theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Dr Rupa Huq:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of applying home tuition fee status to students who hold a British National (Overseas) visa. \p Janet Daby: Higher education institutions in England are autonomous bodies and it is for them to assess whether the fees for students who do not meet the criteria for automatic home fee status should be reduced or waived in line with individual circumstances.

To qualify for automatic home fee status in England, a person must have settled status or a ‘recognised connection’ to the UK. A recognised connection includes persons who are covered by the EU Withdrawal Agreement, have long residence in this country, or who have been granted international protection by the Home Office. There are also requirements associated with ordinary residence in the UK.

The British National (Overseas) immigration route reflects the UK’s historic and moral commitment to those people of Hong Kong. Subject to meeting the normal eligibility requirements, Hong Kong British National (Overseas) status holders will be able to qualify for student finance and home fee status once they have acquired settled status in the UK.

There are no plans to amend the eligibility requirements for Hong Kong British National (Overseas) status holders as these are in line with those that apply to most other persons on routes to settlement.
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Adam Thompson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an assessment of future workforce demand in the electrical sector in the next five to ten years. \p Janet Daby: This government continues to make available education and training opportunities in electrical and plumbing sectors across the country, including in Erewash.

A range of apprenticeships are available, including the level 3 plumbing and domestic heating technician standard and the level 3 domestic electrician standard.

Higher Technical Qualifications across a range of occupational routes are also available, including qualifications such as HNC Electrical Systems Engineering, and HND Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Additionally, T Levels in Building Services Engineering for Construction provide students with the core knowledge and skills needed for entry to a range of occupations in the electrical and plumbing sectors.

The government has announced an additional £625 million to support construction skills training. This is expected to deliver up to 60,000 additional skilled construction workers, including in electrical and plumbing, this Parliament.

Skills England will provide an authoritative assessment of national and regional skills needs in all sectors, now and in the future, which will include identifying skills gaps and ensuring a comprehensive suite of apprenticeships, training and technical qualifications which are aligned with skills gaps and the needs of employers.

The Construction Industry Training Board states that plumbing and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning are some of the occupations that will have the highest average growth (1.5%) to 2028. Electricians and electrical fitters also currently have one of the highest skill-shortage vacancy densities, with 46.5% of vacancies being linked to skills shortages.
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Graham Leadbitter:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of prioritising upgrades to the National Grid at (a) major visitor attractions and (b) areas of high public footfall to support the expansion of (i) electric vehicle charging infrastructure and (ii) on-site renewables. \p Michael Shanks: The electricity networks in Great Britain are owned and operated by private companies and regulated independently by Ofgem, who ensure the network companies are investing to operate, maintain and upgrade their infrastructure. To enable the Government’s Clean Energy Superpower and Growth missions, significant investment in new capacity ahead of need is required. This will be based on, among other considerations, strategic planning and projections of future demand across the network and will support the connection of new on-site renewable generation and demand projects, including electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

As of 1 May 2025, the Government and industry have supported the installation of 79,326 publicly available charging devices (including 15,856 rapid charging devices). This reflects a year-on-year percentage increase of 30%. Policy on charging infrastructure is devolved in Scotland.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of reaching 24GW of nuclear capacity by 2050. \p Michael Shanks: The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan makes clear that nuclear will play an important role in our future energy system, providing low-carbon, baseload power to the grid. Government will continue to seek to streamline regulatory processes, and foster innovation in nuclear technology, to ensure that nuclear continues to play an important role in the net zero transition after 2030.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many meetings his Department has had with (a) representatives of commercial nuclear manufacturers, (b) power utilities interested in building a new nuclear plant and (c) non-governmental organisations concerned with nuclear power in the last six months; and if he will publish the minutes of each meeting. \p Michael Shanks: Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of improving the efficiency of existing Combined Cycle Gas Turbine power stations on wholesale electricity prices. \p Michael Shanks: No direct assessment has been made of the impact of more efficient CCGTs on wholesale electricity prices, nor of the efficiency of CCGTs versus small modular reactors.

An efficient electricity system needs a range of technologies to ensure that we reach our carbon goals while ensuring cost-effective energy security. Increasing participation of renewables in the wholesale market means that, over time, those technologies will determine the price more often and gas will play a much more limited role in setting the market price.

Improving efficiency of CCGTs is a commercial decision for plant operators.

