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Samantha Dixon
LAB✓ Current MP
🏛️ Chester North and Neston
📅 2023–2026
95 speeches on Hansard record
✅ Votes attended: 70.17% (#424 of 650 MPs)
🟢 Rebelled against party: 0.00%
📝 Topics: Water: Standards, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: ICT
🤝 Member of 1 All-Party Parliamentary Groups
Written Answers
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Staff have a statutory right to apply for flexible working at any point during their employment.
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Funding is not currently available for buildings under 11 metres in height. However, the Department announced targeted funding for multi-occupied residential buildings under 11 metres in the Remediation Acceleration Plan update. This funding will be available in exceptional cases, where there are…
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The Building Regulations set performance requirements for buildings, including buildings connected to heat networks, but they are not responsible for regulating the detailed design or operation of heat network systems themselves. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is also consulting on…
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The Future Homes Standard (FHS) was published on 24 March 2026. The Future Homes Standard will require new homes to achieve very low carbon emissions and high levels of energy efficiency. Although the FHS is performance based, and does not mandate specific technologies, we expect that in most…
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I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 121736 on 27 March 2026.
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I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 116488 on 9 March 2026; the government has no plans to allow electors to use a QR code to download and print their own ballot papers. The government also has no plans to introduce online voting in the UK or introduce QR codes to link…
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Since March 2025, the Foreign Interference Offence has been a priority offence under the Online Safety Act, requiring platforms to put in place proportionate systems and processes designed to prevent users from encountering content that amounts to the Foreign Interference Offence, minimise the…
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The government follows His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) inspection reports closely, and thanks the Inspectorate for its recent report on Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (FRS).As with all Fire and Rescue Services, we stand ready to support…
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The government has no plans to publish the prospectus regarding flexible voting pilots, which was previously shared with local authorities. The government has published full details of the flexible voting pilots in the form of the orders, and factsheet.
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I refer the Rt. Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 119522 on 18 March 2026.
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I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the Representation of the People Bill 2026, which sets out the requirements that a card must meet in order to be accepted at the polling station – they must be a physical credit card, charge card, debit card or prepaid card; they must display the…
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The Electoral Commission operates independently of government. I would recommend that the Rt Hon. Member contacts them directly to discuss their approach to accrediting election observers.
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The Electoral Commission operates independently of Government and addressed the experience of Overseas Electors in its report on the 2024 General Election.
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MHCLG collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) in England through the Fire and Rescue Data Analysis Platform (FaRDaP), and previously through the Incident Recording System (IRS). This includes information on primary fires, fire-related fatalities, and non-fatal…
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Officials in my department have regular engagement with financial sector stakeholders. Lenders have been encouraged to move away from the use of EWS1 forms for buildings of all heights, and instead to rely on a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW). An EWS1 form is not a government, legal…
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I refer the Rt Hon Member to Question UIN 121724 answered on 25 March 2026. There was an administrative error that resulted in a delay in placing the summary in the House Library alongside the commitment to deposit made on 27 February 2026. The summary was sent to the Library on 19 March 2026 and…
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The summary has now been placed in the Library of the House.
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The Department has not held discussions with stakeholders on this matter.
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I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 84647 on 29 October 2025, UIN 118656 on 16 March 2026, and UIN 116760 on 25 March 2026. The government have worked closely with the Electoral Commission in the design of the pilots, and will continue to work with them on their evaluation.
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In August 2025, local authorities were invited to apply to pilot a range of flexible voting methods at the May 2026 elections in England, with a deadline of 22 September 2025. In December 2025, council leaders in local government reorganisation areas were invited to make representations on the…
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Building Safety Regulator officials have provided the below data:66.4% of Live Gateway 2 applications have an extension in place (867 of 1,305)41.7% of closed Gateway 2 applications had an extension (1,374 of 3,286)48.7% of all Gateway 2 applications have/had an extension (2,238 of 4,591)
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The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) on 27 January 2026 officially moved to become an arm’s length body of MHCLG. BSR increased their regulatory capacity throughout 2025 and now have a headcount across all functions approaching 500, an increase of over 40% since June 2025. BSR will continue to…
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The total value of severance payments is set out in the department’s Annual Report and Accounts, which are available for the last three years.
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The Government is taking decisive action to strengthen and protect UK democracy, including strengthening the Electoral Commission’s powers and extending its remit to ensure that it can effectively enforce the political finance framework. We have listened to stakeholders and recognise how…
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The government has no plans to change the electoral system for UK Parliamentary elections.
