Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
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.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
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.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
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.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
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.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
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.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 10-year Health Plan, when he plans to publish the healthy food standard.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever. The plan committed to introducing mandatory healthy food sales reporting for all large companies in the food sector before the end of this Parliament as well as targets to increase the healthiness of sales in all communities.
To fulfil this commitment, the Government is working towards a Spring 2026 public consultation on Healthier Food Targets and Reporting.
Decisions on policy proposals and implementation will be taken following consultation.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when her Department plans to respond to the report of 15 October 2025 by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact, entitled UK Aid to Sudan: A Review.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has now responded to the report of 15 October 2025 by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) about UK Aid to Sudan. All formal government responses to ICAI reports are published on GOV.UK. We will publish the response to this report in due course.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help remove barriers to work faced by young disabled people with complex needs in Birmingham Perry Barr constituency.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group. Access to the right support, in the right place, at the right time, is crucial.
Jobcentre Plus provides tailored, person-centred support to young disabled people, focusing on their individual needs. Disability Employment Advisors (DEAs) provide personalise support for people with health conditions and disabilities to enable them to achieve appropriate and sustainable employment. DEAs work closely with Youth Employability Coaches (YECs), who deliver longer-term support, specifically for young people facing with complex to work. Both DEAs and YECs work with partner organisations to ensure access to expert advice.
The Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education continue to work closely with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) on the design and delivery of their Youth Guarantee Trailblazer. WMCA has actively engaged its seven Local Authorities, which includes Birmingham, to co-develop and test place-based solutions aimed at tackling high youth unemployment, economic inactivity, and declining apprenticeship opportunities. Examples of programmes being delivered through the Trailblazer include work experience placements, pre-apprenticeship training, and NEET prevention. This locally tailored support is also accessible to young people with health conditions and disabilities. Insights from the Trailblazer will inform future national policy and delivery.
In addition, young people with health conditions and disabilities can benefit from other locally delivered programmes such as Connect to Work and Workwell. Connect to Work, is a voluntary, high-fidelity programme, connecting work, health and skills support for people with challenges to employment, including health and disability. Workwell, provides a light touch intervention which focuses on prevention and support for people in work to sustain employment. It also supports people who have fallen out of work due to health and disability to return to the workplace.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with (a) West Midlands Police on amending its risk assessment for the upcoming UEFA Europa League match between Aston Villa FC and Maccabi Tel Aviv FC and (b) Birmingham City Council's Safety Advisory Group on reversing its decision to ban away fans from attending.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Further to the answer that I gave on 27 October, I can confirm that the Government continues to work with West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council to support them in ensuring the match between Aston Villa FC and Maccabi Tel Aviv FC due to be played on 6 November can proceed safely.
We are clear that law abiding fans should be able to enjoy football matches in safety and that any violent or disorderly behaviour at matches will not be tolerated.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made recent representations to her American counterpart on the detainment of Sami Hamdi by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on 26 October 2025; and what steps she is taking to secure his immediate release.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We do not routinely discuss specific cases, but I can confirm that the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office are in contact with a British man detained in the USA and in touch with the local authorities and his family in the UK.