Written questions by Hollinrake.

With reference to the guidance entitled Civil Service 2024/2025 External Expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, published on 30 May 2025, which suppliers were used to provide Antisemitism and Anti-Islamophobia training.

HM Treasury volunteers coordinated 3 events on Antisemitism and Anti-Islamophobia with 2 paid for speakers- TellMAMA and Antisemitism Policy Trust (APT).

Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the amount of capital (a) grant and (b) subsidy to build a new social rent dwelling.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July (HCWS771).In awarding contracts under the new Social and Affordable Homes Programme, Homes England and the GLA will assess the need for grant on the basis of bids from social housing providers, including local authorities, considering what is needed to make projects viable, and the overall value for money for the programme.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of the findings by Savills Research entitled Housing Completions Forecast for England: May 2025, published on 9 June 2025.

The government does not recognise the analysis presented in the Savills’ research in question. The housing completions forecast it contains does not take into account the supply impacts of the measures announced at Spending Review 2025 or the further reforms to the planning system that we are committed to enacting, including the measures contained in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill and the forthcoming set of national policies for decision making.

Communities and Local Government, if she will commission research on the operation of shariah courts in England.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 50309 on 14 May 2025. Sharia Courts are not part of the judicial system in England and Wales.

Communities and Local Government, whether civil servants in her Department relocated outside of London will have their pay reduced, and whether civil servants employed in new locations outside London will lose their existing London weighting.

MHCLG has separate National pay ranges and London pay ranges. MHCLG has an established policy and salary change calculation that applies when colleagues transfer from the London to the National pay range or vice versa, this includes individuals being placed on the same relative position on their new pay range as they held on their old pay range, i.e. if the colleague was on the minimum of the London pay range they would move to the minimum of the National pay range.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 58761 on Parish and Town Councils: Devolution, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) local government restructuring and (b) the abolition of district councils does not lead to an increase in the overall level of council tax.

Decisions on council tax levels will be taken by new councils. Where new councils inherit different levels of council tax from their predecessors, legislation provides for them to be harmonised for up to seven years. The Secretary of States determines referendum principles each year to ensure residents have the final say over excessive increases. Council tax referendum principles are set on an annual basis and no decision have been taken about the principles for future years.

Communities and Local Government, whether public conveniences are eligible for retail, hospitality and leisure business rate relief in 2025-26.

The Retail Hospitality and Leisure Rate Relief Scheme 2025/26 does not expressly provide relief for public conveniences. Public toilets may indirectly benefit from RHL relief where they are not separately-assessed and instead form part of a larger property, such as a shop or café, which itself is eligible for the relief. Nevertheless, the Non-Domestic Rating (Public Toilets) Act 2021 provides a statutory 100% business rates relief for separately-assessed public toilets in England and Wales, including those operated by both local authorities and private sector operators.

What estimate her Department has made of the cost of school transport for SEND children in each of the last five years.

The department knows that delivering home-to-school travel can be very challenging for local authorities and that costs have increased steeply over recent years. In particular, challenges within the wider special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system have created significant pressure on home-to-school travel. The SEND system inherited by the government has been failing to meet the needs of children and families for far too long, with a lack of early intervention and support in mainstream schools and unsustainable strain on local government finances. The department is grateful to local authorities for ensuring that transport is available for eligible children in the face of significant challenge.Section 251 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 requires local authorities to submit information about their education expenditure, including expenditure on home-to-school travel. The information collected from local authorities is published on GOV.UK. Further details are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure/2023-24.

Communities and Local Government, whether building regulations apply to the construction of embassies.

The Building Regulations 2010 apply to all buildings in England, with specific exemptions given in Schedule 2. Embassies are expected to respect local laws, including the Building Regulations. Building Regulations may apply when somebody is putting up a new building, making material changes to a building, extending an existing building or altering building services.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Natural England on the effectiveness of its guidance entitled Bats: advice for making planning decisions, last updated on 7 April 2025.

