David Simmonds MP: written questions
1010 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Asylum: FinanceHome OfficeTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22075More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the status of the new fund for local authorities to provide asylum accommodation.
Answer: The Home Office is working across government to explore innovative models of asylum accommodation that achieve value for money and support asylum system reform and further detail will be provided in due course.
Answered 15 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordPropertymarkMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22074More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what (a) meetings and (b) correspondence she has had with Propertymark.
Answer: Details of ministerial meetings are published on gov.uk on a quarterly basis. The Secretary of State has not exchanged ministerial correspondence with Propertymark, not has she met with Propertymark since her reappointment.
Answered 25 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordIndustrial Disputes: Birmingham City CouncilMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22073More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions has the (a) Secretary of State and (b) Minister for Local Government had with (i) Birmingham City Council, (ii) the Best Value intervention team, (iii) trade uni
Answer: During the acute phase of the waste dispute last year, the Government took decisive action in lock step with the Council to ensure waste in the city was safely and sustainably managed. The result was to establish a regular, reliable waste collection servi...
Answered 11 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordHousing: Repairs and MaintenanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22072More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what was the business case for the Avant Homes payment plan agreement for its Developer Remediation Contract of January 2026; and how many other housing developers have been give
Answer: Under the Developer Remediation Contract, developers committed to fix or pay to fix over 2,600 buildings at a cost to themselves of around £4.2bn. This includes repaying taxpayers for money spent to fix any of those buildings through government schemes. T...
Answered 9 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordVistry GroupMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026Awaiting answerUIN 22071More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to purchase or nationalise the housebuilder, Vistry.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordReservoirs: Planning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026Awaiting answerUIN 22070More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what is the timetable and terms of reference for the review of permitted development rights for on-farm reservoirs.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordElectoral RegisterMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22069More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what is the budget for automatic voter registration over the Spending Review period, and what costs have been monetised to date.
Answer: The Improving Voter Registration policy has been appraised in the Impact Assessment for the Representation of the People Bill, and all monetised costs of the policy are set out in that assessment.
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordTake-away Food: Planning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026Awaiting answerUIN 22068More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to HC5 in the revised National Planning Policy Framework, what is the definition of a hot food takeaway in planning terms; and whether it includes sandwich shops w
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordTake-away Food: Planning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Aug 2026Awaiting answerUIN 22067More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Creating a clear, rules-based planning system, published on 17 August 2026, whether her Department plans to place fast fo
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordCrime and Policing Act 2026Ministry of JusticeTabled 28 Aug 2026AnsweredUIN 22066More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when Schedule a) 137 and b) 138 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 will commence.
Answer: Section 137 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026, which creates a new criminal offence that applies in England and Wales, of retaining a child abroad without consent, will be commenced by regulations as soon as reasonably practicable. We must ensure suffici...
Answered 8 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: SurchargesTreasuryTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19149More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the answer of 21 April 2026, to Question 126749, on Council Tax: Surcharges, what the evidential basis is for residential dwellings being liable for both taxes, including the proposed higher level
Answer: The Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings (ATED) applies to companies that own UK residential property worth more than £500,000. ATED is intended to tackle tax avoidance, ensuring those who 'envelope' residential properties, by owning or purchasing them throu...
Answered 4 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordReligious Buildings: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19148More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether there is a special category code which the HMRC Valuation Office uses to categorise places of worship for business rate liability or whether places of worship are exempt from the valuation process; and what
Answer: Places of Public Religious Worship are not valued for business rates. For Places of Public Religious Worship without a certificate, the Valuation Office consider the tests for Religious Exemption as outlined in the Valuation Office Rating Manual, here.
Answered 4 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: ValuationTreasuryTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19147More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate has the HMRC Valuation Office made of the estimated (a) number and (b) proportion of council tax appeals that will be (i) submitted and (ii) accepted, on the new council tax valuation list in Wales, fo
Answer: An estimate of the number of appeals following the Council Tax revaluation in Wales was published in the Welsh Government’s Explanatory Memorandum of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Act 2024. It can be found on page 88 of the document on their websit...
Answered 4 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: ValuationTreasuryTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19146More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the answer of 17 September 2024, to Question 5223, on Council Tax: Wales, whether an external firm has been commissioned to assist on council tax automated valuation model or computer assisted mass
Answer: The only external contractor which worked on the development of the automated valuation model is referenced in the reply to UIN 5223.
