theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the total staffing was of her Department's Regions Group in (a) fiscal and (b) academic year 2023-24; and if she will make an estimate of the number of staff anticipated for 2025-26. \p Catherine McKinnell: The average number of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in the department’s Regions Group was 790 in the 2023/24 financial year and 825 in the 2023/24 academic year.

On 1 October 2024, 172 FTE staff along with their functions transferred into Regions Group, in advance of the planned closure of the Education and Skills Funding Agency in March 2025.

Currently, the expected number of staff in Regions Group on 1 April 2025 is 996.9 FTE.

Workforce allocations for 2025/26 have not yet been set.
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Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the consultation entitled School accountability reform – school profiles, improvement and intervention, published on 3 February 2025, what are the differences in (a) role and function and (b) qualifications and experience required between (i) National Leaders in Education and (ii) external advisers in Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence teams. \p Catherine McKinnell: Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellent (RISE) team advisers have an exceptional track record of school improvement and executive leadership. This includes individuals who are, or have recently been, headteachers, senior local authority officers or trust leaders. They have a much broader role in acting as the catalyst for driving a self-improving system, and designing bespoke, targeted interventions to under-performing schools, compared to National Leaders of Education (NLEs). Unlike NLEs, RISE advisors will not directly deliver these interventions but will draw on a range of high-quality organisations from curriculum hubs to high-performing trusts, to do so in line with evidence on driving improvements in school standards and outcomes.

The department’s targeted, mandatory RISE intervention is backed initially by over £20 million of funding for school improvement, far more than was available under the optional Trust and School Improvement (TSI) offer of a basic £6,000 worth of support per school compared to RISE’s of up to £100,000. In addition, the previous government had not planned to continue the TSI offer for schools which were newly eligible from September 2024, a decision this government has reversed.
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Laura Trott:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff her Department plans to recruit into the Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellent teams; and by what date the team will be fully operational. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department’s first 20 RISE advisers are now in post and work has begun with the first RISE schools. The advisers will work alongside the department to help support schools break down the barriers to opportunity and end the link between background and success. A full list of these advisers has been published on GOV.UK.

In addition to the RISE advisers in post, the department launched a recruitment campaign for a full cohort of advisers to start in the spring and summer term. We will be informing candidates of the outcome of this campaign shortly. Workforce allocations for 2025/26 have not yet been set.
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Laura Trott:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's consultation entitled School Accountability Reform – school profiles, improvement and intervention, published on 3 February 2025, whether schools due to receive structural intervention in early 2025 will still do so. \p Catherine McKinnell: Schools that are still due to convert and join a high-quality multi-academy trust or are due to move into a new high-quality multi-academy trust in early 2025 will do so.
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Shaun Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure enrichment activities for students in (a) school and (b) further education colleges are incorporated in the recommendations of the Curriculum Assessment Review. \p Catherine McKinnell: I refer my hon. friend, the Member for Telford to the answer of 24 January 2025 to Question 24528.
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Olly Glover:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve the value for money of education, health and care plans. \p Catherine McKinnell: For too long, the education system has not met the needs of all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with parents struggling to get their children the support they need and deserve, particularly through long and difficult education, health and care (EHC) plan processes.

The department wants to drive a consistent and inclusive approach to supporting children and young people with SEND through early identification, effective support, high-quality teaching and effective allocation of resources. Our approach will support families and break down the barriers to opportunity for their children.

The department recognises the complex financial challenges facing the existing SEND system and the strain that the rising costs of SEND provision are putting on local government. But this government also understands that more money is not always the answer. What matters is how the money is spent and what behaviours we are incentivising within the system from funding allocations. The government wants to focus on meeting more children’s needs in mainstream which enables children to thrive, provides high value and ensures more families have confidence that their children’s needs will be met without having to pursue an EHC plan. Where EHC plans are needed we will consider what further can be done to deliver these through inclusive mainstream provision.

The Delivering Better Value in SEND programme worked with 51 local authorities to review and improve the way their services are structured so they can support children and young people with SEND more effectively and sustainably. The programme required local authorities to develop action plans that place greater emphasis on early intervention in order to meet children and young people’s needs early.

The department has published an independently-commissioned insight report which showed that if the system improved, 65% of children and young people could have their needs met in a more effective way, and that this could lead to tens of thousands more children having their needs met without an EHC plan, in a mainstream setting, rather than a specialist placement.

