Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 1 September 2025 to Question 69721 on Waste Management: Birmingham City Council, whether his Department has provided payment to (a) Tom White Waste, (b) Job & Talent, (ci) Smart Solutions and (d) other local authorities and arm length bodies for the purposes of waste management in the jurisdiction of Birmingham City Council from 11 March 2025.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The department engages regularly with Birmingham City Council and Commissioners, as is normal for all Councils under intervention, and continues to monitor the disruption caused by the bin strikes and the associated impact to the residents of the city.

The waste dispute is a local issue and is rightly being dealt with by the Council. The Government has no formal role in this matter. Waste management funding arrangements are also a matter for the Council and the department does not pay for waste management services on behalf of councils.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Commissioners appointed to oversee Birmingham City Council on negotiations with Unite.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The department engages regularly with Birmingham City Council and Commissioners, as is normal for all Councils under intervention, and continues to monitor the disruption caused by the bin strikes and the associated impact to the residents of the city.

The waste dispute is a local issue and is rightly being dealt with by the Council. The Government has no formal role in this matter. Waste management funding arrangements are also a matter for the Council and the department does not pay for waste management services on behalf of councils.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions his Department has had with Birmingham City Council on the progress of negotiations with Unite.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The department engages regularly with Birmingham City Council and Commissioners, as is normal for all Councils under intervention, and continues to monitor the disruption caused by the bin strikes and the associated impact to the residents of the city.

The waste dispute is a local issue and is rightly being dealt with by the Council. The Government has no formal role in this matter. Waste management funding arrangements are also a matter for the Council and the department does not pay for waste management services on behalf of councils.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what support his Department has provided to the retrofit market, housing associations and local authorities in order to implement the Warm Homes Plan.

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

The government recognises the essential role that local places play in accelerating progress towards net zero and is committed to working with Mayoral Strategic Authorities to deliver the Warm Homes Plan through an area-based approach.

The new Warm Homes Fund will help local authorities accelerate their existing consumer offers for solar PV. Additionally, Crown Commercial Service and Great British Energy are testing approaches to aggregating demand for technologies to drive down unit costs for both social housing landlords and the public sector estate.

The new Warm Homes Agency will play a pivotal role in supporting local partnerships, convening, facilitating and building capacity within local government.

Government support also includes funding five Local Net Zero Hubs, helping local authorities to develop decarbonisation projects and attract commercial investment.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when his Department will implement new conditions which require public grants recipients to procure services from the Energy Company Obligation supply chain.

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

The government recognises the closure of the supplier obligation schemes may present challenges for companies in the supply chain.

The Warm Homes Plan, which confirmed an additional £1.5bn in low-income grant funding, represents our long-term plan and sets out a range of policy interventions designed to lower bills and tackle fuel poverty.

We will use the procurement regime for all new funding to support the retrofit workforce affected by the closure of ECO. We will engage the retrofit supply chain, Housing Associations and Local Authorities to agree an appropriate regime.

I will lead a working group of representatives from local authorities, housing associations and industry to coordinate action to support the retrofit supply chain.

This includes the Warm Homes Plan Workforce Taskforce which will support the transition to high-quality roles in low-carbon sectors.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much capital funding will be made available in April 2026 to support people impacted by the closure of the Energy Company Obligation scheme.

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

DESNZ Ministers have consulted on extending ECO4 by six to nine months, in order to support remediation activity and enable an orderly programme closure. The Government will publish its response to this consultation shortly. As set out in the Warm Homes Plan, £5 billion has been allocated to support low-income and fuel-poor households, comprising £4.4 billion in direct capital grants and an initial £600 million through the new Warm Homes Fund. Delivery for low-income households will also continue through the Warm Homes: Local Grant and the Social Housing Fund ahead of integration into a single, combined offer for all low-income households. Further details on future scheme design will be announced in Spring 2026.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when the Warm Homes Agency will commence supporting companies and employees in Birmingham Perry Barr constituency impacted by the closure of the Energy Company Obligation scheme.

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

The Government recognises that ending Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme presents challenges for the supply chain. For the additional £1.5 billion announced in the Warm Homes Plan, the Government will use the procurement regime for all new funding to support the retrofit workforce affected by the closure of ECO, working closely with the retrofit supply chain, housing associations and local authorities. The Government is also committed to ensuring a smooth transition to the Warm Homes Agency. The scope and timeline of the Agency’s operations are being developed and will be confirmed in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department's amendment of Section 288(2) of the Sentencing Code will take effect.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Sentencing Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 22 January 2026. This measure commences automatically 2 months after Royal Assent, on 22 March 2026.

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