Written questions by Rosindell.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 70345 on Buildings: Safety, what his Department's timetable is for publishing the building control approval application data (Apr – Jun 2025).

As of 16th October 2025, a total of 69 members of staff were working on building control within the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), including heads of unit. Excluding heads of unit, the total number of staff is 64 (principal regulatory leads, regulatory leads, case officer managers and case officers) who all work directly on applications. The BSR has seven teams currently working on new builds, external remediation, internal remediation and refurbishment. These teams are made up of approximately ten full-time equivalent members of staff per team, including principal regulatory leads, regulatory leads, case officer managers and case officers. Building control approval application data is published monthly, with the most recent publication on 16th October 2025. Building Safety Regulator building control approval application data October 2025 - GOV.UK.

Communities and Local Government, what recent steps he has taken to help reduce levels of homelessness among women.

The Government is committed to getting back on track to ending all forms of homelessness across the country. Our cross-Government homelessness strategy will set out the actions needed across central and local government and the homelessness sector to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. The Government is supporting people at risk of and experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping across the country with more than £1 billion funding, a £316 million increase on last year. This includes £84 million new funding announced on 10 October 2025. Councils are able to use this funding to meet the needs of people in their area, and local authority allocations are published on gov.uk.

Communities and Local Government, what recent steps he has taken to help reduce levels of homelessness among children.

The Government is committed to getting back on track to ending all forms of homelessness across the country. Our cross-Government homelessness strategy will set out the actions needed across central and local government and the homelessness sector to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. The Government is supporting people at risk of and experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping across the country with more than £1 billion funding, a £316 million increase on last year. This includes £84 million new funding announced on 10 October 2025. Councils are able to use this funding to meet the needs of people in their area, and local authority allocations are published on gov.uk.

Communities and Local Government, what recent steps he has taken to support Christian communities in (a) urban and (b) rural areas in England.

This Government’s commitment to valuing the contribution which Christians make to society is evident through our engagement with a wide range of churches at national, regional and local levels. MHCLG funds several cohesion initiatives which directly support religiously diverse communities across England, including the Near Neighbours programme which is a delivery arm of the Church of England’s Church Urban Fund. Urban and rural Christian communities may also be the beneficiaries of other programmes across government, including the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme which provides VAT relief for repairs to our historic places of worship, including churches, which are central to both our local and national life.

Communities and Local Government, what is her planned timetable for the Building Safety Regulator to determine the majority of building control applications within the regulator’s statutory time frame.

On 4th August 2025, the BSR launched the new Fast Track Innovation Unit. This will accelerate the determination of building control approval applications initially for new Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs).Early indications suggest the new model is working effectively. I expect the model to start to deliver improvements in processing times in the coming months.Work has begun to provide a dedicated focus to building safety by moving the BSR from within the HSE to a new body as the first step towards the establishment of a new single regulator for construction, a recommendation of the Grenfell Inquiry Report.This is subject to secondary legislation. The BSR and MHCLG are working closely together to ensure that the transition does not impact day to day delivery.BSR officials have provided the requested building assessment certificate stats below:(a) Invited to submit a building assessment certificate application, 1,609.(b) Received a building assessment certificate application from, 1,402.(c) Granted a building assessment certificate to 79.(d) Rejected a building assessment certificate application 273.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release entitled Reforms to Building Safety Regulator to accelerate housebuilding of 30 June 2025, when she plans to (a) establish the new regulator and (b) introduce legislation to amend Section 2 of the Building Safety Act 2022 to change the regulator.

On 4th August 2025, the BSR launched the new Fast Track Innovation Unit. This will accelerate the determination of building control approval applications initially for new Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs).Early indications suggest the new model is working effectively. I expect the model to start to deliver improvements in processing times in the coming months.Work has begun to provide a dedicated focus to building safety by moving the BSR from within the HSE to a new body as the first step towards the establishment of a new single regulator for construction, a recommendation of the Grenfell Inquiry Report.This is subject to secondary legislation. The BSR and MHCLG are working closely together to ensure that the transition does not impact day to day delivery.BSR officials have provided the requested building assessment certificate stats below:(a) Invited to submit a building assessment certificate application, 1,609.(b) Received a building assessment certificate application from, 1,402.(c) Granted a building assessment certificate to 79.(d) Rejected a building assessment certificate application 273.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to Sections 79-81 of the Building Safety Act 2022, how many buildings the Building Safety Regulator has (a) invited to submit a building assessment certificate application, (b) received a building assessment certificate application from, (c) granted a building assessment certificate to and (d) rejected a building assessment certificate application for.