The department has published a toolkit to help other local areas learn from the experience of those on the Delivering Better Value in SEND programme.
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Olly Glover:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to make funding available for Local Authorities to clear the backlog of young people waiting for their EHCP to be implemented. \p Catherine McKinnell: This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision (AP) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

The department recognises the challenges that families face in accessing support for children and young people as part of the education, health and care plan process and we are considering carefully how to address this situation. We have listened to many parents and those who advise them, local authority colleagues and partners across education, health and social care and we are reflecting on what practice could or should be made consistent nationally.

The department is providing almost £1 billion more for high needs budgets in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding to £11.9 billion. This funding will help local authorities and schools with the increasing costs of supporting children and young people with complex SEND. The department has also announced £740 million of high needs capital funding for the 2025/26 financial year to invest in places for children and young people with SEND or who require AP.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the number of appeals against Special Educational Needs and Disabilities decisions in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire; and if she will meet the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme to discuss the impact of those appeals on families in Newcastle-under-Lyme. \p Catherine McKinnell: The last Ofsted/Care Quality Commission inspection of Staffordshire special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services took place in February 2022 and identified two outstanding areas of weakness. An Accelerated Progress Plan is in place and progress is monitored regularly. The department has appointed a SEND Advisor along with a bespoke package of support from the Research and Improvement for SEND Excellence Consortium to support the Local Area Partnership.

The department knows that many parents struggle to get the right support for their children, particularly through what can be a long and difficult education, health and care (EHC) plan application and appeals process. We understand the urgency and the need to drive improvements but also are mindful that there are no quick fixes and want to take a considered approach to deliver sustainable system reform.

The department is working closely with experts on SEND reform, recently appointing a Strategic Advisor for SEND, who will play a key role in engaging the sector, including leaders, practitioners, children, and families, as we consider next steps.

We published independently commissioned insight, that suggests if the system is extensively improved through early intervention and better resourcing in mainstream schools, it could lead to many more needs being met without an EHC plan in a mainstream setting. This would remove the need for a Tribunal appeal.

As the Minister responsible for SEND and high needs, the hon. Member for Newcastle-Under-Lyme can contact my office and I would be pleased to meet with him to discuss these matters.
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Helen Grant:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure school uniform policies continue to promote school (a) identity, (b) pride and (c) inclusion, in the context of the proposed cap on branded items. \p Catherine McKinnell: Uniform, including a small number of branded uniform items, can play a key role in promoting the ethos of a school, providing a sense of belonging and identity, setting an appropriate tone for education, and reducing visible inequalities. However, too many schools require high numbers of costly branded uniform items and it is right that legislation limits the number of branded items schools can require. School uniform should be affordable and no child should be stigmatised due to financial constraints.

In setting an appropriate numerical limit of branded items, the department has looked at the available evidence to ensure we are striking the right balance between reducing costs for parents and recognising the benefits that some branded items may bring to school life.
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Juliet Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools (a) Broxtowe constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) England have been identified as stuck schools. \p Catherine McKinnell: In the ‘School accountability reform – school profiles improvement and intervention’ consultation, the department defined stuck school as a school that was graded requires improvement, or equivalent, at its most recent Ofsted inspection and was also graded below good at its previous inspection.

For this purpose, we have considered a sub-judgement of requires improvement for leadership and management and/or quality of education for a school inspected in the 2024/25 academic year as equivalent to a previous single headline grade of requires improvement.

Based on the latest published Ofsted inspection data, at the end of December 2024 there were:
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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of SEND provision in schools in (a) Bedfordshire and (b) the East of England. \p Catherine McKinnell: Bedford Borough was inspected by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in November 2024 and received the strongest possible outcome: “the local area partnership’s special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) arrangements typically lead to positive experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND”.

In 2022, Ofsted and CQC revisited the area of Central Bedfordshire to decide whether sufficient progress had been made in addressing the areas of significant weakness detailed in its 2019 inspection. They found sufficient progress in three of six significant weaknesses.

The department and NHS England continue to support and challenge the local area by assessing progress and providing advice through a SEND expert advisor.

Since the introduction of the current Ofsted and CQC Area SEND inspection framework in January 2023, five local areas in the East of England have undergone inspections. Suffolk and Hertfordshire were found to have systemic failings, while Southend-on-Sea exhibited typically inconsistent outcomes. In contrast, Bedford Borough, as stated above, demonstrated generally positive outcomes. Cambridgeshire was inspected in January 2025, but the report has not yet been published.

