Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an estimate of the (a) average annual cost between 31 March 2023 and 31 March 2024 and (b) projected annual cost until 31 March 2025 of (i) electricity and (ii) heating bills for households on communal and district heat networks; and if she will make a comparative assessment of the cost of (A) those customer's bills and (B) the bills of other domestic customers.

Answered by Amanda Solloway

No new estimation has been made. I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave to the hon Member for Twickenham (Munira Wilson) on 17 April 2023 to Question UIN 176758.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will take steps to bring district heating schemes under the same price protections as the rest of the energy market.

Answered by Amanda Solloway

We are introducing regulation from 2025 to appoint Ofgem as the heat network regulator. They will have powers to investigate and intervene on networks where prices for consumers appear to be unfair. Ofgem will consult on pricing regulation later in 2024 and price benchmarking will come into force in 2026.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the video entitled The first individuals set to be removed to Rwanda, posted on X by his Department on 1 May 2024, what the objectives of posting the video were; when the video received ministerial clearance; and if he will publish the minutes of the meeting in which the decision was made to produce the video.

Answered by Michael Tomlinson

Videos on government social media accounts should inform the public about government policy and delivery. This video showed Immigration Enforcement officers executing thier public duties as they do all the time. It was produced by civil servants as part of their routine duties and involved no additional costs. As with all videos featuring service users or sensitive content, every care was taken to protect subjects’ identities. The video went through normal approval processes for social media content.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the video entitled The first individuals set to be removed to Rwanda, posted on X by his Department on 1 May 2024, who produced the video; and how much the video cost to produce.

Answered by Michael Tomlinson

Videos on government social media accounts should inform the public about government policy and delivery. This video showed Immigration Enforcement officers executing thier public duties as they do all the time. It was produced by civil servants as part of their routine duties and involved no additional costs. As with all videos featuring service users or sensitive content, every care was taken to protect subjects’ identities. The video went through normal approval processes for social media content.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she (a) has taken and (b) plans to take with the devolved Administrations to improve coordination of efforts towards achieving the UK's international (i) climate and (ii) biodiversity obligations.

Answered by Justin Tomlinson

DESNZ works closely with the devolved administrations (DAs) on international climate obligations and reporting to the UNFCCC. DESNZ worked with the DAs on the development of the 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), and this year will be seeking their views for the 2035 NDC. This reflects the role the DAs play in the UK-wide drive to decarbonise the economy. DESNZ accredited 20 delegates from DAs to attend COP28 and will accredit DAs delegates to attend COP29.

Through the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, which advises UK-wide and international nature conservation, the four nations will coordinate to further our ambitious biodiversity agenda.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who were given (a) entry clearance and (b) leave to remain on the grounds of family life as a partner under Immigration Rules Appendix FM were granted access to public funds following a successful change of conditions application in each year since 2012.

Answered by Tom Pursglove

The number of applications for Entry Clearance and to stay in the UK that are made on the basis of family life as a partner or parent and any exceptional circumstances in compliance with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the number of applicants granted access to public funds following a successful entry clearance or leave to remain change of conditions application, do not form part of any current transparency data or migration statistics and is not published.

The transparency data does, however, include a range of processing data and the latest data can be found at:

www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#uk-visas-and-immigration.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been given leave to remain on the basis of (a) family life as a (i) partner and (ii) parent and (b) exceptional circumstances in compliance with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights in each year since 2012.

Answered by Tom Pursglove

The number of applications for Entry Clearance and to stay in the UK that are made on the basis of family life as a partner or parent and any exceptional circumstances in compliance with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the number of applicants granted access to public funds following a successful entry clearance or leave to remain change of conditions application, do not form part of any current transparency data or migration statistics and is not published.

The transparency data does, however, include a range of processing data and the latest data can be found at:

www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#uk-visas-and-immigration.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been given entry clearance to the UK on the basis of family life as (a) a partner, (b) a parent and (c) exceptional circumstances in compliance with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights in each year since 2012.

Answered by Tom Pursglove

The number of applications for Entry Clearance and to stay in the UK that are made on the basis of family life as a partner or parent and any exceptional circumstances in compliance with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the number of applicants granted access to public funds following a successful entry clearance or leave to remain change of conditions application, do not form part of any current transparency data or migration statistics and is not published.

The transparency data does, however, include a range of processing data and the latest data can be found at:

www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#uk-visas-and-immigration.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the recommendations in the report entitled Creating a nature-rich UK: Unleashing the potential of nature-based solutions, published by Zero Hour on 13 September 2023.

Answered by Rebecca Pow

The Government is already carrying out a programme of large-scale habitat creation and restoration to implement nature-based solutions. Taking actions for nature, including protecting our land and species, is also a core part of our third National Adaptation Programme.

