Written questions by Hollinrake.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the English Devolution White Paper published on 16 December 2024, what powers directly elected Mayors will hold on the development of spatial planning strategies; and whether directly elected Mayors in Mayoral Combined Authorities will have the authority to rescind Local Plans within their boundary which have passed inspection stage by HM Planning Inspectorate.

As set out in the English Devolution White Paper, Mayors will have a duty to prepare a Spatial Development Strategy for their area. The required provisions will be set out in the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill. We do not intend to give Mayors a power to rescind a local development plan.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, how many times the Parliamentary Parties Panel has met since February 2024.

The Westminster Parliamentary Parties Panel meets four times a year, but it can meet more or less often if it needs to. It met in February, September and December 2024, and again in February 2025.The scheduled June 2024 meeting was cancelled due to the UK parliamentary general election.The minutes from previous meetings are available to view on the Committee's website.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2025 to Question 28045 on Local Government Boundary Commission for England, whether additional resources will be provided to the Local Boundary Commission for England in the context of the Government’s plans for local government restructuring in England.

The Speaker’s Committee has a statutory role to review the annual estimates of resources of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE). It also considers the organisation’s five-year plan at the start of a Parliament.As part of the process, the LGBCE submits a draft estimate and five-year plan to the Committee for consideration. In turn the Committee consults the Treasury on these and has regard to any advice the Treasury gives.Ahead of the new financial year, the Committee is holding a public session with the LGBCE to consider its position. The Committee will then decide whether it is satisfied that the estimated level of income and expenditure requested is consistent with the economical, efficient and effective discharge by the Commission of its functions. If the Committee were not so satisfied, it would make modifications to the estimate as it considers appropriate for the purpose of achieving such consistency.As part of this year’s review the Committee will need to assess whether the LGBCE has the appropriate level of provision to ensure it has the capacity and expertise to respond to requests for assistance in the context of the Government’s plans for local government restructuring in England.The Committee is planning to meet the LGBCE next on 19 March 2025 and it will then take a decision on whether to lay the main estimate for financial year 2025/26 before the House of Commons for approval.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to her oral statement of 5 February 2025 on English Devolution and Local Government, Official Report, Column 766, whether she plans to follow article six of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in the context of her proposals to change two-tier councils to unitary structures.

The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, sets out the process we will follow in undertaking local government reorganisation. The undertakings in the Act are consistent with the UK’s commitments under the European Charter of Local Self Government and we will continue to fully comply with all our obligations under the Charter. In formulating proposals for local government reorganisation we expect local leaders to ensure there is wide engagement with their Members of Parliament, local partners and stakeholders, residents, workforce and their representatives, and businesses in working up their proposals. Once a proposal has been submitted it will be for the Government to decide on taking a proposal forward and to consult as required by statute. Once established, the new unitarities will determine the structure of their own administrative services and terms of employment.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has issued on the application of critical race theory by local public bodies.

No such guidance has been issued by the department since 5 July 2024.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2025 to Question 28148, on Civil Society: Islam, what steps her Department takes to ensure there is consistency across individual teams on policy engagement; and whether policy teams share lists of organisations they have met with.

Policy teams routinely confer when making decisions on engagement. We do not maintain and share lists of organisations policy teams have met.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 December to Question 20228 on Civil Society: Islam, for what reason her Department has not engaged with (a) MEND, (b) CAGE, (c) the Muslim Association of Britain and (d) the Muslim Council of Britain.

The Government will only engage with organisations when it is in the public interest.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the status is of the Electoral Commission's investigation into the donation from the Foundation for European Progressive Studies to the Fabian Society; and what guidance the Electoral Commission has issued on the permissibility of donations through the European Parliament's programme for European political parties and European political foundations for UK (a) political parties, (b) regulated donees and (c) member associations.

The Electoral Commission is currently considering the matter in line with its regulatory remit. It does not have an investigation open.The Commission has not published specific guidance on the permissibility of the programme mentioned. The Commission's guidance for political parties and regulated donees, including members associations, provides a list of permissible sources for donations.Its guidance states that donations towards members association's political activities within their party can only come from permissible sources. These activities include promoting or developing policies with a view to their adoption by the party.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, if he will list the enforcement cases in relation to foreign donors channelling funds through UK-registered corporate bodies on which the Electoral Commission has made a ruling in the last ten years.

Information on all concluded investigations dating back to April 2020 is listed on the Commission's website. Information on investigations which concluded prior to April 2020 can be found using the National Archives website.The Commission's guidance sets out which donors are permissible. If a company is registered at Companies House, incorporated in the UK, and 'carrying on business' in the UK, it can donate to a UK political party or campaigner.However, it is an offence to knowingly or recklessly make a false declaration about the true origin of a donation. If a donor was to mislead a political party as to the true source of the donation to evade permissibility requirements then they could be committing an offence. Any investigation would fall within the remit of the police, not the Electoral Commission.Companies do not currently need to show that they have made enough money in the UK to fund their donations. Since 2013, the Commission has recommended changes to ensure parties cannot accept money from companies that have not made enough in the UK to fund their donation or loan.