The department issued improvement notices to Hertfordshire and Suffolk and is working with NHS England to continue to assess progress against priority and strategic action plans.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that there is adequate support for parents learning how to care for a child with special needs and disabilities. \p Catherine McKinnell: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Under the Children Act 1989 local authorities must, in accordance with section 17ZD, assess and support the needs of parent carers who provide or intend to provide care for a disabled child and who meet the criteria set out. Services may include provision of short breaks or other support to assist parent carers.

The Law Commission are currently undertaking an independent review of social care legislation relating to disabled children. They are due to report their final recommendations to government in summer 2025, at which point we will consider proposals for reforms to the disabled children’s social care system, including the adequacy of the legal framework supporting parents carers.

The government funds Parent Carer Forums (PCFs) who are representative local groups of parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). They work alongside local authorities, education, health and other service providers to ensure the services they plan, commission, deliver and monitor, meet the needs of children and families locally.

The government also funds Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information and Support Services (SENDIASS) offer information, advice and support for parents, carers children and young people with SEND. The department’s contract funds the training of SENDIASS staff. Under the Children and Families Act (2014) it is a legal requirement that all local authorities have a SENDIASS.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department is working closely with experts on reforms, recently appointing a Strategic Advisor for SEND, who will play a key role in convening and engaging with the sector, including leaders, practitioners, children and families as we consider the next steps for the future of SEND reform.
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Olly Glover:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to improve the inclusivity of mainstream schools for autistic and neurodivergent young people. \p Catherine McKinnell: The government is committed to taking a community-wide approach, improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to children and young people with the most complex needs. The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) code of practice is clear that education settings should put in support to meet the needs of the child or young person when they are identified. All children and young people should be supported within their education setting. All teachers are teachers of SEND, including autism.

To increase understanding of autism the department has a contract with the National Association for Special Educational Needs. This contract funds SEND training and provides support for the school and further education workforce, with over 220,000 professionals having completed autism awareness training since May 2022.

In November 2024 the department brought together a group of leading neurodiversity experts to advise the department on improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream settings in a way that works for neurodivergent children and young people.

The department has also introduced the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme, alongside NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, backed by £13 million funding.

PINS deploys specialists from both health and education workforces to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and meet the needs of neurodiverse children in around 1,600 (10%) mainstream primary schools and supports neurodiverse children at the whole-school level. It is needs led, rather than diagnosis-led, therefore it includes children without a formal diagnosis.

The programme is being evaluated, and the learning will inform future policy development around how schools support neurodiverse children.
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Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on the recruitment of external advisers for regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department’s new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams will provide both mandatory targeted intervention to schools that Ofsted identifies as needing to improve, and a universal service for all schools, which will act as a catalyst for collaboration and improvement across all schools.

RISE teams will now begin engaging with the first schools eligible for the targeted, bespoke service, with more schools to begin in April.

The department’s first 20 RISE advisers are now in post. They will work alongside the department to help support schools break down the barriers to opportunity and end the link between background and success. A full list of these advisers has been published on GOV.UK.

Expert RISE advisers will work with the department’s Regions Group. Some Regions Group staff will work full-time delivering RISE work, others will deliver some RISE work alongside other roles. Workforce allocations for the 2025/26 fiscal and academic years have not yet been set.

In addition to the RISE advisers in post, the department launched a recruitment campaign for a full cohort of advisers to start in the spring and summer term. We will be informing candidates of the outcome of this campaign shortly.
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Natalie Fleet:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of parliamentary constituencies in England do not have sixth form provision within their constituency boundaries. \p Janet Daby: Information on each educational establishment in England is available on the Get Information About Schools service, which is available here: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/. In particular, the establishment fields download indicates which establishments have a sixth form and the parliamentary constituency they are in, available here: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Downloads.
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Dr Danny Chambers:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason designated sixth form colleges are not receiving the same funding for staff pay awards as sixth form college academies. \p Janet Daby: The government is committed to ensuring there is a thriving post-16 sector, which is vital to our missions to break down the barriers to opportunity and boost economic growth.

Sixth form colleges (SFCs), rather than government, are responsible for setting and negotiating the pay of their staff. Colleges are not bound by the national pay and conditions framework for schoolteachers. Along with further education (FE) colleges, SFCs were incorporated under the terms of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, which gave them autonomy over the pay and contractual terms and conditions of their staff.

Maintained schools and academies are funded on an equivalent basis, meaning 16 to 19 academies received this funding, whilst SFCs that remain in the FE sector did not. All SFCs have been free to apply to convert to academy status since 2022.