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The Responsible Person for any residential building (regardless of height) is the person or entity responsible for keeping residents safe from the risk of fire. Decisions on how to keep residents safe and what actions are required should be made based on advice from a Competent Person following a…
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The government recognises the threat that deepfakes and misleading material pose to elections and the importance of ensuring that electoral law is fit for a modern electoral environment. The government continually assesses the effectiveness of electoral law. Where the law is found to be ineffective…
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There are two different ways of counting apprenticeship recruitment:Definition A: colleagues who joined on an apprenticeship contract.Definition B: colleagues who joined MHCLG via a role which was advertised as including an apprenticeship and subsequently began an apprenticeship after joining.Both…
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Civil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010, which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition. Compliance with CRaGA is overseen by the…
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Senior officials from the Resilience and Recovery Directorate in MHCLG regularly attend meetings to discuss matters of national security, defence and resilience as well as the associated public communications required to deliver these lines of efforts. The conversation on National Defence was a…
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The Cabinet Office has created a gov.uk page for departments to publish Direct Ministerial Appointments (DMAs). In line with their guidance, MHCLG now publishes details of all new appointments and extensions, and extant appointments will be published in due course.
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At 31 January 2026 there were 760 active payroll staff, 19% of total headcount, who worked full‑time hours over a compressed period, meaning they received full pay. This figure includes a range of different compressed full‑time working arrangements.
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Staff who work full-time, have the following conditioned hours per week:36 hours net – if their normal place of work is in London and if appointed before 1 June 201337 hours net – if their normal place of work is elsewhereIf they were appointed to the Civil Service within the department…
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In December, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government announced an independent review into countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics. The review findings will be delivered to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local…
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The 2026/27 Local Government Finance Settlement will make available almost £1.95 billion in core spending power (CSP) for standalone fire and rescue authorities (excluding York & North Yorkshire and Greater Manchester). This was the first multi-year funding Settlement in 10 years, giving…
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The Welsh Government’s automatic voter registration pilots are discussed when Ministers from across the UK attend the regular meetings of the Interministerial Group (IMG) for Elections and Registration. The meetings are led by the ministers with election policy in their portfolios and meeting…
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The government was elected on a manifesto commitment to extend the right to vote to 16- and 17-year-olds in all UK elections. To deliver this commitment, the Representation of the People Bill was introduced Parliament on 12 February 2026 and received its Second Reading in the House of Commons on 2…
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Local authorities have powers provided by section 78 of the Building Act 1984 to take emergency measures when dealing with dangerous structures. If a structure, or part of it, appears dangerous and requires immediate action to remove the danger, the local authority may take steps as necessary for…
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The government does not hold data on the number of qualifying EU citizens on the local government electoral register in England.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) previously published estimates of the number of EU citizens eligible to vote in Local Government elections in England but has not…
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The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is working on the design of direct registration pilots, including timetable and approach, which will be set out in secondary legislation subject to the affirmative procedure. This will give the opportunity for Parliament to scrutinise the…
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While there are no official statistics specifically on qualifying Commonwealth citizens currently living in the UK who are registered to vote, Electoral Commission figures estimate that 66% of this group may be registered to vote (as at 2023). Further information on the Electoral Commission can be…
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Data on allegations and outcomes of electoral fraud is collected by police forces across the UK and provided to the Electoral Commission. The Electoral Commission then publishes this information annually on its website. The Government continues to work closely with the Electoral Commission, the…
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The selection of polling station locations is a matter for the independent Returning Officer. The independent Electoral Commission is responsible for providing guidance to Returning Officers, including on polling station selection. The Electoral Commission is also responsible for setting standards…
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I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 116475 answered on 9 March 2026.
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The choice of polling station is a matter for the independent Returning Officer. The Electoral Commission is responsible for providing guidance to Returning Officers and do so on the selection of appropriate polling stations. The Electoral Commission is also responsible for setting standards and…
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The Electoral Commission is responsible for providing Returning Officers with guidance on the administration of elections; they provide extensive advice, including how polling staff should respond if they suspect offences are being committed, such as family voting. The Commission’s…
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MHCLG holds information about suppliers that have undertaken translation activities for the Department. The information will not differentiate between whether the translatory service was undertaken to support published content or for any other reason, nor would it consistently differentiate between…
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It is essential that every elector is able to cast their vote in secret and free from any form of coercion. While the vast majority of people vote lawfully, any instance of personation or coercion at the polling station is unacceptable and undermines confidence in our democratic process.…
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Under the provisions set out in the Representation of the People Bill as they stand, no political parties or elected representatives will have access to the date of birth of attainers (those aged 14 and 15) under any circumstances.The Government takes the safeguarding of young people and their data…
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Provisions in the Representation of the People Bill will empower courts to give tougher sentences to those who abuse candidates, campaigners, elected representatives and electoral staff by introducing a new statutory aggravating factor. The Bill will also extend the disqualification order regime,…
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As is usual, the government has written to counterparts in the devolved governments asking for their consent to the Bill where this interacts with devolved competence. The Secretary of State confirmed this at Second Reading of the Bill.
