Written questions by Hollinrake.

Communities and Local Government, which organisation is paying for the provision of military aid to the civil authorities in Birmingham; and what the estimated cost is.

The government has been supporting Birmingham City Council in its efforts to address the backlog of waste that had been building up on the city’s streets, and significant progress has been made in the last fortnight. This support has included the three office-based military personnel with logistical expertise that were made available to the council to assist with planning. They have now returned to normal duties. We are grateful to our colleagues in the MoD for their support. We are working with the Council on options to address further costs arising from the industrial action

Communities and Local Government, with reference to p. 3 of the document entitled The Approvals Process for the Creation of New Arm’s-Length Bodies: Guidance for Departments, last update 15 March 2018, whether she has had discussions with the Cabinet Office Public Bodies Team on the establishment of the Local Audit Office as a last resort.

The local audit system is broken, which is why we have a manifesto commitment to overhaul it. The strategy, including the establishment of the Local Audit Office, was based on considerable independent and parliamentary consideration of how to best tackle the issues. The specific proposal to establish a new body, the Local Audit Office, was first recommended in the independent 2018 Kingman Review and again two years later in the Redmond Review. Since those reviews, the problems in local audit have considerably worsened and the most recent Whole of Government Accounts have been disclaimed. My officials have been working with officials across Government including the Cabinet Office in recognition of the need for substantial reform. The Cabinet Office Public Bodies Team is aware of progress and will have final approval on the establishment and classification of the LAO, as required by the 2018 guidance.

Whether she plans to provide additional funding to public bodies for the increase in business rates for hereditaments with a Rateable Value above £500,000.

To deliver our manifesto pledge, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, with rateable values below £500,000, from 2026-27. This tax cut must be sustainably funded, and so we intend to apply a higher rate from 2026-27 on the most valuable properties - those with a rateable value of £500,000 and above, representing less than one percent of all properties. The Spring Statement confirmed the spending envelope for phase 2 of the spending review. We will consider the full range of priorities and pressures facing departments in the round, when setting these budgets.

Whether (a) public and (b) private sector employees can suspend (i) check off and (ii) facility time for trade unions during industrial action.

It is for individual employers and trade unions to agree on appropriate approaches during industrial action. The government encourages employers to work constructively with workers and representatives to resolve disputes.Public and private sector employers may be able to suspend check-off and facility time while employees take industrial action, depending on the legal status of those arrangements – particularly whether they are contractually guaranteed.

Pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2025, to Question 41312 on Empty Dwelling Management Orders, what information HM Courts and Tribunals Services holds on the issuing of Empty Dwelling Management Orders.

The First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Residential Property division compiles only aggregated statistics for receipts of interim Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMO) approved and final EDMO appeals.Over the last five years EDMO receipts were as follows:YearReceipts23/24022/23021/22320/21519/2010**The data recorded is unpublished management information and has not been subject to the same quality checks as Official Statistics, which are published by the Ministry of Justice.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press notice entitled Public land unlocked for the next generation of home owners, published on 27 March 2025, when she expects the housing developments at (a) Newcastle Forth Yards, (b) Manchester Mayfield, (c) Cambridge, (d) Nottingham, (e) Ripon, (f) Chilwell and (g) Wyton airfield in Cambridgeshire to (i) start and (ii) be completed.

The Secretary of State for Defence has identified the long-term opportunity to build over 100,000 homes on surplus defence land, improving opportunities for homeownership and creating jobs across the country. This includes a commitment to building and modernising family homes for the Armed Forces and Veterans, delivering on our commitments to British families and our Armed Forces. Work is underway with HM Treasury, the Ministry of Defence, and Homes England (HE) to establish opportunities to accelerate delivery with trailblazer sites at Ripon, Chilwell and Wyton. Deverell Barracks at Ripon has now transferred to HE with outline planning in place for 1,300 homes. Work will begin as soon as full planning approval has been received. We are not able to give start and finish dates for Chilwell and Wyton due to the preliminary stage of these projects. Network Rail has announced the establishment of a new property company to unlock up to 40,000 homes over the next decade, with the first homes set for development in Cambridge, Manchester, Nottingham and Newcastle: Manchester Mayfield: start on site expected in 2026 with completion of Phase 1 in 2030 and Phase 2 in 2034;Cambridge: start on site expected in summer 2026, with completion in spring 2029;Nottingham: start on site expected in summer 2027, with completion in 2029;Newcastle: it is not yet possible to provide clear start and finish dates, though Network Rail expect to release land for housing over the next 7 to 10 years.