Great British Nuclear (GBN) is driving forward its small modular reactor (SMR) competition for UK deployment. As with any technology, the economic case for SMRs would be factored into any investment decision.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Warm homes and cheaper bills as government accelerates Plan for Change, published on 7 February 2025, how the figure of the average cost to landlords of complying with the proposals to upgrade their properties was calculated. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Estimates were provided in the consultation stage Options Assessment (DESNZ001(OA)-25-NZBI).

The average cost to landlords of complying with the proposals to upgrade their properties was calculated by dividing the total undiscounted capital expenditure required to meet the standards by the number of properties upgraded. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
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Andrew George:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what proportion of funding to tackle fuel poverty has been allocated to home insulation. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Fuel poverty policy is devolved with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero having responsibility for England. The Government has kickstarted delivery of the Warm Homes Plan, including an initial £1.8 billion to support fuel poverty schemes over the next 3 years.

There are multiple targeted schemes in place to deliver energy efficiency measures, low carbon heating and insulation measures to low income and fuel poor households in England. Schemes include the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), the Great British Insulation Scheme, the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (formerly the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund), and the new Warm Homes: Local Grant.

The Government's review of the 2021 fuel poverty strategy confirms that a new plan is needed to accelerate progress to alleviate fuel poverty. We have therefore consulted on a revised fuel poverty strategy focusing on improving the energy performance of homes, supporting low-income households with energy affordability and protecting them from high prices. The consultation closed on 4 April and we are considering the responses received.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he is taking steps to financially support oil and gas workers during the transition away from fossil fuels. \p Michael Shanks: The Government is committed to a managed just transition for the North Sea, supporting affected regions and communities as the energy system evolves. It recently consulted on ‘Building the North Sea’s Energy Future’ to unlock long-term clean energy investment in the basin while delivering economic opportunities across the affected regions. A response setting out its next steps will be published in due course. The Office for Clean Energy Jobs will continue to coordinate work to support building the skilled workforce we need for the clean energy and net zero transition.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the number of pensioners living in households in fuel poverty in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) does not collect local-level data specifically on pensioners in fuel poverty. The latest estimate of the fuel poverty rate in the Aldridge-Brownhills constituency, based on the Low Income Low Energy Efficiency (LILEE) metric, was 13.2% of households in 2023 (Table 3 of the sub-regional fuel poverty statistics).

Statistics on fuel poverty in England in 2024 by age of the oldest person in the household can be found in Table 23 of the fuel poverty detailed tables.
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Juliet Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to support disabled households with additional energy costs from (a) medical equipment and (b) home adaptions. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Government knows that more needs to be done to support vulnerable households which are struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power, particularly those where energy costs are high out of medical necessity. The Department’s Warm Home Discount (WHD) provides a £150 rebate off winter energy bills for eligible low-income households. On 25 February, we published a consultation on the expansion of the Warm Home Discount, giving more eligible households £150 off their energy bills. These proposals would bring around 2.7 million households into the scheme – pushing the total number of households that would receive the discount next winter up to around 6 million. The Warm Home Discount regulations expire in 2026, and we will want to consider all options for future bill support beyond this point.

In the interim, I appreciate that one of the biggest practical barriers to providing help to households that need it, is the availability of the right data to target financial support and advice. The Department is working closely with other government departments to unlock the data that will enable us to target support more effectively to those who need help with their energy bills.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Grimsby to Walpole pylon project on (a) farm and (b) wild animals on the route. \p Michael Shanks: Developers of the Grimsby to Walpole project, like all nationally significant infrastructure projects in England and Wales, are required to assess the impacts of their proposals. This includes conducting assessments of the project's potential effects on the environment, including farmland and wild animals, through Environmental Impact Assessments and Habitats Regulations Assessments.

Developers also engage with statutory and non-statutory stakeholders, including farmers and environmental organisations, through consultations to ensure their feedback is considered and incorporated into project proposals. The government does not make assessments for specific projects until they come to the Secretary of State for a final planning decision.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce household energy bills. \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.

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. This, combined with our Warm Homes Plan to upgrade millions of homes to make them warmer and cheaper to run is how we will drive down energy bills and make cold homes a thing of the past.