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The British Nationality Act 1981 sets out who is a British citizen and how British citizenship may be obtained. Section 5 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 lays down general principles of residence for electoral purposes, which a registration officer must follow when deciding whether a…
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As part of the development of Version 2 of the Fire and Rescue Data Platform (FaRDaP), we will be adding new reference data to allow fire and rescue services to record and report on when an incident involves lithium‑ion batteries or electric vehicles. This will include identifying whether the…
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As set out in Representation of the People Bill Impact Assessment, Table 8, we estimate that around 26% - 29% of donations from companies made in the year prior to the 2024 General Election would not meet the permissibility criteria. All businesses, including small businesses, will need to meet…
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The Government has no plans to introduce a scheme to support political parties with the implementation costs of the Representation of the People Bill.
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On 9 February 2026, the Ministry published the 2026/27 Local Government Finance Settlement which sets out funding allocations for all local authorities including fire and rescue. (a) In 2026/27, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Authority will have a core spending power of £60.48 million, an…
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The Government has no plan to make it its policy to place markers on the electoral register to differentiate between UK nationals and foreign citizens.
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The Government is committed to ensuring the process for applying or re-applying for a postal vote is as accessible and straightforward as possible. Our online absent voting application service continues to undergo extensive user research and testing with members of the public, including older, less…
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The Know Your Donor regime will introduce statutory guidance issued by the Electoral Commission, which will set out how recipients of donations may assess the relevant risk factors, the kinds of circumstances that may signal a heightened level of risk and the steps they may take to reduce that…
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I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 84647 on 31 October 2025. In August 2025, local authorities were invited to apply to pilot a range of flexible voting methods at the May 2026 elections in England. Authorities were required to demonstrate a clear understanding of the pilot…
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Through the Representation of the People Bill we are removing the requirement for candidates who are acting as their own election agent to have their home address published on the notice of election agents, ensuring that those who partake in our democracy are safe and secure in their homes.Election…
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Ministers have regular discussions with officials, external experts and ministerial colleagues on a range of issues, including national security, defence and resilience. The Home Defence Programme was established in August 2024 to build the UK’s resilience to any potential escalation to…
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The government is committed to upholding the integrity of electoral registers. We are exploring a wide range of more automated approaches to enable improvements in both the completeness and accuracy of electoral registers, including making greater use of public sector data and digital services. Any…
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Harassment and intimidation of voters, electoral staff and campaigners, both online and in person, is totally unacceptable, whatever the driving cause, and has a profoundly detrimental impact on our democratic process. The Government has welcomed and responded to the report made by the Speakers…
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The government is actively exploring a range of approaches to improve the completeness and accuracy of the register. User research is undertaken throughout the policy and digital service development process.
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The government recognises that while AI presents significant opportunities, it also introduces risks including challenges posed by AI-generated content for the online information environment and the potential impact on democratic processes.Solutions that help to determine what media is real and…
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There are no such documents relating to the flexible voting pilots that have not been published in the last six months.The Government is exploring ways to make voting in person more efficient, more convenient, and better aligned with the expectations of today’s electors and the pilots are a…
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The estimated £87 million represents the full range of necessary costs Returning Officers can claim for the efficient and effective delivery of the 2024 Police and Crime Commissioner elections, including staffing, polling stations, printing, postal voting, count operations, logistics and…
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The government has no plans to regulate or consult on the use of foreign languages in campaign material.
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The Electoral Commission is the independent body which regulates elections and political finance in the UK. The Department does not intervene in, or comment on, the handling of individual cases or the regulatory decisions of the Electoral Commission. Officials regularly engage with the Electoral…
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The information is not held. MHCLG collects quarterly data from developers who have signed the developer remediation contract. This data covers buildings requiring life critical fire safety remedial works, however no data is collected in relation to structural remedial works.
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On 17 December 2025, the Department published the results of the Buildings Safety Regulator’s initial review of the definition of higher-risk buildings and its plans for an ongoing review. The initial review found that, at the time of publication, the current definition (including the…
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I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 97817 on 11 December 2025.
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I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 116475 on 9 March 2026.
