Written questions by Lowe.

Communities and Local Government, if she will have discussions with local authorities on increasing the level of consultation with local residents when calculating housing targets.

Following consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system, the government has implemented a new mandatory standard method for assessing housing needs which aligns with our ambition to build 1.5 million new homes in this parliament.National planning policy and guidance is clear that when developing their local plan, local planning authorities should carry out robust consultations with their local communities and ensure views are taken into account. Local planning authorities must also comply with the specific requirements in regulation 18 and 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 on consultation and representations as well as with the commitments in their Statement of Community Involvement.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the proportion of houses planned to be built during this Parliament that will home new arrivals to this country.

My Department does not collect data on the nationalities of people buying homes for private sale on the open market.Eligibility for social housing is already tightly controlled. If a person’s visa means that they cannot access state benefits or local authority housing assistance, they are not eligible for an allocation of social housing. Migrants arriving in the UK on student or work visas are not eligible and nor are those who arrive in the country illegally with no leave to remain.

Communities and Local Government, if she will (a) make an assessment of the adequacy of local infrastructure in Great Yarmouth constituency and (b) reassess the housing target for that constituency following that assessment.

Local development plans should address needs and opportunities in relation to infrastructure and identify what infrastructure is required and how it can be funded and brought forward, including in Great Yarmouth.When preparing a Local Plan, Planning Practice Guidance recommends that local planning authorities use available evidence of infrastructure requirements to prepare an Infrastructure Funding Statement. Such Statements can be used to demonstrate the delivery of infrastructure throughout the plan-period.I understand that Great Yarmouth Council intend to adopt the Community Infrastructure Levy to help secure contributions towards local infrastructure.The government has no intention of reassessing the recently implemented new standard method for assessing housing needs.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing restrictions on foreign (a) nationals and (b) companies purchasing new houses.

The government made clear in its manifesto that we would increase the non-resident Stamp Duty Land Tax surcharge by one percentage point.At the Budget, we decided to go further and instead increased the Higher Rate for Additional Dwellings by 2 percentage points to 5%. This will raise £310 million by 2029-30 and go further than the manifesto commitment to rebalance the housing market.Overseas entities who want to buy, sell, or transfer property or land in the UK, must register with Companies House and tell us who their registrable beneficial owners or managing officers are.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including immigration status on crime reports.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer he was given on 4th December to question UIN 16906.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the proportion of planned housing development that will be located within the green belt.

The amount of development that occurs in any given Green Belt will depend on local circumstances.The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December makes clear that before concluding that exceptional circumstances exist to justify changes to Green Belt boundaries, the relevant authority should be able to demonstrate that it has examined fully all other reasonable options for meeting its identified need for development. Where it is necessary to release Green Belt land for development, plans should give priority to previously developed land, then consider grey belt which is not previously developed, and then other Green Belt locations.It is for local planning authorities to assess whether Green Belt land should be released, with their decisions informed by Green Belt reviews undertaken at a local level. The government recognises the need to provide further guidance, to ensure a consistent approach to Green Belt Reviews and the identification of grey belt land. We will be providing further guidance in January 2025 to assist in this.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that infrastructure investment is in place before any new building of homes.

The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of supporting infrastructure in a sustainable manner.Local development plans should address needs and opportunities in relation to infrastructure and identify what infrastructure is required and how it can be funded and brought forward. When preparing a Local Plan, Planning Practice Guidance recommends that local planning authorities use available evidence of infrastructure requirements to prepare an Infrastructure Funding Statement. Such Statements can be used to demonstrate the delivery of infrastructure throughout the plan-period.The Government provides financial support for essential infrastructure in areas of greatest housing demand through the Housing Infrastructure Fund.The changes to the National Planning Policy Framework announced on 12 December will also support the increased provision and modernisation of various types of public infrastructure.The Government is also committed to strengthening the existing system of developer contributions to ensure new developments provide necessary affordable homes and infrastructure. Further details will be set out in due course.

What proportion of spousal visas were issued to cousins in each of the previous ten years.

The requested data is not currently collected, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Communities and Local Government, if she will introduce legislation to prohibit non-resident foreigners from purchasing residential property in the UK.

The government made clear in its manifesto that we would increase the non-resident Stamp Duty Land Tax surcharge by one percentage point.At the Budget, we decided to go further and instead increased the Higher Rate for Additional Dwellings by 2 percentage points to 5%. This will raise £310 million by 2029-30 and go further than the manifesto commitment to rebalance the housing market.Overseas entities who want to buy, sell, or transfer property or land in the UK, must register with Companies House and tell us who their registrable beneficial owners or managing officers are.

