Written questions by Simmonds.

Communities and Local Government, whether Local Government Boundary Commission boundary reviews have been (a) paused and (b) terminated because of potential unitary local government restructuring.

The Government is committed to ending two-tier local government in England in this Parliament. On 5 February 2025, the Government invited two-tier authorities and their neighbouring small unitary authorities to develop proposals for unitary local government. Final proposals from councils must specify the area for any new unitary council(s). If a boundary change is part of any final proposal, then it should be clear on the boundary proposed. Boundary changes are possible, but existing district areas should be considered the building blocks for proposals. More complex boundary changes will only be considered where there is a strong justification. Decisions on the most appropriate option for each area will be judgements in the round, having regard to the statutory guidance and the available evidence. The Local Government Boundary Commission for England has paused all electoral reviews in areas that have been invited to submit proposals for local government reorganisation. My Department is liaising closely with the Commission so that they are involved at the appropriate time to ensure fair electoral arrangements across the area of any new unitary local authority.

Whether Minister who occupy Ministerial residences as second homes and have council tax paid (a) have restrictions on the number of days that they can occupy the property each week.

There are no such restrictions imposed.

Pursuant to the Answer of 1 September 2025 to Question 69855 on Radicalism, if she will list the 28 highest threat areas in England and Wales; and how much Prevent funding was provided to each local authority for those areas in 2024-25.

In 2024/25, the Home Office allocated dedicated Prevent funds to the 30 highest threat local authorities. These are listed below, along with the amount of Prevent funding that was provided to each local authority during this time. The number of local authorities that received dedicated Prevent funding was reduced to 28 in 2025/26.All Local Authorities in England, Scotland and Wales receive dedicated support from the Home Office to deliver the Prevent duty effectively and in proportion to the risk and threat. This support includes expertise from a network of region-based Home Office Prevent Advisers who work closely with partners to raise Prevent delivery standards.In addition, all local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales can now bid for Prevent project funding from the Preventing Radicalisation Fund (PRF). Priority Areas FY24/25 (Alphabetical order)Allocated Funds including project delivery1Birmingham£634,0932Blackburn with Darwen (Lancashire)£276,620.353Bradford£360,250.204Brent£306,0705Bristol£131,3176Calderdale£194,711.177Cardiff£354,9638Croydon£148,653.65 9Derby£311,22610Ealing£146,121.3811Enfield£252,70112Hackney£149,75513Haringey£242,438.9814Kent£247,041.4015Kirklees£232,622.9316Lambeth£159,89317Leeds£464,190.9218Leicester£373,404.7519Liverpool£317,524.0320Luton£360,664.8721Manchester£541,89522Newcastle upon Tyne£127,428.6023Newham£270,654.9624Nottingham£137,867.5325Redbridge£320,40126Sandwell£150,40027Sheffield£228,82528Tower Hamlets£390,468.6029Waltham Forest£148,277.7630Westminster£327,227.54

Pursuant to the Answer of 1 September 2025to Question 69855 on Radicalism, how much was allocated from the Preventing Radicalisation Fund in 2024-25 (a) in total and (b) to each local authority which received funding.

It is vital that Prevent is well-equipped to counter the threats that we face and the ideologies that underpin them.Prevent provides funding for all local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland to address radicalisation risks through targeted projectsThe Home Office provided £790,376.85 of funding from the Preventing Radicalisation Fund in the financial year 2024-25 to the following local authority areas.BarnsleyBlackburn with Darwen - LancashireCambridgeshireCoventryCroydonDorsetDudleyDyfed PowysEssexGreater ManchesterHaveringHullHumbersideIsle of WightKingstonLambethLiverpoolMerseysideNottinghamshireRichmondRotherhamSolihullSouthamptonThurrockWakefieldWalesWandsworthWest LondonWiltshireWolverhampton

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2025 to Question 74185 on Deputy Prime Minister: Admiralty House, whether the Government Property Agency intends to claim back the over-paid second homes council tax premium.

No overpayment has been made. Westminster City Council has determined that a premium is due regardless of the change in occupancy.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 77304 on Multiple Occupation: Migrants, how many asylum seekers have been moved from hotels to houses of multiple occupation in the last year.

