Derek Thomas

We recognise the importance of ensuring public access to swimming pools, as swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy. The responsibility of providing this access lies at Local Authority level, and the Government continues to encourage Local Authorities to support swimming facilities.

We appreciate the impact rising energy prices are having on organisations of all sizes, including on operators of swimming pools. That’s why we announced the £18 billion Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) in September last year. The EBRS was always time-limited, and has now been replaced with the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS). Under the EBDS, swimming pools will continue to receive discounts on their gas and electricity bills during the 12-month period from April 2023 to March 2024.

Officials in my department are in regular contact with representatives from the sector to assess the impact of rising energy costs, including monitoring how operators and local authorities are responding to them. I was pleased to host a roundtable earlier last month to hear directly from the sector on how they are adapting to the challenges faced. I also held a separate meeting on the specific challenges facing Cornwall.

Sport England has invested £13,315,795 in swimming and diving projects since April 2019, which includes £9,370,071 to Swim England. This is in addition to the £100 million National Leisure Recovery Fund, which supported the reopening of local authority swimming pools throughout the country after the pandemic.

Period poverty is an issue the Government takes very seriously and has taken a number of steps to address the problem.

Since January 2020, a Department for Education scheme provides free period products in schools and 16-19 education institutions in England. 94% of eligible secondary schools had accessed this scheme by December 2021.

Additionally, from 1 January 2021, the ‘tampon tax’ has been abolished - with a zero rate of VAT applying to all period products. Prior to the abolition of the tax, a Tampon Tax Fund was in place to allocate the funds generated from the VAT on period products, to projects which improve the lives of disadvantaged women and girls. A final round of £11.25 million in grant funding was awarded in November 2021 to distribute the VAT collected on period products in the final nine months of the 2020/21 financial year, before the tax ended.

As well as these steps, in 2019, NHS England announced that it would offer period products to every hospital patient who needs them and the Home Office changed the law to ensure that all people in custody are provided with health and hygiene products for free, to include period products.

In March 2020, in light of COVID-19, the work of the Period Poverty Taskforce was paused to free up resources to focus on the pandemic. Further announcements on the plans and the work of the Taskforce will be made in due course.

On Energy Day at COP26, the UK announced a joint statement to end international public support for the unabated fossil fuel energy sector by 2022 and prioritise support for the clean energy transition. This has been signed by an ambitious group of 34 countries and 5 public finance institutions, from both developed and developing countries. Collectively, this could move an estimated $24bn a year in public support out of fossil fuels and into the clean energy transition. The initial launch of this statement has set the level of ambition and created the political landscape required to secure similar commitments this year and beyond. This initiative remains a clear priority for the UK Presidency. We intend to work with the signatories to meet the commitments of the joint statement, as well as to continue to expand the signatory base throughout 2022.

A key focus will be securing support from additional financiers of international fossil fuels and influencing multinational fora to continue to raise ambition on this agenda. In relation to private financial institutions, over 450 institutions, responsible for over $130 trillion of private finance assets, committed to science-based, robust net zero targets through the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), within the UN’s Race to Zero. Firms have committed to come forward with 2025 or 2030 decarbonisation targets and over 90 asset managers or asset owners have already set targets for 2025 or 2030. These commitments will help shift the global financial system towards greener investments.

COP26 set the gold standard on aligning international public finance with the goals of the Paris Agreement. 34 countries and 5 finance institutions have committed to end international public finance for fossil fuel energy projects by the end of 2022. Collectively, this could move $24bn of public finance out of fossil fuels and into the clean energy transition. This is the first time a COP Presidency has prioritised this issue to drive forward progress. The UK is now actively working with fellow signatories to support the delivery of these commitments, as well as expanding the signatory base and continuing to push global ambition on this agenda throughout 2022.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 19 November 2015 to Question UIN 14200.

Public bodies should submit information about Information Sharing Agreements made under the public service delivery provisions of the Digital Economy Act 2017 to dea-data-sharing@digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk

We support the British Youth Council (BYC) to deliver its ‘youth voice’ programme, including key activities such as the national annual Make Your Mark ballot, UK Youth Parliament, and the Youth Select Committee.

Cabinet Office has committed to continuing its support for these activities for the remainder of the current Parliament.

The government’s Critical Minerals Strategy sets out how we are improving the resilience of critical mineral supply chains, safeguarding UK industry, increasing confidence in the UK’s energy transition, and protecting national security.

In terms of regulatory certainty, the Strategy sets out how we will ensure that UK domestic critical mineral companies comply with permitting and planning regulations, and how we will encourage the proportionate use of globally recognised frameworks and guidelines for responsible mining that protect the interests of communities and our natural environment.

Specifically on lithium, the Health and Safety Executive has published a Technical Report on the mandatory classification of three lithium substances (lithium carbonate, lithium chloride and lithium hydroxide) which identified additional information which requires further consideration and assessment before a Ministerial decision is made on the mandatory classification and labelling of these lithium substances in Great Britain.

