Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the requirements of listed building status do not delay the uptake of (a) EV charging and (b) household batteries.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals relating to the installation of energy efficiency and low carbon heating measures in listed buildings and conservation areas, making clear that it is an important public benefit to be taken into account when deciding planning applications.
We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to Ofcom's advice on how to set the minimum standards of accuracy for the Technology Notice regime under the Online Safety Act, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of recommendations in that advice; and whether she intends to approve and publish the minimum standards of accuracy.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
DSIT is considering Ofcom’s advice on the minimum standards of accuracy for the Technology Notice regime under the Online Safety Act. A decision will be communicated in due course.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for responses to people with PIP enquiries in Hitchin constituency.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) services are delivered on a national basis, with performance managed across the whole service rather than by constituency. As such, we are unable to provide waiting time data specific to Hitchin.
We are improving service responsiveness through targeted recruitment across Disability Services. The recent onboarding of over 200 additional caseworkers is increasing capacity to support both decision‑making and telephony demand. This is reducing backlogs and contributing to improved average call waiting times, ensuring customers receive quicker decisions and more timely access to support.
We have also made sustained progress in reducing customer journey times, with average end‑to‑end clearance times falling from 26 weeks in August 2021 to 17 weeks as of June 2026.
In addition, we have deployed further resource to complaints and correspondence handling, prioritised the clearance of outstanding volumes, and strengthened performance management to improve timeliness. The Department’s service standard is to respond to complaints requiring formal investigation within 15 working days. While higher volumes and increasingly complex cases have affected response times in recent months, action is underway to address these pressures and drive further improvements in timeliness and efficiency.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
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 value of stand-alone batteries in the Warm Homes: Local Grant scheme for homes where solar PV is not present and may not be suitable.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Domestic batteries are an eligible measure under the Warm Homes: Local Grant. Batteries can only be installed where they complement existing or new solar PV. This is to ensure that households realise the full benefits of installing a battery.
Measure eligibility policy for the Grant is kept under review.
All measures installed under Government schemes must adhere to the latest PAS 2035:2023 guidance and installers must be Trustmark registered and PAS 2030:2023 certified for energy performance measures and MCS certified for low carbon heating measures such as batteries.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
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 merits of enabling stand alone batteries (without solar PV) to contribute towards a properties EPC rating.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In the Home Energy Model (HEM): Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) consultation, we proposed how technologies including batteries could contribute to future EPC ratings.
The introduction of HEM will enable a half hour resolution that can more accurately estimate the impact of batteries on a home’s energy performance.
We are currently reviewing the consultation responses, including on the weighting of the different technologies in the EPC metrics. We will publish a Government Response by the end of the year.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps is he taking to include stand-alone batteries in the Warm Homes: Local Grant scheme.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Domestic batteries are an eligible measure under the Warm Homes: Local Grant. Batteries can only be installed where they complement existing or new solar PV. This is to ensure that households realise the full benefits of installing a battery.
Measure eligibility policy for the Grant is kept under review.
All measures installed under Government schemes must adhere to the latest PAS 2035:2023 guidance and installers must be Trustmark registered and PAS 2030:2023 certified for energy performance measures and MCS certified for low carbon heating measures such as batteries.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is he taking to (a) make the pharmacy contract more sustainable and (b) reform the price concession mechanism.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
On 25 February, the Department began the 2026/27 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework consultation with Community Pharmacy England, to consider any proposed changes to the reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors in 2026/27. The outcome of the consultation will be published in due course.
The Department reviewed the price concession process as part of the 2022/23 and 2023/24 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework Funding. This review resulted in the implementation of several improvements including:
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help reduce the average waiting time for a decision from the Housing Ombudsman Service.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 118414 on 10 March 2026.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the uptake of the Play Well toolkit, as laid out in Action 8 for Children and Young People with Cancer, in the National Cancer Plan 2026.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The National Cancer Plan, published on the 4 February 2026, sets out several commitments and ambitions on children and young people’s cancer, to be delivered within the next ten years.
This includes commitments to improve the experience of staying in hospital for young cancer patients. The National Health Service and Starlight's Play Well toolkit will help services deliver high-quality play provision for children, while youth support coordinators will help teenagers and young adults with education, emotional support, and fertility concerns
Decisions on funding services are for local commissioners and this toolkit supports those decision makers to establish services that are high quality and effective. NHS England continues to promote the use of the toolkit and the importance of child focussed care within services.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the reliability of train services in the East of England.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The December 2025 timetable changes for the East Coast Main Line have increased capacity on the network and improved connectivity. The Rail Minister has met with the Managing Directors of train operators and their Network Rail counterparts in the East of England, to ensure continued focus on delivering good performance.