theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the number of families in temporary accommodation. \p Alison McGovern: I regularly discuss homelessness issues with my counterparts in the devolved administrations and most recently met the Minister for Communities on Tuesday 25 November.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish any impact assessments on the potential displacement of visitors away from levy-charging areas of the West Midlands to neighbouring counties without such charges, and what analysis has been undertaken of the risks to the region’s smaller hospitality-based high streets. \p Alison McGovern: The impacts of the overnight visitor levy will be determined by local decisions. Mayors will need to decide whether to implement a levy, subject to a local consultation on specific proposals. This consultation will inform their decisions regarding whether and how a levy will be applied, and how any revenue is invested in their region.

The Government is consulting on the design and scope of the visitor levy and welcomes views from businesses, local authorities, and the public. The consultation runs until 18 February.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he intends to review the voting arrangements of the interim Combined County Authority of Greater Essex in light of the cancellation of the 2026 mayoral election. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Following Ministerial and official consideration, we are minded to hold inaugural mayoral elections for the four Devolution Priority Programme places that are also undertaking local government reorganisation – including Greater Essex – in May 2028 rather than May 2026, so that areas can complete the reorganisation process before Mayors take office.

Subject to constituent authorities’ consent, we will establish the Mayoral Strategic Authorities in all areas as soon as possible, to ensure sufficient time for preparatory work ahead of the Mayor taking office and allowing areas to build local collaboration. This was announced to the House on 4 December and communicated to the constituent councils on 3 December.

We remain committed to the long-term funding offer to all DPP areas announced on 4 December. We will provide £1 million Mayoral Capacity Funding for all areas following the laying of the secondary legislation, and a minimum of £3 million over the following three financial years. Greater Essex will receive a third of their annual investment fund in both 2026 and 2027, and receive their full annual allocations thereafter.

We will establish Mayoral Strategic Authorities as we have proposed. The Greater Essex Combined County Authority’s constituent councils will remain Essex County, Thurrock and Southend on Sea councils. We will continue to encourage constituent councils to work with district councils including Basildon, as well as close collaboration between the new Mayoral Strategic Authorities on the DPP, including ahead of the inaugural mayoral election. We are working with relevant Government Departments to ensure an effective transfer of police and fire function.
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Mr Richard Quigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that planning policy does not inhibit the creation of transitional self-contained stepping stone homes for young people who are ready to live independently but cannot afford the private rented sector. \p Alison McGovern: My Department continues to engage with stakeholders in the homelessness sector to support the development of schemes and policies to tackle homelessness, including stepping stone accommodation.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that it is for local authorities to assess the size, types and tenure of housing needed for different groups, including those who require affordable housing, and reflect this in their planning policies.
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Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will support the establishment of structured, research-led innovation through an Areas of Research interest approach for fire and rescue services, similar to that adopted by police services in England. \p Samantha Dixon: The Government recognises the importance of working collaboratively with sector partners.

The implementation of an Areas of Research Interest (ARI) approach to support research and innovation will be considered as part of the due process associated with any future establishment of a college. This ensures that decisions are informed by evidence-based priorities and aligned with fire sector needs.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to implement remote electronic voting for (a) UK and (b) local elections. \p Samantha Dixon: There are no plans to introduce remote electronic voting for UK or local elections.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the economic impact of the Fylingdales Moor fire on businesses that were (a) evacuated and (b) made inaccessible due to road closures; and what financial support will be made available to them. \p Samantha Dixon: The Flood Recovery Framework is unique to flooding and only activated in exceptional circumstances. No assessment has been made of the merits of establishing a similar scheme for wildfire incidents. There are a range of potential support mechanisms from across Government for local areas following significant emergency response incidents that are being explored.
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Anneliese Dodds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the a) fatality and b) injury rate of fires attended by fire services during the night hours compared with fires during daytimes. \p Samantha Dixon: MHCLG collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) in England through the Incident Recording System (IRS). This includes information on fires and fire-related fatalities and casualties by hour of the day from 2010 to 2025. Data covering the year ending March 2025 is published on gov.uk here, see FIRE 0801 ‘Percentage of fires and fire-related fatalities by hour of the day’. These tables present the percentage of fatalities from all incidents occurring at the different hours of the day, along with breakdowns by financial year.