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The independent Electoral Commission is responsible for providing guidance to Returning Officers, including on the booking of appropriate polling places. The Electoral Commission is also responsible for setting standards and monitoring the performance of Returning Officers.
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Each fire and rescue authority (FRA) in England is responsible for enforcing the provisions of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO), which covers fire safety in non-domestic premises, including those within high-rise buildings. The Fire and Rescue National Framework for England sets…
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Should some form of automated registration be introduced using the powers set out in the Representation of the People Bill, this does not apply to attainers (those aged 14 or 15). The duty on Electoral Registration Officers would only apply where they become aware of a person who is of voting age…
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In December, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government announced an independent review into countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics. The review findings will be delivered to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local…
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I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 108610 on 4 February 2026.
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Work to an existing home is considered a material alteration, and therefore falls within the definition of building work, if changes to the structural, fire safety, or accessibility features of that building are made as part of the work. Unless work is covered by a Competent Persons Scheme (CPS),…
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The government has legislated for a series of future measures to strengthen the clarity and enforceability of developers’ obligations during the early years of new home ownership. Sections 144 and 145 of the Building Safety Act, once commenced, will require every new build home to be sold…
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Information relating to postal vote applications is held by independent Electoral Registration Officers rather than the UK Government and so it is not possible to provide more information about the number of postal vote applications that were not renewed during any period. The department does not…
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The Government has no plans to change the voting rights of foreign nationals. There are no set rules regarding who can vote in a UK-wide referendum. Instead, the franchise for each referendum is determined on a case-by-case basis by Parliament in the legislation providing for that referendum.
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Currently, the legal test for permissible donations from companies is that they are registered under the Companies Act 2006, incorporated in the UK, and carrying on business in the UK. This last requirement is vague and easy to satisfy, even without having a genuine and strong connection to the UK.…
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Intimidation and abuse of those participating in public life has no place in our society and will not be tolerated. MHCLG does not engage directly with candidates or collect wider information about those involved in elections' experience of harassment and intimidation. MHCLG’s role is to…
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The primary purpose of the electoral register is to enable those who are eligible to vote, to register and ensure only people who are eligible to vote are permitted to do so. HMG has not made assessment of the impact on the level of revenue to LAs accrued from the sale of the open register.…
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As of end January 2026 there are 916 residential buildings 18m metres and over in height, in England, with identified unsafe cladding that have not yet commenced remediation works. Of those 916 buildings, 15 have ACM cladding. These 18m+ buildings are known as higher-risk buildings under the…
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I understand that allegations of a breach of the secret ballot have been reported to the Greater Manchester Police, and they are investigating the matter. The Electoral Commission and the Returning Officer are in contact with them and are providing assistance. While the vast majority of people vote…
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In response to the question of whether any staff in the Department work a four‑day week, we have interpreted this as referring to staff whose contractual hours are worked over four days per week. On this basis, 241 headcount staff work part‑time hours (less than 1.0 FTE) arranged over…
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I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 70255 which was answered on 4 September 2025. Government policies relating to Building Regulations and how the accessibility and use of buildings is reflected in design are made in accordance with the Public Sector Equality Duty. Changes…
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We are clear that intimidation and abuse of those participating in public life has no place in our society and cannot be tolerated. MHCLG does not engage directly with candidates or collect wider information about those involved in elections' experience of harassment and intimidation. MHCLG’s…
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Research published in 2023 by the Electoral Commission (EC) estimated that between seven and eight million eligible people are either incorrectly registered or not registered to vote at all. As part of this research, the EC considered how the completeness of the register varied by a range of…
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Senior officials from the Resilience and Recovery Directorate in MHCLG regularly attend meetings to discuss matters of national security, defence and resilience as well as the associated public communications required to deliver these lines of efforts. The conversation on National Defence was a…
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The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government does not collect or hold data on the number of individuals who attempt to vote but are unable to do so because they are not registered to vote.Elections are administered locally by independent Returning Officers and their staff, who are…
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The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government does not collect nor hold data on the outcomes of electoral registration applications. Electoral registration is administered locally by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) who are statutorily responsible for the maintenance of the…
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Everyone who is eligible to register to vote should be able, supported and encouraged to do so. The sole aim of moving towards automated registration is to increase the completeness and accuracy of the electoral register. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will test automated…
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We have set out our expectation that all duty bearers, including Departments and arm’s-length bodies, follow the law as clarified by the Supreme Court ruling and seek specialist legal advice where necessary. The Prime Minister has underlined this recently. The Equality and Human Rights…
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The government has no plans to change the existing voting rights of Irish citizens or Commonwealth citizens.