On 4th August 2025, the BSR launched the new Fast Track Innovation Unit. This will accelerate the determination of building control approval applications initially for new Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs).Early indications suggest the new model is working effectively. I expect the model to start to deliver improvements in processing times in the coming months.Work has begun to provide a dedicated focus to building safety by moving the BSR from within the HSE to a new body as the first step towards the establishment of a new single regulator for construction, a recommendation of the Grenfell Inquiry Report.This is subject to secondary legislation. The BSR and MHCLG are working closely together to ensure that the transition does not impact day to day delivery.BSR officials have provided the requested building assessment certificate stats below:(a) Invited to submit a building assessment certificate application, 1,609.(b) Received a building assessment certificate application from, 1,402.(c) Granted a building assessment certificate to 79.(d) Rejected a building assessment certificate application 273.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the transparency data entitled Building Safety Regulator building control approval application data October 2023 to March 2025, published on 9 July 2025, when she plans to publish the next set of transparency data.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has a set learning programme, delivered to a) Case Officers, b) Regulatory Leads and c) Principal Regulatory Leads that takes approximately 6 weeks to complete. The Building Control learning programme includes content on i) building control applications, ii) completion certificate applications and iv) regularisation certificate applications. Initial training is enhanced by a programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) sessions delivered weekly to Regulatory Leads and Principal Regulatory Leads. CPD is informed by matters raised by both industry and BSR. Topics have included regularisation, emergency repairs, controlled changes and regulating through the construction phase. The BSR does not publish internal training material. Training on iii) emergency repair notices is not covered specifically by this training package but has been included in CPD sessions. Formal training to external Multi-Disciplinary Team members is not provided by BSR. Regarding data, the BSR is currently prioritising the automation of Gateway 2 data. Data releases for Gateway 3 and Regularisation Certificate applications will be developed and are intended to be published in 2026. The BSR remains committed to publishing regular (quarterly) data. BSR colleagues plan the next release of building control approval application data (Apr – Jun 2025) to be published by the 30 September 2025.

