theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will amend planning regulations to facilitate converting holiday lodges into permanent primary homes. \p Matthew Pennycook: It is for local planning authorities to consider whether holiday lodges would be suitable to become permanent primary homes. Where a holiday lodge is judged to be unsuitable for use as a permanent home, for example due to its size, location or access to amenities, a local planning authority can attach conditions to the grant of planning permission which restricts the use of the property.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

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Samantha Niblett:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to ensure that local authorities hold a legally binding bond to ensure new housing developments are completed if the developer declares bankruptcy. \p Matthew Pennycook: Local planning authorities already have powers to issue a completion notice which requires a developer to complete their development if it is left uncompleted. If they fail to do so, the planning permission for the development will no longer be valid.

In our recent response to the NPPF consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, we made clear we are also taking steps to implement build out reporting, including bringing in a new requirement for housing developers to submit annual progress reports.

Where developers face financial difficulties before development is completed, we would expect local authorities to work with administrators to help unblock sites and restart housing delivery to complete the development. As part of their responsibilities local authorities should consider how to mitigate risks around infrastructure delivery including looking at the timing of infrastructure completion on site and considering whether it is appropriate to require developers to set aside bonds which can be used to complete infrastructure should the developer be unable to do so.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has an affordable housing target for this Parliament. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government has not set an affordable housing target to date, but we are committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.

With regard to grant funded affordable housing, the government will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for Social Rent.

In addition, the provision of affordable homes will be supported by our ‘Golden Rules’ for Green Belt development. Prior to development plan policies for affordable housing being updated in accordance with the revised NPPF, the affordable housing contribution required to satisfy the ‘Golden Rules’ is 15 percentage points above the highest existing affordable housing requirement that would otherwise apply to the development, subject to a cap of 50%. We estimate that under this model, the median Green Belt local planning authority affordable housing requirement will be 50%.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

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Dame Meg Hillier:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if her Department will take steps to encourage insurance companies to insure buildings with a PAS 9980 assessment of (a) low and (b) medium tolerable that do not require remediation. \p Alex Norris: Building owners are responsible for ensuring that buildings have appropriate buildings insurance in place.

The government encourages insurance companies to provide suitable, fairly-priced insurance for all blocks of flats, whatever the conclusion of the Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls.

Insurers make commercial decisions about the price and terms of cover they offer following their assessment of the relevant risks. Government is determined that insurance companies treat customers fairly and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value. The FCA has been clear it will be monitoring firms and, where necessary, it will take action.

My officials would be happy to speak to the insurance industry about any building brought to our attention, which is unable to obtain any buildings insurance cover.

For buildings that do require remediation, the Fire Safety Reinsurance Facility, led by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and reinsurance broker McGill and Partners, may reduce high premiums for some of the most affected multi-occupancy buildings with fire safety issues.
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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, in what circumstances foreign nationals not eligible for social housing are eligible for Government funded (a) temporary and (b) permanent accommodation. \p Rushanara Ali: Eligibility for social housing and statutory homelessness assistance are both determined by immigration status. If a person’s visa means that they cannot access state benefits or local authority housing assistance, they will not be eligible for statutory homelessness assistance, and therefore unable to obtain temporary or permanent accommodation.

As the eligibility rules for social housing and homelessness assistance are the same, an applicant who is not eligible for social housing will almost always also not be eligible for homelessness assistance. A small number of EU nationals with pre-settled status (PSS) may be able to access statutory homelessness assistance in a very specific set of circumstances should a ‘not eligible’ decision lead to a breach of their right to dignity under Article 1 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights which has direct effect as a result of the Court of Appeal ruling in SSWP v AT.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent steps she has taken with Cabinet colleagues to help alleviate child poverty in (a) Slough and (b) the Thames Valley region. \p Rushanara Ali: In the Labour manifesto we committed to developing an ambitious strategy to reduce child Poverty. I am part of the ministerial Child Poverty Taskforce which has since been established to drive this forward, aiming to publish a Child Poverty Strategy in Spring 2025. On 23 October we published our framework ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing Our Strategy’ and are exploring all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty. Local authorities are key partners in tackling child poverty and we will continue to engage with them to ensure the Strategy supports and enables shared solutions.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has issued guidance on foreign donors from which donations including via (a) third parties and (b) corporate companies may be accepted by political parties. \p Rushanara Ali: The Government does not issue guidance on political finance matters. The Electoral Commission, as the independent body responsible for regulating political finance, has a statutory duty to provide guidance on donations.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to mandate local government restructuring as part of her plan for devolution. \p Jim McMahon: The English Devolution White Paper announced that we will facilitate a programme of local government reorganisation for two-tier areas, and for unitary councils where there is evidence of failure or where their size or boundaries may be hindering their ability to deliver sustainable and high-quality public services. The White Paper was clear that reorganisation should not delay devolution and plans for both should be complementary, also that we will deliver this process as quickly as possible, including through legislation where it becomes necessary to ensure progress.