Data is available on the total number of fatalities and non-fatal casualties in the FIRE 0501 data table. Incident level data is also available on both casualties and fatalities in fires by individual person recorded, which provides further details on injury type and severity for everyone involved in the incident by hour of the day, however this data is not aggregated. The datasets covering fatalities and casualties are published on gov.uk here.

Additionally, an in-depth review was conducted of fire-related fatalities and severe casualties in England from 2010/11 to 2018/19, which is available on gov.uk here. Section 4.3.3 of this paper specifically discusses the time of day fatal and severe casualty fires occur.
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Anneliese Dodds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether fire services are classified as safety-critical work for the purposes of the HSE's classification of 12-hour shifts as undesirable for such work. \p Samantha Dixon: The Government recognises the risks that firefighters face and is grateful to them for their bravery.

The maximum working hours for Fire and Rescue Service personnel are prescribed by the Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR), which implement the provisions of the EU Working Time Directive, and include specific exemptions applicable to civil protection roles. These statutory requirements apply to fire and rescue personnel, subject to limited derogations during declared emergencies.

Each Fire and Rescue Service is responsible for establishing work patterns that reflect its assessment of operational risk and local circumstances balanced against their responsibility for the health and wellbeing of firefighters. The government-issued National Framework directs that all Fire and Rescue Authorities should have a people strategy which sets out the mental and physical health and wellbeing support available to firefighters.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the interim Combined County Authority will be responsible for determining the allocation of initial funding in the context of the cancellation of the 2026 mayoral election in Greater Essex. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: We have written to the leaders of all areas on the Devolution Priority Programme, including Greater Essex, confirming that we will ensure the new institutions are able to start investing in local growth priorities prior to the inaugural mayoral election. As set out in the written ministerial statement, each area will receive an investment fund which can be used for local growth initiatives.
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Paul Holmes:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Social and Affordable Homes Programme plan to build 300,000 homes over ten years, of which 180,000 will be for social rent, do these targets exclude (a) completions under the AHP 2021-26, (b) non-grant-funded completions, (c) completions funded by right to buy receipts with no grant, and (d) completions provided from developer contributions with no grant. \p Matthew Pennycook: Accurately forecasting long-term delivery is inherently challenging, but we believe the Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) could deliver around 300,000 social and affordable homes over its lifetime with around 180,000 for Social Rent.

We will set initial targets for Homes England and the GLA after receiving bids from Registered Providers, and will review these targets across the lifetime of the programme to maximise delivery.

In setting targets for Homes England and the GLA, we will only include homes that have been funded under the SAHP. The housing completions listed in the question will not be included.

Our delivery agencies are already taking bids from Registered Providers to deliver homes under the SAHP through the £2 billion new investment we announced in March.

Those delivery agencies published guidance for prospective bidders for the SAHP in November, which can be found on gov.uk here. We plan to open for bids in February 2026.
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Damien Egan:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to reduce delays in the home buying and selling process. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 87197 on 7 November 2025.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to hold housing developers accountable for defects in newly built homes. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 71818 on 3 September 2025 and UIN 37745 on 19 March 2025.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to improve housing provision. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government is taking concerted action to improve housing provision in England including reforming the planning system and record grant funding support for social and affordable housebuilding.

Housing is a devolved matter within the competency of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to improve the planning system. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government published a revised pro-growth National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) on 12 December 2024.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will help speed up and streamline the delivery of new homes and critical infrastructure.

It remains our intention to consult on a new suite of national policies for decision making before the end of the year.
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Mark Sewards:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of moving disabled military veterans from Employment and Support Allowance to Universal Credit on their eligibility for local council tax support schemes. \p Alison McGovern: Support for working age households, including the treatment of benefits, is designed by councils in consultation with their residents, taking into account the needs and circumstances of their local communities. Each year, councils must consider whether to revise or replace their scheme. This review may include the provision for those migrating between benefits. For pension age households, councils administer a centrally prescribed LCTS scheme, which is reviewed annually.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of mitigating the financial risk of the removal of the statutory override from local authorities regarding the requirement to balance budgets in 2028. \p Alison McGovern: At Autmn Budget 2025, the government clarified that ambitious Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) reform plans will be set out early in the new year and that funding for SEND will be managed within the government’s overall departmental spending limits from 2028-29. Therefore, we do not expect local authorities to need to fund future SEND costs from general funds, once the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) Statutory Override ends at the end of 2027-28.

