity, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of that policy on levels of
Answer: No such assessment has been made. Allowing UK‑authorised bank cards to be used at polling stations in Great Britain is intended to enable a greater proportion of legitimate electors to meet the voter identification requirements more easily. It is unaccept...
Answered 19 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPolitical Parties: FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6029More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 124763 on Political Parties: Donors, how political parties and regulated donees can assess whether companies have suffic
Answer: The new rules will not exclude companies less than three years old. The three‑year period is intended as a window of time for assessing whether a company can demonstrate sufficient revenue; it is not an age‑based restriction. Companies may make political ...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordMembers: CorrespondenceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6028More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Public Bill Committee for the Representation of the People Bill, Official Report, Compilation PDF of all Committee Debate sittings so far, 21 April 2026, Co
Answer: As I indicated during the Public Bill Committee debate on 24 March 2026, in response to points raised by the Hon. Member for Hamble Valley, I intend to write to him shortly with further details on issues relating to the duty for EROs to notify postal vote...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPolitical Parties: FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6027More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Parliamentary Parties Panel has been consulted by his department on how the Government intends to respond to the Rycroft review report; and how the Government plans i
Answer: The Government has had discussions with the Electoral Commission’s Parliamentary Parties Panel to seek their views on the recommendations made in the Rycroft Review and the practicalities around implementing them. The Government is committed to responding...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordElectoral RegisterMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6026More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the answer of 21 April 2026, to Question 124766, on Electoral Register, and of 20 April 2026, to Question 124792, whether political parties will be consulted on
Answer: The Government has included powers in the Representation of the People Bill to enable the testing and introduction of new methods of registration. On the introduction of the Bill in February 2026, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local ...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament record
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