theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-27)

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Zöe Franklin:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Circular Economy Taskforce on the development of the repair and reuse economy. \p Mary Creagh: This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy. We have convened the Circular Economy Taskforce to help develop the first ever Circular Economy Strategy for England, which we plan to publish for consultation in the coming autumn. The strategy will be accompanied by a series of roadmaps detailing the interventions that the government and others will make on a sector-by-sector basis.

Defra recognises that repair and reuse are fundamental tenets of any circular economy, and a successful transition aims to eliminate waste and promote sustainability through reuse and resource efficiency. The Circular Economy Taskforce will consider the evidence for appropriate action right across the economy throughout the development of the strategy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-27)

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Ellie Chowns:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of land-spreading sewage sludge on soil contamination. \p Emma Hardy: The Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations 1989 (SUiAR) supported by the Sewage Sludge Code of Practice provide environmental and health protections from sludge spreading.

The Government is continuing to work with the Environment Agency to assess the regulatory framework for spreading sludge. We recognise that effective and proportionate regulations are an essential tool to improve the environment.

The Government has been working with water companies under their Chemical Investigations Programme (CIP), to improve the evidence base on the behaviour and fate of contaminants in during treatment processes. CIP phase 4 will include a Groundwater, Soil and Biosolids investigation. This will be looking at the fate and behaviour of multiple chemical compounds, including PFAS substances, to establish whether detected substances pose a risk to long-term soil health, groundwater quality ansd the wider environment.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of increasing public expenditure on schools in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Catherine McKinnell: Across the spending review, core schools funding, including special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) investment, will increase from £65.3 billion in the 2025/26 financial year (including the additional funding announced in May 2025) to £69.5 billion by the 2028/29 financial year. Taken together, this grows per-pupil spending over this spending review period by 2.7% in real terms. Decisions on how that funding will be allocated across mainstream schools and high needs will be taken in due course.

The national funding formula (NFF) allocates funding for schools to local authorities based on school and pupil characteristics. The government will be reviewing the operation of the schools NFF for 2026/27 and future years. The funding impact on individual local authorities will therefore also depend on the outcome of this review. This will be announced later in the year.

Surrey is the local authority responsible for allocating funding in Surrey Heath constituency. Through the dedicated schools grant (DSG), Surrey is receiving £895.8 million for mainstream schools in the 2025/26 financial year. This represents an increase of 2.2% per pupil compared to the 2024/25 financial year, excluding growth and falling rolls funding. On top of that, schools are also receiving additional funding for National Insurance contributions increases, as well as to support with staff pay rises.
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James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 59412 on Government Departments: Reviews, if her Department will publish the line by line review of its spending conducted for the Spending Review 2025. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department is committed to meeting the 5% savings and efficiency target, with spending review funding allocations agreed on this basis.

These funding allocations, informed by the findings of the Zero Based Review, are the first step in a wider plan to finalise budgets for different projects and programmes, with any necessary savings decided through that process. The savings taken forward will be subject to the normal rigorous business planning processes and in-year financial management.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of awarding teachers a 4 per cent pay increase on schools’ ability to (a) afford education supplies and (b) carry out building repairs. \p Catherine McKinnell: School funding is increasing by £3.7 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, meaning that core school budgets will total £65.3 billion compared to £61.6 billion in 2024/25.

This includes the £2.3 billion announced at the October Budget and £1.4 billion in additional funding being provided to support schools and high needs settings, with the increases to employer National Insurance contributions from April 2025 and the 2025 staff pay awards.

As part of that, the department is providing schools with £615 million in additional funding in the 2025/26 financial year to support them with overall costs, including the costs of the 4% schools teacher pay award and the 3.2% local government support staff pay offer in 2025/26. Schools, like other parts of the public sector, are being asked to do their part and to fund the first 1% of the staff pay awards. The circumstances will be different for individual schools, because they have autonomy over their spending, including staffing and educational supplies.

The government has increased capital investment to improve the condition of school buildings across England to £2.1 billion for the 2025/26 financial year. We have also given a long term commitment to increase annual capital maintenance investment per year through to 2034/35. This is in addition to investment of almost £20 billion in the School Rebuilding Programme through to 2034/35, delivering rebuilding projects at over 500 schools across England within the existing programme, with a further 250 schools to be selected within the next two years.
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Mark Garnier:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the adequacy of the jurisdiction of the SEND Tribunal. \p Catherine McKinnell: Most education, health and care (EHC) plans and assessments are concluded without a Tribunal hearing, but, increasingly, many families are having to go to Tribunal to get the support they think they need.