Answered 4 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: ValuationTreasuryTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19145More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the proposed publication date by the HMRC Valuation Office for the draft council tax valuation list in Wales is, following the council tax revaluation.
Answer: Section 20 of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Act 2024 states that publication of the proposed valuation list will either be no later than the 1 September before the date on which the list is to be compiled in a revaluation year, or another date set ...
Answered 4 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordLicensed Premises: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19144More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the answer of 20 April 2026, to Question 124647, on Licensing Premises: Business Rates, what special category code the HMRC Valuation Office uses for the business rates valuation of a wine bar.
Answer: I refer the member to the answer given to Question UIN 106140 on 21 January 2026.
Answered 4 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordRetail Trade: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19143More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 23 June 2026, to Question 9591, on Business Rates: Retail Trade, what the evidential basis is for the total business rate bills paid by the retail sector in 2026-27 compared to 2025-26.
Answer: The evidential basis is analysis conducted by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) using property-level rateable value data from the Valuation Office, alongside local authority returns, as published in MHCLG’s National Non-Dom...
Answered 4 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordTreasury: Mayor of Greater ManchesterTreasuryTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19142More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2026, to Question 8186, on Treasury: Mayor of Greater Manchester, if she will place in the Library copies of the correspondence from the Mayor of Greater Manchester since July 2024.
Answer: The previous Chancellor, who was the subject of this PQ, met and exchanged correspondence regularly with Mayors, including the Mayor of Greater Manchester, on a range of issues relating to local growth and devolution.Letters to the Chancellor from the pre...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: ValuationTreasuryTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19141More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 23 June 2026, to Question 10763, on Council tax: valuation, if she will place in the Library a copy of HMRC Valuation Office’s guidance on (a) site visits, and (b) requests for information,
Answer: HMRC’s Valuation Office does not publish guidance on inspections or requests for information for Council Tax purposes. Each property is considered on a case-by-case basis to determine its Council Tax band. Additional information may be sought from the tax...
Answered 4 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordLicensed PremisesHome OfficeTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19140More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what statistics are collated from local authorities on the number of licensed premises under the Licensing Act 2003.
Answer: The Home Office publishes biennial statistics on alcohol licensing in England and Wales, based on data collected from local authorities under the Licensing Act 2003.These statistics include information on the number of personal and premises licenses on is...
Answered 1 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordEuropean Programme for Integration and MigrationHome OfficeTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19139More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government contributes to the European Programme for Integration and Migration.
Answer: To determine whether the Home Office contributes funding to the European Programme for Integration and Migration would require extensive searches across a number of Home Office business areas and financial records.The information could therefore be obtain...
Answered 1 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordStrategic Migration Partnerships: FinanceHome OfficeTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19138More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2027, to Question 7200, on Strategic Migration Partnerships: Finance, why the publication of the aggregate spending across all partnerships is deemed to be sensitive.
Answer: Home Office funding is allocated individually to each Strategic Migration Partnership and varies according to local operational pressures, delivery requirements, and regional arrangements. As these agreements are bespoke and subject to individual arrangem...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordRadicalismHome OfficeTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19137More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 31 March 2026, to Question 122681, on Radicalism, if she will list the key partners who are being consulted.
Answer: The review of the engagement standards and the accompanying guidance is ongoing. We do not routinely comment on ongoing policy development. The refreshed standards and accompanying guidance will be available on gov.uk.
Answered 1 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HotelsHome OfficeTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19136More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2026, to Question 6860, on Asylum: Hotels, if she will publish a precise figure for the number of asylum hotels in operation in each month since July 2024, and the nu
Answer: The number of hotels in use has reduced from over 400 asylum hotels in summer 2023, there are now fewer than 190 currently in use and we are on track to close all by the end of this Parliament. The Home Office publishes statistics on a quarterly basis de...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 15 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 19135More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2026, to Question 7805, on Asylum: Housing, whether any local authorities have expressed an interest in the engagement notice.
Answer: The procurement for the provision of Asylum Support and Accommodation Services remains ongoing. Given the commercial sensitivities surrounding an ongoing procurement campaign, no further information can be released at this stage.
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament record
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