Communities and Local Government, if she will publish the amount of funding allocated to each local authority in the 2025-26 financial year to mitigate increases in employer National Insurance Contributions.

This information has been published in the Core Spending Power tables for the 2025/26 Final Local Government Finance Settlement, which can be found on gov.uk here: Core Spending Power table: final local government finance settlement 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2025 to Question 43351 on Domestic Waste: Fires, whether the UK Health Security Agency has undertaken research on the impact of the low-intensity burning of domestic household waste in household gardens.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has not undertaken an assessment of the health impact of the low intensity burning of domestic household waste in household gardens, as there is legislation and guidance to prevent fires causing pollution or a nuisance. However, the UKHSA has published systematic reviews of the epidemiological studies on the health impacts associated with outdoor and indoor exposure to solid fuel burning.The evidence suggests that burning solid fuels indoors could contribute to the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer in adults, while the evidence for other respiratory effects is less clear. The results regarding outdoor exposure and the health effects were too limited to draw firm conclusions.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 41457 on Local Government: Elections, whether the public can request data held by (a) returning officers and (b) electoral registration officers through Re-Use of Public Sector Information requests.

Regulation 3 of the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015 defines the public sector bodies to which the Regulations apply, and neither Returning Officers nor Electoral Registration Officers are defined as public sector bodies for these purposes. Consequently, the public are not able to request data held by either Returning Officers or Electoral Registration Officers via these Regulations.

Whether the Access for All funding allocated to Thirsk Station has been placed on hold.

The feasibility work for Thirsk station is underway and we expect all 50 of the feasibility studies announced last year to be complete in the spring. We expect to be able to confirm which stations will move forward over the summer. The Access for All programme continues to be heavily oversubscribed. We remain committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognise the valuable social and economic benefits this brings to communities.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2025, to Question 22035, on Candidates: Expenditure, if he will publish a copy of the spending return for the hon. Member for Hamilton and Clyde Valley at the 2024 General Election.

The Electoral Commission does not have the legal power to publish full candidate spending returns.Returning Officers must make the full returns available for public scrutiny on request for a period of two years beginning with the date when the return is received.Headline figures from candidate spending returns, including the constituency of Hamilton and Clyde Valley, were published on the Commission’s website on 18 March. The Commission publishes these so that voters and candidates can see how much was spent and ensure spending limits have been observed.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of used nappies discarded in public places on Public Health.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has not made a specific assessment of the potential impact of discarded used nappies on public health. The UKHSA and other agencies provide support to local authorities and their directors of public health for localised incidents, such as risks associated with household waste.The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Environment Agency have produced the statutory guidance Waste duty of care: code of practice, which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/waste-duty-of-care-code-of-practice/waste-duty-of-care-code-of-practice Guidance for waste planning policy is published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/waste

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 40908 on New Towns: Planning Permission, which rare (a) plant, (b) bird and (c) invertebrate species other than the Distinguished Jumping Spider lead to the creation of the Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Ebbsfleet area.

Natural England notified the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at the Swanscombe Peninsula in 2021 due to its special interest for numerous rare plant, bird and invertebrate species. The SSSI’s citation sets out the full list of species concerned and can be found at : Swanscombe Peninsula 2021 SSSI Citation.

Communities and Local Government, how much has been spent on flights by her Department since 5 July 2025.

The Department has spent no money on flights since 5 July 2025 because that date is in the future.In general terms, data on minister’s overseas travel and on senior civil servant’s business expenses is published on a quarterly basis.

Communities and Local Government, how many social sector homes are empty in England.

