Asked by: Alex Baker (Labour - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding her Department is providing to help improve participation in grassroots sport.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.
We provide the majority of support for grassroots sport through our arm’s length body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million of National Lottery and Exchequer funding to help people get active.
In addition, on 27 January, the Government announced that £85 million of the £400 million package for grassroots sport facilities will be invested in during 2026/27, funding the continuation of the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme. This funding is designed to increase participation opportunities and benefit the areas most in need, with 50% investment going to the 30% most deprived areas in the UK.
Asked by: Alex Baker (Labour - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help businesses to increase exports, improve productivity, and create more skilled jobs.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is putting exports at the heart of our growth mission to boost productivity and create skilled jobs across the UK. Through our Trade Strategy, we are removing barriers that hold UK businesses back from selling to the world by negotiating trade deals, tackling regulatory obstacles, and expanding export finance support.
For the first time, DBT has integrated its support in a single, accessible place - the Business Growth Service - helping firms build the capabilities needed to compete internationally. This includes tailored market advice, free Business Academy training, access to UK Export Finance and our on-the-ground network around the world.
Asked by: Alex Baker (Labour - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Government funding of clean energy sources on businesses and local communities.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan is our plan to secure growth, to back Clean Energy Industries and unlock billions more in private investment.
The Chancellor announced £61.9bn in capital funding for DESNZ during the Spending Review, underlining both her and the Prime Minister’s commitment to the Clean Energy Mission and net zero.
UK energy transition investment reached a record £65bn in 2025, a 32% increase in final investment decisions versus 2024. This investment is vital for achieving greater energy security and delivering economic growth across the UK, benefitting businesses and local communities.
Asked by: Alex Baker (Labour - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to reduce industrial energy bills.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Our modern Industrial Strategy will make British industrial electricity costs cheaper. From 2027, the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will reduce electricity costs by up to £40 per megawatt hour (MWh) for over 10,000 manufacturing businesses in Industrial Strategy growth sectors and their foundational supply chains. The Government has also announced an additional payment for eligible businesses in 2027 to cover the 2026/27 period.
In addition to this, the British Industry Supercharger reduces electricity costs for eligible energy-intensive businesses by c.£65 – £87/MWh by exempting them from certain policy costs and offering 90% compensation for network charges through the Network Charging Compensation scheme.
Asked by: Alex Baker (Labour - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he has taken with Cabinet colleagues to tackle changes in the level of energy costs for businesses since July 2024; and what comparative assessment he has made of these steps compared to those taken before July 2024.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In June 2025, the Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy proposed increased support for British Industry Supercharger recipients by uplifting the Network Charging Compensation Scheme from 60% to 90% from 1 April 2026. This uplift reduced the gap between electricity prices in Great Britain and other countries by a further £8–10/MWh for around 550 energy intensive businesses.
For manufacturing companies ineligible for the Supercharger, the Modern Industrial Strategy also announced the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS). BICS is expected to support over 10,000 businesses, saving them up to £40/MWh from April 2027, with an additional payment in 2027 to cover the 2026/27 period.
Asked by: Alex Baker (Labour - Aldershot)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans the Ministry of Defence has in place to improve the standard of Single Living Accommodation for military personnel, and how these plans align with the Government's commitment to enhancing the living conditions for service members in line with current operational and welfare needs.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises that high‑quality Single Living Accommodation (SLA) is essential to the welfare, retention and operational readiness of our Armed Forces personnel.
The SLA and Overseas Accommodation Review launched earlier this year is focused on identifying recommendations to enhance SLA, which will inform future investments.
All Front-Line Commands have prioritised SLA condition, reinforced by proactive senior leadership engagement, and have plans to eliminate their worst accommodation. Improving the standard of SLA remains a key priority.
The MOD has provided new and refurbished single rooms using a common design and modular off-site construction aiming to reduce build-times and deliver value for money. Their energy-efficient designs minimise operational energy consumption and running costs as well as enhancing the lived experience and thermal comfort.
Asked by: Alex Baker (Labour - Aldershot)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help increase levels of recruitment of neighbourhood police officers.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to rebuilding neighbourhood policing and restoring the vital link between police forces and the communities they serve.
By the end of this Parliament there will be 13,000 additional neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales. This year we have provided £200m to support forces to deliver 3,000 additional neighbourhood officers by March 2026. We are on track, with forces having already delivered almost 2,400 additional neighbourhood officers in just 6 months.
Asked by: Alex Baker (Labour - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to consider autistic burnout when shaping policies on SEND.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
As part of our Plan for Change, we are determined to fix the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and restore the trust of parents. We will do this by ensuring schools have the tools to better identify and support children before issues escalate. We will bring forward a full Schools White Paper early this year, building on the work we have already done to create a system that is rooted in inclusion.
To support the development of the reforms, we are drawing on insights from experts, including the department’s Expert Advisory Group for Inclusion and the Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group, who were established to provide an expert view and make recommendations on how to best meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people within mainstream education settings.
The department has also launched a further period of listening and engagement to strengthen co-creation, listening to children and young people, parents, experts, and education professionals across the country, so that lived experience and partnership are at the heart of the solutions.
Asked by: Alex Baker (Labour - Aldershot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policies of the Hughes Report entitled Options Options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh, published on 7 February 2024.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is carefully considering the work by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex issue involving input from different Government departments. I have met the Patient Safety Commissioner this month to work up the Department’s plans to address her recommendations, and the Government will provide an update in due course.
Asked by: Alex Baker (Labour - Aldershot)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps are being taken to consider the impact of autistic burnout when shaping policies on disability employment, to ensure autistic people achieve positive outcomes and receive appropriate support.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In January 2025, DWP launched an independent panel of academics with expertise and experiences of neurodiversity to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. The panel considered the reasons why neurodivergent people (including autistic people) have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate. This included reflections on the challenges autistic people face. We will consider its findings alongside the work of the Keep Britain Working Review, which has now entered its Vanguards Phase to test new employer-led approaches to improving support for individuals to stay in work.
Employers already have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments, including workplace flexibilities, where a disabled person or person with a long-term health condition would otherwise be put at a substantial disadvantage. This includes chronic and fluctuating health conditions and disabilities. DWP provides tailored guidance through its Support with Employee Health and Disability online service and the Disability Confident Scheme encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces including guidance on flexible working.
DWP policies also help neurodivergent people into work. Our new supported employment programme - Connect to Work - provides a dedicated specialist employment support adviser who works alongside participants to understand their career goals and help them to address any specific barriers to employment. Connect to Work has a specialist pathway that is dedicated to supporting those with particularly complex barriers.
We are also training DWP staff to better understand the needs of autistic people. In September 2023, DWP’s Learning Delivery and Design Team introduced autism learning for all of our Jobcentre staff, including Disability Employment Advisors and Work Coaches.