To strengthen the UK’s domestic lithium industry, UK Infrastructure Bank recently invested approximately £24 million to support the mineral exploration company Cornish Lithium in St Ives.

The Postal Services Act 2011 designates Ofcom as the independent regulator for the postal sector. To ensure its regulatory framework continues to work effectively, Ofcom monitors a range of factors, including competition and developments in the parcels market.

Ofcom publishes an annual summary of its monitoring programme setting out key data and trends in the postal sector on its website: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/postal-services/information-for-the-postal-industry/monitoring_reports.

We believe consumer choice provides the best long-term guarantee of competitive prices.

The structure of the heating oil market allows for switching of suppliers on a delivery-by-delivery basis. There are commercial price comparison sites and the trade association UKIFDA provides a ‘Find a distributor’ facility at https://ukifda.org/find-a-distributor/.

There is similar consumer choice for bottled LPG users, supported by the trade association LGUK ‘Supplier search’ facility (https://www.liquidgasuk.org/domestic/supplier-search). The bulk domestic LPG market is subject to regulation under the Competition and Markets Authority’s LPG Orders (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/liquefied-petroleum-gas-lpg-market-orders-and-calculator) to enable easier switching of domestic bulk LPG supplier by domestic customers and the CMA continues to monitor that market.

The Government already recognises the merits of shared ground loops in decarbonising heating. To support their installation, the Government has announced that it will increase the capacity limit for shared ground loops under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme from 45kW to 300kW. Additionally, we have supported the installation of shared ground loops under the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.

Shared Ground Loops are an effective solution for reducing the costs associated with installing Ground Source Heat Pumps, and are currently eligible for support under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

To support their installation, the Government has announced it will increase the capacity limit under the scheme from 45kW to 300kW, increasing the number of properties able to transition to low carbon heat at the same time and reduce costs.

Shared ground loop installations which satisfy the eligibility criteria for the Green Heat Network Fund can apply to the scheme for support. To be eligible, applicants must demonstrate that their networks can deliver a minimum of 2GWh per year of heat. Typically, shared ground loops serve a smaller number of homes than other heat networks and will often fall below this requirement unless they are aggregated into larger, combined projects. However, small-scale shared ground loop installations can receive support from other schemes, such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.

Heat pumps connected to shared ground loops have a role to play in decarbonising heat, particularly in properties, like blocks of flats, that might otherwise be less well suited to individual heat pumps. To support their installation, the Government has announced that it will increase the capacity limit for shared ground loops under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme from 45kW to 300kW. Additionally, we have supported the installation of shared ground loops under schemes like the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.

The Government established a cross-Whitehall ministerial group in response to a recommendation from the House of Lords Communication and Digital Committee’s report on ‘Digital Exclusion’, published in June 2023. The ministerial group aims to drive progress and accountability on digital inclusion priorities across Government.

The first ministerial group meeting took place in September 2023, chaired by the then Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy, Paul Scully. Ministers attended from the Cabinet Office, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Department for Culture, Media & Sport, Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Education, and His Majesty's Treasury.

The group agreed to undertake a departmental mapping exercise to drive and increase coherence across departmental work. It has also discussed specific priority issues, including the viability of each department joining device donation scheme, options to increase the accessibility of parking payments and accessibility of online government services. The group will receive an update on these issues at its next meeting later this month.

Ofcom’s guidance was issued following a consultation with the general public as well as telecoms providers and Ofgem, looking at data on the average length of UK power outages. The guidance only sets out the minimum standards, and in practice many providers are offering solutions which exceed them. There is an ongoing industry working group where Communications Providers are jointly discussing how to improve their resilience to power outages, which includes discussions on backup solutions.

The power resilience of our digital infrastructure networks is becoming increasingly important for keeping people connected in the event of a power outage. In recognition of this, the Secretary of State has asked Ofcom to review how all communications providers are meeting the needs of their customers. The government continues to work closely with Ofcom to understand what may be considered appropriate and proportionate.

The Department engages with Communications Providers on a quarterly basis to ensure there are adequate plans in place for the transition to digital. Ofcom, the UK’s telecommunications regulator, has also issued guidance on how telecoms companies can fulfill their regulatory obligations in the event of a power cut.

The guidance states that providers should have at least one solution available that enables access to emergency organisations for a minimum of one hour in the event of a power outage. The solution should be suitable for customers’ needs and should be offered free of charge to those who are at risk as they are dependent on their landline. In practice many providers are offering solutions which exceed them, such as longer life battery back-up units and 4G enabled handsets.

In addition, Ofcom has an ongoing monitoring programme which includes regular engagement with large communications providers on their plans for the migration to VoIP and gathering information from other parties such as consumer stakeholders. As part of this work, Ofcom has issued an open letter to all providers to remind them of their responsibilities.