The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Tribunal is an important legal backstop for cases where families disagree with a local authority about the support needed and where disagreements cannot be resolved early through collaborative early dispute resolution.

The department wants to ensure we have a collaborative redress system where families and local authorities resolve disputes early, enabling children and young people to access the support they need quickly.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education regularly meets cabinet colleagues to discuss SEND system improvements. We will work with government colleagues and the Tribunal, to ensure the best outcomes for children and families.
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Jas Athwal:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sikhs are employed in her Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group. \p Janet Daby: According to the latest published Civil Service Statistics, as at 31 March 2024, 140 staff in the department, including associated executive agencies, recorded their religion as Sikh. These figures are published in Table A3 of the Civil Service Statistics 2024, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2024.

Updated data as at 31 March 2025 is due to be published by the Cabinet Office in July 2025.

Those who are recorded as ‘Sikh’ are captured in the department’s HR system under ‘Religion’, not as an ethnic group.
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Esther McVey:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has updated guidance on the use of single-sex facilities in response to the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025. \p Janet Daby: The department will review and update policy wherever necessary to ensure it complies with the latest legal requirements. We aim to ensure appropriate facilities are available for all staff.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many permanent civil servants in her Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years. \p Janet Daby: The department does not hold a central dataset of the reasons for a dismissal in respect of those years.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of AI on undergraduate degree integrity. \p Janet Daby: There are huge opportunities for artificial intelligence (AI) as it becomes more sophisticated, particularly through generative AI, and the department knows higher education (HE) and the industries they work with are at the forefront of this. There will be many benefits, and we are already seeing these, but there are also challenges in how the HE sector incorporates AI, particularly for teaching, learning and assessment.

The Quality Assurance Agency has been exploring the implications of AI, particularly in relation to academic integrity and published a briefing for its members in February 2024 focusing on the challenges. The briefing was underpinned by insights from HE sector leaders.

The experience and expertise of the sector is contributing to the department’s evidence base for how generative AI is used in education. In January 2024, the department published research entitled ‘Generative AI in education: Educator and expert views’, containing insights from interviews with teachers and experts in HE and the education technology industry. The full research paper is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65b8cd41b5cb6e000d8bb74e/DfE_GenAI_in_education_-_Educator_and_expert_views_report.pdf.

The Office for Students set out its approach to the use of AI in HE in a recent blog post entitled ‘Embracing innovation in higher education: our approach to artificial intelligence’. The full blog post is available here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/news-blog-and-events/blog/embracing-innovation-in-higher-education-our-approach-to-artificial-intelligence/.
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Harpreet Uppal:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to promote green skills programmes as part of the national skills strategy in Huddersfield. \p Janet Daby: Green skills are crucial to economic growth and the government’s net zero by 2050 target. Clean energy industries have been identified as a priority sector in the Industrial Strategy, alongside other sectors fundamental to clean energy like advanced manufacturing.

Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) are employer-led plans setting out priorities to better meet local skills needs. LSIPs must consider the skills needed to meet net zero, climate adaptation, and wider environmental goals. The West Yorkshire LSIP identifies clean energy and green construction as priority sectors. West Yorkshire’s Local Growth Plan reinforces the green economy as a local priority, embedding sustainability as a core principle and setting out actions to achieve net zero.

The government will set out a comprehensive strategy for post-16 education and skills later this year, including steps to strengthen the skills pipeline in key sectors. The strategy will set out how the skills system will support the delivery of the Plan for Change.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support (a) schools and (b) trusts to (i) establish and (ii) expand sixth forms offering academic qualifications in (A) areas with unmet demand and (B) other areas. \p Janet Daby: New or expanded school sixth form provision needs to improve choice and attainment for all pupils. Academies wishing to add sixth form places can do so by applying to the department to make a significant change, demonstrating a clear need for additional places in the area. Maintained schools must follow the statutory process for making prescribed alterations.

In the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, published on 23 June 2025, the government announced a further £375 million of capital investment between 2026/27 and 2029/30 to support post-16 capacity to accommodate additional learners entering the system. Further details on this funding will be announced in due course.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the extent of potential regional disparities in academic post-16 provision. \p Janet Daby: The department publishes annually the attainment of students at the end of their 16 to 18 study in England, including for A levels and other academic level 3 qualifications. Key headline statistics are broken down by geographical areas based on school and college location.