The number of empty social sector homes in England as at 31 March 2024 can be calculated using published statistics for vacant dwellings owned by local authorities and private registered providers of social housing. There were 33,904 vacant dwellings owned by local authorities in England on 31 March 2024 (see MHCLG Live Table 615). There were 37,231 vacant low cost rental general needs dwellings and 17,744 vacant low cost rental supported housing dwellings owned by large private registered providers of social housing (those owning at least 1,000 dwellings) in England on 31 March 2024 (see Regulator of Social Housing’s Private Registered Providers Additional Tables 3.8 and 3.10). There were 5,078 vacant low cost rental dwellings owned by small private registered providers of social housing (those owning fewer than 1,000 dwellings) in England on 31 March 2024 (see “SDR24_Small_PRP_Rents Vacancies” table of the Regulator of Social Housing’s Private Registered Providers Data Release). Therefore, there were a total of 93,957 empty social sector homes in England on 31 March 2024, including homes earmarked for sale or demolition, or awaiting or undergoing major repairs. This may include a small number of units owned by English private registered providers which are situated outside of England. Low-cost home ownership stock owned by English private registered providers are excluded.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 43478 on Admiralty House, how many of the flats are occupied.

There has been no change to the allocation of the flats in Admiralty House since my Noble Friend’s answer of 17 December 2024, Official Report, HL2901.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2025 to Question 38040 on Roads: Hampshire, what the net increase in local authority road maintenance funding is in monetary cash terms in 2025-26 relative to the aggregation of the (a) HS2, (b) Network North and (c) other funding streams given to local authorities in 2024-25.

In 2024/25, local highway authorities received a total of £1,067 million of capital funding for local highway maintenance from various funding streams including the Highways Maintenance Block “needs” element, Highways Maintenance Block “incentive” element, potholes funding, and the £150 million Network North funding uplift (which came from redirected HS2 funding). In 2025/26, the Government is providing £1,567 million of capital funding for local highway maintenance, meaning that the net increase in cash terms is £500 million. Further detail is provided on page 94 of the Budget 2024 document, and the details of allocations to local highway authorities in each year are available on gov.uk.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 41085 on Domestic Waste and Fly-tipping: Health Hazards, if he will publish the risk assessment on the potential health impacts of uncollected waste.

The risk assessment is a live document, owned and kept under review by the local Director of Public Health who is responsible for its distribution. The UK Health Security Agency is part of a multi-agency response Strategic Commissioning Group and has contributed to the risk assessment.

If she will publish the most recent guidance issued by the Government Legal Service guidance to Departments on legal risk.

The Attorney General’s Guidance on Legal Risk was last updated on 6 November 2024. It can be found here: Guidance: Attorney General's Guidance on Legal Risk - GOV.UK.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 41085 on Domestic Waste and Fly-tipping: Health Hazards, whether the Environment Agency has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) fly-tipping and (b) uncollected household rubbish on the environment; and whether it has recent discussions with Birmingham City Council on the issue.

A multi-agency coordinating group was established in response to the declaration of a major incident by Birmingham City Council due to the buildup of waste in Birmingham. The Environment Agency is supporting Birmingham City Council who have led on producing risk assessments and plans as part of the multiagency response. The Environment Agency’s remit is to investigate fly tipping or illegal dumping where there is a single waste deposit of more than 20 cubic metres, more than 5 cubic metres of fibrous asbestos, or 75 litres of potentially hazardous waste in drums or containers. If the offending is believed to be linked to criminal business activity or organised crime, then this may fall to the Environment Agency to investigate and will seek to work jointly with the Local Authority and other partner agencies to resolve the issue. Local Authorities are responsible for assessing, removing and disposing of all fly-tipped waste if it’s on relevant land, which includes land under their direct control and is publicly accessible. The Environment Agency regulates waste-permitted sites to ensure compliance with the conditions of their Environmental Permits and has proactively inspected permitted sites in Birmingham to ensure they are compliant with their permits and no issues arise from the ongoing clean up in the city.