Through the Environment Act 2021, we have committed to the legally binding targets of creating or restoring more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat outside of protected sites by 2042 and increasing the tree canopy and woodland cover of England to 16.5% by 2050.  We have also made a number of further commitments in the Environmental Improvement Plan, including restoring approximately 280,000 hectares of peatland in England by 2050 and encouraging and supporting increased agroforestry with an aim to increase silvo-arable agroforestry to 10% of all arable land by 2050.

We are providing significant funding in this area. Our transformational, £675m, Nature for Climate Fund has supported tree planting to reach the decade’s highest levels, with more than 15 million trees planted in England during this Parliament. In February we awarded £25 million funding to 40 schemes around England for improving flood resilience through a new natural flood management programme.

The Government has guaranteed an average annual budget of £2.4 billion for the farming sector for the life of this Parliament. Our reforms require specific actions to be taken that enhance the environment and protect food production. This includes paying farmers to restore valuable habitats such as lowland peat and to engage in sustainable agroforestry and wetland management, which will support adaptation to climate change.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 30 April 2024 to Question 23225 on Visas: Families, how many staff have been (a) recruited and (b) re-deployed to his Department's Family and Human Rights Unit.

Answered by Tom Pursglove

Whilst this information is recorded on our systems, it is not in a reportable format.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff in his Department are on a maximum payscale below (a) £34,500 and (b) £38,700.

Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons

Within the Home Office, as of March 2024, there are 31,936 staff that have a maximum payscale below (a) £34,500 and 37,096 staff that have a maximum payscale below (b) £38,700.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she (a) has taken and (b) plans to take with the devolved Administrations to achieve the (i) mission, (ii) goal and (iii) targets of the Paris Agreement 2015.

Answered by Justin Tomlinson

DESNZ works closely with the devolved administrations (DAs) on international climate obligations and reporting to the UNFCCC. DESNZ worked with the DAs on the development of the 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), and this year will be seeking their views for the 2035 NDC. This reflects the role the DAs play in the UK-wide drive to decarbonise the economy. DESNZ accredited 20 delegates from DAs to attend COP28 and will accredit DAs delegates to attend COP29.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she (a) has taken and (b) plans to take with the devolved Administrations to integrate (i) climate and (ii) nature plans.

Answered by Justin Tomlinson

DESNZ works closely with the Devolved Administrations on climate and net zero issues, including through the Interministerial Group for Net Zero, Energy and Climate Change which supports effective engagement and collaboration in areas of shared interest between the UK administrations. The group last met on 13 March.

Many UK Government departments play a vital role in delivering carbon budgets, with DEFRA ensuring that nature-based solutions are a core part of Government action to tackle climate change. Integration of climate and nature plans is a matter for my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on policy priorities in advance of COP 29.

Answered by Justin Tomlinson

My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State continues to have ongoing discussions with colleagues concerning Departmental business.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will continue to lead on international climate policy across Government, working closely with other Departments to raise ambition and drive forward action to deliver on the Paris Agreement at COP29 and at other key international meetings, including the G7 and G20.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he (a) has taken and (b) plans to take steps with the devolved Administrations to achieve the (i) mission, (ii) goal and (iii) targets of the Kunming-Montreal Agreement 2022.

Answered by Rebecca Pow

The UK Government and devolved administrations are committed to working together to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Through the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, which advises all four countries of the UK on UK-wide and international nature conservation, we coordinate at all levels to further our ambitious biodiversity agenda. In combination with relevant Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, all parts of the UK have contributed towards, and will adopt, a joint National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, which will outline national targets and commitments that help deliver the goals and targets of the GBF.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the total annual cost to UK businesses of completing customs declarations on trade across the EU-GB border, in each year since the UK left the EU.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston

HMRC is working on an estimate, using insight from research with businesses to better understand the processes involved for traders and the administrative costs of complying with customs declarations after EU Exit.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) reducing and (b) abolishing VAT on (i) maintenance and (ii) energy-efficiency improvements on historic and cultural buildings.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will provide additional financial support to help the creative sector meet (a) energy and (b) maintenance costs.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with Ofcom on enforcement of the Broadcasting Code.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Ministers and officials have regular discussions with Ofcom on a range of issues.

As the UK’s independent broadcasting regulator, it is rightly a matter for Ofcom to determine whether there has been a breach of the Broadcasting Code, and whether to take any action.

ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map

Imperial War Museums and union derecognition

Penicuik Athletic youth football club and Colin Campbell Sports Cup

Take Another Look campaign

Saltire Patisserie, Midlothian and Scottish Baker of the Year Awards

Ross Cowie, Point of Light Award

Found: 10.00 am Meeting in the Speaker’s Study Present: The Speaker, in the Chair Nickie Aiken Deidre