In April 2025, Natural England (NE) published updated standing advice on protected species, including bats. This update is aligned with the Government’s radical action plan to cut red tape and kickstart growth. The revised advice provides Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) with clearer, more accessible guidance. NE simplified the content by removing unnecessary links to lengthy documents that LPAs do not need to review when making planning decisions. The guidance now also recommends that LPAs consult qualified ecologists for specific queries related to surveys and assessments, cutting time and cost for developers. NE will assess the need for further updates as part of their ongoing commitment to make guidance more proportionate and streamlined for stakeholders as part of its planning and regulatory reforms.

If she will commission research on the potential impact of (a) first and (b) second cousin marriage on local communities.

We are aware that all aspects of weddings law, including first cousin marriage, are important. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is the Department responsible for community cohesion, including policy on faith, belief, and diasporic communities, and regularly undertakes work to understand and support local communities.At the Ministry of Justice, we are taking the time to properly consider weddings law, before publicly setting out our position.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 45 of Annex 10 of the Impact Assessment for the Planning and Infrastucture Bill, published on 6 May 2025, whether the 374k net additions per year from 2027 will apply from the beginning of the (a) 2026-27 financial year, (b) 2027-28 financial year or (c) calendar year 2027.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 55284 on 10 June 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that the creation of a definition of Islamophobia does not prevent discussion and scrutiny of the religious and ethnic dimensions of grooming gangs.

We are clear vile child sexual abuse must be pursued wherever it is found, and we must guard against misplaced cultural or political sensitivities.As stated in the Terms of Reference for the Working Group to define Islamophobia/Anti-Muslim Hatred, any proposed definition must be compatible with the unchanging right of British citizens to exercise freedom of speech and expression - which includes the right to criticise, scrutinise, express dislike of, or insult religions and/or the beliefs and practices of adherents.Should government accept the recommendations of the Working Group, the definition used will be non-statutory. It will enable government and other relevant bodies to have a greater understanding of unacceptable treatment and prejudice against Muslim communities – with anti-Muslim hate crime having reached record levels.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2025 to Question 57273 on Road Signs and Marking, what is the mechanism by which her Department is monitoring the implementation of section 81; and whether this includes regular submissions to Ministers.

The operation of section 81 of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 is monitored in the same way as any other policy matter, with officials observing any problematic use of the legislation and engaging with the sector and public if they raise any concerns with the department. To date we have not seen, or been approached about, any significant problem with the use of the legislation.

Communities and Local Government, what the monetary amount was of financial guarantees for housing provided by her Department from 2019-20 to 2024-25.

Between 2019-20 and 2024-25 MHCLG provided £3.254 billion of financial guarantees for housing.

Communities and Local Government, whether the planning decision on the called-in Chinese Embassy planning application will be delegated to a specific Planning Minister or made personally by the Secretary of State.

As is longstanding practice with all decisions of this nature, the identity of the decision-making Minister will be published as part of the formal decision letter.

If she will commission research into the potential impact of housing asylum seekers in private rented sector accommodation on (a) integration and (b) community cohesion.

The Home Office considers a range of factors when assessing the suitability of a local area for asylum accommodation and works with local partners including local authorities and the police.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 54295 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Taxis, how much of the £41,439 was spent on Ministerial travel.

Of the total figure of £69,021.26 spent on taxis in the period specified, £24,981.98 of the £69,021.26 related to Ministerial travel

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 55289 on Police: Employment Contributions, whether the methodology used to calculate the National Insurance mitigation for police officers is the same as that used to calculate the funding for firefighters.

Government funding for fire and rescue services is provided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) through the Local Government Finance Settlement (LGFS) in the form of revenue support grant (RSG) and retained business rates. In recognition of the decision to increase employer National Insurance Contributions, the Government will provide £515 million to English local councils, including mayoral combined authorities and fire and rescue authorities, allocated based on an assessment of each council’s share of relevant net service expenditure. The 2025/26 LGFS was published on 3 February and sets out funding allocations for all local authorities including fire and rescue. Standalone Fire and Rescue Authorities will see an increase in core spending power of £69.1m in 2025/26. Including the National Insurance Contribution Grant, this is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25.

Communities and Local Government, what representations she has received on council tax (a) revaluation and (b) rebanding since 5 July 2024.

The government recognises interest from a number of groups in reforming council tax. However, it does not collect statistics on the issued raised in correspondence it receives. The government currently has no plans to reform council tax.