theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Stephen Gethins:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans his Department has to support civil society in Syria. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK has long supported Syrian civil society, and we will continue to do so. We engage regularly with a wide range of Syrian civil society actors on issues such as political participation, accountability and human rights, and provide funding through our programme work. In January, I hosted a roundtable discussion with civil society representatives on the situation in Syria, and we have previously invited Syrian civil society representatives to brief the UN Security Council during the UK's Presidency. As I made clear in my Statement to the House on 10 March, the UK remains committed to the people of Syria and will continue to stand with them in building a more stable, free and prosperous future.
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James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending legislation so that driving disqualification periods commence at the end of any custodial sentence imposed. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Courts can impose a driving disqualification for any offence committed after 01 January 1998.

Driving bans generally start from the day they are imposed at sentencing. This is because, if the offender’s ban was set to commence at the usual point of release, an offender released earlier (on an electronic tag for example) would be able to drive before the ban came into effect. However, Courts have a statutory duty to take into account the impact of a custodial sentence when imposing a driving ban at sentencing. Judges will therefore extend the disqualification period based on the custodial point of release, for all types of sentences including life sentences.
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Bradley Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to publish the assessment made by her Department with the Cabinet Office of prison maintenance undertaken in 2023. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The assessment carried out in partnership with the Cabinet Office in 2023, was conducted in line with Cabinet Office guidance and was consistent with the options appraisal approach prescribed by HM Treasury.

The information contained within the assessment is commercially sensitive and as such there is no intention to publish the assessment as this may prejudice future procurement exercises.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of food procured by her Department is sourced in the UK. \p Alex Davies-Jones: To date, the Government has not held information on where publicly procured food is sourced from.

Starting right away, for the first time ever, this Government will review the food currently bought in the public sector to determine the standards that it is meeting, where it is bought from and look to introduce monitoring for transparency and accountability within those supply chains to ultimately get the best food for the consumer.

This work will be a significant first step to inform any future changes to public sector food procurement policies as we want to help make it an equal playing field for British producers to bid into the £5 billion spend each year on public sector catering contracts.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of Court of Protection in (a) issuing granted orders and (b) training for staff. \p Alex Davies-Jones: Court orders in the Court of Protection are prepared and approved by the Judiciary before being sealed and sent to the parties by HM Courts & Tribunals Service. Regular management checks are conducted to review court processes, with additional training provided as necessary. Furthermore, the implementation of a new case management system in July 2024 provided extra training for all administrative teams concerning order production.
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Terry Jermy:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information her Department holds on the number of education, health and care plan tribunals that were lost by Norfolk County Council in each year since 2019. \p Alex Davies-Jones: Information about appeal outcomes to SEND is published at: Tribunals statistics quarterly: July to September 2024 - GOV.UK.

Appeal outcomes are not broken down by Local Authority in the routinely published data as requested in this PQ. These data are provided for academic years September to August as follows:

Norfolk City(1) Council

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

2023-24

(i) Number and proportion of those appeals determined in favour of the appellants

68 76%

161 67%

165 67%

219 70%

281 56%

(ii) Number and proportion of those appeals determined in favour of the local authority(2)

1 1%

3 1%

4 2%

8 3%

5 1%

(iii) Number and proportion of withdrawn appeals

12 13%

50 21%

52 21%

35 11%

54 11%

(iv) Number and proportion of appeals conceded before the hearing

6 7%

22 9%

22 9%

49 16%

48 10%

(v) Number and proportion of appeals still awaiting a hearing

0 0%

0 0%

0 0%

0 0%

2 1%

Total number of appeals to the tribunal(3)

89

241

246

315

502

1. Data for Norfolk is held locally as Norfolk County Council.

2. (ii) is the total of cases where the appellant wins the majority of the appeal (i.e. the appellant may be successful in 2 out of the 3 sections they appeal against).

