Written questions by Simmonds.

Whether the National Protective Security Authority has provided advice on the proposed new Chinese Embassy.

The planning application has been called in by the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and he will make this quasi-judicial decision independent from the rest of Government.We have been clear that national security is the first duty of Government and that we have considered the breadth of national security issues. Where necessary, relevant agencies and departments have been consulted on the national security implications of the application. It would be inappropriate to provide any further specific detail.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an estimate of the number of people on waiting lists for an allotment.

There are strict criteria in place to protect statutory allotments – these are sites covered by the Allotment Act 1925. A local authority cannot sell or dispose of statutory allotment land without the consent of the Secretary of State, who will only grant it if they are satisfied that either adequate alternative provision is made for displaced plot holders, or that such provision is unnecessary or not reasonably practicable.The rules on sales of assets have also been in place since 2016 and they have not changed. In fact, ministerial approval for sales of allotments were lower in 2024/25 than the average for previous years.The information regarding the number of people on waiting lists for an allotment is held by individual Local Authorities, not MHCLG, as they have the responsibility for the running, management and organisation of allotments.Government has made no formal assessment on the merits of selling statutory allotment sites in rural or smaller communities. The protections under the Allotment Act 1925, and the requirements under the Small Holdings and Allotment Act 1908 for local authorities to provide allotments where there is demand, provides the framework to ensure allotments are available to all communities.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to commission research to assess the consequences of the second homes council tax premium on the housing market in England.

It is for individual councils to decide whether to apply a premium in their area, taking into account local circumstances. The government does not currently make housing market assessments based on the use of premiums.

Whether she plans to use the Islamophobia Working Group definition for non-criminal hate incidents.

The work he refers to is being overseen by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.As agreed with the Home Secretary, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing are currently conducting a review of non-crime hate incidents. We will update Parliament in due course on the findings of that review.

Whether the (a) cash terms and (b) real terms increase in the police settlement for 2025-26 includes (i) the increase in council tax and (ii) the compensatory funding for the increase in National Insurance.

The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provides funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. This is an overall increase of up to £1.2 billion when compared to the 2024-25 settlement.This includes precept actuals, which was a £407.7 million increase compared to the 2024-25 settlement, and the £230.3 million for the changes to employer National Insurance Contributions.

How much her Department has provided to local authorities to distribute as grants under the Prevent scheme in 2024-25; and what the budget is for 2025-26.

The Home Office provides Prevent funding to those local authorities (LAs) assessed to have the highest threat and risk from terrorism. This funding can be used by LAs in support of dedicated Prevent posts, with Prevent coordinators employed by the local authority to support delivery of Prevent on the ground. Funding can also be used by LAs to support targeted project delivery to tackle the threats in their area.The Home Office provided the below funding to local authorities under the Prevent programme in financial years 2024-25:Local authority posts - £6,008,271.63Project delivery - £2,365,309.72The Programme’s projected spend for the current financial year 2025-26 is:Local authority posts - £6,000,000Project delivery - £2,000,000

What guidance she has provided to high street retailers on whether they may (a) share details of suspected shoplifters with other retailers and (b) post photographs of suspected shoplifters.

It is the legal responsibility of retailers to decide on a case-by-case basis if it is necessary, proportionate and lawful to share personal details of alleged shoplifters.The Information Commissioner’s Office provides guidance on data sharing, including for retailers. The Home Office has worked with retailers and the Information Commissioner’s Office to support retailers in lawfully and safely sharing information amongst themselves and with police for the purposes of preventing, detecting and investigating shop theft.

With reference to the press release entitled Red tape slashed to revamp high streets with new cafes and bars, published on 26 July 2025, whether the Government intends to consult on the new National Licensing Policy Framework.

This government has committed to launching a call for evidence to seek views on a range of pro-business reforms proposed by the recent Licensing Taskforce, including the development of a National Licensing Policy Framework.This will provide an opportunity for the public to shape the development of a framework designed to provide clearer national direction for local licensing authorities while preserving local discretion in licensing decisions. We will consider further opportunities to gather evidence and engage with a wide range of stakeholders as a framework is implemented.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2025 to Question 65009 on Islamophobia, whether her Department has (a) submitted evidence to and (b) had meetings with the Working Group.

The work he refers to is being overseen by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.As agreed with the Home Secretary, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing are currently conducting a review of non-crime hate incidents. We will update Parliament in due course on the findings of that review.

Pursuant to the Answers of 4 July 2025 to Questions 62600 and 62603 on Nuisance, what her policy is on (a) whether nuisance begging is an offence and (b) giving powers to (i) police and (ii) local authorities to issue prevention orders relating to nuisance (A) begging and (B) rough sleeping.