During the review of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, analysis of a large number of contributions from different individual companies in the private sector in addition to trade associations, the voluntary sector and other types of organisations were assessed. HM Treasury decided which types of business were given additional support in addition to the universal Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS).

There are over 5.5 million businesses in the UK, not including other non-domestic consumers. Considering their energy bills on an individual basis would not have been practical.

For tariffs that are caught by the price cap, and for tariffs which are not caught by the cap, suppliers can decide how they structure their standing charges. Ofgem requires energy suppliers to separate out the standing charge from the energy unit rate so consumers can see what the different charges amount to.

The Government has regular discussions with energy suppliers and Ofgem on a range of issues, including standing charges.

Ofgem is currently consulting on a review of part of the standing charge in relation to the Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) costs: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/open-letter-review-how-costs-supplier-failure-are-recovered.

The setting of the standing charge is a commercial matter for individual suppliers. The standing charge reflects the on-going costs that fall on a supplier to provide and maintain a live supply to a customer’s premises. One component of these costs relates to transmission and distribution costs, which have recently increased due to the Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) levy. The majority of the levy consists of purchasing wholesale energy, at current high prices, to serve transferring customers. Standing charges are capped under the price cap and ensure millions of households pay a fair price for their energy.

Heating oil prices are primarily driven by the underlying price in the global market of crude oil, though are also influenced by a range of other supply and demand factors, including refining capacity, stock levels, distribution costs, retail margins and seasonal demand variations with prices rising in winter as demand increases. There is an open market for the supply of domestic heating oil in the UK as the Government believe this provides the best long-term guarantee of competitive prices.

Financial support remains available for heating oil customers with energy bills, if eligible, through the Warm Home Discount, Winter Fuel Payment and Cold Weather Payment schemes.

In September 2021, the Secretaries of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and Defence published the UK’s first joint civil and military National Space Strategy. A core part of that strategy is delivering the defence space portfolio, which will support our goals in space including both protecting and defending the UK and supporting economic growth.

As reaffirmed in the recently published Defence Space Strategy, the MOD is investing an extra £1.4bn in Defence space technologies over the next 10 years. This is in addition to the £5bn investment in Skynet satellite communications over a similar timeframe. This represents a significant increase in Government funding for the UK space sector and will play a part in stimulating innovation, commercialisation, and growth across the wider sector. Defence will utilise elements of the Defence Space Portfolio funding to further support Space Science & Technology (which includes Research & Development), alongside existing funding.

Ministers and officials engage regularly with the Ministry of Defence to understand the opportunities and challenges to enable the UK’s space sector to grow and flourish, and I look forward to continuing to engage in that process as we implement the National Space Strategy.

The Government recognises recent concerns raised by video games users regarding the long-term operability of purchased products. Video games publishers must comply with existing consumer law, including the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs).

The CPRs protect consumers from being given false or misleading information by businesses. If consumers purchased a game on the understanding that it would continue to be playable, even when support ends, then the CPRs may provide recourse.

Under the CRA, consumers have clear rights when buying digital content, such as video games, supplied in digital form. Any digital content the consumer has paid for must be as described and of a satisfactory quality. If digital content does not meet these requirements, the consumer is entitled to a repair or replacement, or a price reduction or refund if the fault cannot be fixed. The CRA has a time limit of up to six years after a breach of contract during which a consumer can take legal action.

The government is disappointed to see that Meta is closing its Community News Project. We are working to support journalism and local newsrooms to ensure the sustainability of this vital industry, and our new digital markets regime will help rebalance the relationship between the most powerful platforms and those who rely on them – including press publishers.

Additionally, our support for the sector has included the delivery of the £2 million Future News Fund; the zero rating of VAT on e-newspapers; the extension of a 2017 business rates relief on local newspaper office space until 2025; the publication of the Online Media Literacy Strategy; and the BBC also supports the sector directly, through the £8m it spends each year on the Local News Partnership, including the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.

Ministers and officials regularly meet with stakeholders, including from the local press and from among the tech platforms, to discuss relevant policy interests and concerns.

There is no explicit regulatory requirement for mobile network operators to maintain a 3G network and it is for operators to take final decisions on the provision of network services. The Government welcomes 3G networks being switched off in a responsible way and will continue to work with Ofcom and mobile network operators to ensure a smooth transition that meets the needs of business users and consumers, including rural communities.

We are committed to extending good quality mobile coverage across the UK. In March 2020, the government announced a deal with the mobile network operators to increase 4G coverage to 95% of the UK landmass. And the majority of the population can now access basic 5G. The Wireless Infrastructure Strategy will set a new ambition for 5G to make sure communities across the country benefit from secure, reliable and resilient connections.

Age verification for online pornography is a world-leading measure to protect our children from adult content which is currently far too easy to access online. The Government, and the British Board of Film Classification as the regulator, are taking the time to get the implementation of this policy right and ensure it is effective. We will announce commencement plans shortly.