We recognise that we need to support households struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power by 2030. This is why we are delivering the Warm Home Discount to around 3 million eligible low-income households this winter. On 25 February, we published a consultation on the expansion of the Warm Home Discount, giving more eligible households £150 off their energy bills. These proposals would bring around 2.7 million households into the scheme – pushing the total number of households that would receive the discount next winter up to around 6 million. The consultation has now closed and the Department is evaluating the responses.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on whether changes to minimum energy performance standards for the private rented sector will apply to fixed-term accommodation for irregular migrants procured by the Home Office. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Government recently consulted on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector. The consultation closed on 2nd May and we are currently reviewing responses and the evidence submitted. Whether accommodation falls within scope of new standards will depend on the type of tenancy. Currently, if a property is let on an assured tenancy, regulated tenancy, or domestic agricultural tenancy, and is legally required to have an EPC, then it will need to meet the minimum energy efficiency standard, unless a valid exemption applies.
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Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to publish a new Carbon Budget Delivery Plan. \p Kerry McCarthy: We will deliver an updated plan by 29 October 2025.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce industrial carbon emissions. \p Sarah Jones: Emissions savings through fuel switching from fossil fuels to low carbon alternatives, improvements in resource and energy efficiency and industrial carbon capture are all needed for the industrial sector to transition to net zero, and government is developing a suite of policies to deliver these savings.

We will bring forward a clear plan for industrial decarbonisation. A new Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy will set the strategic direction for our approach to working with industry towards a competitive and low carbon industrial base in the UK, ensuring growth opportunities are captured in tandem with emissions reductions.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of resilience of the national grid in the context of the potential disruption of offshore energy infrastructure. \p Michael Shanks: Great Britain has a highly resilient energy network with diverse sources of supply and maintaining the security of electricity supply is a key priority for Government.

We are working with the National Protective Security Authority, the energy industry, regulators and other stakeholders to continually improve and maintain the resilience and security of energy infrastructure. We work to reduce the vulnerability of networks and assets, taking into account a range of threats and future system changes.

The National Energy System Operator can balance the system in a wide range of scenarios, including potential disruptions to offshore infrastructure.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost of decarbonising the electricity grid by 2030. \p Michael Shanks: NESO's analysis confirmed delivering clean power by 2030 is deliverable, more secure, and could see a lower cost of electricity, and lower bills.

We are committed to working with industry to grow our clean energy system with once-in-a-generation levels of energy investment – an estimated £40 billion, the vast majority of which will come from the private sector.

The Government is leveraging public finance institutions like the National Wealth Fund and Great British Energy to catalyse private investment. By providing early-stage funding, de-risking projects, and supporting the development of critical infrastructure, we aim to attract private capital and accelerate the deployment of clean power technologies.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Great British Energy on household energy bills. \p Michael Shanks: In an unstable world, the only way to guarantee energy security and protect billpayers is to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels. That is why government has a mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower.

We have a sustainable, long-term plan to protect all UK billpayers from volatile international gas markets. Backed by £8.3 billion, Great British Energy is part of this plan, driving the deployment of the clean, homegrown energy we need to boost our energy independence. As a publicly owned company, Great British Energy will ensure UK taxpayers, billpayers, and communities reap the benefits of this plan.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Clean Heat Market Mechanism on the costs of installing new gas boilers. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Clean Heat Market Mechanism does not require any change in the price of fossil fuel boilers.

The Government took steps before introducing the scheme to revise the 2023 proposals in order to reduce impacts on boiler manufacturers and provide them more time to scale up supply chains.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support the North Sea oil and gas sector. \p Michael Shanks: The Government has consulted on ‘Building the North Sea’s Energy Future’, setting out its overarching objective to make the North Sea a world leading example of an offshore clean energy industry and on its commitment to not issue new oil and gas licences to explore new fields. A response setting out its next steps will be published in due course.
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Lizzi Collinge:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether people living near (a) new and (b) certain upgraded network transmission infrastructure and who would otherwise be an eligible person under clause 22 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill but their (i) landlord and (ii) park home site owner pays for their electricity and therefore they do not have a direct relationship to an electricity supplier will be eligible for any financial benefit scheme; and whether that financial benefit will be in the form of (A) electricity bill discounts and (B) compensation. \p Michael Shanks: We know that some eligible households do not have a direct relationship with an electricity supplier, so will not be able to receive a bill discount automatically. This includes households whose electricity is paid by their landlord or park home site owner. We want to ensure that these households benefit from hosting new electricity network transmission infrastructure and are putting measures in place to ensure that persons living in such properties can benefit.  The exact delivery methods of financial benefit for these households are under consideration and will be subject to stakeholder consultation.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to align UK oil and gas production with climate targets. \p Michael Shanks: The UK is committed to transitioning away from fossil fuels and meeting global climate targets.