3. In addition to the categories requested appeals can be struck out. This is included in the total number of appeals.

The information provided has been extracted from local management information.
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Terry Jermy:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to tackle the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) backlog in (a) England and (b) South West Norfolk constituency. \p Alex Davies-Jones: Although the First-tier Tribunal (SEND) has responded well to the significant increase in appeals it has experienced in recent years, we acknowledge that more needs to be done to reduce the time parents and young people have to wait to have their appeals determined. An additional 70 judges have been recruited for this chamber and began sitting from September 2024, with further recruitment scheduled.

The pressures facing the Tribunal are indicative of wider pressures in the SEND system. We are working with the Department for Education in the longer term to reduce the demands on the tribunal so that the outstanding caseload, and the time within which the tribunal can determine appeals, reduces in accordance with our key performance indicators.
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Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has considered establishing an independent national oversight mechanism for deaths involving (a) state and (b) law enforcement bodies. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The Government is committed to improving transparency and accountability in the state’s response to learning from investigations involving state-related deaths and more widely. To this end, we are actively considering how we can most effectively address concerns about the lack of oversight and monitoring of recommendations and findings from public inquiries, inquests and other investigation processes.

For example, in the context of the recent response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report (Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report: Government response (HTML) - GOV.UK), we have undertaken to establish a publicly accessible record of all recommendations made by public inquiries since 2024; we will ensure that this becomes standard practice for all future public inquiry reports; and will consider putting the requirement to maintain such a record on a statutory footing.

In addition, the Ministry of Justice is undertaking a programme of work in light of the Justice Committee’s recent recommendations for the coroner service, including those aimed at better learning from death investigation and other fact-finding processes. This will include further work to improve accessibility to information from coroners’ Prevention of Future Death reports; and to ensure, particularly across government, that lessons from these reports are learned; that learning is disseminated as quickly and widely as possible; and that it is effectively monitored and evaluated. We are also working with the Chief Coroner to identify ways to further improve the transparency and availability of the published reports and accountability for responses to them.
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John Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much (a) her Department and (b) each of its arm’s length bodies has spent on external communications through (i) Crown Commercial Service agreement RM6125 and (ii) other agreements since 5 July 2024; and which firms have received funding. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The Ministry of Justice does not hold any active contracts awarded under Crown Commercial Service (CCS) agreement RM6125, nor have any contracts been awarded under this agreement in the time period specified.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have been permitted to undertake diversity-related network time during core working hours. \p Stephanie Peacock: The majority of staff time spent on diversity staff networks is voluntary and unpaid. We have 11 staff in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport who have been permitted to undertake diversity-related network time during core working hours.
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Ann Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a similar scheme to the former Young Audiences Content Fund. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government has no plans to re-introduce a similar scheme to the Young Audiences Content Fund, which concluded on 31 March 2022. However, the Government is committed to the success of our world-leading TV production sector. UK-wide television and film tax reliefs, including for children’s television programming, continue to play a vital role in driving production, with over £5.6 billion of expenditure supported in 2024.
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Bradley Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February to Question 29771 on Churches, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to the Listed Places of Worship scheme on Cathedrals. \p Chris Bryant: Based on the Department’s analysis of previous data, 94% of applications between 2022-2024 have been under £25,000, and most of these claims were for under £5,000. We believe that the modifications were necessary and adequate given the tight fiscal challenges we face.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of giving the Gambling Commission power to regulate the gambling industry in Northern Ireland. \p Stephanie Peacock: Gambling is a devolved matter for Northern Ireland and therefore regulation is a consideration for the Northern Ireland Executive. We stand ready to support the Northern Ireland Executive with its plans.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with Northern Ireland Screen on funding for (a) television series and (b) films made in Northern Ireland. \p Chris Bryant: I have had no such specific discussions, but the Government supports film and TV production across the UK, including in Northern Ireland, through screen sector tax reliefs and the UK Global Screen Fund. The British Film Institute (BFI) works in partnership with Northern Ireland Screen on the BFI’s Film Audience Network and the BFI’s Northern Ireland Skills Cluster.

DCMS has funded the British Film Commission (BFC) with £6m over five years to support the growth of seven geographic production hubs across the UK. Through this, the BFC has provided ongoing support for Northern Ireland’s expanding studio infrastructure, including support to four key studios: Belfast Harbour, Titanic, Loop and Silverwood.

