Adrian Ramsay

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has not ringfenced or committed any funds for compensation related to the entities or matters outlined in the question.

Net Zero Teesside’s Development Consent Order (DCO), determined in February 2024, remains in force. Considering the ongoing legal proceedings, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.

Yes, because digital inclusion is a priority for the Government and we have already set up the Digital Inclusion and Skills Unit (DISU) to address it.

Digital inclusion is a priority for Government. It means ensuring everyone has the access, skills, support and confidence to engage in our modern digital society, whatever their circumstances. We understand, however, that some people will remain offline by choice, and that alternative, accessible pathways to access public services need to be readily available and advertised. We are working across government departments to develop our approach on tackling digital exclusion, including colleagues at DHSC and NHS England.

We have not done so as yet, but digital inclusion is a priority for the Government and we understand that some people will remain offline by choice, so alternative, accessible pathways need to be readily available and advertised. We are developing our approach on digital inclusion and will be working closely with the third sector, industry and local authorities.

The Government is committed to enabling homes to be water efficient as part of the statutory Water Demand Target under the Environment Act 2021, to reduce the use of public water supply by 20% by 2037/38. The target is underpinned by a commitment to lower water usage in homes, to achieve a usage of at least 122 litres per person per day by 2038, on a trajectory to 110 litres per person per day by 2050.

Defra is working closely with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to explore whether the Building Regulations 2010 could be amended to tighten water efficiency standards, enable consumers to use less water and save on their water and energy bills. Policy options on amendments to the Building Regulations have been collated into a draft consultation, and we are now working through steps to proceed to consultation.

Work is underway across Defra and the Drinking Water Inspectorate to consider potential updates to the Schedules in the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 to ensure drinking water quality in England continues to remain exceptionally high. This includes working with a range of external experts to inform and develop the Government’s thinking on these matters.

Defra regularly meets with both British Sugar and the National Farmers Union to discuss a range of topics such as crop development, harvest, trade and pest and disease pressures and progress in research and stewardship programmes.

All applications for emergency authorisation are assessed according to the legal requirements and on the basis of the evidence.

We recognise the findings of the Global Biodiversity Framework Tracker Report and that more needs to be done on nature recovery.

Our submission to the CBD commits the UK to achieving each of the 23 global targets at home. They are underpinned by a set of specific commitments and policies to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity. By submitting our national targets on time, we have ensured the UK’s commitments can be included in the global analysis to be carried out at COP16. We will publish the full UK National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) in due course, detailing further delivery plans and future ambitions.

We set out our approach to implementing the Framework domestically in our Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP). On 30 July, we announced a rapid review of the EIP to develop a new, statutory plan to protect and restore our natural environment, helping us meet each of our ambitious Environment Act targets. It will focus on cleaning up our waterways, reducing waste across the economy, planting millions more trees, improving air quality, and halting the decline in species by 2030.

We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards.

The use of cages and other close confinement systems for farmed animals is an issue we will want to fully consider in due course.

We are unable to provide Pension Credit average waiting times for decisions separately for offline and digital claims. Average Actual Clearance Times are measured weekly. The table below shows Average Actual Clearance Times (AACT) from the end of week commencing 2nd September to the end of week commencing 21st October, in working days.

DWP currently works to a planned timescale of 50 working days to clear Pension Credit claims.

Please note.

• The data shown is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.
• These figures will not align to previous PQ responses due to retrospective updates as the data is sourced from live systems.

On 20 November 2024, the Government announced that it had commissioned an independent review of physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs), led by Professor Gillian Leng CBE. The review will consider the safety of the roles, and their contribution to multidisciplinary healthcare teams.

As set out in the published Terms of Reference, the review will be an end-to-end review of the PA and AA professions, covering selection and recruitment, training, day to day work, scope of practice, oversight, supervision, and professional regulation. The review will report in spring 2025.