The Government supports action on decarbonising oil and gas production and has already consulted on revised environmental guidance to take into account emissions from burning extracted oil and gas. We will respond to this consultation in due course and developers will be able to apply for consents under this revised regime.

The Government has also consulted on its commitment to not issue new oil and gas licences to explore new fields and will publish a response setting out our next steps in due course.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support growth in domestic clean energy supply chains. \p Michael Shanks: The Government’s upcoming Industrial Strategy will outline plans to boost high-potential sectors like Clean Energy, creating quality jobs. An initial £300 million via Great British Energy will accelerate offshore wind supply chains, attract private investment, and secure UK manufacturing. Up to £21.7 billion over 25 years has been made available for the first carbon capture projects, which are expected to support 4,000 direct jobs and up to 50,000 as the sector matures into the 2030s. The Solar Roadmap will soon outline steps for resilient solar supply chains. Government also continues to strengthen the nuclear supply chain in partnership with industry.
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Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if his Department will meet with Ofgem to discuss poor practice in the recouping of (a) missed and (b) underpaid payments in the energy sector. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Department has regular meetings with Ofgem on a number of issues.

The Government takes the issue of accurate billing very seriously. All suppliers must take all reasonable steps to reflect accurate meter readings in bills or statements sent to customers where these have been provided by a customer or obtained by the supplier. This is also laid out in the Ofgem’s licence conditions. Specifically,

All energy suppliers must follow Ofgem’s enforceable overarching principles of the Standard Licence Conditions 0 and 0A. These are a set of broad and enforceable ‘standards of conduct’ principles that set fundamental expectations on how suppliers must ensure fair treatment of each customer. These principles guide supplier behaviour, information provision, and customer service processes.
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Melanie Onn:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Humber's Viking carbon capture project on levels of investment in the area. \p Sarah Jones: A strong UK CCUS sector will support well paid, highly-skilled jobs across the UK, with DESNZ analysis showing CCUS has the potential to generate £4-5 billion GVA per year and support up to 50,000 jobs in the 2030s across the CCUS industry as the sector matures. We recognise the potential of the Track-2 clusters, including Viking, to build on this momentum, and officials have continued to engage with Viking CCS to understand their plans and continue to review the potential impact of the project on local investments.
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Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress he has made on considering the transfer of the British Coal Superannuation Scheme to its members. \p Sarah Jones: I met with Trustees of the BCSSS on 22nd April 2025 and analysis to support decision making has now been commissioned jointly by the Trustees and the Department from the Government Actuarial Department.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 22 of the policy paper entitled Security and defence partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 19 May 2025, how frequently will the EU and UK hold exchanges on maritime security. \p Luke Pollard: The Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) agreed with the EU will strengthen NATO, the cornerstone of the UK’s defence. It will complement our core bilateral partnerships – particularly France, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Norway.

The SDP will enable dialogue and cooperation on key issues like Ukraine, space, hybrid, maritime security and resilience of critical infrastructure. These exchanges will be flexible and scalable according to need. For example, we are working to ensure that our personnel and assets can more easily move across the European continent in times of both peace and crisis, including exploring participation in PESCO projects that bolster our NATO warfighting plans.

Implementation will be overseen jointly by the Defence Secretary and the Foreign Secretary. The detail of the terms and the modalities for implementation are under discussion, including any exploration of an Administrative Arrangement with the European Defence Agency, UK participation in additional EU crisis management activity and attendance at working level policy and information exchanges or secondments.

Any commitment– whether financial or non-financial – will provide value to the UK taxpayer and deliver the UK’s defence.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Ukrainian military personnel from the Ukrainian Armed Forces Shkval Battalions have been trained in the UK. \p Luke Pollard: With regard to Op INTERFLEX, our major training operation for Ukrainian forces, the data held by INTERFLEX Headquarters is limited due to the closed nature of the questions which are asked when Ukrainian troops arrive, and we do not specifically track or ask which units individuals come from.

Over 54,000 Ukrainian personnel have been trained under Operation INTERFLEX since June 2022.
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Brendan O'Hara:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when an RAF aircraft was last deployed from RAF Akrotiri on a strike mission; and what the intended target was. \p Luke Pollard: On 29 April 2025, RAF Typhoon FGR4s deploying from RAF Akrotiri conducted strikes against Houthi weapons manufacture facilities in Yemen.

This action was in line with long-standing policy of the UK Government to support wider efforts to uphold freedom of navigation within the Red Sea.