On 10th June, the Government announced its intention to repeal the outdated Vagrancy Act 1824. The Government has been clear that no one should be criminalised simply for having nowhere to live. We have introduced targeted replacement measures in the Crime and Policing Bill to ensure police have the powers they need to keep communities safe, including a new criminal offence of facilitating begging for gain, and an offence of trespassing with the intention of committing a crime, both of which were previously provided for under the 1824 Act.We know police forces make effective use of existing powers to tackle anti-social behaviour that occurs in this context, and we will update statutory guidance on the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to provide more certainty on how existing powers can be applied to anti-social behaviour where it occurs in the context of begging that is causing problems for local communities.

With reference to her Department's asylum support statistics, how much (a) initial accommodation, (b) dispersal accommodation and (c) contingency accommodation across the country is provided by (i) Serco, (ii) Mears, (iii) Clearspring Homes, (iv) Corporate Travel Management and (v) via Cushman and Wakefield in the most recent period for which figures are available.

The Home Office is working closely with a range of stakeholders to fulfil its statutory obligations, while seeking to reduce the overall cost of asylum accommodation for the taxpayer.Data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation can be found within the Asy_D11 tab of our most recent statistics release. This data can broken down by accommodation type. Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2025 to Question 59362 on Asylum: Housing, whether her Department provides guidance on objections to specific properties which (a) should be accepted by accommodation provided and (b) are not valid.

The Home Office Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) are published and set out our requirements for the sourcing and procurement of accommodation, including how providers should work and consult with local authorities on a range of issues, from pressure on services, to security and the impact on the wider community.It is through this consultation and liaison that the Home Office seeks to consider and understand the concerns of local authorities and where evidenced objections may be made, including on behalf of the local community. The Home Office and its providers consider such evidence carefully, balancing the need to address local concerns with the integrity and lawfulness of the asylum system.For the safety, security and wellbeing of staff and those being accommodated, the Home Office does not disclose information to the general public, about accommodation sites which may or may not be utilised.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 43109 on Asylum: Local Government, what data is shared with local government under cross-cohort, place-based data sharing.

The Home Office is sharing more cross-cohort, place-based data with our partners; providing SMPs and Local Authorities with a better view of the asylum, resettlement and National Transfer Scheme population in their area. We are improving the level of visibility that partners have over the breakdown of the protection-based migrant population in their area, enabling SMPs and Local Authorities to better coordinate projects and services based on the local demographic of asylum cases.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2025 to Question 65011 on Police: Finance, what estimate she has made of the total monetary value of council tax receipts from the police precept in England in (a) 2024-25 and (b) each subsequent year of the Spending Review, on which the increase in police spending power was calculated.

The published total council tax receipts for policing 2024-25 and 2025-26 can be found below (£m): 2024-252025-26Total value5,650.06,057.6Year-on-year increases341.4407.7As set out in the Spending Review (SR) 2025 document, published 11 June 2025, the Phase 2 settlement provides an average 1.7% real terms increase per year in police spending power. Over the SR period, police spending power is projected to increase by an average 2.3% per year in real terms.Police spending power includes projected spending from additional income, including estimated funding from the police council tax precept.However, this remains subject to final decision on precept levels and individual police and crime commissioner decisions. The final police precept level and core government funding will be set out in the annual police funding settlement in the usual way.

How much was a allocated each individual local authority from (a) Grant 7 and (b) Grant 6 programmes for asylum in 2024-25.

The Home Office does not publicly publish grant payment levels by local authority.The total amount allocated to Local Authorities in 2024/25 for Asylum Dispersal Grants 6 and 7 was £121,840,400.Current accommodation funding arrangements are published on Asylum Dispersal Grant: funding instruction - GOV.UK.

With reference to page 75 of the Home Office's annual report and accounts 2024-25, published in July 2025, HC1133, what the total cost of asylum accommodation was in 2024-25.

Wider asylum accommodation costs other than hotels are not routinely published by the Home Office.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the number of housing starts in London in Q2 2025 on her target to build 1.5 million homes over this Parliament.

Delivering historic levels of housebuilding in London is a critical part of the government’s commitment to build 1.5 million homes within this parliament. The government fully recognises the scale and breadth of the housing delivery challenge in London. We are committed to working in partnership with the Mayor of London, boroughs and wider partners to significantly increase housing delivery to meet these ambitions.

Communities and Local Government, what planning appeal decisions the Planning Inspectorate has made in relation to Grey Belt land since December 2024 by (a) reference number and (b) local authority.

The Planning Inspectorate does not hold the requested information in a readily searchable way, and planning appeals do not have a marker for Grey Belt. As such, it is not possible to identify planning appeal decisions relating to grey belt land since December 2024 in the time available.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to provide funding to local authorities for additional planning officers in (a) 2026-27 and (b) 2027-28.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the Question UIN 67508 on 21 July 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what progress the Social Cohesion Taskforce has made on its objectives in the last 12 months.

The Social Cohesion Taskforce is a civil service team considering how to tackle divisions in our society and build common ground. Ministers will update on progress of the Taskforce in due course.