Media and Sport, whether she plans to continue to publish statutory notices in local newspapers.

Public notices are important for ensuring that the public is kept informed of decisions made by their council which may affect their quality of life, local services or amenities, or their property. The independent 2019 Cairncross Review into sustainable journalism found that public notices are also an important source of revenue for local newspapers. The sector’s Public Notice Portal is a welcome innovation, intended to take advantage of print publishers’ growing digital audiences and provide a centralised resource for all types of public notice. We continue to monitor the progress of the Portal and the effect that it has on the audience reach of public notices.We also welcome the plans for expansion of the Portal, announced in December and funded by the Google News Initiative, including a fully searchable archive and new consultation functions to help public bodies and commercial entities engage with the public more effectively. We consider this type of industry innovation and collaboration to be integral to securing the sector’s future, and will seek to further support and incentivise it through our Local Media Strategy.

If she will publish the independent review into the Valuation Office Agency’s Automated Valuation Model.

As outlined in the response to PQ UIN 15200, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) will publish further information on the model and its use in supporting the Welsh Government’s Council Tax reform ambitions on GOV.UK before April 2025.The information that will be published will be more up to date and cover similar content to the International Association of Assessing Officers presentations from 2023, so there is no intention to publish these.

With reference to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's consultation entitled Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes: 2025 update, published on 7 February 2025, whether she has made an assessment of the suitability of pre Second World War housing stock for (a) cavity wall insulation and (b) external wall insulation.

Cavity Wall Insulation and External Wall Insulation when installed correctly is a cost-effective means of improving energy efficiency in homes. All work carried out under current Government energy efficiency schemes, must be installed by a retrofit professional who is certified to Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2030, with work carried out in accordance with PAS 2035. Installers must also be registered with TrustMark and required to provide a TrustMark approved 25-year insurance backed guarantee. This ensures the highest quality installations. Government does not specify which types of insulation should be installed in any particular property, only that the installations should be carried out by TrustMark registered installers in accordance with the relevant standards and consumer protection requirements.

Communities and Local Government, whether national security considerations relating to (a) foreign interference and (b) spying are a valid material consideration in the planning process.

National Planning Policy Framework paragraph 102 sets out how planning policies and decisions should promote public safety and take into account wider security and defence requirements. Each case is considered on their own merits.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the end of the statutory override for the Dedicated Schools Grant on the ability of local authorities to set General Fund Accounts.

The government recognises the impact that Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficits are having on councils’ finances and will continue to work with the sector on a way forward.The government intends to set out plans for reforming the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) system in further detail this year. This will include details of how we will support local authorities to deal with their historic and accruing deficits and any transition period from the current SEND system to the reformed system. This will inform any decision to remove the DSG statutory override.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the ending of the statutory override for the Dedicated Schools Grant on the financial viability of local authority budgets.

The government recognises the impact that Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficits are having on councils’ finances and will continue to work with the sector on a way forward.The government intends to set out plans for reforming the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) system in further detail this year. This will include details of how we will support local authorities to deal with their historic and accruing deficits and any transition period from the current SEND system to the reformed system. This will inform any decision to remove the DSG statutory override.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2025 to Question 23350 on Council Tax, whether her estimate of the (a) total level and (b) annual increase in average Band D council tax in England including parish precepts has changed since the publication of the final local government finance settlement on 3 February 2025.

Council tax levels are decided by local authorities, taking account of their local circumstances. The Government will publish data on the council tax levels set by all authorities and the average Band D bill for 2025-26, in England, in March.

What the total cost to the public purse is of providing accommodation to asylum seekers and refugees in (a) England and (b) the Untried Kingdom; and if she will list each contractor which is funded to provide such services.

The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office annual report and accounts: 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK.

Communities and Local Government, how much funding her Department has provided to Homes England for the remediation of (a) contaminated and (b) brownfield land.

The Department is unable to provide the information requested as Homes England is not delegated a budget specifically for the remediation of land.The government’s Brownfield, Infrastructure and Land Programme (National and London) is designed to unlock brownfield land. A proportion of funding from it is spent on land remediation.As set out in in the 2023/24 Homes England Annual Report and Accounts, the Agency spent £33 million on the BIL Programme in that year, the first year of the programme. The funding allocation to end of 28/29 for the BIL Programme is £1 billion.

Communities and Local Government, what funding is being provided to support more localities to (a) produce and (b) update neighbourhood plans.

There is no requirement to update a neighbourhood plan. However, we recognise some communities may wish to update their plans in response to changes to the National Planning Policy Framework.Groups continue to receive the financial and technical support they have been awarded for both the production and updating of neighbourhood plans.We will make announcements in due course regarding the new support contract for 2025-26 and beyond, but intend to open for new applications from Summer 2025.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2025 to Question 24239 on Local Government: Constituencies, whether he plans to review the (a) size, (b) boundaries, (c) names and (d) number of ceremonial counties.

Ceremonial counties are an important element of local traditions which support the identity and cultures of many of our local communities, giving people a sense of belonging, pride and community spirit, and are defined by historical borders and areas that exist primarily for ceremonial purposes. There are no intentions to realign or alter these boundaries.