The government is committed to ensuring that the further education (FE) sector and schools are supported to achieve continuous improvement and improved outcomes for learners. The department operates a structured model of oversight and support for FE colleges, sixth form colleges and Designated Institutions, including a range of help and support available from the Further Education Commissioner.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure pupils do not have to travel out of their area to access suitable sixth-form options. \p Janet Daby: Proposed changes to mainstream sixth form provision need to improve choice and attainment for all pupils. Academies wishing to make changes to their sixth forms can do so by applying to the department to make a significant change. The distance that pupils must travel to attend sixth form as a result of any change is considered as part of that decision making process. Maintained schools must follow the statutory process for making prescribed alterations.

In the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, published on 23 June, the government announced a further £375 million of capital investment in 2026/27 and 2029/30 to support post-16 capacity to accommodate additional learners entering the system. Further details on this funding will be announced in due course.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to make Relationship and Sex Education mandatory in post-16 education settings. \p Janet Daby: The department recognises the importance of promoting healthy relationships to young people. This is why relationships and sex education (RSE) is a standard element of the personal development tutorial system in further education.

These regular tutorials allow students to hear about and discuss subjects important to their lives as responsible, active citizens, such as British values, resilience and how to navigate the world of work.

Education in healthy relationships is at the core of each college’s programme. Students participate in debates about respect, consent, misogyny, gender stereotyping, coercive control, sexual violence and sexual health, and consider the impact of negative behaviours.

Ofsted’s personal development judgement evaluates a college’s intent to provide for the personal development of learners, and the quality of the way in which it does this. Education in healthy relationships is one of the areas of focus.

The department has engaged an expert college leader, Polly Harrow, to develop a toolkit for colleges to drive the quality and consistency of RSE. The toolkit, to be launched in November, will provide tutorial materials and delivery advice, giving all colleges the skills and confidence to deliver on personal development effectively, and to tackle misogyny head on.
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Patrick Hurley:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) people and (b) organisations involved in futsal feel able to raise concerns about the conduct of (i) the Football Association and (ii) other governing bodies to the relevant authorities without fear of adverse consequences. \p Stephanie Peacock: England Futsal is a private company, licensed by the Football Association (FA).

In the first instance, participants should follow the complaints process of the relevant National Governing Body (NGB), including any procedures for appeal. UK Sport’s and Sport England’s complaints procedures set out how they handle complaints falling within their remits.

The Code for Sports Governance sets out the levels of transparency, diversity and inclusion, accountability and integrity that are required from sporting governing bodies, including the FA, who seek, and are in receipt of, Government and National Lottery funding from either Sport England or UK Sport.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding her Department has allocated to grassroots sports clubs in Ashfield constituency in the last 12 months. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, has access to and benefits from high-quality sport facilities, which offer the chance to be physically active.

The Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sports and health club facilities through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions. Details of the funded projects are available on Sport England’s website here.

The constituency of Ashfield also received a total of £1,849,232 of investment via the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme in 2024/25. Details of the funded projects are available on Gov.uk here.
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James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 59412 on Government Departments: Reviews, if her Department will publish the line by line review of its spending conducted for the Spending Review 2025. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Department for Digital, Media and Sport is committed to meeting the 5% savings and efficiency target, with SR funding allocations agreed on this basis.

These funding allocations – informed by the findings of the ZBR – are the first step in a wider plan to finalise budgets for different projects and programmes, with any necessary savings decided through that process. The savings taken forward will be subject to the normal rigorous business planning processes, and in-year financial management.
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Luke Murphy:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of small and mid-sized quoted companies to the Government's growth mission. \p Gareth Thomas: SMEs, including quoted companies, are an integral part of the Government’s growth mission in creating vibrant and prosperous local communities and being critical to supply chains for key industries. They are a diverse group operating in every sector, region and international market.

The SME Strategy - due to be published this summer - will set out the Government’s intentions on supporting businesses across key areas, including thriving high streets, making it easier to secure finance, improving productivity, accessing new domestic and international markets, encouraging entrepreneurship and building business capabilities such as digital adoption, whilst tackling the scourge of late payments.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2025 to Question 59415 on Business: Market Towns, whether he has made an assessment with the Secretary of State for Transport on the potential impact of rural public transport on high street (a) footfall and (b) business viability in North Shropshire constituency. \p Gareth Thomas: The government believes that local leaders, working with bus operators, are best placed to make decisions around the provision of local bus services. The government has confirmed £955m for the 2025/26 financial year to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities, including in rural areas. This includes £243m for bus operators and £712m to local authorities across the country, of which Shropshire Council has been allocated £4.4m.

