Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much and what proportion of funding for the NHS was spent on (a) legal costs and (b) compensation related to employment tribunals in each of the last five financial years, broken down by NHS Trust.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Neither the Department nor NHS England hold information which breaks down the proportion of National Health Service funding that was spent on legal costs and compensation relating to employment tribunals.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing payment rates for legal aid in family law cases, in the context of his Department's decision to uplift the rates paid for all housing and immigration legal aid work.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

This Government is committed to ensuring the long-term sustainability of civil legal aid, including family legal aid, and we are keen to work closely with practitioners and their representative bodies to look at how best we can address this.

Between January 2023 and March 2025, the Ministry of Justice undertook a comprehensive review of civil legal aid and concluded a consultation on uplifts to housing and debt, and immigration and asylum legal aid fees, which will inject an additional £20 million into the sector each year once fully implemented.

This investment will help the Government deliver commitments to reduce the asylum backlog, end hotel use, increase returns and ensure the most vulnerable can navigate a complex legal system and access justice.

Whilst there are no immediate plans to increase the fee rate in family law, the Ministry of Justice is looking at other potential changes that could support providers, for example, (civil) contractual requirements regarding provider offices and limits to the provision of remote legal aid that providers say are burdensome. Any changes would aim to give providers more autonomy in meeting client need, while maintaining effective in-person provision for clients who need this.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her planned timetable is for the implementation of airspace modernisation in the north of England.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government remains firmly committed to delivering the benefits of airspace modernisation. The Department for Transport is working closely with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), NATS, and the airports across the north of England to develop a robust and credible plan to implement airspace change in the region. Progress is encouraging, and the airports involved are shortly expected to move forward to public consultation on their plans as the next stage of the CAA’s airspace change process.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of working with regulators to introduce labels for nitrous oxide canisters that can be traced to the point of sale.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has responsibility for the Aerosols Dispensers Regulations 2009 which sets out the requirements for the safety of aerosol cannisters. The Regulations specify the manufacturing, labelling and transport requirements ensuring the safety of aerosol cannisters. DBT has made no assessment regarding point-of-sale labelling for aerosol cannisters containing nitrous oxide as this is not pertinent to the safety of the cannister.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding to local authorities to support the (a) improvement and (b) adoption of unadopted roads.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Should local highway authorities see fit, they are free to adopt unadopted roads under sections 37, 38 and 228 of the Highways Act 1980.

The Government has already provided £500 million of additional funding for local highway maintenance this year, bringing the total to a record investment of almost £1.6 billion.

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 extending eligibility for (a) energy support schemes and (b) the Warm Home Discount to people whose homes are not connected to electric or gas networks.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

For schemes such as the Winter Fuel Payment, which helps pensioner households with heating costs, and the Cold Weather Payment, which offers additional support during periods of very cold weather to those on certain income-related benefits, households do not need to be connected to the gas or electricity networks.

To be eligible for the Warm Home Discount a consumer must be named on an energy account with an obligated supplier and be in receipt of a relevant means tested benefit. In February 2025 the Government consulted on broadening the scheme to include households without a direct relationship with an energy supplier, however it was not feasible to take this forward without increasing the cost of the scheme for all consumers.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress his Department has made in producing a climate action plan by 29 October 2025.

Answered by Katie White - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

We will deliver an updated plan that sets out the policy package out to the end of Carbon Budget 6 in 2037 for all sectors of the economy later this month. This will outline the policies and proposals needed to deliver Carbon Budgets 4-6 on a pathway to net zero.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions he has had with the Climate Change Committee on whether the UK is on track to stay within its carbon budgets from 2025 until 2042.

Answered by Katie White - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State regularly engages with the Climate Change Committee (CCC). This year, the CCC published their independent advice to government on Carbon Budget 7 (2038-2042) and their annual progress report to government, which found that the government has made “bold policy decisions” in the last year to deliver progress in key areas to reduce emissions. We are considering their independent advice to government and will respond in due course.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will apply the forthcoming revised sustainability criteria for biomass to any new Contracts for Difference being developed for post-2027 generation at (a) Drax and (b) Lynemouth power stations.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Revised sustainability criteria for large-scale biomass electricity generators, such as Drax and Lynemouth, were published on 10 February 2025 following a consultation.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/transitional-support-mechanism-for-large-scale-biomass-electricity-generators

These criteria will apply to any potential contracts awarded under this mechanism.

More broadly, the Government plans to consult later this year on the development of a Common Biomass Sustainability Framework. The timeline for publication and implementation of the framework will depend on the outcomes of that consultation.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will ensure that revised sustainability criteria for biomass are in place before new Contracts for Difference are finalised for (a) Drax and (b) Lynemouth power stations.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Revised sustainability criteria for large scale biomass generators, such as Drax and Lynemouth, were published on 10 February 2025 following a consultation.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/transitional-support-mechanism-for-large-scale-biomass-electricity-generators

These criteria will apply to any potential contracts awarded under this mechanism.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to publish the revised sustainability criteria for biomass.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government plans to consult later this year on the development of a Common Biomass Sustainability Framework. The timeline for publication and implementation of the framework will depend on the outcomes of that consultation.

Found: Labour; Sheffield South East) Nesil Caliskan (Labour; Barking) Mr Luke Charters (Labour; York Outer) Anna Dixon

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Chair); Mr Clive Betts; Anna Dixon; Sarah

Found: Labour; Sheffield South East) Nesil Caliskan (Labour; Barking) Mr Luke Charters (Labour; York Outer) Anna Dixon

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Chair); Mr Clive Betts; Anna Dixon; Sarah

Found: Labour; Sheffield South East) Nesil Caliskan (Labour; Barking) Mr Luke Charters (Labour; York Outer) Anna Dixon