The BBC, ITV and Channel 4 have all commissioned critically acclaimed television programmes set and produced in Northern Ireland. This includes Blue Lights, Breathtaking and Trespasses. The Government wants broadcasters, and other commissioners, to be more ambitious in growing the sector outside of London and the South East and to commission content from every part of the country, so that British storytelling reflects the full diversity of people, communities and experiences across the UK.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps her Department has taken to support community theatres. \p Chris Bryant: Community theatres are an important part of the UK’s cultural ecosystem, and play a vital role in cultivating the creators and audiences of the future. They are the places where many actors, directors and designers learn their craft, and people experience their first live performance. Community theatres make a key contribution to their local communities, culturally, socially, and economically.

The government supports theatres predominantly through Arts Council England. Through their main funding programme, the 2023-2027 National Portfolio Investment Programme, ACE is providing over £100m in grants per year to around 195 theatres across the country.

Across all their funding programmes, including lottery schemes, for the financial year 2024-25, ACE awarded around £300 million to theatres/theatre based organisations.

Whilst all funded theatres play a key role in supporting local communities and engaging local audiences, ACE has funded work specifically with a community focus, and has awarded circa £10m to community based theatre projects through National Lottery Project Grants over 2024/2025.

Community theatres also benefit from the support that the government provides the sector through Theatre Tax Relief (TTR). Since TTR was introduced in 2014, companies have made claims in relation to 24,700 productions and £645 million has been paid out.

The government has also recently announced over £270 million investment for our arts venues, museums, libraries and our heritage sector.

Community theatres are also supported through the work of the Theatres Trust, a DCMS arms-length body and the national advisory and advocacy organisation for theatres, which offers advice, skills support through its Sector Skills Bank, and has grant-giving programmes. The Theatres Trust awarded Community theatres £200,000 from 2021-2024.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on generating new funding streams for arts and culture initiatives in (a) Staffordshire and (b) the United Kingdom. \p Chris Bryant: On top of significant public investment such as the £444 million per year of funding via Arts Council England’s National Portfolio, and the approximate £100 million per year through their National Lottery project grants, on 20th February the SoS announced an additional package of investment of over £270 million through the Arts Everywhere Fund for arts venues, museums, libraries and the heritage sector to boost growth and cement Britain’s place as a cultural powerhouse.

The Arts Everywhere Fund includes, for example, £85 million of support via the Creative Foundations Fund to support urgent capital works; a fifth round of the Museum Estate and Development Fund worth £25 million; and a fourth round of the Libraries Improvement Fund worth £5.5 million. This investment will support organisations across the country, including those based in Staffordshire.

Alongside investment, we are looking at the way the arts and culture sector receives support to help strengthen it further, by reviewing Arts Council England and exploring how we can better encourage philanthropy to attract more funding to the places that need it most. We want to ensure that the UK has the best framework for philanthropy and that partnerships between government, philanthropists, businesses and civil society are maximised. DCMS will continue to work closely with our partners in the philanthropy sector, and with colleagues across government, including HMT, HMRC and the Office for Investment.
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Terry Jermy:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the most effective steps to protect copyright and the creative industries against the increase of artificial intelligence usage. \p Chris Bryant: The government recognises the importance of the UKs copyright regime to the economic success of the cultural and creative industries, one of eight growth-driving sectors as identified in our Industrial Strategy. We also recognise the basic principle that rights holders should have control over and seek payment for their work, including when thinking about the role of AI. The current UK Copyright Framework enables creative right holders to prevent the use of protected works, but we are aware that this can be very difficult to implement in the context of AI, especially for individual firms and creators.

Responses to our consultation on the impact of AI on the copyright regime, which was published on 17 December and closed on 25 February, will inform our approach to the design and delivery of a solution to these issues. Our aim is to clarify the copyright framework for AI – delivering certainty through a copyright regime that provides creators with real control and transparency, and helps them licence their content, while supporting AI developers' access to high-quality material. We will now consider the full range of responses we have received through our consultation.
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Mike Martin:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which body is responsible for clearing litter alongside the A21 in Tunbridge Wells constituency. \p Lilian Greenwood: The responsibility for litter clearing on the A21 near Tunbridge Wells, falls to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of food procured by her Department is sourced in the UK. \p Mike Kane: To date the Government has not held information on where publicly procured food is sourced from.