We recognise that local authorities are continuing to face significant pressure from the impact of historic and accruing DSG deficits on their accounts. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government engages regularly with local authorities and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy on the impact of the deficits and the extent to which they are expected to grow. We will set out further details on our plans to support local authorities with their historic and accruing deficits through the upcoming Local Government Finance Settlement.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of Greater Essex’s progress on devolution, in the context of the decision to cancel the mayoral election. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: There has not been a decision to cancel the mayoral election in Greater Essex. Following the ministerial reshuffle, the Government has taken the opportunity to reflect on the most effective way of ensuring our mayoral institutions are best placed to deliver. As a result, the Government is now minded to hold inaugural mayoral elections for the four Devolution Priority Programme places that are also undertaking local government reorganisation – including Greater Essex – in May 2028 rather than May 2026, so that areas can complete the reorganisation process before Mayors take office. Devolution is strongest when it is built on strong foundations, and this extra time will allow these four areas to establish strong institutions ahead of their Mayors taking office in 2028. The Government will continue to support Greater Essex to build on the great strides they have already made towards the establishment of their Mayoral Strategic Authority.
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Shockat Adam:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason the independent review into civil unrest in Leicester in 2022 has not yet been published. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 87636.
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Chris Hinchliff:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of whether chalk streams are an irreplaceable habitat. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 94314 on 3 December 2025.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to hold a referendum in Essex on the constitution of new councils. \p Alison McGovern: On 2026 elections, I refer the Hon. Gentleman to my answer to Question UIN 94417 of 24 November. Our answer remains that local elections will go ahead unless there is strong justification otherwise. The Government announced on 4 December that we are minded to hold inaugural elections for the proposed Greater Essex Mayoral Strategic Authority in 2028 rather than 2026. This is separate to council elections.

There is no statutory provision for referendums as part of local government reorganisation. Parliament has already set out in legislation the process for establishing unitary councils in two-tier areas, and a referendum is not part of this process. We understand communities should have their say in the future of local government in their area so we have been clear on the importance of councils engaging with local residents and organisations as they develop their proposals. The Government is now consulting on final proposals for local government reorganisation in Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock. The Hon. Member’s constituents are able to respond here.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether local authorities will be required to repay accumulated DSG deficits before 2028-29, or whether such deficits will be written off as part of the transition to central government funding of SEND provision. \p Alison McGovern: At Autmn Budget 2025, the government clarified that ambitious Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) reform plans will be set out early in the new year and that funding for SEND will be managed within the government’s overall departmental spending limits from 2028-29. Therefore, we do not expect local authorities to need to fund future SEND costs from general funds, once the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) Statutory Override ends at the end of 2027-28.

We recognise that local authorities are continuing to face significant pressure from the impact of historic and accruing DSG deficits on their accounts. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government engages regularly with local authorities and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy on the impact of the deficits and the extent to which they are expected to grow. We will set out further details on our plans to support local authorities with their historic and accruing deficits through the upcoming Local Government Finance Settlement.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of local authorities which may need to issue Section 114s if required to recognise historic DSG deficits on their balance sheets, identified by the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic Financial Outlook, November 2025 (page 128). \p Alison McGovern: At Autumn Budget 2025, the Office for Budget Responsibility gave an assessment of Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficits which are based on current Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) policy. This government has clarified that we will set out ambitious plans for reform of SEND provision early in the new year and that funding for SEND will be managed within the government’s overall departmental spending limits from 2028-29. Therefore, we do not expect local authorities to need to fund future SEND costs from general funds, once the DSG Statutory Override ends at the end of 2027-28.

The government does not speculate on the number of local authorities that will need financial support, but we recognise that local authorities are continuing to face significant pressure from the impact of these deficits on their accounts. We will set out further details on our plans for support with historic and accruing deficits the upcoming Local Government Finance Settlement.
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Gideon Amos:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has plans to review the legislation governing Class F council tax exemptions, specifically the treatment of inherited properties that were occupied at the time of death and vacated more than six weeks later; and whether he will consider extending exemptions to cover the probate process and up to 12 months after probate is granted, regardless of occupancy status at the time of death. \p Alison McGovern: Properties which are unoccupied because the occupant has passed away, and probate has been granted on their estate, are exempt from council tax from the point of death until six months after the grant of probate or the signing of letters of administration (a class F exemption). Where the property remains occupied by another person, it is liable for council tax in the same way as any other property. The Government has no plans to amend class F council tax exemption.
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Anneliese Dodds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what comparative assessment his Department has made of fires attended by fire services affecting i) heritage sites ii) tower blocks and iii) HMOs during a) the night hours and b) daytimes. \p Samantha Dixon: MHCLG collects data on incidents attended by the Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) in England through the Incident Recording System (IRS), which includes data on different dwelling and building types, as well as on fires by hour of the day. These statistics are published on gov.uk here.