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The Government has not made any recent assessment of the impact of moving polling day to a Saturday on voter turnout. The Government is committed to increasing democratic participation, as set out in its manifesto. As part of this work, we are preparing to pilot a range of flexible voting options…
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Under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, statutory duties for emergency planning rest with individual Category 1 responders, who fulfil these duties collaboratively through Local Resilience Forums (LRFs). LRFs are not statutory bodies and therefore hold no independent legal responsibilities.Each…
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The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has increased their regulatory capacity throughout 2025. There were 115 posts approved, with 83 members of staff already onboarded. The BSR’s monthly Building Control Approval data was released on 25th February 2026 for data between December 2025 and…
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Currently MHCLG have 6 employees who have indefinite leave to remain in the UK and 39 employees who require a visa.
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Part P of the Building Regulations 2010 covers electrical safety in dwellings and is intended to protect people from fire or injury. In England, installation of new household circuits, addition or alteration of circuits in specified locations and replacement of a consumer unit or fuse board are…
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Security of our democratic processes is paramount, and this Government has robust systems in place to ensure the integrity of its elections. The Joint Election Security and Preparedness unit (JESP) is leading cross-government efforts in preparation for the 2026 elections, which are taking place…
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I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 97526 on 15 December 2025
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The government is committed to introducing more automated approaches to electoral registration over the coming years. Our ambition is to transform our electoral registration system, harnessing existing data from across government to move towards an automated system so voters can easily register to…
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Returning Officers are responsible for the conduct of elections and the Electoral Commission provides them with extensive guidance on the administration of elections. It includes guidance on polling station voting and the secrecy requirements of the poll. The Electoral Commission is also…
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The Government has no plans to allow electors to download and print their own ballot papers. All ballot papers must be uniformly printed and contain security markings in order to ensure the secrecy of the ballot and to prevent against fraud. It would not be possible to replicate this consistently…
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The Government provides funding to address fire risks associated with cladding on residential buildings over 11 metres in height, in England. The building must have an intolerable risk to life as assessed in a Fire Risk Appraisal of the External Walls, and where all other routes to fund the…
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Know Your Donor rules will be implemented alongside clear, practical support for all recipients of donations. That is why the regime is underpinned by statutory guidance issued by the Electoral Commission, which will set out how recipients of donations should assess the relevant risk factors, the…
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I refer the Rt. Hon Member to the Representation of the People Bill 2026, which sets out which bank cards will be accepted at the polling station – this includes credit cards, charge cards, debit cards and cash withdrawal cards.
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The Department is committed to protecting residential leaseholders from bearing the costs of remediating historic fire safety-related cladding defects and offering support to both residents and leaseholders. Building owners and landlords for buildings under 11 metres tall are responsible for…
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Ministers have regular discussions with officials, external experts and ministerial colleagues on a range of issues, including national security, defence and resilience, and associated public communications. As set out in the Strategic Defence Review, the national conversation will be a multi-year…
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The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is actively involved in ensuring the safety of several Higher Risk Buildings (HRBs) in Surrey. The BSR’s data for Surrey shows that:There are 71 Registered HRBs with 86 structures.12 have been directed for Building Assessment Certificate1 has been Approved…
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We are not aware of any approvals having been given.
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The department had 3925 payroll active staff on 31st January 26, of these 145 had home working contracts, the remaining 3780 will have office-based contracts. Staff with office-based contracts can work some of the time from home, consistent with the Departments Office Attendance policy and business…
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The Government has considered a range of documents for use at the polling station, including Oyster ZIP cards. We recognise that the current Voter ID rules are overly restrictive – however we must take into account that expanding the list of documents accepted at the polling station could…
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I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 108610 on 4 February 2026.
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Buildings constructed to the Future Homes and Buildings Standards will be future proofed with low carbon heating and high levels of energy efficiency. The consultation for the Future Homes and Buildings Standards had two proposals for the energy performance requirements of new non-domestic…
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The monthly Building Control Approval Application dataset January 2026 showed that the average approval timeframe for remediation projects in London was 30 weeks.We recognise that processing times need to improve, and we will be bringing forward a Building Safety Regulator remediation improvement…
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The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has conducted a recent recruitment campaign to scale up its regulatory capacity.
