Written questions by Cleverly.

Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of meetings between the Working Group on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition and (a) external organisations and (b) other individuals since 28 February 2025.

The independent Working Group on Anti-Muslim-Hatred/Islamophobia has undertaken extensive engagement with stakeholders from a wide range of perspectives to ensure its proposed definition accounts for the variety of backgrounds and experiences across the United Kingdom. This work has been supported by a small secretariat function based within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.As set out in the published Terms of Reference for the Working Group, the independent advice provided to government by the Working Group will be private.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to amend (a) planning policy and (b) permitted development rights in relation to asylum accommodation.

This government is committed to ending the use of asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament, but we are clear this must be done in a controlled and orderly manner.We continue to keep our approach, including in respect of planning and permitted development rights, under review.

Communities and Local Government, how much was spent on the Affordable Housing Programme (a) 2015-2018 and (b) (2016-2021) in each year of operation; and how much has (i) been spent and (b) is forecast to be spent for the Affordable Housing Programme 2021-26 in each year of its operation, including funding allocated to London and mayoral combined authorities.

The government’s affordable homes programmes are delivered by the Greater London Authority (GLA) in London and by Homes England in the rest of England. Homes England’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2024/25, which can be found on gov.uk here, make clear that by the end of that financial year Homes England had invested £6.08 billion of its £8 billion budget for the 2021-26 programme and the full £4.9bn budget for the 2016-21 programme. The GLA does not publish details of its capital spending for individual programmes. The Affordable Housing Programme for 2015-2018 was extended to 2020 at the Autumn Statement 2014. However, the programme was interrupted at the 2015 Spending Review and the remaining programme budget was consolidated into the Affordable Homes Programme for 2016-2023. Delivery data for the 2015-18 programme is set out in the National Audit Office (NAO) Report: The Affordable Homes Programme since 2015. The report can be found on the NAO website here.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has (a) commissioned or (b) procured third-party providers to (i) assess, (ii) index or (iii) identify (A) extremism and (B) disinformation.

The Government takes the threat of extremism very seriously and will continue to work with partners to tackle extremism in all its forms. The Government is also alarmed by the unprecedented rate at which threats to information integrity are growing. My department has not specifically commissioned or procured third party-providers on the matter in question. We fund the National Community Tensions Team which send the department regular reports on hate crime and community tensions. Additionally, the Government’s Independent Antisemitism Adviser, Lord Mann sent the department reports on hate crime and community tensions. DSIT and MHCLG have supported the Local Government Association to deliver training aimed at supporting frontline local authority practitioners to respond to acute information incidents.