NHS England has issued guidance on the deployment of PAs and AAs in the National Health Service, which describes the expectations of how organisations providing NHS care should deploy them, so that they can contribute to the delivery of safe and effective healthcare in a supportive environment. This guidance remains in place whilst the review is ongoing, and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/summary-of-existing-guidance-on-the-deployment-of-medical-associate-professions-in-nhs-healthcare-settings/

In the meantime, regulation with the General Medical Council has begun, and will help to ensure patient safety and professional accountability.

The Government is funding the General Medical Council (GMC) to undertake the work required to introduce regulations for Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) and Physician Associates (PAs), to avoid doctors paying for this through their registrant fees.

A longstanding principle underpinning the introduction of statutory regulation for new professions is that all related-costs, including legal challenges to that work, should be funded by the Government, to avoid other professions cross-subsidising the work involved.

Once regulation of AAs and PAs becomes self-funding, the Government will cease funding the GMC.

The Chief Medical Officer’s 2022 annual report on air pollution highlighted indoor air quality as a significant issue for public health. The Department engages both across Government and externally on air quality and health. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published guidance on the ventilation of indoor spaces to reduce the spread of respiratory infections, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ventilation-to-reduce-the-spread-of-respiratory-infections-including-covid-19

The UKHSA also has a Cleaner Air Programme, which includes efforts to increase the evidence base and raise awareness of indoor air quality and its health impacts, especially in settings like homes, schools, and public places. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published guidance on indoor air quality in residential buildings which outlines steps that can be taken to mitigate health risks. These guidelines are available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng149

The funding of logistical support for public spaces is generally the responsibility of the authority that owns and operates those spaces.

On 17 October 2024, I co-chaired a roundtable of researchers and people with lived experience to discuss long COVID research. I highlighted the importance of research in supporting this community, as well as recognising the significant burden of disease. We also discussed next steps for long COVID research, including supporting implementation science and knowledge mobilisation to ensure results translate into policy and practice, supporting researchers and industry partners to deliver intervention studies for new and repurposed treatments, capitalising on synergies with research on other post-viral syndromes, and ensuring long COVID researchers are supported to apply for further funding.

Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. Previous plans did not go far enough and we are looking at what changes we can introduce. The Government has set out its ambition to expand the role of pharmacies and to better utilise the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists.

Departmental officials are working at pace to conclude the consultation on the community pharmacy contractual framework arrangements for 2024/25 as quickly as possible. We are unable to provide further details until the consultation with the Community Pharmacy England is concluded. The outcome will be published and communicated to all contractors at that time.

Pharmacies are private business and decisions to close are made for a range of reasons, as in any other provider market. The Department continues to monitor patient access to all pharmaceutical services closely. Despite pharmacy closures in recent years, access remains good and four in five people in England live within in a 20-minute walk from a pharmacy, and this proportion is higher in the most deprived areas. Patients can also choose to access medicines and services through any of the nearly 400 National Health Service online pharmacies that are contractually required to deliver medicines free of charge to patients.

As set out in the Foreign Secretary's statement to the House on 2 September, this Government assesses that Israel must and should do more to ensure that life-saving food and medical supplies reach civilians in Gaza. The Foreign Secretary has raised repeatedly with Israeli leaders the need for a rapid increase of aid into Gaza, including during his joint visit with French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné in August. I also raised this concern directly with the Israeli Ambassador to the United Kingdom during our meeting on 24 July. The UK does not operate independent trucking routes into Gaza, as this is more effectively managed by the UN and our other delivery partners. Truck numbers are a poor metric of humanitarian delivery, but UN figures show a daily average of 97 trucks (both humanitarian and commercial) entered Gaza in September, far below the 500 daily before 7 October 2023.

Ministers of the Crown have a legal duty to have due regard to the environmental principles policy statement when making policy, in line with section 19 of the Environment Act 2021.

This is made clear on the Green Book webpage and will be reflected in the Green Book when the document is next updated.