All levels of local government have a part to play in bringing improved structures to their area through reorganisation, and we expect all councils in an area to work together to develop unitary proposals that are in the best interests of the whole area.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of funding provided by the Government to local councils. \p Jim McMahon: We are providing a significant boost to local authorities in England. Taken together, the additional funding announced by the Chancellor at the Autumn Budget and at the 2025-26 provisional Local Government Finance Settlement will provide over £5 billion of new funding for local services over and above local council tax. This includes an additional £2 billion of grant through the Settlement in addition to a guarantee that local authorities in England will receive at least £1.1 billion in total in 2025-26 from the new Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) scheme, and a further £233 million of additional funding for homelessness services.

The provisional Settlement for 2025-26 makes available £69 billion for local government, which is a 3.5% real terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. The final Settlement will increase further, to incorporate the £515 million of funding announced for National Insurance Contributions.

The Department works closely with local government and other government departments to understand specific demand and cost pressures facing local government on an ongoing basis. This involves looking at a range of cost and demand data, as well as regular engagement with local authorities.
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Steff Aquarone:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to announce which local authorities have been selected for the devolution priority programme. \p Jim McMahon: We received proposals from a number of local authorities on 10 January expressing interest in joining the Devolution Priority Programme. We are reviewing these at pace, and we hope to announce places on the Programme in the coming weeks.
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Dr Simon Opher:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the consistency in EPC ratings provided by different assessors; and whether she plans to improve that consistency through changes to (a) methodology, (b) training and (c) regulation. \p Alex Norris: The Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations 2012 place a duty on accreditation schemes to ensure that Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are produced in a consistent and accurate manner and the energy assessors are suitably qualified and experienced to carry out their duties. Government regularly audits accreditation schemes to assess whether they are fulfilling their duties and takes action to address any issues found.
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James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the local government reorganisation plans will include provision on (a) planning responsibilities held by the South Downs National Park Authority for Lewes and (b) other National Parks. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government’s proposals for local government reorganisation will not change the planning responsibilities held by the South Downs Park Authority or any other national park. National Park authorities will remain the local planning authority for their areas.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring social housing providers to refer tenants to a local debt advice service before serving them with an eviction notice for rent arrears. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government is clear that social landlords should seek to sustain tenancies and should only evict as a last resort.

Landlords will, when managing their social housing schemes, provide advice and assistance to those struggling financially, including signposting to support services.

The Pre-Action Protocol for Possession Claims by Social Landlords sets out the actions social landlords should take to support the tenant before they consider taking legal action for rent arrears. These actions include making early contact with tenants to discuss the cause of the arrears, checking eligibility for housing benefit, assisting with any claim, and agreeing affordable repayment terms for the arrears. The protocol can be found on the justice website here.
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 6 September 2024 to Question 2316 on Equality, whether the socio-economic duty will apply to (a) Police and Crime Commissioners and (b) Police Constables. \p Anneliese Dodds: The Government is committed to commencing the socio-economic duty in the Equality Act 2010. The duty will require specified public bodies, when making strategic decisions, to consider actively how their decisions might help to reduce the inequalities associated with socio-economic disadvantage. Public bodies specified by the duty include police and crime commissioners established for an area in England. We will consider whether the list of public authorities to which the duty will apply requires updating as part of our research programme and evidence gathering.
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Colum Eastwood:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on attacks on (a) international aid agencies and (b) their (i) facilities and (ii) staff in northern Gaza. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: We welcome the agreement to end the fighting in Gaza. It is the first step in ensuring long-term peace and security for Israelis, Palestinians and the wider region, bringing much-needed stability. The Foreign Secretary met Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar in Israel on 13 January. He urged Israel not to endanger United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East's (UNRWA) ability to operate, and to prevent the collapse of the humanitarian response. I have also raised my concerns about the situation in northern Gaza with both the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister and the Israeli Ambassador, including the safety of civilians and medical workers. At the UN Security Council earlier this month, we shared our horror at the deterioration of healthcare in Gaza and urged Israel to abide by its international obligations, including those set out in UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2286.

