David Simmonds MP: written questions
363 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Electoral Register: CommonwealthMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 15 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52713More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has provided to Electoral Registration Offices on the mechanisms by which qualified Commonwealth citizens should be verified for their eligibility to
Answer: Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) are responsible for maintaining accurate electoral registers. As part of the voter registration process, applicants must declare their nationality. EROs hold legal powers which allow them to request documentary evide...
Answered 22 May 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: ElectionsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 15 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52712More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria will her Department use to determine whether scheduled elections in 2026 (a) will and (b) will not be postponed in the context of the ongoing two-tier local governm
Answer: There are no plans to postpone council elections in 2026. The government’s starting point is for all elections to go ahead unless there is strong justification.
Answered 28 May 2025
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: EthiopiaMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 15 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52711More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether a business case was prepared for her visit to Ethiopia; and whether she plans to make other foreign visits.
Answer: All ministerial visits are assessed against the government’s domestic and international priorities in the normal way. As set out on gov.uk, the Deputy Prime Minister’s role includes acting in support of the government’s international agenda, including thr...
Answered 22 May 2025
Original Parliament recordVE Day: Licensed PremisesHome OfficeTabled 15 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52710More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 23 April 2025, HCWS593, on Extending licensing hours for the 80th anniversary of victory in Europe Day, whether her Department made an assessment of th
Answer: Licensing hours in England and Wales were extended on Thursday 8 May to mark the 80th anniversary of VE day.
Answered 23 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPolice: ElectionsHome OfficeTabled 15 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52709More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on whether the (a) College of Policing and (b) National Police Chiefs’ Council has provided guidance to police forces on election purdah.
Answer: The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) ‘Pre-Election Period Guidance’ provides advice to officers and staff on maintaining impartiality and managing interactions with candidates during the pre-election period. The guidance covers principles of conduct...
Answered 29 May 2025
Original Parliament recordDoors: Fire PreventionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 15 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52708More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 2 September 2024 on Building Safety, HCWS62, what the evidential basis is for the proposition that the European standard (BS EN 13501)
Answer: The withdrawal of National Classes fire testing standards (BS 476) from Approved Document B in favour of the European Standard (BS EN 13501) aimed to enhance fire protection by simplifying compliance routes within the guidance. This change makes it easier...
Answered 22 May 2025
Original Parliament recordDoors: Fire PreventionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50592More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed transition period for moving from the BS 476-22 national fire door safety testing standard to the EN1634-1 st
Answer: On 2 September 2024, the Government announced the withdrawal of National Classes fire testing standards from Approved Document B, ending the dual classification system in favour of the European Standard (BS EN 13501). This change aimed to enhance fire pro...
Answered 15 May 2025
Original Parliament recordDoors: Fire PreventionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50591More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an estimate of the testing site capacity required to carry-out fire door tests for the new European Standard (EN1634-1) classification within the
Answer: On 2 September 2024, the Government announced the withdrawal of National Classes fire testing standards from Approved Document B, ending the dual classification system in favour of the European Standard (BS EN 13501). This change aimed to enhance fire pro...
Answered 15 May 2025
Original Parliament recordDoors: Fire PreventionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50590More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to pause the proposed move from the British fire door safety testing standard (BS 476-22) to the European Standard (EN 1634-1) until the current revi
Answer: On 2 September 2024, the Government announced the withdrawal of National Classes fire testing standards from Approved Document B, ending the dual classification system in favour of the European Standard (BS EN 13501). This change aimed to enhance fire pro...
Answered 15 May 2025
Original Parliament recordDoors: Fire PreventionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 7 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50589More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the evidential basis is for proposals to remove the national BS 476-22 classification for fire door resistance from Approved Document B.
Answer: On 2 September 2024, the Government announced the withdrawal of National Classes fire testing standards from Approved Document B, ending the dual classification system in favour of the European Standard (BS EN 13501). This change aimed to enhance fire pro...
Answered 15 May 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46905More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) asylum seekers and (b) refugees are housed in accommodation procured by Clearsprings Ready Homes by local authority.
Answer: Under the current Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts, Serco provides accommodation in the North West and Midlands and East of England regions; Mears provides accommodation in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber;...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren: ProtectionDepartment for EducationTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46904More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what type of public body the child protection authority will be; what powers it will have; how it will be funded; whether it will subsume existing (a) public bodies and (b) regulators; and what powers it will h
Answer: The government has committed to consulting on a roadmap to establish a Child Protection Authority for England. The design and delivery of this Authority requires consultation, including with child protection experts and victim groups to ensure it has the ...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46903More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) asylum seekers and (b) refugees are housed in accommodation procured by Mears by local authority.