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Officials in the Ministry of Housing and Communities and Local Government meet regularly with the Royal Mail to discuss matters relating to elections including capacity, capability and contingency planning. As part of the usual engagement ahead of the significant electoral events, Ministers and…
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The government has no plans to establish a National Commission on Electoral Reform. Through the Representation of the People Bill 2026, the government is taking action to improve democratic participation and public trust in politics, including improving registration processes and allowing 16- and…
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Organograms for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, including senior civil service posts, are published on GOV.UK (Organogram of Staff Roles & Salaries - data.gov.uk) and set out director‑level roles and responsibilities across the core Department. ALBs are expected to…
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The Department deals with a large variety of legal cases including judicial reviews, statutory challenges in planning cases, Information Tribunal cases and private law litigation. The number and outcome of legal challenges and judicial reviews since July 2024 is not held centrally in the format…
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Eight years on from the Grenfell tragedy, there is no justification for any building to remain unsafe. The Government has provided extensive funding and strong legal protections to shield leaseholders from historical building safety costs following Grenfell, including cladding remediation funds and…
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The Government committed in its manifesto to encourage greater participation in democracy. To support this, the Government is exploring ways to make voting in person more efficient, more convenient, and better aligned with the expectations of today’s electors. Orders designating the pilots…
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Building owners are responsible for managing and addressing fire and structural safety risks in their buildings. They are required to apply for a Building Assessment Certificate (BAC), which includes an assessment by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) of whether they understand and are managing…
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Ministers are expected to maintain high standards of behaviour and to behave in a way that upholds the highest standards of propriety. The Ministerial Code provides guidance to ministers on how they should act and arrange their affairs in order to uphold these standards. Ministers are responsible…
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Homes built under the Future Homes Standard will be future proofed with low carbon heating and high levels of energy efficiency, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and cutting consumer energy bills. A full impact assessment will be published in due course. Government have confirmed that the Future…
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The Department does not own or have commercially contracted heavy vehicles. It has not procured any tyres of any type for that class of vehicle within the past 12 months. The Motor Vehicle Tyres (Safety) Regulations 1994, set out requirements for re-treaded tyres, as well as brand new tyres.…
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Officials in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government meet regularly with Royal Mail to discuss matters relating to elections including capacity, capability and contingency planning.We are aware of current concerns about Royal Mail deliveries in national and local press, and have…
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As set out in section 60 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, sums forfeited by court order under section 58 or 59 of that Act are paid into the Consolidated Fund. We have introduced the Representation of the People Bill which brings forward a package of reforms to deliver…
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The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government collects data on fires at waste and recycling facilities attended by fire and rescue services in England. However, it does not specify if the premises was operating legally or illegally.Specifically, the published data shows the number of…
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Under the current UK electoral framework, political parties, elected officials and candidates are entitled to request copies of the electoral register and may use them for “electoral purposes” and for the purposes of complying with rules regarding political donations, and office holders…
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The Electoral Commission provides guidance to Returning Officers including on the issuing of postal votes to overseas addresses. The Electoral Commission is also responsible for setting standards and monitoring the performance of Returning Officers.
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The Government is committed to improving electoral registration and is actively exploring ways to do so. The Representation of the People Bill will lay the foundations for a more automated registration system. Any changes must be tested to ensure they have a positive outcome in an already complex…
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Government support for communities affected by flooding is assessed on a case-by-case basis depending on the scale and nature of the impact on the affected area. In the first instance, local authorities are expected to have well-established contingency arrangements in place and therefore be able to…
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The Department uses the Government Statistical Service (GSS) Harmonised Standard on Ethnicity which is publicly available on gov.uk.
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No assessment has been undertaken by this Department. Responsibility for tackling illegal waste sites and preventing waste-related fires, sits with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with enforcement undertaken by the Environment Agency and local authorities under the waste…
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The Department’s data collection is focussed on height thresholds as this is the current determinant of programme eligibility. We expect buildings of 20 to 25 storeys to make up a very small proportion of those requiring remediation. Based on the reported remediation start and completion…
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A summary of the former Minister’s schedule will be placed in the Library of the House.
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MHCLG publishes quarterly HQ Occupancy Statistics for its headquarters at 2 Marsham Street, London (not proportional attendance). We do not intend to publish regional information or numeric staff attendances.
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Consultations at MHCLG are published on GOV.UK using the ‘consultations’ content type. This page type has been designed by Government Digital Service (GDS) to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 standards. Teams are supported to follow GDS guidelines for creating…
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There are several existing disqualification criteria for standing as a candidate in elections in the UK which relate to criminal offences. For example, the Elections Act 2022 introduced a disqualification order for those convicted of intimidation or abuse of candidates, campaigners or elected…
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Government has introduced caps for most leaseholders to limit their exposure to building safety costs and worked with industry such that fifty-three developers have, as of 31 October 2025, agreed to fix or pay to fix 2,497 buildings in England with life-critical fire safety defects, at an estimated…
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Some levying of service charges in the event of a decant may be necessary to help pay for remediation. However, leaseholders with qualifying leases will still benefit from the caps on service charges for building safety defects, as set out at Schedule 8 of the Building Safety Act, irrespective of…
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MHCLG ministers are advised by civil servants employed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Details of all meetings with external stakeholders are published on a quarterly basis on gov.uk.