Israel must do much more to ensure that civilians are protected, that much more aid can be delivered and that the UN and humanitarian partners can work safely and effectively. This includes ensuring effective deconfliction mechanisms and visa processes for international non-governmental organisations (INGOs).
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Tracy Gilbert:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of suspending export licences for F-35 components to Israel. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: On day one in office, the Foreign Secretary commissioned a thorough review into Israel's compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL), given the grave concerns about the conduct and consequences of the war in Gaza for civilians. The UK's robust export licensing criteria state that the Government will not issue export licences if there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of IHL. Given the conclusions of the review, on 2 September the Government suspended around 30 export licences to Israel, effectively covering all arms exports for use in the current conflict in Gaza, exempting components for F-35 aircraft which, for reasons outlined in the Foreign Secretary's Statement and the Business and Trade Secretary's Written Ministerial Statement, have been excluded from the suspension.
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Luke Akehurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on whether drones have been used by the military regime against civilians in Myanmar. \p Catherine West: We continue to monitor the escalation of the conflict in Myanmar closely, including the use of drones by the Myanmar military. The UK strongly condemns the military's use of airstrikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and places of worship. The UK is exploring a range of measures to disrupt the military's ability to use air capabilities to target civilians. In October 2024, the UK announced sanctions targeting companies involved in the procurement of aviation fuel and equipment for the Myanmar Armed Forces.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish any (a) electronic and (b) written communication from Downing Street to his Department on the Chinese Embassy before the decision was made to call in the planning application. \p Catherine West: The planning application has been called in by the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and she will make this decision independent from the rest of Government corresponding to her quasi-judicial role. Other Government departments have separately worked through considerations of the application. We have no plans to publish information relating to these conversations due to their sensitive nature.
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John Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 January 2025 to Question 20491 on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Media, which contractors were used for the spending on media training; which Ministers received the media training; and whether voice training was included as part of the training. \p Catherine West: The contractor used for media training was Robert Taylor Communications Ltd. As Minister for Indo-Pacific at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development I received the media training. No voice training was conducted as part of the media training.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many British nationals have requested consular assistance in Haiti since July 2024. \p Catherine West: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has not been approached for consular assistance in relation to British nationals in Haiti since July 2024. The FCDO advises against all travel to Haiti due to the volatile security situation there. There are currently no British consular officials in Haiti and our ability to provide consular assistance is severely limited. Consular assistance cannot currently be delivered in person in Haiti, however British nationals may access consular assistance via the British Embassy Santo Domingo. British nationals in Haiti are encouraged to read our travel advice and sign up for alerts.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the potential impact of accession by China to the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership on his Department’s policies on UK-China relations. \p Catherine West: The Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) membership is open to all economies able to satisfy the Auckland Principles: preparedness to meet the agreement's high standards; a demonstrated pattern of complying with trade commitments; and recognition that decisions are dependent on the consensus of the CPTPP membership. Discussion among CPTPP members is progressing on how to take forward accessions. Until a decision is reached by CPTPP members on this, it would be inappropriate to comment on the specifics of any other economies' interest in the agreement.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2024 to Question 19695 on Foreign Relations: Elections, what recent discussions has he had with his counterpart in Georgia; and if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of those discussions at reducing political tensions in that country. \p Stephen Doughty: On 16 December I spoke with Georgian Dream's Foreign Minister, Maka Bochorishvili, about the instability we were seeing in Georgia, and about Georgia's negative democratic trajectory. I stressed that police violence targeting peaceful demonstrators, opposition figures and journalists was unacceptable. On 19 December, the UK implemented sanctions against the Minister and Deputy Minister of Internal affairs and three police officials responsible for these violent actions. We continue to assess the impact of our actions, and to call on Georgia to realign itself with European values.