It was reported to Parliament on 30 April 2025.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March to Question 34638 on Puma Helicopters: Decommissioning, what assessment he has made of any capability gap created by retiring the Puma helicopter fleet in (a) Brunei and (b) Cyprus in the 2025-26 financial year. \p Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Defence continues to routinely assess and reassess capabilities required by deployed UK forces. In support of Commander British Forces Cyprus, two Royal Air Force CH47 Chinook helicopters are currently forward deployed to provide an aerial firefighting capability through the wildfire season and are able to provide a range of supporting functions. Mitigations against jungle training in Brunei are in place however it is the long-standing policy of the UK Government not to comment on UK SF activity. The six Airbus H145 HC2 Jupiter helicopters will deploy and commence operational activity in Brunei and Cyprus in 2026.
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her planned timetable is for unitarisation in areas where local elections were not postponed from May 2025. \p Jim McMahon: The government will work with these areas to hold elections for new unitary councils as soon as possible as is the usual arrangement in the process of local government reorganisation. The exact timings and detail will depend on the proposals received and the decision taken on which proposal, if any, to implement. We anticipate that, subject to many external factors, there could be elections to ‘shadow’ unitary councils in May 2027, ahead of “go live” of new councils on 1 April 2028.
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Margaret Mullane:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent the decommissioning of supported housing schemes. \p Rushanara Ali: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 51474 on 19 May 2025.
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Juliet Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to tackle homelessness in (a) Broxtowe Constituency and (b) the East Midlands. \p Rushanara Ali: The Government has increased funding for homelessness services across England by £233 million to nearly £1 billion in 2025/26. This includes funding allocations for Broxtowe and the East Midlands. Allocations have been published on gov.uk here.
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the median hourly pay of people of Indian heritage was in each of the last five years. \p Georgia Gould: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 20th May is attached.

Letter from the National Statistician (pdf, 97.9KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the median hourly pay of Muslims was in each of the last five years. \p Georgia Gould: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 20th May is attached.

Letter from the National Statistician (pdf, 150.0KB)
wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_87
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_87

Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of Jewish people in the UK in each of the past five years. \p Georgia Gould: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 20th May is attached.

Letter from the National Statistician (pdf, 136.0KB)
wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_88
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_88

Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2025 to Question 51160 on Office for National Statistics: Industrial Disputes, what the average daily occupation is for (a) Newport, (b) Titchfield, (c) London, (d) Manchester, (e) Edinburgh and (f) Darlington, in the most recent period for which figures are available, expressed as the average over a five day period of (i) proportion of desks occupied and (ii) proportion of assigned workforce to that office location attending that office. \p Georgia Gould: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 20th May is attached.

Letter from the National Statistician (pdf, 102.3KB)
wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_89
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_89

Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2025 to Question 45016 on Civil Service, if he will issue a Ministerial Correction to the Answer to attach the requested information. \p Georgia Gould: The answer to Question 45016 has now been corrected to include an attachment with the requested information.
wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_90
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_90

Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether new staff members of the (a) National Wealth Fund and (b) Great British Energy will be eligible to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme; and whether existing civil servants who transfer to those new bodies will have their Civil Service pension membership continued under their new employment. \p Georgia Gould: The Cabinet Office, as Scheme Manager for the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS), considers all requests to join the CSPS as part of an employer’s application process. Neither Great British Energy nor National Wealth Fund have submitted an application to join the CSPS, but any such application would be considered by the Cabinet Office in the normal way.
wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_91
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_91

Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to lay a new Official Statistics Order to designate the Border Security Command’s statistical outputs as official statistics. \p Georgia Gould: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 20th May is attached.

Letter from the National Statistician (pdf, 94.5KB)
wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_92
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_92

Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2025 to Question 48562 on Arms Length Bodies, what the sponsoring department is; and in what policy area Project Seahorse is exploring delivery options. \p Georgia Gould: ‘Project Seahorse' is considering delivery options for decarbonisation. If taken forward, it would be sponsored by The Department of Energy, Security and Net Zero.
wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_93
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_93

Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled Public Bodies Handbook – Part 2: The Approvals Process for the Creation of New Arm’s-Length Bodies, whether his Department's public bodies team assessed the National Wealth Fund against the requirement that the creation of a new arm's length body should only be considered as a last resort; whether the Treasury provided evidence that alternative delivery models were considered; and which of the tests in Chapter Two of that guidance the National Wealth Fund met. \p Georgia Gould: The UK Infrastructure Bank has become the National Wealth Fund with an expanded remit, therefore it is not a new ALB. It is captured by the government’s ongoing review of all ALBs, announced on 7 April. This review is part of the government’s plan to streamline the state by closing, merging or repatriating public bodies into departments unless their separate existence can be strongly justified.
wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_94
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_94

Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 41435 on Arms Length Bodies, what the total number of Arms Length Bodies was on 4 July 2024; and what the total number was on 20 May 2025. \p Georgia Gould: The Cabinet Office publishes an annual ALB Landscape Analysis around a year in arrears. The most recently published ALB Landscape Analysis was published on 17 December 2024 and is available here. The list of every Arm's Length Body that has existed between July 2024 and March 2025 is due to be published in 2026.
wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_95
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_95

Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2025 to Question 52340 on Government Departments: Equality, in which departments have decisions on EDI spending controls been delegated to their Permanent Secretary. \p Georgia Gould: The following Departments have formally informed the Cabinet Office that their Minister has delegated the decision to approve external Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) expenditure to the Permanent Secretary:

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

HM Treasury

Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government

Department for Business and Trade

Cabinet Office

Home Office

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Transport
wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_96
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_96

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the press release entitled PM secures new agreement with EU to benefit British people, published on 19 May 2025, at what level the youth experience scheme will be (a) capped at and (b) time-limited to. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: We have agreed that we will work towards the establishment of a balanced youth experience scheme with the EU. We have agreed that any scheme will be time-limited and capped. We have also been clear that it should be in line with the UK’s existing schemes with countries like Australia and New Zealand. The exact parameters will be subject to negotiation, but any scheme will need to be in the UK’s national interests.
wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_97
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_97

Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Solicitor General, how many prosecutions were brought against the biological parents of children in foster care for incidents involving (a) inappropriate, (b) threatening and (c) abusive contact with their child’s foster parents since May 2024. \p Lucy Rigby: Threatening or abusive behaviour can amount to an offence under the Public Order Act 1986. To establish whether defendants charged with Public Order Act offences committed these offences against the foster carers of their children would require a manual review of case files and this would be at disproportionate cost.

Management information is held showing the number of offences charged by way of Section 4 (fear or provocation of violence), Section 4A (intentional harassment, alarm or distress) and Section 5 (harassment, alarm or distress) in which a prosecution commenced during the period from 1st May 2024 to 31st December 2024. The table below shows the number of these offences during that period.

May 2024 - December 2024

Public Order Act 1986 { 4 }

5,879

Public Order Act 1986 { 4A }

7,815

Public Order Act 1986 { 5 }

4,964

Total Offences Charged

18,658

Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold any data which shows the number of defendants prosecuted and convicted for offences created by the Public Order Act 1986.

The figures relate to the number of offences and not the number of individual defendants. It can be the case that an individual defendant is charged with more than one offence against the same complainant. No data is held showing the final outcome or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at finalisation.

There is no offence of inappropriate behaviour.
wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_98
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_98

Abtisam Mohamed:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of regulating the level of charges levied by online image rights holders in cases of copyright infringement. \p Feryal Clark: The unauthorised use of copyright material is an infringement. The terms on which permission is granted, including any payments that may be made, is a private commercial matter.

The Government would encourage parties involved in potential litigation proceedings to seek a negotiated settlement and the IPO offers a mediation service which employs accredited mediators who are qualified to mediate across a range of IP rights.

There are also many other individuals and organisations who mediate IP disputes, and the IPO has published a list of providers on its website. Further information regarding mediation can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/intellectual-property-mediation
wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_99
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_99

Esther McVey:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what investigations his Department has carried out on the condition of copper telecommunications cabling in rural areas. \p Chris Bryant: The Department has not investigated the condition of copper telecommunications cabling in rural areas. However, we are aware that the overall condition of the copper networks is aging and deteriorating: the number of major incidents on the copper-based PSTN has been rising, with a 45% increase in 2024 compared to the previous year. Between April 2024 and March 2025, there were over 2,600 major incidents on the PSTN, each affecting 500 or more customers. The Government is committed to ensuring that any risks arising from the industry-led migration of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for all customers across the UK.
wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_100
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-29 conversation_100

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what work Innovate UK has undertaken in relation to (a) cyber-security and (b) cyber-physical infrastructure in the last five years. \p Feryal Clark: Innovate UK have delivered a number of programmes and grants relating to cyber security and cyber-physical infrastructure over the past five years. A comprehensive list can be found below. These initiatives represent a significant investment in the cyber sector.

Cyber Security Initiatives

Cyber-Physical Infrastructure Projects