Communities and Local Government, if she will publish (a) training and (b) reference material given to Building Safety Regulator (i) Case Officers, (ii) Regulatory Leads, (iii) Principal Regulatory Leads and (iv) external Multi-disciplinary Team members on (A) building control applications, (B) completion certificate applications, (C) emergency repairs notices and (D) regularisation certificate applications.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has a set learning programme, delivered to a) Case Officers, b) Regulatory Leads and c) Principal Regulatory Leads that takes approximately 6 weeks to complete. The Building Control learning programme includes content on i) building control applications, ii) completion certificate applications and iv) regularisation certificate applications. Initial training is enhanced by a programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) sessions delivered weekly to Regulatory Leads and Principal Regulatory Leads. CPD is informed by matters raised by both industry and BSR. Topics have included regularisation, emergency repairs, controlled changes and regulating through the construction phase. The BSR does not publish internal training material. Training on iii) emergency repair notices is not covered specifically by this training package but has been included in CPD sessions. Formal training to external Multi-Disciplinary Team members is not provided by BSR. Regarding data, the BSR is currently prioritising the automation of Gateway 2 data. Data releases for Gateway 3 and Regularisation Certificate applications will be developed and are intended to be published in 2026. The BSR remains committed to publishing regular (quarterly) data. BSR colleagues plan the next release of building control approval application data (Apr – Jun 2025) to be published by the 30 September 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what training is given to Building Safety Regulator (a) Case Officers, (b) Regulatory Leads, (c) Principal Regulatory Leads and (d) external Multi-disciplinary Team members on (i) building control applications, (ii) completion certificate applications, (iii) emergency repairs notices and (iv) regularisation certificate applications; how long that training takes; and whether assessments take place on that training.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has a set learning programme, delivered to a) Case Officers, b) Regulatory Leads and c) Principal Regulatory Leads that takes approximately 6 weeks to complete. The Building Control learning programme includes content on i) building control applications, ii) completion certificate applications and iv) regularisation certificate applications. Initial training is enhanced by a programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) sessions delivered weekly to Regulatory Leads and Principal Regulatory Leads. CPD is informed by matters raised by both industry and BSR. Topics have included regularisation, emergency repairs, controlled changes and regulating through the construction phase. The BSR does not publish internal training material. Training on iii) emergency repair notices is not covered specifically by this training package but has been included in CPD sessions. Formal training to external Multi-Disciplinary Team members is not provided by BSR. Regarding data, the BSR is currently prioritising the automation of Gateway 2 data. Data releases for Gateway 3 and Regularisation Certificate applications will be developed and are intended to be published in 2026. The BSR remains committed to publishing regular (quarterly) data. BSR colleagues plan the next release of building control approval application data (Apr – Jun 2025) to be published by the 30 September 2025.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the transparency data entitled Building Safety Regulator building control approval application data October 2023 to March 2025, published on 9 July 2025, whether she plans to include data for (a) gateway 3 and (b) Regularisation Certificate Applications in future releases.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has a set learning programme, delivered to a) Case Officers, b) Regulatory Leads and c) Principal Regulatory Leads that takes approximately 6 weeks to complete. The Building Control learning programme includes content on i) building control applications, ii) completion certificate applications and iv) regularisation certificate applications. Initial training is enhanced by a programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) sessions delivered weekly to Regulatory Leads and Principal Regulatory Leads. CPD is informed by matters raised by both industry and BSR. Topics have included regularisation, emergency repairs, controlled changes and regulating through the construction phase. The BSR does not publish internal training material. Training on iii) emergency repair notices is not covered specifically by this training package but has been included in CPD sessions. Formal training to external Multi-Disciplinary Team members is not provided by BSR. Regarding data, the BSR is currently prioritising the automation of Gateway 2 data. Data releases for Gateway 3 and Regularisation Certificate applications will be developed and are intended to be published in 2026. The BSR remains committed to publishing regular (quarterly) data. BSR colleagues plan the next release of building control approval application data (Apr – Jun 2025) to be published by the 30 September 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she has taken to support women from minority faith communities in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.

The government recognises the central role that women play in all faith communities across the country and the Minister for Faith is committed to championing spaces for women to help foster cohesion and resilience within their communities. The government supports a variety of initiatives in this regard. This includes Near Neighbours whose work to strengthen social cohesion includes empowering women, particularly from ethnic minority backgrounds, as leaders in their local communities. Near Neighbours operates in several parts of England, including a local hub in East London. We also recognise that Muslim women face specific challenges as a result of discrimination and intolerance often being directed at them. The government has announced a new fund to provide a comprehensive service to monitor anti-Muslim hatred and support victims.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with local authorities on the adequacy of their preparedness for extreme weather conditions.

The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government regularly engages with local authorities through their participation in Local Resilience Forums (LRFs), which are the primary mechanism for assessing risk and coordinating preparedness for extreme weather events and other civil risks. These multi-agency partnerships enable local authorities to consider both potential risks and business continuity planning for extreme weather events, in a joined-up and strategic manner together with other local responder organisations. In preparation for winter, the Department conducts a comprehensive programme of seasonal readiness work, including asking LRFs to self-assess their preparedness for relevant risks. This assessment scrutinises the resilience landscape identifying actions to further support LRFs and local partners to protect local communities. In support of this, the department deploys Strategic Resilience Advisors to every LRF in England. These officials act as a critical friend, supporting planning and preparedness at the local level on behalf of the department, providing a vital link between central government and local responders. This regular engagement ensures that preparedness measures are continually reviewed and updated in line with emerging risks and best practice.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking with local authorities to prevent (a) unlawful occupation of council-owned homes and (b) unlawfully attempting to purchase council-owned homes.

