Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will review the eligibility criteria for the Warm Home Discount to ensure that people who would otherwise qualify for support are not excluded because their energy is supplied through a sub-meter.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the challenges faced by low-income households whose energy is supplied through sub-metering arrangements.
Eligibility for the Warm Home Discount requires the bill payer, or their partner, to receive a qualifying means-tested benefit and to be named on the electricity bill. Where tenants are not named on the bill, they may be unable to receive the rebate. The Government has confirmed that the £150 Warm Home Discount will continue until winter 2030/31 and will keep under consideration how energy support can most effectively reach households without a direct domestic supply relationship.
Tenants may also be supported through Warm Home Discount Industry Initiatives. These include energy efficiency measures, energy advice, boiler and central heating replacements, financial assistance payments, debt write-off, and benefit entitlement checks. The government has also introduced the £1 billion Crisis and Resilience fund which replaces the Household Support Fund in England, providing support with cost-of-living pressures. We recommend any household struggling to pay for their essentials contacts their local authority to see if they are eligible for this support.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of fuel poverty on households with sub-metered energy supplies that are not able to access the Warm Home Discount.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the challenges faced by low-income households whose energy is supplied through sub-metering arrangements.
Eligibility for the Warm Home Discount requires the bill payer, or their partner, to receive a qualifying means-tested benefit and to be named on the electricity bill. Where tenants are not named on the bill, they may be unable to receive the rebate. The Government has confirmed that the £150 Warm Home Discount will continue until winter 2030/31 and will keep under consideration how energy support can most effectively reach households without a direct domestic supply relationship.
Tenants may also be supported through Warm Home Discount Industry Initiatives. These include energy efficiency measures, energy advice, boiler and central heating replacements, financial assistance payments, debt write-off, and benefit entitlement checks. The government has also introduced the £1 billion Crisis and Resilience fund which replaces the Household Support Fund in England, providing support with cost-of-living pressures. We recommend any household struggling to pay for their essentials contacts their local authority to see if they are eligible for this support.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to the Answer of 28 April 2026 to Question 128813, which categories of AI system should not be regulated at the point of use; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring independent safety assessments for those systems.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The UK is committed to a context-based regulatory approach that supports adaptability, proportionality and the expertise of our existing sectoral regulators. This is complemented by the work of the AI Security Institute, which deepends our understanding of the critical security risks posed by frontier AI.
The Government is exploring whether additional targeted interventions may be needed in future to address the most significant AI-related national security risks. Any changes would be informed by robust and independent evidence.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to the Government's response to the AI Opportunities Action Plan (CP 1242), when his Department plans to publish the consultation on proposed legislation relating to the most powerful AI models; and when he plans to establish the AI Security Institute as a statutory body.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The AI Security Institute (AISI) has built trusted, voluntary relationships with the world's leading AI labs. This has allowed AISI to secure privileged access that has identified dozens of vulnerabilities that developers fixed before public release. This collaborative approach lets us keep pace with a fast-moving technology and adapt as it evolves.
The Government is exploring whether additional targeted interventions may be needed in future to address the most significant AI-related national security risks, and remains committed to ensuring AISI is equipped to fulfil its vital role. We will update Parliament in due course.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 28 April 2026 to Question 128813, whether the AI Security Institute has identified vulnerabilities in models deployed before the Institute confirmed those vulnerabilities had been resolved.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The AI Security Institute is a research institute, not a regulator. Its scientific testing and research help government, developers and existing regulators understand the risks posed by advanced AI and inform any action needed.
AISI has identified dozens of AI model vulnerabilities that leading frontier AI developers have addressed before releasing them to the public, protecting British citizens from potential harm.
The Institute tests models both before and after deployment. Where testing identifies a vulnerability, findings are shared with the developer at pace so that mitigations can be put in place, regardless of deployment status.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of fees charged for a) standard visitors and b) an electronic travel authorisation.
Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Where changes to fee legislation are made, Impact Assessments are produced which identify potential impacts resulting from the changes to those fees.
The latest assessment, published alongside changes which came into effect in April 2026 and which included fees for Standard Visitors and Electronic Travel Authorisations, is available here:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2026/44/pdfs/ukia_20260044_en.pdf