Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department's press release entitled New auction delivers unprecedented clean, homegrown power, published on 10 February 2026, if he will publish the internal analysis showing that the renewable generation capacity awarded in Allocation Round 7 will reduce household bills.

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

The press notice 'Notes to editors' section provides a published summary of the analysis. We are not planning any further publications on AR7.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will publish a list of the organisations the Race Equality Engagement Group has (a) met with and (b) engaged with since it was appointed.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

On 25 September 2025 the Race Equality Engagement Group (REEG) held its first thematic roundtable covering tackling the barriers to accessing finance and investment for ethnic minority entrepreneurs, and the Police Race Action Plan.

On 9 December 2025 the REEG held its second thematic roundtable and community engagement session, focusing on racial inequalities in maternal and neonatal health and cardiovascular disease.

The Group has met with a broad range of stakeholders with lived experience, and from key government departments, civil society, community groups and institutions. In line with the REEG’s Terms of Reference, these meetings are supporting efforts to strengthen the government’s links with ethnic minority communities and enable constructive dialogue on the government’s plans to tackle race inequalities.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when she plans to publish the Draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As set out in our manifesto and in the King’s Speech in July 2024, the government is committed to introducing mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for large employers and making the right to equal pay effective for ethnic minority and disabled people.

Good progress has been made in developing the policy and legislative approach to ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting following the public consultation last year.

In 2025, we published a call for evidence on equality law which included consideration of how we make the right to equal pay effective for ethnic minority and disabled people. It closed at the end of June, and we are now working to analyse the responses.

We will publish the government response to the ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting consultation, as well as sharing an update on the Bill soon.

Excise