Starting right away, for the first time ever, this government will review the food currently bought in the public sector to determine the standards that it is meeting, where it is bought from and look to introduce monitoring for transparency and accountability within those supply chains to ultimately get the best food for the consumer.

This work will be a significant first step to inform any future changes to public sector food procurement policies as we want to help make it an equal playing field for British producers to bid into the £5 billion spent each year on public sector catering contracts.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has to reduce fares on Thameslink services through its Great British Railways proposals. \p Simon Lightwood: Whilst it is our ambition through public ownership to deliver a more affordable railway, any long-term changes or concessions made to rail fares policy require balancing against the potential impacts on passengers, taxpayers and the railway. Through future legislation, we will set out the role Great British Railways (GBR) will have in fares, ticketing, and other operational aspects of the Railway. Fares and ticketing will continue to be the responsibility of train operators until GBR is established.

The Government’s plans for rail reform will deliver an accountable and integrated public body, GBR, which will take decisions on the use of the railway in the public interest and deliver Government priorities. GBR will plan and implement an achievable, reliable timetable, so that the services promised to passengers are delivered. Better coordination of the timetable will reduce delays, improve reliability and reduce costs.

Waste, inefficiency, and fragmentation on today’s railways is costing the taxpayer dearly. Reforming our railways will make them more efficient, providing better services for passengers and better value for the taxpayer.

Once all franchises are in public ownership, up to £150 million could be saved every year in fees alone that would have been paid to private sector owning groups. Instead, under public ownership, every penny can be spent for the benefit of passengers.
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has a policy on Uber taxi drivers operating outside the local authority area in which those drivers have a licence. \p Simon Lightwood: Legislation allows taxis and private hire vehicles to operate outside of the area in which they are licensed. Taxis can only ply for hire (pick up passengers at taxi ranks or be hailed in the street) in the area in which they are licensed. Pre-booked work by private hire vehicles and taxis can be undertaken anywhere. This allows the sector to work flexibly to meet the needs of their passengers.

The Government however recognises concerns around out-of-area working and is considering options to strengthen the regulation of the sector.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions her Department has had with local authorities on the public safety risks associated with ride-hailing firms operating outside their licensed areas. \p Simon Lightwood: Legislation has always allowed taxis and private hire vehicles to carry pre-booked fares outside the area in which they are licensed. This allows the sector to work more flexibly to meet the needs of their passengers.

All licensing authorities in England have a duty to ensure that any person to whom they grant a PHV driver's licence or a PHV operator’s licence is fit and proper to hold such a licence. Licensing authorities have the flexibility to set the standards they consider appropriate for applicants to demonstrate this. To promote consistency in licensing requirements and policies for both taxis and private hire vehicles the Department for Transport has issued statutory and best practice guidance to assist authorities in setting high safety standards, and to promote proportionate regulation in relation to other requirements.

Licensing authorities in England are required by law to share safeguarding or road safety concerns about taxi and private hire vehicle drivers licensed in other areas with the authority that issued the licence. The authority that issued the licence must then consider whether to suspend or revoke the driver’s licence.

Licensing authorities do not have the power to regulate private hire vehicle fares, as such services must be pre-booked passengers are able to compare prices and other factors prior to booking the service.