What steps her Department is taking to verify that individuals that enter the country on student visas are attending their courses.

Sponsoring institutions of international students are required to promptly report where sponsorship is withdrawn due to failure to enrol or attend classes in line with published duties to UKVI. Sponsors are required to submit an annual assessment where course completion and enrolment rates of their sponsored students are assessed against published metrics.Where educational institutions fall below these metrics, the Home Office is entitled to take compliance action against the sponsoring institution. Those students who do not enrol or persistently fail to attend their courses also face their Student permission being cancelled.In addition, UKVI has a range of other mechanisms available to ensure that institutions are meeting their sponsor duties, including through onsite compliance visits.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of a review of which nationalities proportionately commit the largest number of crimes.

The Ministry of Justice already publishes the nationality of those entering custody or serving prison sentences as part of their quarterly Offender Management Statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2024/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2024.

With reference to her Department's procurement contract entitled Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW, reference CF-0155600D58000000L5A4EAK3, published on 9 April 2021, if she will make an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of (a) healthcare and (b) dental costs associated with the contract; and if she will make an estimate of the number of (i) GP and (ii) dental appointments arranged.

The Home Office does not hold the information sought in these questions at the level of granularity requested.Collating and verifying that information for the purposes of answering these questions could only be done at disproportionate cost, and would also require the exclusion of any commercially sensitive material.

With reference to her Department's procurement contract entitled Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW, reference CF-0155600D58000000L5A4EAK3, published on 9 April 2021, if she will publish a copy of all information packs provided to service users.

The Home Office does not hold the information sought in these questions at the level of granularity requested.Collating and verifying that information for the purposes of answering these questions could only be done at disproportionate cost, and would also require the exclusion of any commercially sensitive material.

With reference to her Department's procurement contract entitled Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW, reference CF-0155600D58000000L5A4EAK3, published on 9 April 2021, what the potential cost to the public purse was of (a) translation and (b) interpretation costs associated with the contract.

The Home Office does not hold the information sought in these questions at the level of granularity requested.Collating and verifying that information for the purposes of answering these questions could only be done at disproportionate cost, and would also require the exclusion of any commercially sensitive material.

With reference to her Department's procurement contract entitled Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW, reference CF-0155600D58000000L5A4EAK3, published on 9 April 2021, if she will make an estimate of the number of (a) violent and (b) aggressive incidents reported by the provider to her Department.

The Home Office does not hold the information sought in these questions at the level of granularity requested.Collating and verifying that information for the purposes of answering these questions could only be done at disproportionate cost, and would also require the exclusion of any commercially sensitive material.

With reference to her Department's procurement contract entitled Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW, reference CF-0155600D58000000L5A4EAK3, published on 9 April 2021, what the potential cost to the public purse is of cash given to service users as an emergency measure associated to the contract.

The Home Office does not hold the information sought in these questions at the level of granularity requested.Collating and verifying that information for the purposes of answering these questions could only be done at disproportionate cost, and would also require the exclusion of any commercially sensitive material.

With reference to her Department's procurement contract entitled Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW, reference CF-0155600D58000000L5A4EAK3, published on 9 April 2021, how many call outs for reactive maintenance services were made under the contract; and if she will make an estimate of the average waiting time for reactive maintenance services.

The Home Office does not hold the information sought in these questions at the level of granularity requested.Collating and verifying that information for the purposes of answering these questions could only be done at disproportionate cost, and would also require the exclusion of any commercially sensitive material.

With reference to her Department's procurement contract entitled Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW, reference CF-0155600D58000000L5A4EAK3, published on 9 April 2021, if she will make an estimate of the number of social tension incidents reported per local authority associated to the contract.

The Home Office does not hold the information sought in these questions at the level of granularity requested.Collating and verifying that information for the purposes of answering these questions could only be done at disproportionate cost, and would also require the exclusion of any commercially sensitive material.

With reference to her Department's procurement contract entitled Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW, reference CF-0155600D58000000L5A4EAK3, published on 9 April 2021, if she will breakdown service users by (a) sex and (b) age.

The Home Office does not hold the information sought in these questions at the level of granularity requested.Collating and verifying that information for the purposes of answering these questions could only be done at disproportionate cost, and would also require the exclusion of any commercially sensitive material.

With reference to her Department's procurement contract entitled Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW, reference CF-0155600D58000000L5A4EAK3, published on 9 April 2021, if she will make an estimate of the number of antisocial behaviour incidents reported to her Department via the contract provider.

The Home Office does not hold the information sought in these questions at the level of granularity requested.Collating and verifying that information for the purposes of answering these questions could only be done at disproportionate cost, and would also require the exclusion of any commercially sensitive material.