At the Autumn Budget 2024, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out an additional £300 million revenue funding for FE in the 2025/26 financial year to ensure young people are gaining the education and skills this country needs. The department has recently announced that it is making approximately £50 million of this funding available to statutory FE providers, including SFCs, for April to July 2025. This one-off grant will enable colleges and SFCs to respond to current priorities and challenges as they see fit, including workforce recruitment and retention.

The remaining funding will be made available in 16 to 19 funding rates for the 2025/26 academic year, with the aim of ensuring that all 16 to 19 providers are funded on an equitable basis from 2025 to 2026.

This builds on the department’s investment to extend targeted retention incentive payments of up to £6,000 after tax to eligible early career FE teachers, including SFC teachers, in key subject areas. The department is also delivering funding to support those young people who do not pass mathematics and English GCSE at 16, who are predominantly studying in FE.

The department will continue to offer financial incentives for those undertaking teacher training for the FE sector in priority subject areas. We confirmed that FE teacher training bursaries will be offered for a further year, worth up to £31,000 each, tax free in the 2025/26 academic year.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing the Primary-Secondary School Transitions Emotional Wellbeing Scale being developed by the University of Manchester and the University of Dundee. \p Stephen Morgan: The government recognises the importance of monitoring and understanding trends in the emotional wellbeing of children and young people, including through means such the Primary-Secondary School Transitions Emotional Wellbeing Scale developed at the University of Manchester and University of Dundee.

Schools are encouraged to measure pupil wellbeing to inform their whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing. It is for schools to decide how they do this to identify and meet the specific needs of pupils in their setting.
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Melanie Onn:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that special guardianship and kinship carers receive adequate financial support. \p Janet Daby: The government recognises the important role that kinship carers play in caring for some of the most vulnerable children. Kinship carers often take on this role at a time when they were least expecting to raise a family and we recognise the challenges they face, including financial.

In the Autumn Budget 2024, we announced £40 million to trial a new kinship allowance in some local authorities in England. The department will test whether paying an allowance to cover the additional costs of caring for a child can help increase the number of children taken in by family members and friends. ​​We will share further details and the process for selecting local authorities in due course.​

This is the single biggest investment made by government in kinship care to date. This investment could transform the lives of vulnerable children who can no longer live at home by allowing children to grow up within their families and communities, reducing disruption to their early years so that they can focus on schooling and building friendships.
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Sarah Champion:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which services she has distributed £500m to Family Help funding to. \p Janet Daby: 'Keeping children safe, helping families thrive’, published in November 2024, sets out this government’s approach to reforming the system of support for children and families, including the national rollout of Family Help, multi-agency child protection and family group decision-making reforms through the Families First Partnership programme.

From April 2025, the government will make over £500 million available to local authorities to roll out the Families First Partnership programme. The funding, announced as part of the local government funding settlement (LGFS), will be allocated across all 153 local authorities in England in two grants:

The final LGFS for both of the grants, including grant determination letters and local authority by local authority allocations, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/final-local-government-finance-settlement-england-2025-to-2026#grant-determinations-2025-to-2026.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what purposes the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months. \p Catherine McKinnell: This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Sir Ian Bauckham, to write to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
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Jo White:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether any (a) devolved and (b) delegated responsibility agreements with devolved authorities prohibit them from setting up individual learning accounts within the Adults Skills Fund. \p Janet Daby: The government has devolved approximately 60% of the Adult Skills Fund to the nine Mayoral Strategic Authorities of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, North East, South Yorkshire, Tees Valley, West Midlands, West of England, and West Yorkshire, and delegated to the Greater London Authority.

Devolved authorities are responsible for ensuring learners have access to the training they require to progress in life. It is therefore at the discretion of devolved authorities on what training or funding their learners have access to.
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Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support SEND transport providers with the cost of increased employer’s National Insurance contributions. \p Catherine McKinnell: Home-to-school travel is an integral part of the school system. It provides a valuable service on which many families rely. The department is grateful to the many transport operators for the crucial role they play in ensuring that children receive the education that they need to help them thrive.

Local authorities are responsible for arranging home-to-school travel for eligible children. It is for them to determine how best to do so, based on local circumstances and the needs of the children travelling. They might, for example, have an in-house fleet, provide passes for free travel on public transport or contract with private transport operators for the provision of buses, coaches, taxis and private hire vehicles. Where they contract with private operators, it is for the local authority and the operator to agree suitable terms.