The Home Office does not publish data on moves within the asylum accommodation estate.Data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including accommodation type, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab of our most recent statistics release. Immigration system statistics data tables - www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 September 2025 to Question 71464 on Asylum: Housing, if she will publish the amount allocated to each individual local authority from (a) Grant 7 and (b) Grant 6 programmes for asylum in the 2024-25 financial year.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer provided in PQ 71464.

With reference to the letter from the Minister for Border Security & Asylum to the Home Affairs Select Committee, if she will publish a copy of the accommodation strategy that is now in the delivery phase.

This Government have committed to exit hotels as soon as possible and by the end of this Parliament. We are looking at a range of more appropriate sites including disused accommodation, industrial and ex-military sites so we can reduce the impact on communities.We are further investing £500 million in a new, more sustainable accommodation model, developed in consultation with local authorities. The fund will support local authorities to make available basic alternative accommodation that can be used on a temporary basis to house asylum seekers. In the longer term, the ambition is that the investment leaves a lasting legacy of housing for local communities and reduces pressure on local housing markets.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 77304 on Multiple Occupation: Migrants, whether her Department (a) collates data on which individual houses of multiple occupation are used to house asylum seekers and (b) holds data on the number of those HMOs, broken down by local authority.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer provided in PQ 77304.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 78583, on Immigration: English Language, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of making it a requirement of anyone being granted asylum to subsequently learn English to continue (a) residing and (b) receiving benefits.

Successfully integrating refugees is a Government priority. The ability to speak and understand English is a key factor in successful integration, allowing refugees to become active contributors to the communities in which they live.The Immigration White Paper set out plans to increase language requirements for most routes to B2 level at settlement stage, as well as the intention to consult on wider settlement reform later this year. These changes will impact the requirements for people who wish to reside in the UK and have access to public funds through settlement.

With reference to the letter from the Minister for Border Security & Asylum to the Home Affairs Select Committee of 8 October 2025, if she will publish each Service User Demand Plan.

The Service User Demand Plans are not published. The Home Office publishes information about asylum seekers across the UK quarterly here Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

What the cost to the public purse was of payments to Stay Belvedere Hotels for asylum accommodation in the last 12 months.

Stay Belvedere Homes Limited (SBHL) was not contracted directly by the Home Office to provide asylum accommodation. They were a subcontractor to Clearsprings Ready Homes until the Home Office asked that SBHL be removed from the supply chain.

With reference to the letter from the Minister for Border Security & Asylum to the Home Affairs Select Committee of 8 October 2025, if she will publish the full specification and services offered under Changing Lives.

Simply Active Group CIC (formerly Changing Lives Limited) is contracted to deliver a structured programme of recreational activities for Service Users at Wethersfield. These activities include three days of on-site sports provision between the hours of 11.00am and 4.00pm. A varied rota of a minimum of four activity sessions per day is provided.Further details related to this contract are publicly available: Recreational Activity Provision - Contracts Finder. The contract has been extended with services now extended to February 2026.

How much her Department has spent on dental care for asylum seekers in hotels in the last year; and whether asylum seekers have access to free dental care.

Information on asylum expenditure is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.

How many and what proportion of local authorities provide (a) private and (b) social housing for asylum seekers.

The Home Office continues to work closely with local authorities to manage all the pressures arising from the provision of asylum accommodation including the impact on wider LA obligations and plans.Data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release. The data can also be broken down by region and by local authority. Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK

Pursuant to the answer of 8 September 2025, to Question 71461, on Asylum: Housing, what steps do (a) her Department and (b) its contractors follow if a local authority objects to specific asylum accommodation; and if he will set out the (i) circumstances and (ii) criteria that (A) her Department and (B) its contractors may disregard such an objection.

Our contracted providers consult with local authorities on every Dispersal Accommodation bedspace before it is procured with the relevant local authority. If the local authority and provider do not agree, the Home Office reviews it and considers the evidence that the local authority has put forward. This is to ensure procurement is undertaken in a proportionate manner that allows us to consider the impact on local areas.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71459 on Counter-terrorism: Finance, how much was given to each council in (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26.