Data is available on fires attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) by dwelling type, which includes Purpose Built High Rise (10+ stories), Flats/Maisonettes, and Multiple Occupancy Dwellings (see FIRE0205). However, the department does not presently collect data on heritage site status. Data is also available on all fires by hour of the day, from 2017 onwards, which is published here.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many transport companies were registered with the Standard Industrial Classification code 49410 for freight transport by road in (a) 2019 and (b) 2024. \p Josh Simons: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of the 5th of December is attached.

Letter from the National Statistician (pdf, 121.9KB)
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for the total spend on (i) LinkedIn membership fees (ii) other subscriptions by his Department in the last financial year. \p Chris Ward: In line with other large employers, The Cabinet Office utilises LinkedIn subscriptions for business purposes including recruitment across government and managing the wider Civil Service talent pipeline.

It is not possible to provide a definitive figure for subscriptions for the last financial year (and to do so would incur disproportionate costs.) Heads of Business Units review all subscriptions and other internal expenditure to ensure value for tax payer money.
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Sir Gavin Williamson:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what formal guidance, policies and risk assessments he has issued to research institutions, NHS bodies and private genomics companies on the sharing of genomic data with foreign entities. \p Dan Jarvis: The 2023 UK Biological Security Strategy (BSS) sets out how the country is strengthening resilience to a spectrum of biological threats. As part of the BSS, DSIT is ensuring the UK is a world leader in responsible innovation in engineering biology – working closely with academia and industry to improve shared awareness of security risks, and ensuring any measures to mitigate risks (including those related to genomic data) remain proportionate.

All organisations holding health data (including genomics data) must comply with GDPR. To comply with GDPR, DSIT and DHSC require safeguards to be in place when health data is transferred outside the UK, including a risk assessment for countries not recognised as offering an equivalent level of data protection by the UK.

On behalf of DSIT, the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA), with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), have developed the Trusted Research campaign to advise academia on international collaborations, by informing them of the threat and helping them make decisions about research and research partners. NPSA and NCSC have also developed the Secure Innovation campaign to help new start-ups in the emerging and critical technology sectors think carefully about their partners and investment.

Alongside this work, DSIT’s Research Collaboration Advice Team offers the research sector tailored advice on managing the risks of international research collaboration. DSIT also engages in a two-way dialogue with policymakers, academia and industry on the responsible use of engineering biology and life sciences, through the Responsible Innovation Advisory Panel.
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Sir Gavin Williamson:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what formal guidance, policies, or risk assessments has the UK government issued to UK research institutions, NHS bodies, and private genomics companies regarding the sharing of genomic data with foreign entities. \p Dan Jarvis: I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the response given on 10 December to PQ 96655.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Government-registered vehicles are declared as being off the road with a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN). \p Dan Jarvis: The Government Car Service (GCS) provides secure transport for Government Ministers and senior officials. There are currently no GCS vehicles declared as being off the road with a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN). Some other departments operate their own fleets of vehicles, about which the Cabinet Office does not hold information.
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Ian Roome:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to work with the Ministry of Defence to codify civilian assistance to military authorities for home defence, as recommended in the Strategic Defence Review. \p Dan Jarvis: Developing plans for civilian assistance to the military in a time of conflict is a key component of the Cabinet Office's Home Defence Programme. The Cabinet Office is working closely with the MoD and other Whitehall departments to set a baseline understanding of the support requirements for defence and how positions and roles may need to be backfilled in a conflict scenario. This work is ongoing.
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Sir Gavin Williamson:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what criteria does the Government use to determine whether a company constitutes a threat to national security and is thus placed under investigation by the Procurement Act 2023. \p Dan Jarvis: I refer the Rt Hon Member for Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge to my answer on the 9th of December (PQ96652/3/4).
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to reduce the time taken for Developed Vetting renewals. \p Dan Jarvis: I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the responses given on 27 November 2025 to PQs 93373 and 92997.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, for the total spend on (i) LinkedIn membership fees (ii) other subscriptions by his Department in the last financial year. \p Michael Shanks: This information is not held centrally for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will publish all submissions made to the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce. \p Michael Shanks: The taskforce aimed for maximum transparency, publishing its terms of reference and interim findings. Stakeholders were invited to submit evidence on a non-attributed basis, encouraging frank and open disclosure. The final report provides a clear summary of the process and sets out the evidence underpinning each recommendation.
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Jamie Stone:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he expects Great British Energy – Nuclear to (a) complete its study into potential Scottish sites for new nuclear development and (b) make the findings of that study publicly available. \p Michael Shanks: Great British Energy – Nuclear will complete its study on the potential for new nuclear development in Scotland in the first half of 2026.