The government recognises the need to protect the smallest employers. It has more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500 which means that more than half of businesses with National Insurance liabilities will either gain or see no change next year. Businesses will still be able to claim employer National Insurance Contributions relief, where eligible.
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Richard Tice:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff in her Department are responsible for (a) processing and (b) responding to Freedom of Information Act requests; and if she will make an estimate of the annual cost to the public purse of this work. \p Janet Daby: Answering requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 is part of the day-to-day work of all the department’s officials. The costs of officials’ time are not held in such a way that time spent on processing and responding to Freedom of Information requests can be estimated.
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Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using the UK’s plutonium stockpile to generate electricity. \p Michael Shanks: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) conducted substantial technical, deliverability and economic analysis to identify a preferred option for a long-term disposition solution for the UK-owned plutonium, considering options for immobilisation and reuse of the material as fuel to generate electricity. The outcome of this work recommended immobilisation as the preferred way forward to put the material beyond reach soonest and with greatest delivery confidence.

The plutonium cannot be used as fuel in its current form: new infrastructure for Mixed Oxide (MOX) fuel production would be required, as well as new reprocessing capabilities to sustain a closed fuel cycle. A proportion of the material is unsuitable for reuse in reactors and requires immobilisation in any scenario.
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Dr Roz Savage:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on steps to ease the process by which farms connect to the national grid. \p Michael Shanks: The Government is working with Ofgem, NESO and the network companies to fundamentally reform the connections process and reduce unacceptable grid connection delays. These reforms, if approved by Ofgem, will remove stalled projects and accelerate connections for viable customers with viable projects, including those on farms.
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Andrew Bowie:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the estimated timeline for the creation of new jobs by GB Energy on workers employed in the North Sea oil and gas industry. \p Michael Shanks: Our priority is a fair, orderly and prosperous transition in the North Sea, which drives towards our clean energy future of energy security, and good, long-term jobs.

Across this Parliament, we expect Great British Energy (GBE) will create 200-300 roles in Aberdeen. In the longer term, through its activities, GBE will support thousands of jobs across the country.

Government-backed training, and the Energy Skills Passport for oil and gas workers, that we delivered in collaboration with industry and Scottish Government, will ensure workers have the right skills to benefit from the jobs GBE creates.
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Andrew Bowie:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that GB Energy creates 1,000 jobs in North East Scotland within a reasonable timeframe. \p Michael Shanks: We have said that Great British Energy (GBE) will support thousands of jobs. This includes opportunities at its Aberdeen Headquarters, and through its activities and investments across the country.

As an operationally independent company, GBE will be responsible for its own workforce planning, to ensure the right skills, across the right locations, that enable GBE to deliver maximum impact for the whole of the UK.

The Department continues to work quickly to set GBE up for success and ensure the British people feel the benefits, including new jobs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

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Andrew Bowie:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs GB Energy will create in the (a) Aberdeen City Council and (b) Aberdeenshire Council areas in the next five years. \p Michael Shanks: Over the next five years, in the early stages of Great British Energy, we expect that the company will employ 200-300 people at its Aberdeen headquarters. Through its activities and investments, GBE will also support thousands of jobs across the country, including in Aberdeen.

Our ambition is to build GBE up to the size and scale of the world’s leading publicly owned energy companies, creating significantly more jobs in the longer term.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_185

Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many staff in his Department are working primarily on (a) fossil fuels, (b) renewables excluding biomass, (c) biomass, (d) carbon capture and storage, (e) nuclear energy, (f) energy networks, (g) energy storage, and (h) energy efficiency. \p Michael Shanks: The Department has around 4600 full time equivalents (FTE) working across multiple policy areas and programmes. These include renewables, biomass, carbon capture and storage, nuclear, energy networks, oil and gas, energy storage and energy efficiency, amongst others. The Department’s resourcing is recorded and aligned to its organisation structure, rather than to portfolios. This means we are unable to provide a detailed breakdown for each of the areas mentioned.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_186

Andrew Bowie:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the North Sea (a) energy sector and (b) trade unions on the estimated timeline for the creation of jobs by GB Energy. \p Michael Shanks: Details of Ministers' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly on gov.uk.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_187

Andrew Bowie:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to increase the amount of funding provided to GB Energy for increasing employment opportunities in Aberdeen for workers transitioning from the oil and gas sector. \p Michael Shanks: Great British Energy (GBE) will be capitalised with £8.3 billion over the parliament. GBE will begin its work with £125 million to spend in 2025, boosting jobs through its own investments, and by crowding in billions more from the private sector.

