Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many ECO4 installations are incomplete due to installer insolvency in England the last 12 months; and what consumer protection and redress mechanisms are available to households supported through the ECO4 scheme where an installer has entered administration leaving works incomplete or defective.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Due to the level of non-compliance found for EWI measures, the Government is offering a comprehensive on-site audit to all households where external wall insulation (EWI) was installed under ECO4 or GBIS. This check will be provided at no cost to the consumer.

Should any issues requiring action be found, these should be remediated by the original installer. Where the installer has ceased trading, protections under the installation guarantee policy should be invoked.

All measures installed under current government schemes are covered by a guarantee.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the number of duty solicitors available in rural areas.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

It is vital that those who need legal aid can access it wherever they live in the UK.

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) is responsible for commissioning duty solicitor services and the day-to-day administration of the court and police station duty schemes. This includes keeping membership records, allocating slots and producing and maintaining duty solicitor rotas. The LAA monitors membership across individual duty schemes. Information about duty solicitor volumes broken down by individual scheme is published as part of the LAA’s Official Statistics.

The LAA considers that all police station and court slots are adequately covered for each duty scheme in England and Wales, including those in rural areas. Provision under the duty schemes is demand led and so there may be variations in numbers across each local rota.

The Government has made significant investments in criminal legal aid, to reflect the valuable work done by defence lawyers. We are investing around £92 million per year in steady state in criminal legal aid solicitors’ fees. The majority of the funding (around £82 million) came into effect from 22 December 2025, with the remaining funding (around £10 million) to be implemented as soon as possible this year.

Recruitment and retention of duty solicitors remains crucial. A significant proportion of the around £92 million investment in solicitors’ fees is directed towards supporting duty solicitors in police stations and in the magistrates' courts, including in rural areas. This investment is in addition to the £24 million per year increase we implemented in November 2024 for work done in the police station and Youth Court.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her department is taking to strengthen flood resiliency around major transport routes in the South West.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Delivering on the Plan for Change, this Government is investing at least £10.5 billion until 2036 to construct new flood schemes and repair existing defences, helping to avoid disruption to transport and other infrastructure damage, as well as continuing to protect communities from the devastating impacts of climate change.

As published in the Flood and coastal erosion risk management (Section 18) report – in 24/25 – Wessex, and Devon, Cornwall, and the Isles of Scilly received a combined £173 million, better protecting 4,036 properties across these regions.

The final list of schemes to benefit in 2026/27 is due to be published on GOV.UK in March 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of battery-electric trains for passenger rail lines.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government recognises the potential for battery-electric trains to reduce the long-term operating costs of the railway, to improve the service it provides for passengers and to meet our environmental obligations. We have committed to develop a long-term rolling stock and infrastructure strategy, the first in thirty years, which will place the needs of passengers at its heart and will pursue modern standards of carbon-friendly traction, passenger comfort and accessibility. As we develop this strategy, we will carefully consider the opportunity presented by battery-electric trains, and the associated infrastructure requirements.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to (a) reduce losses of public funding to fraud during defence procurement and (b) increase the amount of funding recovered from those losses.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Department has robust financial and commercial controls governing procurement, including single source regulations as set out in the Defence Reform Act 2014. In addition, we have introduced Initial Fraud Impact Assessments for major Defence programmes to identify, assess and mitigate fraud risks from the outset.

The Department has increased recoveries through the use of data analytics technology, leading to the prevention and recovery of £6.4 million last financial year 2024/25. We are continuing to expand our use of AI to support the prevention, detection and recovery of losses from fraud and error.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to publish a detailed breakdown of the Ministry of Defence's financial losses due to fraud and economic crime.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Department has historically used academic models to identify potential fraud risk exposure, if no action were taken. We are working to produce more accurate estimates based on improved understanding of our fraud risk across significant areas of spend.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to give a single senior official authority over different parts of the Ministry of Defence responsible for combating financial losses due to fraud.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Head of Fraud Defence acts on behalf of the Department where the Ministry of Defence is potentially the victim of economic loss.

The fraud transformation plan we are working up will deliver more integrated ways of working, with clearer accountability across the Department, leveraging the changes under Defence Reform.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what operational savings his Department has identified from the Royal Liverpool University Hospital that may be applicable to schemes planned under the New Hospital Programme.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The New Hospital Programme (NHP) continues to learn lessons from early schemes that were delivered through the programme, including the Royal Liverpool Hospital (RLH) scheme. Lessons are embedded into the standardised approach of the NHP, Hospital 2.0, to ensure we provide health infrastructure that is fit for the future.

The RLH scheme was designed without the assistance of our standardised approach, Hospital 2.0. We have learnt from the initial challenges that the scheme faced upon opening, specifically the workforce adjusting to the 100% single rooms. We have factored this into our standardised approach, ensuring that in future, digitisation and the use of technology can mitigate and support the workforce in new models of care.

The programme continues to collect data, including on workforce, to inform our standardised approach. RLH have also reported their most improved survey results since moving into their new facility and a significant reduction in hospital acquired infections.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether operational savings secured from hospitals built to Hospital 2.0 standard under the New Hospital Programme: Plan for Implementation will be redirected to support the increased maintenance costs of hospital projects delayed under Wave 2 and Wave 3 of the New Hospital Programme Review.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is investing £30 billion over five years, from 2025/26 to 2029/30, in the day-to-day maintenance and repair of the National Health Service estate.

It is for trusts and integrated care boards to manage operational budgets, as the New Hospital Programme does not redistribute operational savings.