The government has reaffirmed its commitment to bus services in this Spending Review by confirming around £900m each year from 2026/27 to maintain and improve vital bus services. Improved bus routes and connectivity will increase access to local high streets improving footfall and business viability in North Shropshire.

North Shropshire high street businesses are supported by the Marches Growth Hub which provides businesses of all sizes and sectors across Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin with advice and support throughout the business journey.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Post Office will continue to provide banking services after the expiration of banking framework 4 in 2030. \p Gareth Thomas: Banking Framework 4 is a commercial agreement between the Post Office and the banking sector which will ensure that the Post Office continues to provide cash and basic banking services to the end of the decade. Decisions on future service provision are subject to commercial and voluntary negotiations between the Post Office and the banking sector.

The Post Office Green Paper, due to be published soon, will set out further detail on the Post Office’s long-term future.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of access to capital from the British Business Bank on rural businesses. \p Gareth Thomas: The British Business Bank’s programmes are designed to support businesses across the UK, including in rural areas, to access the finance they need to invest and thrive. Start Up Loans have been issued to new businesses in every UK parliamentary constituency, while the Nations and Regions Investment Funds provide debt and equity finance to businesses in both rural and urban areas outside London and the South East.

ENABLE transactions with the likes of Oxbury Bank are helping more rural and agricultural businesses to access lending tailored to their needs.
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James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 59412 on Government Departments: Reviews, if his Department will publish the line by line review of its spending conducted for the Spending Review 2025. \p Justin Madders: DBT is committed to meeting the 5% savings and efficiency target, with SR funding allocations agreed on this basis.

These funding allocations – informed by the findings of the ZBR – are the first step in a wider plan to finalise budgets for different projects and programmes, with any necessary savings decided through that process. The savings taken forward will be subject to the normal rigorous business planning processes, and in-year financial management.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take steps bring forward regulations to ban period products which include pesticide residues. \p Justin Madders: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13th June 2025 to question 57485 (Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament).
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Luke Murphy:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the (a) accessibility and (b) affordability of audit requirements for small and mid-sized quoted companies. \p Justin Madders: Audit standards for UK companies are adopted and set by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), with reference to internationally-agreed standards. The Government is aware of concerns about the cost and availability of high-quality audit for smaller quoted companies, and supports the FRC’s work to make sure that every UK company, including small and mid-sized quoted companies, can access good quality audit services at a proportionate cost, including through its current year-long campaign to support small and medium-sized enterprises. In addition, the Government will consider these issues as it develops legislation to reform audit and corporate governance.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that fair dealing improvements under Grocery Supply Code of Practice are extended to upstream suppliers who are not covered by the Code. \p Justin Madders: The Groceries Code is a competition measure owned by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The CMA can only change the Code in ways which address the specific effects on competition found during its original market investigation, and not to address new issues or sectors.

The government has introduced Fair Dealing Regulations under the Agriculture Act 2020 to deal with the production end of the supply chain in specific sectors. These are enforced by the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA).

The government is currently undertaking the fourth statutory review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA). The review additionally asks if there are unfair contractual practices in parts of the supply chain not covered by the GCA or ASCA.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to inform the public of their rights under the Consumer Contracts Regulations when buying from an online trader. \p Justin Madders: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17th September 2024 to question 4955.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of consolidating the functions of the Grocery Code Adjudicator and the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator to create a unified regulator with a broader oversight remit. \p Justin Madders: The government is currently undertaking the fourth statutory review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA). The consultation to this review includes question about the GCA’s remit in relation to the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA), and additionally asks if there are unfair contractual practices in parts of the supply chain not covered by either Adjudicator. The government encourages those interested to respond to the consultation by 5 August.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps he has taken to help protect the steel industry. \p Gareth Thomas: Through measures announced in our Industrial Strategy, we are taking action to improve the competitiveness and growth potential for our steel sector.

This includes steps to make industrial electricity costs for UK businesses cheaper and accelerating grid connection timelines for new projects. We are leveraging the Government’s purchasing power to bolster domestic competition by streamlining and strengthening criteria for suppliers to contribute to these objectives in their bids and continuing to incentivise investment in CCUS and hydrogen.

