Written questions by Hollinrake.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 10 October 2025 to Question 69291 on Members: Correspondence, if he will (a) assign the correspondence letter to an incumbent Minister and (b) provide a substantive reply.

The former Deputy Prime Minister is no longer in post. The questions raised in the hon. Member’s correspondence have already been addressed via parliamentary questions from the hon. Member and his colleagues. I specifically refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 52866 on 27 May 2025, 74185 on 2 September 2025, 84951 on 10 November 2025, 85494 on 5 November 2025, 85495 on 5 November 2025, 88674 on 17 November 2025, and HL10730 on 13 October 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 22 January 2025, to Question 23786, on Chinese Embassy: Planning Permission, if he will publish the (a) minutes and (b) meeting notes for the meetings attended by FCDO officials 4 July 2024.

It is for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to decide what documentation to publish as part of that process.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2025 to Question 76017 on Electoral Register, whether the Electoral Commission has issued guidance to Electoral Registration Officers on whether a voter can meet the residency requirements by having a permanent residence in three different dwellings in three different local authority areas.

The Electoral Commission's guidance for Electoral Registration Officer’s (EROs) sets out that someone may be eligible to register and to vote at more than one address if the ERO finds they meet the residency requirements, alongside the other usual registration conditions. When considering an application to register a person at a secondary address the ERO should take into account why the voter is present at that address, to establish if they may be deemed resident there. Each case should be considered on its own merits.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what guidance her Department has issued on recognising premises as a diplomatic mission of a foreign government.

The process of applying for Diplomatic and Consular Status for Official Mission Premises is set out in Section 1(1) of the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1987/46). Diplomatic missions are required to obtain the consent of the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs for land to be regarded as diplomatic or consular premises.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Election Commission has issued to Electoral Registration Officers on the declarations that a potential elector must make to enter onto the electoral roll.

The Electoral Commission has issued guidance on the declarations required to Electoral Registration Officers. All electors must make a declaration that the contents of their application to register are true. This can include a declaration of local connection, if a person does not have a fixed or permanent address.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2025 to Question 74189 on Chinese Embassy, if he will publish (a) that reply and (b) any subsequent correspondence.

It is for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to decide what documentation to publish as part of that process.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what estimate the Electoral Commission has made of the number of spoilt votes under the supplementary vote electoral system.

The last set of elections held under the supplementary vote electoral system were the local government and PCC elections in May 2021. The percentage of rejected ballot papers at those elections was higher than at elections using first past the post in the same year: 0.8% for the local government elections compared to 2.7% for the PCC and 4.3% for Mayor of London.The Commission’s report following the elections noted that the number of rejected ballot papers for the Mayor of London election was notably higher than it had been at previous elections. The most significant difference compared to previous elections was the record 20 candidates which had led to a new two-column ballot paper design to accommodate electronic counting requirements. The report emphasised that clear and effective ballot paper design is essential to help voters cast their votes correctly. It recommended that alternative ballot paper designs should be tested in advance of future elections.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 76822 on Jeffrey Epstein, what records Integrated Corporate Services holds of correspondence (a) to and (b) from Lord Mandelson relating to Sempra Commodities between 2009 and 2010.

Any such information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what assessment the Electoral Commission has made of the security of the ballot for early voting pilot schemes.

The Electoral Commission evaluated a small number of early voting pilots in Wales as part of the local council elections in May 2022. There are several potential integrity challenges presented by managing voting over multiple days. These include, ensuring ballot box security overnight and managing the risk of double voting risk.During the pilots, the Electoral Commission found that Returning Officers and their teams managed risks well, working alongside the police. No concerns were raised with the Returning Officers in relation to the integrity of the polls in the pilot areas by the police or by political parties and candidates.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Electoral Commission has issued to local authorities on the provision to political parties of the expiry dates of postal voting mandates for individual electors with postal votes.

Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) are required by law to identify postal voters whose absent voting arrangements will expire on 31 January each year. These voters must be notified directly by the ERO that their current arrangement is ending and that they will need to submit a new postal vote application if they wish to continue voting by post.While political parties are entitled to receive absent voting lists, the expiry date of a postal vote does not form part of the absent voting record. As such, there is no provision for EROs to share this information.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what discussions the Electoral Commission has had with the Government on the use of pilot voting schemes in the May 2026 local elections in England.

The Electoral Commission has had discussions with Government on its proposals for pilot voting schemes at the May 2026 local elections in England.The Commission’s research shows people in the UK are generally happy with the current ways of voting in person at elections. But it is important to look at how to keep improving elections, to meet the changing needs of voters and to make sure voting is as convenient and accessible as possible.The Commission will support local authorities taking part in the pilots as needed, and work to ensure voters are aware of the voting options available to them. It also has a statutory duty to independently evaluate and report on the May 2026 pilot schemes.