We will provide an update once this study has been completed.
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Jamie Stone:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, which nuclear technologies are being considered by Great British Energy - Nuclear as part of its investigation into Scottish sites for new nuclear development. \p Michael Shanks: The Secretary of State has asked Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE-N) to assess Scotland’s capability for new nuclear power. That includes the potential for large-scale and small modular reactor projects.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-10)

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Jamie Stone:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether Great British Energy - Nuclear’s assessment of potential Scottish sites for new nuclear development includes (a) previously used nuclear sites and (b) new sites. \p Michael Shanks: The Secretary of State has asked Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE-N) to assess Scotland’s potential for new nuclear power, including around areas that have previously hosted nuclear stations.

New nuclear can play an important role in helping achieve energy security and clean power, while securing thousands of skilled jobs.

The UK Government remains open to discussions with the Scottish Government regarding the deployment of new nuclear technologies in Scotland.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-10 conversation_336

Claire Coutinho:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the oral answer by the Prime Minister of 3 December 2025, Official Report, column 980, what the evidence basis is for the statement that the energy bills package announced in the Budget will cut energy bills for every family by £150. \p Martin McCluskey: The recent Budget acts to take an average £150 of costs off household energy bills from April 2026. As a result of this action, people can expect to see a significant saving on their bills.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-10 conversation_337

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what comparative estimate his Department has made of (a) electricity prices for energy-intensive industries in (i) the UK and (ii) France and Germany and (b) grid and network charges in the UK and those countries. \p Chris McDonald: The requested comparative estimates can be found in the Quarterly Energy Prices statistical publication published on GOV.UK. The most recent comparisons with EU countries are found in the June 2025 edition.

Further comparative estimates including a discussion of the breakdown of network charging can be found in the consultation outcome relating to: The proposed uplift to the Network Charging Compensation Scheme for energy intensive industries published by the Department for Business and Trade in October of this year, and available here:

Energy intensive industries (EIIs): consultation on the proposed uplift to the Network Charging Compensation Scheme for energy intensive industries - GOV.UK

Estimates were also set out in the "international price gap" section of the consultation on the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme, published on 24th November 2025. This consultation will be open for responses until 19th January 2026, and is available here:

British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme: consultation on scheme eligibility and approach - GOV.UK
wrans/answers2025-12-10 conversation_338
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-10 conversation_338

Mr Will Forster:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, for what reason the consultation on changes to Feed in Tariffs offers two ways of calculating payments for the generation of solar power at home and selling spare electricity back to the grid. \p Michael Shanks: The consultation sets out two possible approaches for adjusting Feed-in Tariffs (FIT) to transition from the Retail Prices Index (RPI) to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). These options are an immediate switch to CPI indexation or a temporary freeze of indexation with a gradual realignment to CPI. The RPI is now widely considered to be an outdated and unsuitable measure of general inflation in the UK. The Government believes it is right to review and potentially change inflation indexation on the FIT scheme, in order to reduce energy bill costs as soon as possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-10 conversation_339

Marsha De Cordova:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of refusing new oil developments at Rosebank. \p Michael Shanks: The development is subject to the regulatory process. Therefore, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-10 conversation_340

Sammy Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support the provision of onshore power supply for ports across the UK, including in Northern Ireland, in relation to onshore power supply for ferries and cruise ships. \p Michael Shanks: Responsibility for electricity policy is transferred to the Northern Ireland Assembly under the provisions of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. However, on 25 March, Government published the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy and launched a call for evidence on Net Zero Ports, focusing on future energy demand and shore power. We are considering responses to the call for evidence.