The Government recognises concerns around out-of-area working and is considering options to strengthen the regulation of the sector.
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Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to introduce an independent organisation to (a) monitor and (b) control parking fees at airports. \p Mike Kane: As commercial businesses it is for airport operators to manage and justify the amount and advertising of parking charges. Parking arrangements are subject to contractual agreements between airport operators, car parking companies and covered by consumer laws. While there are no plans to introduce an independent organisation to monitor or control parking fees at airports, the Department for Transport expects car parking at airports to be managed appropriately.
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James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much her Department has spent on infrastructure upgrades for (a) ports and (b) airports in preparation for the implementation of the Entry/Exit System. \p Lilian Greenwood: EES will need to be implemented at the juxtaposed controls in the UK. In general, ports are expected to provide infrastructure relating to border controls without government funding. Given the specific issues caused by the need to implement EES, the previous Government awarded a £3.5m grant to each of Port of Dover, Eurotunnel and Eurostar to assist with achieving the optimum implementation models at these juxtaposed controls.

My Department, National Highways and Kent County Council are working with Port of Dover on minor capacity improvements to the A20/Union Street junction to support the port’s new Western Docks EES processing facility. This is being led by Kent County Council.

British airports, and maritime ports other than Port of Dover, will not be implementing EES, as these ports do not host juxtaposed controls.
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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the affordability of public transport for (a) women and (b) children residing in women's refuges. \p Simon Lightwood: Delivering safe and affordable public transport are key considerations for the Government and our ambitious reforms of the bus system and railway will ensure services better meet the needs of communities.

The Department supports the Rail Delivery Group funded Rail to Refuge scheme which provides those fleeing domestic abuse (and any children who may be required to travel with them) free rail travel to a refuge. This support is crucial in providing essential access to transport for those in need.

We are also investing over £150 million to deliver a £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London from 1 January until 31 December 2025 to help millions of people. We will continue to explore more targeted options that deliver value for money to the taxpayer, to ensure affordable bus travel is available for the groups who need it the most.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with Avanti West Coast services on the number of delays between London Euston and Preston. \p Simon Lightwood: The Secretary of State met Avanti West Coast (AWC) in January to discuss plans to address industrial action. The Rail Minister also met AWC and Network Rail bosses in January to challenge poor performance and demand immediate action to deliver urgent improvements. While the performance of AWC is improving, it is still not good enough, with too many cancellations and delays. Poor Network Rail infrastructure reliability has also contributed significantly to the disruption felt by passengers.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to communicate upcoming service cancellations on the West Coast Mainline to (a) passengers and (b) potential passengers. \p Simon Lightwood: The department expects train operators and Network Rail to communicate service changes to passengers in a timely and accessible way to minimise disruption to their journeys.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has to increase capacity on Thameslink services through its Great British Railways proposals. \p Simon Lightwood: Currently all train operators are required to plan services and timetables designed to meet both current and future passenger demand, while also ensuring value for money for the taxpayer.

Improving railway performance is a top priority for this Government. We have been clear with Govia Thameslink Railway, who operate Thameslink services, that we will not tolerate poor performance and will continue to hold them to account through a range of measures.

The Government’s plans for rail reform will deliver an accountable and integrated public body, Great British Railways (GBR), which will take decisions on the use of the railway in the public interest and deliver Government priorities. GBR will plan and implement an achievable, reliable timetable, so that the services promised to passengers are delivered. Better coordination of the timetable will reduce delays, improve reliability and reduce costs.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her plans for Great British Railways will end the practice of cancelling stops to make services run faster once trains have set off. \p Simon Lightwood: The Government’s plans for rail reform will deliver an accountable and integrated public body, Great British Railways (GBR), which will take decisions on the use of the railway in the public interest and deliver Government priorities. GBR will plan and implement an achievable, reliable timetable, so that the services promised to passengers are delivered. Better coordination of the timetable will reduce delays, improve reliability and reduce costs.

We understand that missing stops will be inconvenient, but sometimes it is the best way to quickly recover a reliable service for all users.
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Mike Martin:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which body has responsibility for the maintenance and upkeep of the cycle path between Pembury Hospital and Tonbridge. \p Simon Lightwood: Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area, including cycle paths. Kent County Council is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the non-motorised user route that runs from Pembury Hospital to Vauxhall Lane, Tonbridge.