All Local Authorities in England, Scotland and Wales receive dedicated support from the Home Office to deliver the Prevent duty effectively and in proportion to the risk and threat.This support includes expertise from a network of region-based Home Office Prevent Advisers who work closely with partners to raise Prevent delivery standards. Prevent Advisers also deliver an annual assurance exercise, assessing the extent to which local authorities are meeting the Prevent duty and identifying areas for further support and improvement.In addition, all local authorities have access to the Preventing Radicalisation Fund. This supports the delivery of targeted Prevent projects, that aim to identify and mitigate local radicalisation risks.Currently, the 28 highest threat areas in England and Wales receive Home Office Prevent funding to help them to go above and beyond the requirements of the Prevent duty. This funding supports the provision of dedicated Prevent posts in these local authorities. Some of these local authorities also receive additional funding to support regional working and share their Prevent expertise with other neighbouring local authorities.The Home Office is projected to provide up to £6,000,000 of funding to local authorities under the Prevent programme for the current financial year 2025-26. This excludes funding for project delivery that is provided through the Prevent Radicalisation Fund.In financial years 2024-25 the Home Office provided £6,008,271.63 of funding to 30 local authorities under the Prevent programme for dedicated Prevent posts.An addition to the funding for dedicated Prevent posts within local authorities, the Home Office provided £2,365,309.72 of funding for Prevent project delivery for all local authorities in the financial year 2024-2025, through the Preventing Radicalisation Fund. For the financial year 2025-2026, the Home Office is projected to provide £1,877,378.99 for Prevent project delivery funding.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71459 on Counter-terrorism: Finance, how much was allocated to each local authority in the (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26 financial years.

All Local Authorities in England, Scotland and Wales receive dedicated support from the Home Office to deliver the Prevent duty effectively and in proportion to the risk and threat.This support includes expertise from a network of region-based Home Office Prevent Advisers who work closely with partners to raise Prevent delivery standards. Prevent Advisers also deliver an annual assurance exercise, assessing the extent to which local authorities are meeting the Prevent duty and identifying areas for further support and improvement.In addition, all local authorities have access to the Preventing Radicalisation Fund. This supports the delivery of targeted Prevent projects, that aim to identify and mitigate local radicalisation risks.Currently, the 28 highest threat areas in England and Wales receive Home Office Prevent funding to help them to go above and beyond the requirements of the Prevent duty. This funding supports the provision of dedicated Prevent posts in these local authorities. Some of these local authorities also receive additional funding to support regional working and share their Prevent expertise with other neighbouring local authorities.The Home Office is projected to provide up to £6,000,000 of funding to local authorities under the Prevent programme for the current financial year 2025-26. This excludes funding for project delivery that is provided through the Prevent Radicalisation Fund.In financial years 2024-25 the Home Office provided £6,008,271.63 of funding to 30 local authorities under the Prevent programme for dedicated Prevent posts.An addition to the funding for dedicated Prevent posts within local authorities, the Home Office provided £2,365,309.72 of funding for Prevent project delivery for all local authorities in the financial year 2024-2025, through the Preventing Radicalisation Fund. For the financial year 2025-2026, the Home Office is projected to provide £1,877,378.99 for Prevent project delivery funding.

Whether her Department provides support to (a) illegal migrants and (b) asylum seekers to get married.

The Home Office does not provide support to illegal migrants or asylum seekers to get married. General guidance for all persons seeking to marry in the UK can be found at this link Marriages and civil partnerships in England and Wales: Check if you can get married or form a civil partnership - GOV.UK and Marriages and civil partnerships in England and Wales: If you or your partner are from outside the UK or Ireland - GOV.UK.

How many civil society organisations received Prevent funding in the (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25 financial years; what the cost of that funding was; and what her Department's budget is for Prevent funding for civil society organisations in the 2025-26 financial year.

It is vital that Prevent is well-equipped to counter the threats that we face and the ideologies that underpin them.Prevent provides funding for all local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland to address radicalisation risks through targeted projectsIn the financial year 2023-24, the Home Office provided £26,294,582.59 in Prevent funding. This includes £2,790,047.15 in project delivery funding to a total of 63 Civil Society Organisations under the Prevent programme.In the financial year 2024-25, the Home Office provided £27,769,727.44 in Prevent funding. This includes £2,365,309.72 in project delivery funding to a total of 52 Civil Society Organisations under the Prevent programme.In the financial year April 2025 – March 2026, the Home Office is projected to provide £28,758,000 in Prevent funding. This includes a projected spend of £1,877,378.99 in project delivery funding to a total of 30 Civil Society Organisations under the Prevent programme.This financial year, we have an allocated budget of £2 million for project funding. The anticipated expenditure for this financial year was £1.8 million, based on the funding bids received from local authorities.