Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has plans to introduce minimum community compensation funding for communities impacted by (a) Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project solar developments and (b) solar developments assessed through the local planning system.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Through the Clean Power Action Plan, we have made clear that where communities host clean energy infrastructure, we will ensure they benefit from it. There are many options in this area, and we are exploring all options to ensure communities can benefit from our clean power mission.
In the meantime, Solar Energy UK, the main trade body for the solar sector, will publish later this year a voluntary community benefits protocol and guidance for solar.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to introduce community benefit measures for solar developments as part of the Plan for Change.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Through the Clean Power Action Plan, we have made clear that where communities host clean energy infrastructure, we will ensure they benefit from it. There are many options in this area, and we are exploring all options to ensure communities can benefit from our clean power mission.
In the meantime, Solar Energy UK, the main trade body for the solar sector, will publish later this year a voluntary community benefits protocol and guidance for solar.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many meetings he has had with veterans who have served in Northern Ireland since taking his post.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Since I was appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, I have engaged with veterans and their representatives on two occasions. I have also met with both the previous and current Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner, and with a group representing former police officers. This is in addition to the engagement that has been carried out by the Minister for Veterans and People, and by officials in the Northern Ireland Office.
The Government will continue to discuss legacy issues with veterans and their representatives, alongside our wider process of engagement with all interested parties, as we seek to establish a way forward that is lawful and can command confidence across communities.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications of the Budapest Memorandum for his policies.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in return for Ukraine giving up its nuclear weapons, Russia committed to "refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine." Russia has clearly breached those commitments. When the war ends Ukraine will need robust security guarantees to ensure Russia is never able to invade again. The UK is ready to play a leading role in accelerating work on security guarantees, as well as further support for Ukraine's military.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders convicted of actual bodily harm and sentenced to under four years in prison have been released early from prison since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
On 7 November, the Ministry of Justice published transparency data on how many offenders were released on the first days of Tranche 1 and Tranche 2 of SDS40 (1,889 prisoners on the first day of Tranche 1, and 1,223 prisoners on the first day of Tranche 2).
Data on prison releases forms a subset of prison population data which is intended for future publication. In accordance with the requirements of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, we may not give any early indication of the contents of this statistical report.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will call in the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China following reporting of cash offered by the Chinese Embassy for information on Hong Kong activists living in the UK.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We will not tolerate attempts by foreign powers to intimidate, harass, or harm their critics overseas. Following the issuing of arrest warrants on Christmas Eve, the Foreign Secretary strongly condemned the targeting of Hong Kongers in the UK.
Following recent reports, FCDO officials again raised the matter with the Chinese Embassy. The Hong Kong Police's issuing of arrest warrants encourages reckless behaviour on UK soil and damages Hong Kong's reputation.
The safety of Hong Kongers in the UK is of upmost importance for the Government. This has been referred to the police who are dealing with this matter.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much her Department has spent on public surveys using vouchers as incentives.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The information cannot be provided, as it is not held centrally and collating it would result in a disproportionate cost to the department.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to reform the Sovereign Grant at the next review.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
As required by the Sovereign Grant Act 2011, the next review of the Sovereign Grant will take place in 2026. The government has committed to bring forward legislation to reset the Grant to a lower level from 2027-28 once Buckingham Palace reservicing works are completed.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help tackle the shortage of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy drugs.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is continuing to engage with all suppliers of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) to boost production to mitigate the supply issue. Suppliers have managed to secure additional pharmaceutical ingredients resulting in expected increased volumes of PERT for 2025. The Department has also reached out to specialist importers who have sourced unlicensed stock to assist in covering the gap in the market. In December 2024, the Department issued further management advice to healthcare professionals. This directs clinicians to consider these unlicensed imports when licensed stock is unavailable and includes actions for integrated care boards to ensure local mitigation plans are put in place and implemented. The Department, in collaboration with NHS England, has created a webpage to include the latest updates on PERT availability and easily accessible advice on the prescribing and ordering of alternative PERT products.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment the Government has made of the potential implications for his policies of the decision by the Australian government to ban DeepSeek from all government devices and systems.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The UK government keeps new technologies under review to ensure that our existing policies and guidance are appropriate to mitigate any emerging risks. In the case of new Artificial Intelligence tools, we have a robust set of security policies in place to manage how information is handled.
The recently updated Artificial Intelligence Playbook for the UK Government outlines that only corporately assured Generative AI tools should be used to process government information. The Mobile Device Management policy mandates that any application downloaded onto government devices must first be approved by security and technology teams. Everyone who works in government is also made aware of their responsibility to safeguard any government information or data that they process, access or share.