This Government takes the condition of our country’s roads very seriously and is committed to supporting local authorities in maintaining and renewing the local highway network and tackling the maintenance backlog. The Government has already announced a funding uplift of £500 million for the 2025/26 financial year compared to 2024/25, with Kent County Council receiving an additional £14.2 million for highway maintenance.
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Mr Paul Kohler:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish the (a) objectives, (b) timeline and (c) interim findings of the car insurance taskforce. \p Lilian Greenwood: The cross-Government motor insurance taskforce was launched in October. It is comprised of ministers from relevant government departments and the Financial Conduct Authority and Competition and Markets Authority. The taskforce is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sector.

The taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover. It will look at the increased insurance costs on consumers and the insurance industry, including how this impacts different demographics, geographies, and communities.

We will provide updates on the taskforce’s work in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-13 conversation_224

Mr Paul Kohler:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made a comparative assessment of the potential impact of expanding (a) Heathrow and Gatwick airports and (b) regional airports on (i) the economy, (ii) connectivity, (iii) the environment, (iv) health and (v) inequalities. \p Mike Kane: The Government has invited proposals for a third runway at Heathrow to be brought forward by the summer. Once proposals have been received, the government will review the Airports National Policy Statement, which provides the basis for decision making on granting development consent for a new runway at Heathrow. The Government has been clear that any airport expansion proposals need to demonstrate that they contribute to economic growth, can be delivered in line with the UK’s legally binding commitments on carbon and meet strict environmental requirements on air quality and noise pollution.

On 27 February the Secretary of State has said she is ‘minded to approve’ the expansion of Gatwick Airport. Gatwick Airport is now asked to respond to the Secretary of State on the matters raised by 24 April 2025. The Secretary of State will make her final decision on or before 27 October. As this is a live planning application and the Secretary of State has a quasi-judicial role in this process we therefore cannot comment on it further.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-13 conversation_225

Mike Martin:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people were killed in road traffic collisions on the A21 in Tunbridge Wells constituency in each year since 2019. \p Lilian Greenwood: The number of people killed in reported road collisions on the A21 in the Tunbridge Wells constituency in each year since 2019 are shown in the table. The latest year for which data is available is 2023.

Year

Number of fatalities

2019

2

2020

2

2021

1

2022

0

2023

1
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-13 conversation_226

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 29571, if he will publish the results of the package of research. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Yes, the results of the package of research will be published in due course. The results will complement the research published in January 2024: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defining-and-identifying-complex-to-decarbonise-homes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-13 conversation_227

Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Households near new pylons to save hundreds on energy bills, published on 10 March 2025, when those measures will (a) be implemented and (b) come into effect; whether the Norwich to Tilbury Great Grid Upgrade will be in scope; how many (i) households and (ii) landowners would receive financial support along the route of the Norwich to Tilbury Great Grid Upgrade proposals; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the Norwich to Tilbury Great Grid Update of implementing those reforms. \p Michael Shanks: The bill discount scheme will apply to eligible domestic residents and is planned to go live from 2026 once regulations have been laid, when Parliamentary time allows. Eligibility will be set out in regulations, but our aim is that major new transmission projects needed for 2030 will be eligible. Further impact analysis will be conducted prior to scheme introduction. The proposed funding mechanism is by an obligation on electricity suppliers, so it would not directly impact the cost of an infrastructure project. The Government has also published community funds guidance, which could apply to transmission projects yet to start construction.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-transmission-infrastructure-proposed-bill-discount-scheme

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-transmission-network-infrastructure-community-funds
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-13 conversation_228

Wera Hobhouse:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to provide support to (a) anaerobic digestion plants and (b) other small energy producers. \p Michael Shanks: The Government is aware that the expiration of Renewables Obligation accreditation may affect the commercial viability of generators from a range of technologies, including anaerobic digestion plants and other small scale generators.

We are continuing to assess the situation to understand the impact of the end of Renewables Obligation support on security of supply, clean power 2030 and the environment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-13 conversation_229

Gideon Amos:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to develop enhanced tariffs to incentivise rooftop solar generation. \p Michael Shanks: Incentivising rooftop solar is at the heart of the clean energy mission. Actions to support further deployment will be included in the Solar Roadmap, due to be published shortly.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-13 conversation_230

Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Answer of 27 September 2024 to Question HL1116 on Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Equality, how many staff in his Department have been permitted to undertake diversity-related network time during core working hours since 1 January 2025. \p Michael Shanks: The majority of staff time spent on diversity staff networks is voluntary and unpaid. All staff in the Department can take part in diversity-related network activities during core working hours with agreement from their line manager. There are currently 40 Chairs and Champions across 11 diversity networks. These staff are given a weekly pro-rata time allocation of 10% to support respective network activity.

