Written questions by Hollinrake.

What steps his Department is taking to help increase the number of meat hygiene Inspectors.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) does not have directly employed staff who are subject to skilled worker visas.The FSA recruits and trains domestic Official Auxiliaries, Meat Hygiene Inspectors, twice a year in line with the Government strategy of placing a strong emphasis on developing a sustainable, United Kingdom-based workforce. The FSA is also supporting its delivery partners in the development of domestic recruitment and training capabilities and plans to align with this strategy.

Pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2025 to Question 97528 on Electronic Cigarettes: Public Houses, whether a pub vaping ban would constitute a material change of circumstances for the purposes of the Valuation Office Agency’s valuation of pubs.

A vaping ban in pubs would not constitute a material change of circumstance that would impact the rating assessment of a property. Section 14 of the Non-Domestic Rating Act 2023 in England, and in Wales, The Valuation for Rating (Prescribed Assumptions) (Wales) Regulations 2023, determined that any subsequent changes to legislation, government advice or policy could not be taken into account when determining the rateable value of a property.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of changes to soil quality.

The Government is working towards improving soil health across England by measuring and monitoring the national condition of soil. Establishing a baseline is essential for evaluating change and identifying improvements or declines in soil health. National soil monitoring began in October 2023 under the England Ecosystem Survey, part of the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment programme. This five-year survey will provide a baseline of soil health in England, with Analysis Ready Data from earlier years published in December 2025: https://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/5610689568440320. This data will feed into a Soil Health Indicator being developed by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. A national soil health baseline will be published by 2030.

What is the mean Rateable Value of a public house in (a) 2025-26 under the current Rating List and (b) 2026-27 under the draft Rating List in each billing authority in England.

The Valuation Office Agency published data relating to your request which can be found here.

Communities and Local Government, whether land previously used for solar farms is classified as brownfield following decommissioning.

Brownfield land, also known as previously developed land, is defined in the glossary of the National Planning Policy Framework which can be found on gov.uk here. It is for those making decisions on specific planning proposals to determine whether a site constitutes brownfield land given the particular circumstances of the case, taking into account any requirements for site restoration.

What guidance his Department has issued on the decommissioning of large-scale solar installations at the end of their operational life.

The department has not published any separate guidance on the decommissioning of solar farms. However, as set out in the Overarching National Policy Statement for Energy (EN-1) and the National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy (EN-3), developers must set out in their planning applications arrangements for decommissioning projects. It is typically a condition of planning consent that the site should be returned to its previous use after decommissioning.

Whether his Department requires solar developers to restore land to its original condition following the removal of solar infrastructure.

The overarching National Policy Statements for Energy (EN-1) and Renewable Energy (EN-3) provide decommissioning guidance for projects deploying under the Nationally Significant Project Regime. EN-3 sets out the expectation that generally solar panel arrays and structures will be decommissioned, and underground cabling removed so prior use of the site can continue. Infrastructure may remain in place if considered less harmful for the ecology of the site, or if there may be socio-economic benefits in retaining after operational life. Developers are required to set out in their planning applications, plans for decommissioning the project and restoring the land to a suitable use.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance he has issued to local planning authorities on enforcing land restoration following the removal of solar developments.

The Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) on renewable and low carbon energy sets out that solar farms are normally temporary structures and that planning conditions can be used to ensure that installations are removed when no longer in use and the land restored. Local planning authorities have powers to take enforcement action against any breach of planning requirements. The PPG on renewable and low carbon energy can be viewed here and guidance on planning enforcement can be found on gov.uk here. The government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making. The consultation includes policy on the decommissioning of renewable and low carbon energy development and site restoration. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2025 to Question 94722 on Public Spaces: Political Activities, whether local authorities may charge more than cost recovery when levying such fees for political street stalls in public places.

When setting fees local authorities are encouraged to be mindful of their legislative requirements and any guidance issued to them. The Local Government Association has published guidance on locally set licensing fees here which sets out the reasonable costs of administering, processing and enforcing a licensing regime.

Communities and Local Government, what planning weight can decision-makers give to the emerging policy in the draft National Planning Policy Framework of 16 December 2025 during the consultation period.

The proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework published in draft on 16 December are subject to consultation prior to being finalised. It is at the discretion of individual decision makers as whether any weight should be given to the proposals during this period, taking into account their status as draft policies.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 15 December 2025 to Question HL12628 on Chinese Embassy: Planning Permission, if he will make it his policy not to determine the planning application until the full unredacted internal drawings requested by his Department on 6 August 2025 have been provided by the applicant.