With reference to the Written Statement of 21 July 2024 on Government of service, HCWS870, whether the breach of the Ministerial Code by the former Deputy Prime Minister was deemed a serious breach.

I refer you to the advice provided by the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards and the subsequent exchange of letters between the Prime Minister and the former Deputy Prime Minister. These are published on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-from-the-independent-adviser-on-ministerial-standards-exchange-of-letters-between-the-prime-minister-and-angela-rayner-mp

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 76822 on Jeffrey Epstein, what records Integrated Corporate Services holds of meetings between Jeffrey Epstein and Ministers in the former Department for Business, Innovation and Skills between 2009 and 2010.

Any such information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Chief Fire Adviser on the potential impact of the (a) ban on controlled heather burning on and (b) definition of deep peat on the risk of wildfires.

While the regulation of controlled heather burning and the definition of deep peat fall within the responsibility of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which addressed a similar question from the Hon. Member on 11 September 2025 (UIN 76603), the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is the lead government department for wildfire (from 1 April 2025). The Chief Fire Adviser post ceased with the introduction of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) in 2017. As did my predecessor, I meet regularly with Phil Garrigan, Chair of the NFCC, to discuss a range of issues in fire and resilience, including wildfire. I also understand that NFCC provided input to Defra’s consultation on the Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations in 2025. In December 2021 the Home Office, as the former lead government department for wildfire, published the Wildfire Framework for England.  The framework identifies responsibilities, clarifies relationships, and facilitates coordination at the government level and between key wildfire stakeholders in England. MHCLG continues to work with Defra and other partners to ensure that land management and environmental policies are aligned with effective wildfire resilience.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 22 September 2025, to Question 76278, Lord Mandelson, what (a) vetting and (b) due diligence was carried out prior to the public announcement of the appointment of Lord Mandelson, and by whom.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 17 October to to Question 76245.

Communities and Local Government, when he plans to respond to the letter of 14 July 2025 from the hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton on publication of councillors’ home addresses.

A response was sent to the hon. Member on 27 October 2025.

When the Cabinet Secretary plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton of 10 June 2025 on the proposed Chinese Embassy and pre-determination.

I apologise for the delayed response to the Hon. Member’s letter. He will have received a letter of apology for this. He will receive a substantive reply as soon as possible.

Communities and Local Government, how many civil servants from his Department went on strike on 1 September 2025.

431 individuals are recorded as having taken part in strike action on 1 September 2025.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed reforms of Landfill Tax on the ability to deliver (a) 1.5 million homes and (b) 150 major infrastructure projects over this parliament.

The Government recently consulted on proposals for reform of Landfill Tax to ensure the regime remains effective in encouraging waste to be diverted away from landfill and to support our environmental goals. As part of the consultation, the Government has received a wide range of views from stakeholders, including representatives from the construction sector. The consultation closed on 28 July, and the government is considering responses and will set out next steps, including a summary of responses, in due course. This government is committed to delivering 1.5 million homes over 5 years as set out in the Plan for Change, and any final proposals will be designed to maintain the environmental effectiveness of the tax while supporting these plans.

Communities and Local Government, on average how many hours are spent reviewing (a) a successful and (b) an unsuccessful application for Gateway 2 approval from the Building Safety Regulator.

The Building Safety Regulator’s (BSR) handling time for each application is dependent on a range of factors, primarily the quality of the application and the additional information submitted by the applicant. As can be seen in the table below, the average handling time by hour varies.Average Assessment HoursCategory ACategory BConversion from Non-HRB to HRBNew BuildUn-Categorised01/10/2024 to 01/09/2025371911817617 BSR officials have provided the table below which demonstrates the average number of days taken to approve a Gateway 2 (GW2) application. Average of Decision (Days) Month BeginningCategory ACategory BConversion from Non-HRB to HRBNew BuildUn-CategorisedGrand Total01/10/2024132132 152 13401/11/2024153159 15501/12/202415712376127 15001/01/2025179171 17801/02/2025165147 20435818101/03/2025225179 15821701/04/2025229239211 11422301/05/2025193194 36726221501/06/2025213236 35325823601/07/2025212270 32540022801/08/2025195122 27334820901/09/2025200178184338420223Grand Total193174173284272202 Information on the length of documents submitted as part of applications is not something the BSR actively collects data for. The length and number of documents required to support a GW2 application varies, and there is no correlation between page length and achievement of a GW2 determination as the size and complexity of projects varies considerably. The BSR is actively supporting the Construction Leadership Council to develop and publish a further suite of industry guidance on the statutory documents accompanying building control approval applications, staged approvals for single tower HRBs and construction phase and gateway three (completion certificate stage). This is expected in November. The BSR has also published four new pieces of guidance, including:Building control approval for higher-risk buildings - GOV.UKMaking changes to a higher-risk building project - GOV.UKPreparing information for a building control approval application - GOV.UKApplying for a completion certificate - GOV.UK