Housing fraud has a detrimental impact on those in genuine need of a home and is completely unacceptable.Local authorities are responsible for managing their own social housing stock and where unlawful occupation of council-owned properties occurs, the government expects local authorities to take active steps to tackle fraud and ensure social housing is used fairly – this may include taking legal action.When processing applications to purchase council homes through the Right to Buy, local authorities are required to check for unlawful and fraudulent applications. Where evidence of fraud is found, local authorities may pursue legal action.On 2 July, the government published our response to the consultation on Reforming the Right to Buy, which can be found on gov.uk here. The government is considering what further steps could be taken to more effectively prevent fraud, including in relation to third-party backed applications.

Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of properties owned by (a) local authorities and (b) His Majesty’s Government that contain asbestos in England.

The department does not hold this information.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of (a) urban design and (b) architecture skills in local planning authorities; and what steps she is taking to improve those skills.

Supporting local planning authorities to attract, retain and develop skilled planners is crucial to ensuring they provide a proactive, efficient planning service for local communities and that new developments are well designed and facilitate local growth. The government appreciates that planning departments across the country are experiencing challenges with recruitment, retention, and skills gaps and that in many cases these issues are having a negative impact on service delivery. At the Budget last year, the Chanceller announced a £46 million package of investment into the planning system as a one-year settlement for 2025-2026. Our manifesto committed us to appointing 300 new planning officers into LPAs. We are on track to meet that commitment through two routes, namely graduate recruitment through the Pathways to Planning scheme run by the Local Government Association and mid-career recruitment through Public Practice. On 27 February 2025, the government announced funding to support salaries and complement graduate bursaries. Further information can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 27 February 2025 (HCWS480). On 25 February 2025, the draft Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2025 were agreed. These regulations increase planning fees for householder and other applications, with a view to providing much-needed additional resources for hard-pressed LPAs. More broadly, the Department’s established Planning Capacity and Capability programme is also developing a wider programme of support, working with partners across the planning sector, to ensure that LPAs have the skills and capacity they need, both now and in the future, to modernise local plans and speed up decision making, including through innovative use of digital planning data and software. Lastly, the Planning and Infrastructure Bill includes provisions that will allow LPAs to set planning fees or charges at a level that reflects the individual costs to the LPA to carry out the function for which it is imposed and to ensure that the income from planning fees or charges is applied towards the delivery of the planning function.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to work with local authorities to help improve the insulation of social housing.

The Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Wave 3 is providing £1.29 billion of grant funding to improve the energy performance of social housing, including through improvements to insulation. Additional funding will be set out in the Warm Homes Plan, to be published in October.The government is also consulting on introducing a Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard at EPC C or equivalent by 2030, with the proposed approach prioritising fabric improvements to properties, such as loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and double glazing. The consultation is open until 10 September 2025 and can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has considered the potential merits of embedding a clear design vision within its spatial development strategies to support the delivery of high-quality development.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill allows for strategic planning authorities to include policies on design in their Spatial Development Strategies (SDS’) providing they are of strategic importance to the area. The government intends to set out expectations on the content of SDS’ through national policy and guidance.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the contribution by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government of 7 July 2025, Official Report, column 1125, which (a) representatives of the insurance sector and (b) other stakeholders her Department held discussions with prior to the introduction of the amendments.

The government has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders during the passage of the Renters’ Rights Bill, including the Association of British Insurers and the British Insurance Brokers Association.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on National Parks and National Landscapes.

When it comes to development and the environment, we know we can do better than the status quo, which too often sees both sustainable housebuilding and nature recovery stall. Instead of environmental protections being seen as barriers to growth, we want to unlock a win-win for the economy and for nature. Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill introduces a new Nature Restoration Fund that will unlock and accelerate development while going beyond neutrality to unlock the positive impact development can have in driving nature recovery. Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs), as proposed in Part 3 of the Bill, will address any potential negative effects of development on protected sites and species, whether located in National Parks, National Landscapes or elsewhere. EDPs can only be put in place where the Secretary of State is satisfied the delivery of conservation measures are likely to outweigh the negative effects of development. Where this is not the case, existing environmental obligations, including those arising under the Habitats Regulations, will remain in place.  In addition, EDPs and the conservation measures they propose must be evidence-based and properly scrutinised before being put in place. EDPs may include back-up measures that can be deployed if monitoring shows the environmental outcomes are not being achieved. Policy safeguards relating to the protection of National Parks and National Landscapes, including those set out in the National Planning Policy Framework and relevant National Policy Statements, remain in place.