Written questions by Morton.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of whether the revised National Planning Policy Framework will increase the number of planning permissions granted before supporting infrastructure is delivered; what assessment he has made of the likely impact on (a) GP surgeries, (b) school places, (c) highways capacity and (d) water infrastructure; and whether he intends to require infrastructure to be delivered before the occupation of new housing developments.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the draft National Planning Policy Framework on the capacity of local planning authorities to refuse planning applications that conflict with locally adopted planning policies; whether he expects National Decision-Making Policies to take precedence over locally adopted development management policies in practice; and if he will publish that assessment.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Government’s target to deliver 1.5 million new homes on long-term water demand in England.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, whether delivering 1.5 million new homes will require changes to overheating standards within Building Regulations.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of current Building Regulations in ensuring that new homes remain safe and habitable during periods of extreme heat.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what circumstances will permit an application that would otherwise be delegated to a planning officer to be referred to a planning committee; what role ward councillors will have in requesting such referrals; and what assessment he has made of the consistency of those arrangements across local planning authorities.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the proportion of planning applications in England that will be determined by (a) elected planning committees and (b) planning officers following the introduction of the National Scheme of Delegation; what assessment he has made of the impact of those changes on local democratic accountability; and whether he plans to publish annual statistics on the proportion of planning applications determined by officers and by elected members.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the draft National Planning Policy Framework on the amount of development expected to take place on (a) greenfield land and (b) land outside defined settlement boundaries; whether his Department has modelled the effect of Policy S5 on the volume of speculative planning applications for unallocated sites; and if he will publish that assessment.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring water companies to demonstrate that sufficient water resources are available before large-scale housing developments proceed.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to require developers of new housing developments to incorporate passive cooling measures, including external shading, increased tree cover and enhanced natural ventilation, into the design of new homes.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, whether local planning authorities will be required to publish data on (a) the number of applications determined by officers, (b) the number determined by planning committees, (c) applications referred to committee but refused permission to do so and (d) the reasons why applications were not considered by elected members.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of local planning authorities which will meet the housing requirements generated by the revised standard method; what estimate he has made of the number of authorities which will meet the Housing Delivery Test or five-year housing land supply requirements; and whether he has assessed the impact this would have on the number of speculative planning applications determined under the presumption in favour of sustainable development.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the Government’s target of 1.5 million new homes that will be delivered on (a) previously developed land, (b) greenfield land within settlements, (c) greenfield land outside settlements, (d) Green Belt land released through local plans and (e) Grey Belt land.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance he has issued on accountability where planning decisions are delegated to officers; whether planning officers will be required to publish written reasons for delegated decisions in all cases; what right (a) applicants, (b) ward councillors and (c) members of the public will have to request elected member consideration; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of democratic oversight in the new arrangements.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) the National Scheme of Delegation on progress towards the Government’s target of delivering 1.5 million homes and (b) a reduction in the number of planning applications determined by elected planning committees on local democratic input into housing development.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the reduction in the number of planning applications considered by elected planning committees as a result of the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025; and what assessment he has made of the impact of this on the role of elected councillors in determining planning applications.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Best Value Inspection of West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority, a) when do Ministers expect to receive the report, and b) whether the report will be made publicly available.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department plans to take to implement the proposed home buying reforms; what estimate his Department has made of the potential costs of the reforms to (a) local authorities, (b) HM Land Registry, (c) conveyancers and (d) mortgage lenders; and whether his Department has prepared a programme risk register.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities have requested (a) Exceptional Financial Support, (b) capitalisation directions and (c) other forms of financial assistance during 2026–27; what estimate his Department has made of the value of those requests; how many remain under consideration; and whether the Department has made an assessment of the cumulative funding gap facing those authorities.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the principal causes of failed residential property transactions; whether his Department has modelled the potential impact of the proposed reforms on fall-through rates; what estimate his Department has made of the potential financial savings to (a) buyers and (b) sellers; and whether his Department has completed regional modelling.

Awaiting answer.