David Simmonds MP: written questions
457 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Horse Racing: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120471More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to 3/2026: Pubs and Live Music Venue Relief local authority guidance, whether race courses are still designated as retail, hospitality and leisure for the purposes of the RHL multiplier.
Answer: I refer the member to the answer given to UIN 97815 on the 8 December 2025
Answered 20 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordEden Project: MorecambeMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120470More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2026, to Question 105396, on Eden Project: Morecambe, what assessment has his department made for the reasons to the scaling back of the Eden
Answer: Since July 2024 the Eden Project Morecambe team has continued design work. An update on potential options for the development, including their size and scale, was presented to MHCLG in March 2025. These options were subject to ongoing community conversati...
Answered 19 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDomestic Waste: Waste DisposalMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120469More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Local Outcomes Framework of 9 February 2026, what consideration was given to having a metric on the frequency of household bin collections.
Answer: The Local Outcomes Framework sets out 16 national priority outcomes delivered at the local level and driven by councils as local leaders of place. Metrics in the Local Outcomes Framework were chosen from publicly available data adhering to clear quality s...
Answered 19 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElections: Proof of IdentityMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120468More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his proposed changes to voter identification requirements, whether Bank Cards would need to have a (a) photograph and (b) full name to be accepted as identifica
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 116475 answered on 9 March 2026.
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNew Towns: FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120467More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to split the funding of New Towns into separate waves.
Answer: On 23 March 2026, the government launched a public consultation on the proposed New Towns Programme and its environmental implications. This can be found on gov.uk here. The consultation makes clear that the seven locations we propose to take forward as p...
Answered 1 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordElections: Pilot SchemesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120465More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the written statement of 2 March 2026, HCWS1375, on Flexible Voting Pilots, how much additional central government funding will be provided to each council to assist
Answer: 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 co...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordEngland: AnniversariesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120464More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2026, to Question 109808, on England: Anniversaries, if he will hold discussions with (a) the Mayor of London and (b) any other local author
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 85176 on 24 November 2025, which confirmed that MHCLG currently is not responsible for anniversaries of this type. If the hon. Member is keen to raise this with the Mayor of London himself, his o...
Answered 19 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic Houses: PlanningMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120463More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of HC6 in the new draft National Planning Policy Framework on the last public house in a locality.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 105500 on 20 January 2026.We are currently analysing the feedback received to the consultation and will publish our response in due course.
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElections: Pilot SchemesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120462More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Written Statement of 2 March 2026 on Flexible Voting Pilots, HCWS1375, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending such measures nationwide.
Answer: 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 co...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: SurchargesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120068More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what representations has he received from (a) local authorities and (b) the LGA on the high value council tax surcharge being described as a council tax.
Answer: The Government has not yet formally consulted on the High Value Council Tax Surcharge. A consultation will be published in the coming months, to invite views and representations from the sector and other stakeholders on details relating to the Surcharge.
Answered 20 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordSecret BallotMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120067More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Election Strategy document, Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections, July 2025, para 113, for what reason the Governm
Answer: 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 ...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElectoral Register: EU NationalsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120066More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the most recent estimate is of the number of qualifying EU citizens on the local election roll in England.
Answer: 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 ...
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordBest Value: SurreyMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120065More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what will happen to the Best Value interventions in Surrey when the district councils are abolished; and whether there will be any central government monitoring or intervention i
Answer: The current Best Value arrangements for Woking and Spelthorne Borough Councils will lapse on West Surrey’s vesting day, due in April 2027, as these councils will be abolished. Commissioners are developing robust handover plans to facilitate a smooth trans...
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElectoral RegisterMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120064More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what is the timetable for the implementation of automatic voter registration, (a) pilots and (b) implementation, and whether it will be rolled out nationally in part by (i) area
Answer: 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 opp...
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElectoral Register: CommonwealthMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120063More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what is the most recent estimate of the number of qualified Commonwealth citizens on the UK Parliamentary electoral roll in (a) England and (b) the United Kingdom.
Answer: 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 inf...
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordSpecial Advisers: ElectionsCabinet OfficeTabled 11 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120062More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 16 September 2025, to Question 70559, on Special Advisers: Elections, and with reference to May 2026 Elections: guidance on conduct for civil servants, published on 2 March 2026, and th
Answer: The guidance on conduct for civil servants in relation to the May 2026 elections makes clear that civil servants - including special advisers - should not use official resources for party political purposes. This guidance is available on gov.uk. The Code ...
Answered 31 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAbsent Voting: FraudMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120061More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of postal voting fraud in elections since the 2024 general election.
Answer: 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 cl...
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordChinese Embassy: Planning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120060More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the final version of the Section 106 agreement for the Chinese Embassy planning permission.
Answer: All Inquiry documents for this case are publicly available on Tower Hamlets’ website here.
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Public AppointmentsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120059More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2025to Question 96897 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Public Appointments, when and where he will publish this thi
Answer: 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 d...
Answered 19 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPolling Stations: MosquesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120058More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has had discussions with local authorities on representations by the Muslim Council of Britain to place polling stations in mosques.
Answer: 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 Commissio...
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120057More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2026 to Question 111135 on Council Tax, what is the estimated average Band D council tax in England if based on his Department's council tax
Answer: The department has not made an estimate of the average band D council tax for core spending power calculations. The department’s council tax requirement forecasts in core spending power exclude the precepts of police and crime commissioners and parish and...
Answered 19 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Ministers' Private OfficesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120056More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2026 to Question 78241 on MHCLG: Ministers’ Private Offices, whether there are any (a) direct ministerial appointments or (b) external paid
Answer: MHCLG ministers are advised by civil servants employed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Given the technical nature of this work, the Department does procure some technical planning advice. All Ministerial advice from within th...
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Flexible WorkingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120055More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the required hours of working are for staff in his Department on full-pay who work a compressed four-day week.
Answer: 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 Civ...
Answered 19 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Flexible WorkingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120054More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of his Department's staff are on full-time pay with compressed hours.
Answer: 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.
Answered 19 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordSecond Homes: Council TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120053More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has issued guidance on whether the second homes premium should be levied on empty dwellings that are undergoing repairs or major refurbishment.
Answer: Councils have the power to apply a council tax premium on dwellings which are no one’s sole or main residence and substantially furnished (second homes) and dwellings which have been unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for 1 or more years (long-term ...
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
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