In Great Britain, Government is working with Ofgem and the National Energy System Operator on reforms to accelerate grid connections, alongside using new powers in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to accelerate strategic demand projects. These steps should support power deployment for ports.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-10 conversation_341

Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of fuel poverty amongst home owning pensioners in (a) England, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) Oldham. \p Martin McCluskey: The latest national and regional fuel poverty statistics for England were published in March 2025 and include data for 2024. These provide breakdowns of fuel poverty separately by tenure, age and employment status, but do not include specific figures for home owning pensioners.

The latest sub-regional fuel poverty statistics were published in April 2025 and include data for 2023. These provide estimates of fuel poverty levels in Greater Manchester and Oldham. However, since these are modelled estimates based on a national survey, they are not available by household characteristics at the local level.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-10 conversation_342

Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress he has made on rolling out gas and electric smart meters to properties in England. \p Martin McCluskey: The latest statistics on smart meters in operation across GB are available here: Smart meters in Great Britain, Smart meters in Great Britain, quarterly update September 2025 - GOV.UK.

Government recognises the vital role that smart metering plays in the operation of a flexible and decarbonised power system, whilst helping households to manage their energy use and reduce bills. The Department continues to drive the rollout and work closely with industry to ensure all households and small businesses can access a smart meter.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-10 conversation_343

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Solicitor General, for the total spend on (a) LinkedIn membership fees and (b) other subscriptions by her Department in the last financial year. \p Ellie Reeves: The department has no spend on LinkedIn membership fees, and has a total spend in 2024/25 of £4,322.00 on other subscriptions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-10 conversation_344

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the written statement of 4 December 2025, HCWS1128, on Devolution Priority Programme, whether the Government consulted the Electoral Commission on the cancellation of the 2026 mayoral elections. \p Sir Jeremy Wright: The Electoral Commission was not consulted by the Government regarding the timing of mayoral elections in 2026.

The Commission’s view is that scheduled elections should only be postponed in exceptional circumstances. Voters must have a say on those that represent them at local government, and county council elections are still scheduled to take place in these areas in May 2026.

The Commission will work with the Government to better understand its plans for the polls so that it can support voters, campaigners and administrators to prepare.
wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_1
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_1

Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential (a) merits of increasing funding for National Trails above 2012 levels and (b) impact of not increasing funding for National Trails on those trails. \p Mary Creagh: As part of the Defra business planning process, we assess the requirements, opportunities and impacts of all projects that we fund. These are carefully considered within the wider context of spending review before final decisions are made. Further details will be provided in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_2

Mark Pritchard:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to increase biosecurity against alien species located on imported (a) cut flowers and (b) ornamental plants. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) introduced a new risk-based approach to border controls. Goods have been categorised into the risk groups ‘High, medium and low’ and controls have been appropriately weighted against the risk.

Certain EU medium-risk cut flowers have been subject to pre-notification since 1st January 2022. EU medium-risk cut flowers have required a Phytosanitary Certificate (PC) since 31 January 2024, but there are now inspections for EU medium-risk goods at the border since 30 April 2024. EU plants for planting, including those used for ornamental purposes, are already classified as high-risk goods, and subject to a pre-notification, a PC and inspections at Border Control Post or Control Points.

In relation to risks from invasive non-native species (INNS) more generally, in Great Britain horizon scanning is carried out by UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology every 5 years using expert judgement to identify species likely to arrive, become established and have an impact in the near future.

To reduce and prevent the introduction and establishment of INNS we have prioritised horticulture as one of the top 5 pathways of introduction. We have developed a Horticulture Pathway Action Plan (PAP), available here: https://www.nonnativespecies.org/biosecurity/pathway-action-plans/horticulture-pap-for-great-britain/ which aims to address the most likely routes by which INNS can get into the country.

There are clearly continued issues with its execution in the field and the new Government will work with stakeholders and business to improve them.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_3

Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people in Newcastle-under-Lyme have accessed financial support through the (a) Property Flood Resilience grant and (b) Flood Recovery Framework. \p Emma Hardy: Newcastle-under-Lyme has not been eligible for the Flood Recovery Framework or the Property Flood Resilience (PFR) Grant Scheme when they have been activated in recent years.

With localised flooding incidents, we expect Local Authorities to have well established contingency arrangements in place and to be able to respond and support their local communities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-10 conversation_4

Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2024 to Question 18221 on Supreme Court: Judgments, whether he plans to change his Department's workforce policies. \p Daniel Zeichner: While legal proceedings remain ongoing, and there will be a need to assess the position on an ongoing basis, there is currently no intention to change the Defra policy on the provision of the check-off facility.