This Industrial Strategy, together with the Steel Strategy to be published later in the year, will ensure that this Government has a coordinated response to sector challenges and to drive new investments.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support British aerospace manufacturers to utilise UK-US defence trade cooperation arrangements. \p Sarah Jones: My Department welcomes the opportunities that come from the Government’s recent announcements on trade arrangements with the USA, alongside those from our longstanding defence cooperation agreements, which support our growth ambitions. We work directly with British Industry and trade associations to provide appropriate support to UK business including the aerospace sector, to access opportunities, including at trade shows in the US and globally, such as the recent Paris Air Show and DSEI later this year.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many full time equivalent permanent staff were assigned to work in the Office for Investment in June (a) 2024 and (b) 2025. \p Sarah Jones: The number of staff (FTE) in the Office for Investment (OfI) was approximately 30. The target operating model for the expanded OfI, which launched on the 5th of June 2025, includes approximately 230 FTE (including overseas OfI representatives). This will be subject to revisions in line with Government policy.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what progress his Department has made on developing the upcoming industrial strategy. \p Sarah Jones: The Government published “The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy” on 23 June 2025. The document has been laid before Parliament and published online at www.gov.uk/industrialstrategy
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Sir Gavin Williamson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he is considering placing Fujitsu on the High Risk Vendor list as a result of its involvement in the Horizon IT system failures. \p Gareth Thomas: The High Risk Vendor process is not one that the Department for Business and Trade is responsible for.

We welcome Fujitsu’s acknowledgement of their moral obligation to contribute to the cost of the Horizon scandal. Fujitsu have also announced they will voluntarily not bid for new contracts unless requested by Government. The contract with Fujitsu to supply the Post Office Limited’s IT system is time limited - we are working with the Post Office and Fujitsu to ensure the transition is as soon as practically possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-27 conversation_87

Patrick Hurley:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of international best practices in embedding stakeholder governance into company law. \p Justin Madders: Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 requires company directors to have regard in their decision-making to the interests of their employees, customers and suppliers, and also to the impact of the company’s operations on the community and the environment. Large companies must report annually on how their directors have met this duty. Section 172 also enables companies to amend their articles of association to adopt a purpose of their own choosing, which may include placing particular weight on environmental, stakeholder or other interests.

The United Kingdom Government is an active member of the OECD Corporate Governance Committee which regularly discusses and shares good practice on corporate governance.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-27 conversation_88

Connor Naismith:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential role of (a) railways and (b) rail freight in supporting the forthcoming industrial strategy. \p Sarah Jones: The Government recognises that the supply chain is crucial for the day-to-day running, maintenance, and development of the railway.

Under the strategic leadership of Great British Railways, there will be more coordination between track and train, a centralised point of contact and more certainty for rail suppliers, but equally the Government requires a resilient and productive rail supply chain that invests in skills, technology, and innovation to reduce costs and increase competitiveness.

The Industrial Strategy Green Paper, Invest 2035, identified eight growth-driving sectors. All sectors will benefit from wider policy reform, including rail, through the Industrial Strategy’s cross-cutting policies alongside the broader Growth Mission. This will create the pro-business environment for all businesses to invest and employ, with growth that supports high-quality jobs and ensures that the benefits are shared across people, places, and generations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-27 conversation_89

Rebecca Paul:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the recent performance of the Energy Ombudsman. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Department has regular discussions with Ofgem on a range of issues. Ofgem is required to review the performance of the Energy Ombudsman on a biennial basis to ensure it still meets the approval criteria under which it was appointed. The Department also sought views on the role of the Energy Ombudsman in the Ofgem Review Call for Evidence, which closed earlier this year.

On 19 June the Government announced that we will consult on strengthening the Energy Ombudsman to ensure that suppliers comply with its final decisions or pay compensation to their consumer. This consultation will also look at introducing automatic referrals to the Ombudsman instead of consumers having to do this themselves, and also to explore the reduction of referral waiting times from 8 weeks to 4 weeks.

We hope that these changes will ensure that consumers can access the free Energy Ombudsman service quicker and easier and help any customer who has received a poor quality service from their supplier to receive the compensation and resolution they deserve.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-27 conversation_90

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the impact of rising energy prices on the disposable income of pensioner households in the North West. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently.

We recognise that we need to support households struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power by 2030. The Government is continuing to deliver the Warm Home Discount, which provides £150 to eligible households including those where the bill payer is on Pension Credit.