Government-backed training, and the Energy Skills Passport for oil and gas workers, that we delivered in collaboration with industry and Scottish Government, will ensure workers have the right skills to benefit from the thousands of jobs GBE creates.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_188

Andrew Bowie:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has had recent discussions with private sector investors on the expansion of GB Energy’s operations in Aberdeen. \p Michael Shanks: Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Published declarations include the purpose of the meeting and the names of any additional external organisations or individuals in attendance.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_189

Andrew Bowie:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what criteria his Department will use to measure the success of GB Energy in delivering (a) employment and (b) investment in Scotland. \p Michael Shanks: Delivering jobs and investment is at the heart of Great British Energy’s (GBE) mission to drive clean energy deployment, to create jobs, boost energy independence, to ensure UK taxpayers, billpayers, and communities reap the benefits of clean, secure, homegrown energy.

GBE will be held accountable through regular reporting to the Department. Parliament will also be presented with a copy of the annual report and accounts of Great British Energy which will include details of GBE’s performance in delivering its mission, such as supporting jobs and projects across the country, including Scotland.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_190

Seamus Logan:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to support the landfill gas to energy sector. \p Michael Shanks: Government recognises the benefits that Landfill Gas to Energy can offer, both as a form of baseload generation, and to capture and make use of methane in order to support our net zero goals. Government is aware that support under the Renewables Obligation Scheme, including for landfill gas generators, concludes from 2027 onwards.

Both DESNZ and DEFRA officials are speaking with key stakeholders to understand the impact that the conclusion of support will have on their future operations. This will inform any future decisions about whether further support for the sector is appropriate.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_191

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has plans to (a) increase awareness of fire risks for residents living near to Coryton Energy Park and (b) provide information to residents about what they can do to stay safe in the event of a fire. \p Michael Shanks: Planning applications for battery storage are determined by the local planning authority under the Town and Country Planning Act regime. The operation of this regime and the decisions made under it are the responsibility of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The Health and Safety Executive regulates grid-scale batteries within a robust framework which requires industry to act at all stages of the battery’s deployment to ensure safety. Of particular relevance to fire safety, the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (2002) set out requirements to protect workers and others from fire risks.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_192

Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to protect private renters from potential evictions and rent hikes as unintended consequences of mandating all private rented accommodation meets EPC C by 2030. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Government is consulting on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector. The Renters’ Rights Bill will also put in place new regulations to protect tenants. This includes providing stronger protections to ensure that tenants are able to appeal excessive above-market rents, abolishing Section 21 ‘no fault evictions’, and moving to a simpler tenancy structure where all assured tenancies are periodic. These measures provide more security for tenants and enable them to challenge poor practice and unfair rent increases without fear of eviction.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_193

Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to prevent housing associations levying commercial rated energy costs onto residents for domestic usage. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Under the maximum resale price direction landlords cannot directly profit from re-selling energy to their tenants. There should therefore be no advantage to landlords for their tenants to have high bills.

The previous Government ran a call for evidence on domestic consumers on non-domestic energy contracts. This showed that there is no single solution to address the multiple complex challenges faced by domestic consumers on non-domestic tariffs. The Government will continue to work with the regulator Ofgem and wider stakeholders on this issue.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_194

Olly Glover:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to tackle the proportion of people who die in fuel poverty in South Oxfordshire constituency. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Government is committed to a preventative approach to public health. Keeping people warm and well at home and improving the quality of new and existing homes will play an essential part in enabling people to live longer and healthier lives.

The Government is reviewing the 2021 fuel poverty strategy for England, and has kickstarted delivery of the Warm Homes Plan, including an initial £1.8 billion to support fuel poverty schemes over the next 3 years.

Multiple energy efficiency schemes support fuel poor households. The Warm Home Discount provides bill support to eligible low-income households.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_195

Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to include information on the benefits of updating circulator pumps in official energy efficiency guidance for consumers and businesses. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Government will consider how circulator pumps alongside other technologies will support greater energy efficiency and the transition to Net Zero.

The Government provides advice on energy efficiency improvements at the following Find ways to save energy in your home - GOV.UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_196

Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the widespread adoption of updated circulator pumps in the UK on energy savings. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Government is continuing to monitor the UK circulator pump market and will consider how these, alongside other technologies could support greater energy efficiency and the transition to Net Zero.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_197

Bradley Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has had recent discussions with his EU counterparts on linking the UK and EU emissions trading schemes. \p Kerry McCarthy: My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero engages regularly with international counterparts on a number of issues.