Written questions by Glen.

Communities and Local Government, under what circumstances she would direct Local Government Pension Funds to a specific asset pool.

The government’s firm preference is for pool membership to be determined on a voluntary basis at a local level. In the Pension Schemes Bill, the government has made provision for a power to protect the Local Government Pension Scheme over the long term. The power could be used to direct an administering authority to participate in a specific pool in the event that an authority is left without a pool to participate in or that a pool’s governance intractably breaks down. The government would intend only to use this power as a backstop in these circumstances.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of levels of (a) freedom of religion or belief and (b) rights for people to engage in peaceful religious expression; and what steps she is taking to balance those rights with other (i) legal and (ii) public interest considerations.

Freedom of religion or belief expression is a fundamental human right. The Government believes that everyone in Britain has the right to feel safe and at ease in the place where they live. Any individual or group is free to express views and beliefs, but they have a duty to behave responsibly and to respect other people’s rights.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 2.81 of the Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, what assumption her Department has made of the level of council tax receipts to be raised in England in 2025-26.

Decisions on council tax levels are for individual local authorities. In line with OBR forecasts made under the previous government, the government will maintain a core 3% referendum principle and a 2% adult social care precept.

Communities and Local Government, if she will ask the Office for National Statistics to publish data on the number and proportion of households that have only one adult in each local authority.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for collating and publishing official statistics and performs this function independent of the Government.The ONS have published data on household composition at local authority level from the 2021 Census. This can be found here: Household composition - Office for National Statistics.