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Mark Ferguson:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support democracy in Georgia. \p Stephen Doughty: On 16 December I spoke with Georgian Dream's Foreign Minister, Maka Bochorishvili, about recent events in Georgia, and about Georgia's negative democratic trajectory. I stressed that police violence targeting peaceful demonstrators, opposition figures and journalists was unacceptable. On 19 December, the UK implemented sanctions against the Minister and Deputy Minister of Internal affairs and three police officials responsible for these violent actions. We have also suspended all programme support to the Georgian government, restricted defence cooperation, and limited engagement with Georgian Dream representatives. We continue to call on Georgia to realign itself with European values.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Georgian counterpart since the parliamentary election in that country. \p Stephen Doughty: In response to recent events in Georgia, the Foreign Secretary announced on 9 December that the UK would suspend all programme support to the Georgian government, restricted defence cooperation, and limited engagement with representatives of Georgian Dream. On 16 December I spoke to Georgian Dream representative, Foreign Minister Bochorishvili, and on 23 December the Foreign Secretary spoke to the Georgian President, Zourabichvili. Both the Foreign Secretary and I expressed our concerns at the instability we were seeing in Georgia. I was clear that Georgia's negative democratic trajectory, including violence targeting peaceful demonstrators, opposition figures and journalists was unacceptable. On 19 December, the UK implemented sanctions against the Minister and Deputy Minister of Internal affairs and three police officials responsible for these violent actions. We will continue to keep our policies under close review.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department's tender note entitled Procurement of a Contractor to build new British Embassy, Beijing, published on 2 October 2024, what the (a) timetable and (b) budget is for construction of the new Embassy; what consents are required from Chinese authorities, and what the status is of each consent. \p Catherine West: We continue to work on the details of the timetable and budget for the new British Embassy in Beijing. We have submitted our planning application for the new embassy and as with any project, this would be subject to due consideration by Chinese authorities.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the prevalence of human right abuses in China; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of such instances on civilians. \p Catherine West: People across China face widespread restrictions and violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms. China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and Tibetans, restrict civil society and independent media, and target human rights defenders and lawyers. We provided this assessment at the UN General Assembly last October, and the Human Rights Council in September. In addition, we joined a statement led by Australia on Xinjiang and Tibet at the UN General Assembly and a statement led by the USA on Xinjiang at the Human Rights Council, both of which provided further assessments of the human rights situations in the respective geographies.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2024 to Question 18362 on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Cost Effectiveness, when he expects to be in a position to provide details of departmental budget savings. \p Catherine West: The Department expects to have finalised savings plans by April 2025.
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Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help tackle the threat from the Russian shadow fleet. \p Stephen Doughty: Our oil-related sanctions are having a significant impact, with Russia forced to shoulder a 25 percent reduction in oil and gas revenues from January to October 2024, compared to the same period in 2022. Where Russia has sought to circumvent those sanctions, we have taken robust action. We have now sanctioned 93 shadow fleet oil tankers; and we are exposing malign maritime practices by requesting proof of insurance from suspected shadow vessels passing through the English Channel - an approach partners along the Baltic route will now replicate. We continue to step up our efforts, working closely with Nordic-Baltic partners and others, to ensure our sanctions' effectiveness and impact. We continue to keep further measures on oil and gas under active review.
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Luke Akehurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of China's Kamtok Dam project on the (a) environment, (b) society and (c) economy in Tibet. \p Catherine West: The Government would refer to credible external sources, including those from the United Nations, in relation to the impact of China's Kamtok Dam project. For example, in July 2024 a letter was issued from 13 UN Special Rapporteurs finding the project risked the "forced displacement" of Tibetans from their ancestral villages, with "irreversible destruction of important cultural and religious sites" alongside "irreversible or significant environmental impacts." It also noted the widespread crackdown on Tibetan individuals peacefully expressing their opposition to the project.
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Sir Ashley Fox:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support the tourism sector. \p Chris Bryant: The Visitor Economy is a key sector in all of our constituencies.