Answer: Under the current Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts, Serco provides accommodation in the North West and Midlands and East of England regions; Mears provides accommodation in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber;...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46902More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) asylum seekers and (b) refugees are housed in accommodation procured by Serco by local authority.
Answer: Under the current Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts, Serco provides accommodation in the North West and Midlands and East of England regions; Mears provides accommodation in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber;...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HotelsHome OfficeTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46901More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2025 to Question 40190, on Asylum: Hotels, if she will publish each letter sent to each local authority chief executive since 4 July 2024.
Answer: The Home Office does not routinely publish correspondence on operational matters.In addition, it has been the longstanding policy of the Home Office under successive governments not to comment publicly on individual hotels which may or may not be utilised...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46900More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 43097 on Asylum: Housing, how many dwellings have been procured via Cushman and Wakefield by local authority; and what the cost of those dwellings is
Answer: The Home Office is working closely with a range of stakeholders to fulfil its statutory obligations, while seeking to reduce the overall cost of asylum accommodation for the taxpayer.As part of this programme, the Home Office works with its contracted est...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordOffences against Children: ReviewsHome OfficeTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46899More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 29611 on Offences against Children: Reviews, how many local inquiries will be supported; and at what average cost.
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 7 April to Question UIN 44574, and to the responses I gave in Parliament on 28 April.The Home Secretary has commissioned Baroness Louise Casey to conduct an audit to improve national understanding of the scal...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordOffences against ChildrenHome OfficeTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46898More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish correspondence sent to local authorities on (a) accessing funding for locally-led work on grooming gangs and (b) the conditions of funding.
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 7 April to Question UIN 44574, and to the responses I gave in Parliament on 28 April.The Home Secretary has commissioned Baroness Louise Casey to conduct an audit to improve national understanding of the scal...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordOffences against Children: ReviewsHome OfficeTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46897More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when Baroness Casey will report on the national audit into grooming gangs.
Answer: I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 7 April to Question UIN 44574, and to the responses I gave in Parliament on 28 April.The Home Secretary has commissioned Baroness Louise Casey to conduct an audit to improve national understanding of the scal...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordRefugees: Temporary AccommodationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46896More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of former foreign national asylum seekers granted (a) refugee status and (b) settlement claiming (i) emergency homeless and (i
Answer: The most recent statutory homelessness statistics (July – September 2024) is available at: Homelessness statistics - GOV.UK, which includes former asylum seeker households that are owed a homelessness duty.
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordRefugees: Social Rented HousingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46895More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of former foreign national asylum seekers granted (a) refugee status and (b) settlement claiming social housing.
Answer: My Department does not hold information on former foreign national asylum seekers claiming social housing who were formally granted refugee status and/or settlement. The Department’s social housing lettings in England statistical series includes informati...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: CostsHome OfficeTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46894More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average cost to the public purse is of an asylum seeker.
Answer: The Home Office’s publicly available transparency data sets out the annual costs of asylum support. The most recent data, covering the year 2023/24, can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-and-protection-data-q4-2024.
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: Local GovernmentHome OfficeTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46893More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2025 to Question 28146 on Asylum: Local Government, what data her Department holds on funding to local councils in England for (a) asylum seekers and (b) refugees
Answer: Funding provided to Local Authorities by the Home Office in respect of asylum & resettlement is made in the form of grant payments.As per the most recent published Cabinet Office grant data, in financial year 2023-24 these Home Office grants totalled ...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46892More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which contractors provide accommodation services for (a) asylum seekers and (b) refugees for her Department.
Answer: The Home Office’s asylum accommodation services are delivered under contracts by Serco, Mears, Clearsprings Ready Homes and Corporate Travel Management. These contracts were entered into by our predecessors.The Home Office does not have any contractors pr...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: Temporary AccommodationTreasuryTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46891More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her Department's guidance entitled Terms of reference for VfM Study on procuring short-term residential accommodation, published on 11 March 2025, how much local authorities have spent on procuring
Answer: The provision of asylum support, including accommodation, is the responsibility of the Home Office, not of local authorities. Local authorities do not provide any funding for asylum support. The Home Office’s total expenditure on asylum accommodation in 2...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament record
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