Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Ofgem’s RIIO-GT3 Draft Determinations on energy security.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DESNZ works closely with the energy sector to maintain energy security and ensure industry has the tools at their disposal to support security of supply.
As the risk landscape continues to evolve, ensuring high standards of infrastructure resilience and security across the energy sector is a key priority for the Department and Ofgem.
The Department will continue engaging with the regulator to ensure RIIO-GT3 delivers the investment needed to maintain energy security and resilience through the price control period.
For example, DESNZ recently launched an Energy Security and Resilience Taskforce with CEOs of critical operators, with Ofgem in attendance, which will be a key forum to discuss risks and standards.
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions his Department has had with Ofgem on ensuring that critical national infrastructure is adequately protected against evolving cyber threats.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DESNZ works closely with Ofgem through the Energy Cyber Quad – a strategic partnership comprising DESNZ, Ofgem, the National Energy System Operator and the National Cyber Security Centre. The partnership focuses on strengthening cyber resilience across the energy system, ensuring a coordinated responses to evolving threats.
DESNZ recently launched a new Energy Security and Resilience Taskforce with CEOs of critical operators, with Ofgem in attendance, which will be a key forum going forward to discuss threats.
DESNZ is also joint Competent Authority with Ofgem under the Network and Information Systems Regulations, driving cyber resilience standards for our most critical operators.
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to ensure Ofgem’s RIIO-GT3 Final Determination adequately reflects the UK’s statutory energy security requirements.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DESNZ works closely with the energy sector to maintain energy security and ensure industry has the tools at their disposal to support security of supply.
As the risk landscape continues to evolve, ensuring high standards of infrastructure resilience and security across the energy sector is a key priority for the Department and Ofgem.
The Department will continue engaging with the regulator to ensure RIIO-GT3 delivers the investment needed to maintain energy security and resilience through the price control period.
For example, DESNZ recently launched an Energy Security and Resilience Taskforce with CEOs of critical operators, with Ofgem in attendance, which will be a key forum to discuss risks and standards.
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what guidance he has issued to Ofgem during the RIIO-GT3 process to ensure that operators of Critical National Infrastructure can meet the Government's resilience and security standards.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DESNZ works closely with the energy sector to maintain energy security and ensure industry has the tools at their disposal to support security of supply.
As the risk landscape continues to evolve, ensuring high standards of infrastructure resilience and security across the energy sector is a key priority for the Department and Ofgem.
The Department will continue engaging with the regulator to ensure RIIO-GT3 delivers the investment needed to maintain energy security and resilience through the price control period.
For example, DESNZ recently launched an Energy Security and Resilience Taskforce with CEOs of critical operators, with Ofgem in attendance, which will be a key forum to discuss risks and standards.
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether funding allocated to communities through the Pride in Place Impact Fund can be used as seed capital to support private sector investment in areas.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Pride in Place Impact Fund will provide £142.5 million of funding to 95 places to support the development of community spaces, public space and to revitalise our local high streets. This will enable immediate work to make sure that the places and spaces valued by communities are improved and matches the pride they feel for their local areas.
The purpose of the Pride in Place Impact Fund is to help restore pride to selected places, enhancing local identity and morale which in turn will draw in longer-term, sustainable private investment. Upgrades to community facilities and public spaces such as parks, playgrounds and piers will help improve health and well-being, bring people together and strengthen communities.
To maximise the impact of the Pride in Place Impact Fund and broaden its reach, local authorities are encouraged to explore opportunities to leverage funding and seek extra match funding for initiatives. This will help to unlock additional support and accelerate progress on shared priorities for local pride.
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department plans to offer hospital trusts that are in Strand 4 of the NHS acute trust league table.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Oversight Framework 2025/26 sets out how NHS England will support trusts to improve, based on an assessment of their performance. This is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-oversight-framework-2025-26/
NHS England works through regional teams to monitor National Health Service trust performance, identify issues, and deliver improvement in the most challenged areas. Improvement metrics and trajectories are agreed and proactively monitored.
NHS England may also apply interventions and require NHS trusts to take broad actions or address specific concerns related to known issues. This may involve use of NHS England’s enforcement powers, particularly to secure improvement or where improvement is deemed insufficient.
Trusts rated low for both performance and capability will receive support from the National Provider Improvement Programme (NPIP), which will replace the Recovery Support Programme. NPIP will determine whether the most challenged have the necessary conditions in place to deliver sustainable improvement and will ensure support is in place as needed. This will be in addition to any targeted improvement support for specific issues such as urgent and emergency care, outpatients, mental health, finance, or maternity.
Additionally, newly appointed very senior managers (VSMs) to NHS trusts in segment 5 will be eligible for ‘challenged organisation recruitment premiums’, to attract talented VSMs to join challenged organisations and help turn them around.
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Typhoon Force in providing security until the Tempest programme becomes operational.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Typhoon is a world-class combat aircraft and will continue to serve as the backbone of the UK's Combat Air Force until at least the 2040s. To ensure it remains at the cutting edge of capability, the UK is planning significant investment in the Typhoon through-life equipment programme. This includes the delivery and integration of the advanced European Common Radar System Mark 2 (ECRS Mk2) radar, which will enhance the aircraft's operational effectiveness. Further details on future Typhoon investment will be subject to the Defence Investment Plan, which will be published later this year.
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to support Down syndrome-specific training for teachers as part of its response to the Down Syndrome Act consultation.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
High quality teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and the department is committed to ensuring that all pupils receive excellent support from their teachers. The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.
From September 2025, the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) will set out a minimum entitlement to training for new teachers. The ITTECF places greater emphasis on adaptive teaching and supporting pupils with SEND. The department has also enhanced the requirement on providers of early career training to develop SEND training materials. This approach, developed with input from SEND educational experts, supports the principle of quality-first teaching to improve outcomes for all.
The department has been working collaboratively with the Department of Health and Social Care on upcoming statutory guidance on Down syndrome. This includes case studies on teachers supporting children and young people with Down syndrome in the classroom, and involved engagement with individuals with Down syndrome and other conditions, their parents and carers, as well as various experts and practitioners across many organisations. The guidance will be published in due course and the Down Syndrome Act 2022 sets out that my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education must consult on this guidance.
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support farmers.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
This Government is investing £11.8 billion into sustainable food production and nature’s recovery, with funding for Environmental Land Management schemes increasing by 150% by 2028/29.
There are currently record numbers of farmers in the schemes, with more money being spent through these schemes than ever before.
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of potential impact of local authority funding for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities provision on outcomes for children with SEND; and whether her Department holds data on children's outcomes across local authorities with differing levels of SEND funding.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
The department publishes a High Needs Benchmarking Tool, which offers comparative data on local authorities’ high needs spending and related special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) indicators across local authorities. This tool may assist in understanding variations between local authorities in how they fund SEND provision.
The department also publishes a variety of data on children’s and young people’s outcomes by special educational needs across all local authorities. A summary of these outcomes and their sources can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66bdc2de3effd5b79ba490fd/Special_educational_needs_and_disability_analysis_and_summary_of_data_sources_Aug24.pdf.