The Department values its diversity networks and is committed to promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in partnership with them.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-13 conversation_231

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information his Department holds on the number of (a) offices, (b) shops and (c) warehouses which do not currently meet the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for commercial buildings being proposed for 2030. \p Sarah Jones: Based on publicly available MHCLG data, approximately 87% of offices, 83% of shops, and 91% of warehouses have a valid EPC rated below EPC B - the minimum standard proposed in the 2019 consultation to strengthen the non-domestic Private Rented Sector Regulations. This data cannot be filtered by tenure and so figures shown relate to the whole non-domestic building stock, rather than the rented sector in scope of these regulations, which represents 40% of non-domestic buildings according to Building Energy Efficiency Survey (BEES) data.

The government has not yet published the response to the consultation, which is scheduled for the first half of 2025 when we will set out the updated standard and date for non-domestic buildings. We are reviewing the MEES timelines to ensure sufficient lead-in time. The regulations contain a number of exemptions to ensure that properties only need to get to the highest EPC band where the improvements are practical and cost-effective.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-13 conversation_232

Gideon Amos:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the number of heat pumps that will be required to be retrofitted to properties as a result of delays to the implementation of the Future Homes Standard. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Future standards this year will ensure our new homes and buildings are fit for a net zero future. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is reviewing feedback from the consultation and will publish the standard specification in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-13 conversation_233

Ben Lake:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to protect consumers from the impact of the recent increase in the energy price cap; and whether his Department plans to take steps to ensure that utility companies reflect falls in wholesale prices in consumer energy costs. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The energy price cap will rise for the period 1 April to 30 June 2025 due to an increase in international gas prices.

The Government believes the only way to protect consumers permanently is to speed up the transition towards homegrown clean energy. The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy and have less reliance on volatile international energy markets and help in our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030.

We continue to monitor energy prices and the price cap and are working to ensure bills are affordable for consumers in the long-term, including through our work with Ofgem to reform standing charges, and through our Warm Homes Plan which will upgrade millions of homes to make them warmer and cheaper to run.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-13 conversation_234

Gideon Amos:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will bring forward proposals to mandate rooftop solar generation through the construction of canopies over car parks. \p Michael Shanks: The increased deployment of rooftop solar is at the heart of the Government’s clean energy mission.

As set out in the Clean Power Action Plan, the Government will assess the potential of solar canopies in car parks by launching a call for evidence on the issue. We expect to publish the call for evidence shortly.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-13 conversation_235

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether planning approval for nationally significant infrastructure projects is dependent upon having a construction traffic management plan. \p Michael Shanks: As per The Infrastructure Planning (Applications: Prescribed Forms and Procedure) Regulations 2009, Regulations 5(2)(a), (k), and (o), all applicants seeking development consent for nationally significant infrastructure projects must include a plan identifying any new or altered means of access, stopping up of streets or roads or any diversions, extinguishments or creation of rights of way or public rights of navigation, means of vehicular and pedestrian access, and any car parking to be provided. It is not mandated that this must be called a ‘construction traffic management plan’ but these plans are often labelled as such.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-13 conversation_236

Bradley Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February to Question 29770 on Chinese manufacturing, whether major energy infrastructure including wind turbines are categorised as critical national infrastructure when they are procured from foreign countries. \p Michael Shanks: The designation of sites, systems and assets that make up the UK energy sector as Critical National Infrastructure is based on the extent that the loss, damage or disruption of that infrastructure has a major detrimental impact on the availability, integrity or delivery of the essential services of the UK energy system. This approach to identifying Critical National Infrastructure means that we assess all infrastructure, regardless of its ownership.