The Government will also increase the level at which Winter Fuel Payments are means-tested in England and Wales from winter 2025-26 so that the vast majority of pensioners benefit from them. Individuals over the State Pension age in England and Wales with an income below or equal to £35,000 will benefit from a Winter Fuel Payment. Winter Fuel Payments will be payable in England and Wales at £200 for households including someone between State Pension age and 79, and £300 for households including someone aged 80 or over.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-27 conversation_91

Juliet Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of current EPC rating assessment criteria on landlords' ability to meet those criteria. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Government is reforming Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), including the current EPC rating assessment criteria and the methodology that underpins this, with new and amended metrics due to be introduced for domestic buildings under the Home Energy Model (HEM). More information, including the consultation stage impact assessment, can be found in the consultation ‘Reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings regime’ on gov.uk.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-27 conversation_92

Mark Garnier:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of hybrid heat pumps on (a) consumer energy bills and (b) UK greenhouse gas emissions. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The specific greenhouse gas emissions and running costs of a hybrid heat pump are impacted by a range of factors including the proportion of heating met by the heat pump. However, the Government noted in the recent ‘Raising product standards for space heating’ consultation that hybrids could reduce fossil fuel usage and reduce a consumer’s bills, depending on wider energy pricing and other factors.

The Government will publish a response to this consultation in due course and will continue to gather and assess evidence and monitor market developments in relation to hybrid heat pumps.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-27 conversation_93

Mark Garnier:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including hybrid heat pumps in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Boiler Upgrade Scheme does not support hybrid heat pumps, as we want to direct the available funding towards the technologies that offer the greatest carbon savings, rather than those which would continue to involve the burning of fossil fuels for space heating and hot water.

The Government is committed to incentivising all properties to transition to cleaner heating and will keep its position on alternative heating technologies under review. In the Raising Product Standards for Space Heating consultation, the Government set out that hybrids may be able to play a role in heat decarbonisation. The Government will publish a response in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-27 conversation_94

Claire Coutinho:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Gas Shippers Obligation on energy bills. \p Sarah Jones: The Department consulted on the design of the Gas Shipper Obligation (GSO) earlier this year and published an analytical annex focusing on its impact on gas users, based on Hydrogen Allocation Round 1 estimated costs.

The affordability of energy bills remains a key priority for the government and the design of the GSO will consider energy bill affordability, value for money, and fairness.
wrans/answers2025-06-27 conversation_95
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-27 conversation_95

Claire Coutinho:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the target for 10GW of hydrogen production capacity on energy bills by 2030. \p Sarah Jones: The Government believes that the only way to guarantee our energy security and protect billpayers permanently is to speed up the transition away from fossil fuels and towards homegrown clean energy. Low carbon hydrogen is a key option for decarbonising hard to electrify industrial processes, heavy transport, and deliver clean power. Government support is a temporary bridge to unlock private investment and reduce costs, with all supported projects having to deliver value for money. As production scales and costs fall, future projects will need less support. Our Hydrogen Strategy, which we intend to publish this Autumn, will set out more on expected hydrogen supply and demand.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-27 conversation_96

Claire Coutinho:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of aligning with the EU Emissions Trading System on the price of carbon in the UK. \p Sarah Jones: The price of carbon allowances in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme is set by the market.

Linking the UK and EU ETSs is expected to create a larger, more stable market, which will lower the costs of decarbonisation for UK businesses. Many industry stakeholders, including Make UK, UK steel, and Energy UK, have voiced support for linking the two schemes, citing that linkage would align carbon prices and support business investment and certainty, by creating a larger and more liquid carbon market.
wrans/answers2025-06-27 conversation_97
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-27 conversation_97

James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 59412 on Government Departments: Reviews, if his Department will publish the line by line review of its spending conducted for the Spending Review 2025. \p Michael Shanks: DESNZ is committed to meeting the 5% savings and efficiency target, with SR funding allocations agreed on this basis.

These funding allocations – informed by the findings of the ZBR – are the first step in a wider plan to finalise budgets for different projects and programmes, with any necessary savings decided through that process. The savings taken forward will be subject to the normal rigorous business planning processes, and in-year financial management.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-27 conversation_98

Claire Coutinho:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of (a) the cost to the public purse and (b) the potential impact on energy bills of Hydrogen Allocation Round 2. \p Sarah Jones: In April 2025, the Government announced a shortlist of 27 projects across the UK to progress to the next stage of the Second Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR2) process. Value for money and the affordability of energy bills will be central to decisions regarding capacity allocation and contract award. We expect final decisions on successful projects to be made in early 2026.