As set out in the Government’s 10 Year Infrastructure Plan, we are also providing a further five years of funding certainty for NHS estates maintenance, providing the confidence needed for long-term investment decisions and estates strategy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) the Programme Team of New Hospital Programme has adequate levels of staff and (b) staffing vacancies do not delay the implementation of that programme.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The New Hospital Programme (NHP) is a major Government programme and recognises the need to recruit, develop, and retain people with the specialist skills necessary to deliver the programme’s objectives. We recognise that having the right level of staff is integral to delivering the programme.

The NHP remains committed to increasing its in-house resource and the programme continues to recruit into priority posts, ensuring delivery remains on track. The programme has appointed the Health Delivery Partnership, which has strengthened the capacity of the programme, giving flexibility to move teams around where expertise is required.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the capacity within the construction industry to build schemes planned under the New Hospital Programme on schedule.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Through the New Hospital Programme’s commercial strategy and Hospital 2.0 Alliance we are increasing the capacity in the construction industry to support the construction of new hospital schemes.

The programme is providing a clear and stable pipeline of construction projects, with opportunities for concurrent builds, and strengthening domestic and international appetite to engage with the programme.

The Hospital 2.0 Alliance will provide a commercial environment that protects the supply chain from adverse levels of risk, provides more consistent and predictable returns on projects, and rewards performance with profit.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled New Hospital Programme; Plan for Implementation, published on 20 January 2025, what the evidential basis is for the estimated cost for the rebuild of North Devon District Hospital.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The cost estimates in the New Hospital Programme (NHP) Plan for Implementation are for planning purposes, and the total cost of each scheme is subject to the approval of its Full Business Case, as is standard for major infrastructure projects.

The North Devon District Hospital is part of Wave 3 of the NHP and is not due to commence construction until 2035 to 2038.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to help ensure the timely implementation of Wave 0, Wave 1 and Wave 2 hospital schemes planned under the New Hospital Programme impacting Wave 3 schemes.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The New Hospital Programme (NHP) Plan for Implementation sets out a credible plan, timeline, and budget, that will see all schemes in the programme delivered. We are focussing on the delivery of Wave 1 schemes, including the seven hospitals predominantly built with reinforced aerated autoclaved concrete.

Through the NHP’s standardised approach, Hospital 2.0, we will build hospitals more quickly and cost-effectively. The programme will continually monitor progress against the plan to tailor support for schemes at different stages of readiness, including ongoing engagement to help navigate planning, progress enabling works and designs, and prepare for key approvals through business case process.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will publish the detailed scoring of MCDA analysis conducted under the New Hospital Programme Review for individual schemes once those schemes have been completed.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

As set out in our New Hospital Programme (NHP) Plan for Implementation, a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) tool was used to support decision making and prioritisation of schemes, including the development of funding options.

The Department has no plans to release the detailed scoring as the published NHP Plan for Implementation provides a comprehensive explanation of how the MCDA tool was used in the NHP review and the outcome of this decision making is evident in the waves individual schemes have been put into.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will conduct a detailed assessment of the progress of individual schemes delivered under the New Hospital Programme.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Progress is continually monitored through regular reporting both within the New Hospital Programme (NHP) and into the Department, as is usual for major Government programmes. Furthermore, at each of the business case stages for main schemes, assessments are undertaken to assess deliverability. The NHP continues to work with individual trusts on the management of their schemes to make progress against the dates set out in the NHP Plan for Implementation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many wave one schemes under the New Hospital Programme have begun construction.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Of the 16 schemes in Wave 1 of the New Hospital Programme (NHP), the Derriford Emergency Care Hospital commenced construction in October 2025. Poole Hospital and the remaining stages of Brighton 3Ts hospital (for the Sussex Cancer Centre) are in the pre-construction period and are expected to enter main construction later this year.

The remaining 13 schemes continue to progress to main construction commencing as set out in the plan for implementation, available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcome/new-hospital-programme-plan-for-implementation

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to set a department-wide strategy to bring down the Ministry of Defence's financial losses due to fraud and economic crime.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Department will incorporate an organisation-level shared objective on tackling fraud in the next Defence Counter Fraud Strategy.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his department has made on the Pillar 1 recommendations of the Defence Housing Strategy.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Rapid improvements have been made on the Pillar 1 recommendations of the Defence Housing Strategy - A Generational Renewal.

We have transformed 1,000 of the worst homes ahead of schedule in time for Christmas, with hundreds more military properties to be upgraded by Spring 2026.

We have modernised outdated policies and streamlined processes, giving families greater freedoms to make improvements to their homes. We have streamlined the process for those who wish to run businesses from home and removing the need to seek permission to have a pet at home.

We’ve delivered named housing officers, photos and floorplans and a new online repairs service – promises made to families previously, but only now delivered.

Service Family satisfaction with their Defence Homes is rising and now at the highest level since 2021.

South Molton Pannier Market

Recognition of armed forces personnel wounded in terrorist attacks outside of operational deployment

NHS dentistry

Centenary of Babbacombe Cliff Railway in Torquay

Leasehold reform

Covid Day of Reflection 2026

Import and sale of real fur

Role of the House of Lords in scrutinising legislation

Ellen Roome and the Jools’ Law campaign

Palantir and the NHS

Dual nationals without British passports

Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund 2026-27

Securing the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme

Kendal Farmers Market

High street bank closures

Ending the sale of tickets to captive orca and dolphin shows

Protections for the welfare of wild animals in tourism

Dolphin hunting in the Faroe Islands

Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank

Child protection from illicit vapes

Radiotherapy in the National Cancer Plan

World Cancer Day and breast cancer

UK digital sovereignty strategy

Found: present: Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Chair); Mr Calvin Bailey; Emma Lewell; Mike Martin; Jesse Norman; Ian Roome

Found: Q27 Ian Roome: Air Marshal, I want to talk about the lessons learned from Ukraine.