Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to monitor the steps water companies are taking to ensure drought preparedness.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Water companies are required to produce drought plans which are a statutory requirement and are expected to be reviewed annually. The Environment Agency (EA) as the regulator request an industry wide annual drought preparedness report every April. This covers companies’ readiness to respond to drought, updates on work it has done to improve its readiness, such as drought permit environmental assessments or training and exercises.
In response to the dry weather this year, water companies are ready to or already have implemented communications regarding drought preparedness. In some areas, companies have stepped up their engagement with customers on using water wisely, managing demand and taking efforts to reduce leakages as part of their drought preparation measures.
The EA continue to work with water companies to ensure they follow their drought plans. Water companies are continuing to attend the National Drought Group meetings to update regulators and stakeholders on the latest dry weather impacts and drought preparedness this summer.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing local supply rights for community energy schemes to sell clean power locally.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department is considering a range of reforms to unlock renewable investment and pass through the benefits of cheaper renewables to consumers. This includes potential changes to support local and community energy.
The Secretary of State previously commissioned Ofgem to explore policy and regulatory barriers to local supply, including route to market challenges. We are also learning from the responses to the Call for Evidence on barriers to community energy [1], which referenced local supply issues.
The Department continues to work with Ofgem and key stakeholders to enhance our community energy offer. We will set out further detail in due course.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/barriers-to-community-energy-projects
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to publish a formal follow-up to the Baroness Casey Review into policing; and what mechanisms are currently in place to (a) track and (b) publicly report on progress against its recommendations.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Baroness Casey Review, commissioned by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to independently review its culture and standards, made a series of important and concerning findings. Any subsequent follow-up is a matter for the MPS, in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC)
The Government has committed to improving police accountability, with new regulations on the dismissal of police officers who fail vetting laid last month. In addition, further regulations to strengthen the misconduct and performance systems are due to come into force later this month
It is the responsibility of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to assess the operational performance of police forces in England and Wales. The performance of the MPS is assessed by HMICFRS, which last published a Police Effectiveness Efficiency and Legitimacy inspection (PEEL) report for the MPS in August 2024.
HMICFRS released the MPS from its enhanced monitoring process known as ‘Engage’ in January 2025 after making improvements against recommendations set by the Inspectorate. The force has now returned to the routine stage of HMICFRS’ continuous monitoring process. The next PEEL report for the MPS is expected to be published during the next inspection cycle (2025-2027).
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department’s policies on trans people in prison of the Supreme Court's decision on 16 April 2025.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Supreme Court ruling brings clarity and confidence for women and service providers.
This Government inherited the policy regarding allocation of transgender prisoners from the previous Government, and have not moved any transgender women into the women’s estate since taking office.
Following the Supreme Court ruling in the For Women Scotland case, the Lord Chancellor has commissioned a review of transgender prisoner allocation policy.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to update the Greening Government Commitments to include commuting.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The government is currently reviewing the Greening Government Commitments to ensure they remain aligned with government priorities.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 2958 on Carbon Emissions: Business, whether the Government plans to endorse the International Sustainability Standards Board.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government will shortly publish a consultation covering the endorsement of International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) Standards. It will seek views on UK versions of the ISSB Standards, which will be known as UK Sustainability Reporting Standards. The Government will take endorsement decisions later this year, following the consultation.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights' publication Concluding observations on the seventh periodic report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 12 March 2025, whether she will make it her policy to adopt the Committee's recommendations on enhancing measures to tackle poverty through measurable targets.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We value the UN’s Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’ input and their perspectives on our policies. It is right that the government considers this report in full, and we will respond in line with the timescales set by the committee in their concluding observations.
The Child Poverty Taskforce is continuing its urgent work and is exploring all available levers, including considering social security reforms, to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty.
Our metrics must also reflect the experience of poverty in households across the UK and the urgent need to focus on those children experiencing the most severe and acute forms of poverty. The Taskforce will consider how best to measure this as the strategy develops, including through our work on the material deprivation measure following the recent review of the material deprivation survey questions carried out by the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights' publication Concluding observations on the seventh periodic report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 12 March 2025, whether she will make it her policy to adopt the Committee's recommendations on the two-child limit and the benefit cap.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We value the UN’s Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’ input and their perspectives on our policies. It is right that the government considers this report in full, and we will respond in line with the timescales set by the committee in their concluding observations.
The Child Poverty Taskforce is continuing its urgent work and is exploring all available levers, including considering social security reforms, to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty.
Our metrics must also reflect the experience of poverty in households across the UK and the urgent need to focus on those children experiencing the most severe and acute forms of poverty. The Taskforce will consider how best to measure this as the strategy develops, including through our work on the material deprivation measure following the recent review of the material deprivation survey questions carried out by the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to conduct a Child Rights Impact Assessment before the potential authorisation of Taser 10 for use by police forces in England and Wales.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Government decisions on whether to approve Taser for police use are informed by robust, independent technical and medical testing and assessments alongside an equality impact assessment which sets out any implications for those with protected characteristics, including age.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights' publication Concluding observations on the seventh periodic report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 12 March 2025, whether she will make it her policy to adopt the Committee's recommendations on guarantees for (a) safe and (b) adequate living conditions in temporary accommodation through a comprehensive regulatory framework.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government notes the UN Committee's recommendations on ensuring safe and adequate living conditions in temporary accommodation.
Our Homelessness Code of Guidance provides a summary of the homelessness legislation duties, powers and obligations on local housing authorities, including the quality standards of temporary accommodation.
Legislation is clear that temporary accommodation must be suitable for the needs of the household and that suitability of accommodation should be kept under review. Households may ask for a review of their accommodation if they feel it is unsuitable.
Through the Renters’ Rights Bill, the government will consult on a reformed Decent Homes Standard for the social and private rented sectors in due course. It is the government’s intention that the Decent Homes Standard should apply to as much of the temporary accommodation sector as possible.