DCMS continues to deliver a generational change in how we develop visitor destinations in England through the Local Visitor Economy Partnership Programme.

VisitBritain’s upcoming ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ campaign will invite the world to come to visit the UK’s iconic film and TV locations.

I am chairing the inaugural meeting of the Government’s new Visitor Economy Advisory Council next week, which will play a pivotal role in co-creating and delivering a growth strategy which I hope to publish later this year.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions (a) she and (b) her Department has had with the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee since July 2024. \p Stephanie Peacock: The work of the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee is delivered by the Cabinet Office, not by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. While my officials are in regular contact with the Secretariat team in the Cabinet Office and offer their support, any questions relating to the activity of, and approach taken by, the Committee should be addressed by the Cabinet Office.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help reduce (a) motor neurone disease, b) Alzheimer's and c) chronic traumatic encephalopathy in retired professional rugby union players. \p Stephanie Peacock: The safety, wellbeing and welfare of everyone taking part in sport is absolutely paramount. National Governing Bodies are responsible for the regulation of their sports, and for ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to protect participants from harm.

The Government takes the issue of head injuries very seriously. National guidance for concussion in grassroots sport was introduced in 2023, developed by international experts on concussion and acquired brain injury to better identify, manage and prevent the issue. We continue to encourage National Governing Bodies to adapt the guidance to their own sport where appropriate.

The Government remains committed to working with all relevant stakeholders to build on the positive work that is already taking place to ensure that everyone can take part in sport as safely as possible.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with the BBC on the potential merits of introducing an alternative funding scheme to the licence fee. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government remains committed to the licence fee for the remainder of the current Charter period.

Ministers and officials in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have regular discussions with the BBC, and the Secretary of State had her first formal meeting on the Charter Review process with the Director General in November 2024. As part of the next Charter Review, discussions with the BBC will continue to focus on how to ensure the BBC thrives well into the next decade and beyond. This will include ongoing discussions on a range of important issues, including future funding models. Funding the BBC through general taxation is not being considered.

We will work closely with the BBC, and engage with other broadcasters, stakeholders across the creative industries as well as the British public to inform our thinking. This will include the opportunity for stakeholders and audiences across the country to respond to the Charter Review public consultation before the new Charter comes into effect in 2028.
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Laurence Turner:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Answer of 3 November 2020 to Question 110812 on Renewable Energy: Government Assistance, if he will publish the same information for each year since 2019-20. \p Michael Shanks: Yes, I will be happy to publish this information. The information will take time to research and collate. I will place the information you have requested in the Libraries of the House as soon as it is available.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the Government plans to continue providing subsidy payments to the Drax power station. \p Michael Shanks: A consultation was held under the previous administration on whether a transitional support mechanism should be introduced for large-scale biomass generators when their current support ends. Government is considering the responses to that consultation and no final decision has been taken as to whether alternate future support arrangements will be introduced.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_190

Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to decolonise the (a) artwork and (b) heritage assets in (i) his Department and (ii) each of its arm's length bodies. \p Michael Shanks: The Department is a customer of the Government Property Agency (GPA) in its office locations. Artwork that is displayed in these locations is owned by Government Art Collection which is part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. GPA is responsible for any heritage assets.

As separate entities, arm’s-length body are responsible for artwork and heritage items that sit within their office locations, rather than with the Department.
wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_191
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_191

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the annual running costs of the Solar Taskforce. \p Michael Shanks: There is no dedicated funding stream for the Solar Taskforce, and external Taskforce members participate without financial reimbursement. As a result, the costs of the Solar Taskforce are negligible.
wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_192
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_192

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the annual running costs of the Global Clean Power Alliance. \p Michael Shanks: The Global Clean Power Alliance aims to accelerate the delivery of the global clean power transition, bringing together a coalition of countries who share ambition and are ready to take action to overcome the biggest challenges in delivering clean power globally. The initiative is being delivered through existing resources, including by streamlining existing efforts, in collaboration with other countries and international organisations.

The running costs of the Global Clean Power Alliance are met within the Department’s resource spending, as set out in the recent Spending Review. The Department accounts for its spending in its annual report and accounts.
wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_193
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_193

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the annual running costs of Mission Control. \p Michael Shanks: The running costs of Mission control are met within the Department’s resource spending, as set out in the recent Spending Review. The Department accounts for its spending in its annual report and accounts.
wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_194
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_194

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the annual running costs of the National Energy System Operator. \p Michael Shanks: The National Energy System Operator (NESO), established on 1 October 2024, is regulated by Ofgem which has responsibility for scrutinising and approving NESO's operational costs.