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The Department is not actively investigating or taking enforcement action against Rockwell (FC100), nor to our knowledge are any of the Department’s arm’s length bodies. The Government is working with local authorities and fire and rescue services to take enforcement action against…
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In the Remediation Acceleration Plan, we set a clear target that, by the end of 2029, every residential building over 11 metres with unsafe cladding will have either completed remediation works or have a firm completion date in place, otherwise the responsible entity will face enforcement action.…
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At 31 January 2026 there were 760 active payroll staff who worked full‑time hours over a compressed period, meaning they received full pay. This figure includes a range of different compressed full‑time working arrangements.
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We have introduced the Representation of the People Bill which brings forward a package of reforms to deliver on our manifesto commitment to tighten the rules on political donations. It introduces a ‘Know your Donor’ scheme requiring enhanced checks on larger donations, to prevent the…
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MHCLG continually reviews the range of financial wellbeing support offered to our employees and does offer general payroll deduction facilities. Currently no specific credit union deduction arrangements are in place. Agency payroll operations are delegated to each individual organisation.
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In financial year 2024-25, Corporate Travel Management (CTM) information shows 11,102 nights were spent in hotels by departmental staff. The range of hotels available for employees to book is limited by price on the specific date in line with department limits, star rating data is not captured.
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In line with the definition of political activity in the Governance Code on Public Appointments, none of the individuals listed in the MHCLG register of board members’ interests 2025 to 2026 has declared any political activity.
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I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 46774 on 29 April 2025.
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The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) investigates all matters relating to the registration status of higher risk buildings (HRBs) that are brought to its attention through residents’ complaints or by other enforcing authorities, including fire and rescue services, local authorities, and the…
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MHCLG collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) in England through the Fire & Rescue Data Platform (FaRDaP), and previously through the Incident Recording System (IRS). This includes information on primary fires, fire-related fatalities, and non-fatal casualties in road…
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I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 81948 on 21 October 2025.
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The Fire and Rescue Data Platform (FaRDaP) Version 1 was successfully rolled out to 48 Fire and Rescue Services in England, Scotland and Wales by 14 November 2025. At present, Fire and Rescue Services are not required to record whether fires involve lithium-ion batteries or electric vehicles in…
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The Rt Hon Member for Ashton-under-Lyne is not provided with an official government car.
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The department provides published content in additional languages where appropriate and on a case-by-case basis.
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The department does not hold the information in the format requested.
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The government will continue to keep all guidance under review to update as necessary. Any new or updated guidance will be published in the usual way on gov.uk.
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Officials in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government meet regularly with the Royal Mail to discuss matters relating to elections including capacity, capability and contingency planning.As part of the usual engagement ahead of the significant electoral events, Ministers and senior…
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The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs), including the cause of the fire and the source of the ignition. This data is published in a variety of publications, available on gov.uk here. This does not yet include…
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In August 2025, local authorities were invited to apply to pilot a range of flexible voting methods at the May 2026 elections in England. A number of local authorities expressed interest in participating, and we are currently engaging with those local authorities. A small number of authorities that…
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It is, and always will be, an absolute priority for this Government to protect our democratic and electoral processes. The purpose of the Rycroft review is to provide an in-depth assessment of the current financial rules and safeguards and make recommendations. The terms of reference for the review…
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The administration of the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme, including delivery of the pensions remedy for retained firefighters, is the responsibility of local fire and rescue authorities in their role as scheme managers.My department does not issue operational instructions to administrators.…
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MHCLG ministers and officials have not held any meetings with either the Venice Commission or the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe on elections or democracy since July 2024.
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In exceptional circumstances, government support may be provided for incidents of severe flooding via the Flood Recovery Framework (Framework). In thinking about activating recovery support the government considers many factors – such as the severity, duration and extent of reported impacts…
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I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 106871 on 28 January 2026.
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This is included as one of several performance indicators, to ensure our supplier uses accurate, up-to-date Crown copyright statements across all government publications it produces for the department and MHCLG’s Arm’s Length Bodies, helping maintain legal compliance and public trust.