My Department does not comment on live planning cases. The full reasons for the decision will be set out in the final decision letter.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential risk of soil contamination from materials used in solar panels, cabling, inverters or battery storage systems.

Solar panels are designed to be highly durable, and there is no evidence that they pose a leaching risk under normal operating conditions. New solar sites must have conducted environmental surveys, and environmental and habitat impact assessments. They must comply with health and safety legislation throughout their lifecycle. Battery systems are governed by regulations, such as the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations, which mitigate the risk of soil contamination through improper disposal. The Government has recently consulted on the principle of including battery systems within scope of the Environmental Permitting Regulations (EPR). If pursued, EPR will require developers to demonstrate how specific risks have been managed and will provide for ongoing regulatory inspections of BESS sites

Whether he has made an assessment of whether solar panels, mounting systems and associated infrastructure can be removed without causing damage to agricultural land.

Overarching National Policy Statement for Energy (EN-1) and the National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy (EN-3) provide decommissioning guidance for large scale projects deploying under the Nationally Significant Project Regime. EN-3 states that solar panels can be decommissioned relatively easily and cheaply, although the extent of decommissioning a site goes through can vary. Where projects are sited on agricultural land, developers are encouraged to develop and implement a Soil Resources and Management Plan to protect and preserve soil health and ensure the land remains productive for farming after the solar farm is decommissioned.

Pursuant to the answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 77563,on Palantir, why the visit to the offices of Palantir Technologies in Washington with Lord Mandelson on 27 February 2025 was out of scope of the Prime Minister's transparency return of the publication Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP meetings, January to March 2025.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 13 October 2025, Official Report, PQ 77563.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2025, to Question 97532 on Local Government: Elections, what consideration was given by Ministers to consulting the Electoral Commission before the cancelation of the 2026 mayoral elections.

The Government has announced that it is minded to hold the inaugural mayoral elections for Sussex and Brighton, Hampshire and the Solent, Norfolk and Suffolk, and Greater Essex in May 2028, with areas completing the local government reorganisation process before Mayors take office. The inaugural elections have been postponed because devolution is strongest when it is built on strong foundations, and Government will keep the Electoral Commission informed as we proceed. The Government intends to establish Mayoral Strategic Authorities via secondary legislation for all the Devolution Priority Programme areas as soon as possible, subject to the councils’ consent.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance the (a) Government and (b) Planning Inspectorate has given to local planning authorities and inspectors on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the planning policy in relation to (i) retrospective planning applications and (ii) unauthorised development.

Neither the government nor the Planning Inspectorate has issued guidance to local planning authorities on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in relation to retrospective planning applications and unauthorised development.

Communities and Local Government, further to the written statement of 16 December 2025 HCWS1186, on electoral resilience, whether the review will consider the foreign influence on UK politics through US-registered Resolute 1850 Inc.

It is, and always will be, an absolute priority for this Government to protect our democratic and electoral processes. On 16 December, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government announced an independent review into countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics. The purpose of the review is to provide an in-depth assessment of the current financial rules and safeguards and make recommendations. The review will be led by the former Permanent Secretary Philip Rycroft, reporting both to the Secretary of State responsible for elections, and to the Minister of State for Security, as the Chair of the Defending Democracy Taskforce. The terms of reference for the review can be found here. Given the review’s independence, we cannot pre-empt specifics of the ground it will cover, nor the recommendations it will make. It is right that the review is independent of Government and independent of any political party. However, we will be looking to mitigate the risk of foreign financial interference in UK politics from any actors and individuals who might wish to undermine our democracy.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2025 to Question 94728 on DEFRA: Redundancy Pay, whether the Chief Secretary to the Treasury approved the exit package of up to £350,000.

Flood Re is a company limited by guarantee. It does not receive any grant funding from the Government. As such, no Government funding has been spent on exit packages at Flood Re. Under the previous Government, Flood Re was granted an exemption from the civil service pay remit guidance for three years, up to and including the 2026-27 pay year. It has also received pay delegation for a limited number of senior positions over the same period. Flood Re has confirmed that this payment reflected contractual entitlements. As such, it would not be classed as a special severance payment requiring Chief Secretary to the Treasury approval.

Pursuant to the answer of 26 November 2025 to Question 92033 on Ministers: Second Homes, whether her official ministerial residence is classified as a second home.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer pays full council tax on the flat above 10 Downing Street as her primary residence.

Whether her Ministerial residence is registered with Westminster City council as a primary residence.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer pays full council tax on the flat above 10 Downing Street as her primary residence.