NESO recently launched a consultation on its regulatory Business Plan for Financial Year 2025/26 which sets out forecasted costs of £690m. Note that this includes NESO's set up costs, therefore will be higher than normal.
wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_195
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_195

Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Government Office for Science's research entitled What are the technical and policy barriers to increasing EV battery recycling capacity in the UK?, updated on 21 November 2023, what progress he has made in researching (a) water miscible binders, (b) binderless electrodes and (c) methods of recycling polyvinylidene difluoride. \p Michael Shanks: The £610m Faraday Battery Challenge, delivered by Innovate UK, supports mission-led academic research on battery recycling technologies through the Faraday Institution’s (FI’s) ReLiB project. ReLiB researchers at the University of Leicester have recently demonstrated algae-derived water miscible anode blinders that can be fully recovered at the end of the batteries life, and are looking to demonstrate an “all” water-soluble binder system that will simplifying battery recycling by the Summer 2025.

ReLiB researchers at the University of Birmingham have also been collaborating with a leading supplier of polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) binder on the use of “green” solvents for binder recovery from used batteries. They have also recently demonstrated a new process to recover and reuse PVDF binders in new cells.
wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_196
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_196

Richard Tice:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) mining and (b) processing rare earth minerals required for renewable technologies including (i) wind turbines and (ii) solar panels on the environment. \p Michael Shanks: The criticality of minerals, including Rare Earth Elements (REEs), are evaluated through the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre (CMIC), led by the British Geological Survey. CMIC determines criticality on the basis of economic vulnerability and supply risk, through indicators including Environmental, Social and Governance standards.

Building on this assessment, the Department for Business and Trade will work with industry to publish a new Critical Minerals Strategy this year. This will help secure our supply chains, including for Rare Earth Elements, for the long term and support the green industries of the future.
wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_197
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_197

Dr Simon Opher:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to introduce (a) exemptions and (b) alternative pathways for landlords unable to meet the EPC C rating requirement due to structural limitation. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Government will consult shortly on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector. The consultation will include proposals for rented homes to achieve Energy Performance Certificate C or equivalent by 2030. In this consultation, we will set out proposals on the exemptions regime for properties that cannot meet the proposed increased standard. We encourage landlords and other key stakeholders to feed into this consultation when it is published.
wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_198
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_198

Dr Simon Opher:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what support is available for landlords of traditional pre-1919 buildings to (a) conduct detailed retrofit assessments and (b) ensure compliance with EPC requirements. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Support is available to landlords to improve their properties. An eligibility tool is available on our ‘Help for Households’ GOV.UK page that will help landlords find the support available to them. Guidance for how to comply with EPC requirements can be found on gov.uk via the following links: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/energy-performance-certificates and https://www.gov.uk/guidance/domestic-private-rented-property-minimum-energy-efficiency-standard-landlord-guidance.
wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_199
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_199

Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of supplies of Liquefied Natural Gas between January and April 2025. \p Michael Shanks: We are confident that we will attract sufficient supplies of Liquified Natural Gas between January and April 2025. In their 2024/25 Winter Outlook, National Gas, the Gas System Operator, noted that they expect the market to deliver LNG supplies to the UK when needed, evidenced in previous years, as prices shift to attract necessary cargoes. We have seen this occur over the first half of winter 2024/25 and expect this to continue over the second half.
wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_200
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_200

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 17189 on National Grid: Costs of the Western and Eastern Links, if he will make an estimate of the time for delivering the onshore option for Eastern Green Link 1 and 2. \p Michael Shanks: At the time of Ofgem’s decision for Eastern Green Link (EGL) 1&2 Final Need Case, an onshore option was expected to be delivered by 2036, based on information provided by the Transmission Owner, National Grid Electricity Transmission. It was not included as part of the Final Need Case,[1] as analysis conducted by the Electricity System Operator found that the reinforcement was needed earlier than the onshore option could be delivered.[2]

[1] https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-11/EGL1%20Project%20Assessment%20Decision%20Final.pdf

[2] https://www.neso.energy/document/162356/download
wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_201
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_201

James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of taking (a) legislative and (b) regulatory steps to help improve lithium-ion battery safety; including in the planning application process for new battery energy storage systems. \p Michael Shanks: Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are regulated by the Health and Safety Executive within a robust framework which requires battery designers, installers, and operators to take the necessary measures to ensure health and safety through all stages of the system’s deployment.

Government has updated planning practice guidance to encourage BESS developers to engage with local fire services and for local planning authorities to refer to guidance published by the National Fire Chiefs Council.

Government has considered the merits of taking further steps, and in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan committed that Defra will consult by June 2025 on including BESS within the Environmental Permitting Regulations.