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Fire and Rescue Authorities are responsible for resourcing their services. To support the future of the on-call system, the Government funded the National Fire Chiefs Council to undertake detailed research into the sustainability of the retained duty system. This work- the National On-Call…
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The panel submitted their findings to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 1 July 2025.
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As under the previous government, this information is not held centrally. The department does not hold this data for other departments or local authorities.
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My department notes plans by the Office for National Statistics for an updated harmonised standard, which will be applied to our departmental statistics where applicable in due course. This is an open consultation so anyone can provide a response on an individual basis. Those from my department…
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Decisions made about the Rycroft Review, within the scope of its terms of reference, are a matter for the independent reviewer and his team. The review team’s email address is published online alongside the terms of reference here. The review findings will be delivered to the Secretary of…
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The government’s Strategy for Elections was not shared with any political party prior to publication.
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The government understands the urgency of introducing new energy efficiency standards so that as many homes as possible are highly efficient and use low-carbon heating. We are carefully considering at what level to set the technical requirements of the Future Homes Standard to deliver an ambitious…
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Officials in my department have regular engagement with financial sector stakeholders. A product of this is the lenders’ statement on cladding which has signatories from ten major banks and building societies. These lenders have committed to consider mortgage applications, even if a property…
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Our package of electoral reforms set out in our Strategy for Modern and Secure Elections has been informed by a wide variety of stakeholder recommendations and representations over time, including from political parties.
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The government is committed to strengthening democracy and upholding the integrity of our elections. Robust and proportionate enforcement of political finance rules is an essential part of this. That is why, as announced on 17 July in the government’s Strategy for Elections, we committed to…
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The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) in England, including fires involving road vehicles. This data is published in the Department’s fire statistics releases. However, the data currently collected by…
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I am always willing to consider local authority requests for financial assistance under the Bellwin Scheme.
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The Future Homes Standard, which will ensure all new homes are net zero ready, will be published early this year and a full impact assessment will accompany that publication. The impact assessment presents the costs and benefits of the Standard.
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In October, the National Protective Security Agency launched specific guidance to help Members of Parliament, councillors, mayors, and their staff better understand and protect themselves from threats like espionage and foreign interference. This guidance provides simple, effective steps to…
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The Department has not undertaken a dedicated, standalone assessment of the value for money delivered specifically through the 2003–2005 redevelopment of 2 Marsham Street. However, the National Audit Office reviewed the associated Private Finance Initiative arrangements for the new Home…
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Notifiable or Major Change notifications are added to existing applications which are already in build and have been determined with approval granted. As such, Major or Notifiable works are not treated as new applications and the time taken is not reported upon.
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I have great sympathy for all those affected by the impacts of Storm Goretti and I would like to thank Cornwall Council for the actions it took to protect its community. Cornwall Council has not formally registered for Bellwin assistance in respect of the costs it incurred following Storm Goretti…
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We are aware of challenges in the system and delays to approvals of building control applications, and work is underway to address this issue. On the 27 January, the BSR became a standalone organisation under MHCLG, marking a major step towards creating a single construction regulator. Under new…
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As set out in our Manifesto and subsequently in our Strategy for Modern and Secure Elections published last July, we are bringing forward a number of reforms to strengthen our political finance rules on donations to close loopholes and tackle foreign interference in our elections. These reforms…
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The government is exploring more automated approaches to electoral registration over the coming years. Any changes must be tested to ensure they have a positive outcome in an already complex system, which will take time to assess. Some of this work may also require legislative changes which can…
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Data on verification and record-keeping by Building Control Bodies and local authority Building Inspectors is not collected centrally. Guidance and information about radon for householders, employers, professionals and local authorities including radon maps, action levels, remedial work and further…
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The department has 5 or less roles that are primarily focused on Equality, diversity and inclusion. The combined annual salary of these roles is £135,153.
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We have a monthly subscription with xPro and have spent £153.60 since July 2024.
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To facilitate the take up of renewable energy, nationally set permitted development rights enable the installation of solar equipment on or within the curtilage of buildings, including in conservation areas, without the need to submit a planning application. There are no plans to undertake such…
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Decisions on how fire and rescue services are run, including the number and locations of fire stations or crewing numbers, are for the local fire and rescue authority (FRA) and its Chief Fire Officer. The FRA is responsible for ensuring the needs and demands of their local community are met. They…
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I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 101474 answered on 12 January 2026.
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The issues with Large Panel System (LPS) buildings are longstanding and well known. Building owners are responsible for managing safety and performance risks in their buildings, in a proportionate, risk- based and evidence-based way. We have made it clear they are therefore responsible for any…
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