Imran Hussain

The Great British Energy Bill is focused on making provisions related to the setting up of Great British Energy only. It is intentionally broad in scope so Great British Energy can operate flexibly, responding to any future changes in the energy market.

As part of the Warm Homes Plan, the Government has announced a new Warm Homes: Local Grant to help low-income homeowners and private tenants with energy performance upgrades including insulation, as well as the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund, to support social housing providers and tenants. More detail will be provided in due course, including our approach to consumer protection when issues arise with insulation.

Cavity wall insulation is one the most cost-effective energy efficiency measures, saving up to £300 a year on occupants’ energy bills. However, Government recognises that there are instances of cavity wall insulation being defective or installed in unsuitable homes which may reduce its energy efficiency performance.

As part of the work on the Government’s Warm Homes Plan, we will set out our approach to consumer protection when issues arise with insulation.

As part of the work on the Government’s Warm Homes Plan, we will set out our approach to consumer protection when issues arise with insulation.

The government is clear in its ambition to bring forward legislation which allows us to safely realise the enormous benefits and opportunities of the most powerful AI systems for years to come. The government is continuing to refine its proposals and will launch a public consultation in due course.

As part of its plans to boost AI security, the government is committed to supporting and growing the AI Security Institute.

AI is at the heart of the Government’s plans to kickstart economic growth and improve public services.

Earlier this year the Prime Minister announced the AI Opportunities Action Plan - a roadmap setting out how we will achieve our AI ambitions by laying the foundations for AI growth, driving adoption and building UK capability at the frontier.

The Secretary of State has had discussions with Cabinet ministers, including with the Secretary of State for the Department for Business and Trade, regarding how the Government can maximise the potential of AI.

The government is clear in its ambition to bring forward legislation which allows us to safely realise the enormous benefits and opportunities of the most powerful AI systems for years to come.

These proposals will be highly targeted, will build on the voluntary commitments already secured at the Seoul and Bletchley AI Safety Summits, and will be designed to be future-proofed and effective against this fast-evolving technology.

The government is continuing to refine its proposals, which will incentivise innovation and investment, and will launch a public consultation in due course.

We are already witnessing AI’s impact within the labour market. We are working to harness the benefits that AI can bring – such as productivity gains, rising living standards, and improved worker wellbeing; while mitigating the risks. DSIT has developed guidance for industry on the responsible adoption of AI in recruitment processes, utilising AI assurance techniques.

The Get Britain Working White Paper from DWP, HMT and DfE also sets out how government will address key labour market challenges. We will continue to work closely with these and other government departments through the AI Opportunities Action Plan on this rapidly developing area.

The government has a central mission to break down barriers to opportunity for every child. The government has inherited a trend of rising child poverty, which has increased by 700,000 since 2010, with over four million children now growing up in a low income family. That is why the government is committed to delivering an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty, tackling the root causes and giving every child the best start at life. To support this, a ministerial taskforce has been set up to begin work on the Child Poverty Strategy.

Under current programmes, disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools, as well as 16 to 18 year-old students in further education, are entitled to receive free meals on the basis of low income. 2.1 million disadvantaged pupils are registered to receive free school meals (FSM) and a further 90,000 are registered to receive further education free meals. In addition, all children in reception, year 1 and year 2 in England's state-funded schools are entitled to universal infant free school meals, which benefits around 1.3 million pupils.

Additionally, the government is committed to introducing free breakfast clubs in every primary school, to set children up for the day and ensure they are ready to learn, while supporting parents and carers to work.

As with all government programmes, the department will keep the approach to FSM under review.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and Port Health Authority (PHA) are the competent authorities for the purposes of the Sea Fishing (Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishing) Order 2009. PHAs are responsible for receiving and checking catch certificates and other supplementary IUU documents that accompany consignments of fishery products at the UK border and have the power to stop and detain consignments for further investigation and refuse imports where necessary. There is a total of 28 PHAs that receive fishery products from the EU and the rest of the world, each of which assess their own resource requirements.

MMO's IUU Team comprises of 10 FTE who provide advice and training to PHAs on the UK’s IUU Regulation for importation and are the conduit for further information needed on an import through formal verification between the PHAs and 3rd country authorities.

It is our aim to make the right decision as early as possible in the claim journey. To support this, we have made improvements to our decision-making processes to help ensure people get the support they are entitled to without needing to appeal. This includes giving Decision Makers additional time to proactively contact customers if they think additional evidence may support the claim.

We recognise that the overturn rate at appeal is high. This is why we are continuing to learn from appeal outcomes. We regularly gather feedback on appeals from Presenting Officers who attend tribunals.

We are committed to ensuring individuals receive a high standard and accurate assessment. We want every report to reflect a high-quality functional assessment that the department can use to make their benefit entitlement decisions. This is a priority for the department, and we work extensively with assessment suppliers to make improvements to guidance, training, and audit procedures to ensure a quality service.

Suppliers are monitored against a range of measures to improve the accuracy of the advice they provide. A high standard is maintained through an independent audit function that continually monitors performance and provides feedback to its suppliers.

Independent audit refers to a comprehensive check of the elements of the assessment, including the evidence collection, further evidence provided, and the assessment report completed by the health professional. The check is completed against a set of guidelines to ensure a consistent approach is taken. This ensures that assessment reports are fit for purpose, clinically justified and sound, and provide sufficient information for the department to make an informed decision on entitlement to benefit.

We outlined our commitment to improving the PIP assessment in the recently launched Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper. We will take action to get the basics right and improve the experience for people who use the system of health and disability benefits. This includes recording health assessments as standard to build greater trust in the system. The aim is to create greater transparency, using recordings as a learning opportunity to consider potential improvements to the quality of the assessment process.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

The most recent estimate of Pension Credit take-up covers the financial year 2022/23 and is available at: Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2023 - GOV.UK

The Government wants all pensioners to get the support to which they are rightly entitled. That is why we have been running the biggest ever Pension Credit take-up campaign, which included adverts on Television, radio, social media such as Facebook and Instagram, on YouTube, on advertising screens, including on GP and Post Office screens as well as in the press. Around 11 million pensioners will have also recently received a leaflet promoting Pension Credit along with their State Pension uprating letter.

The latest Pension Credit applications and awards statistics were published on 27 February and are available at: Pension Credit applications and awards: February 2025 - GOV.UK The statistics show that the Department received 235,000 Pension Credit applications in the 30 weeks since the Winter Fuel Payment announcement – an 81% increase on the comparable period in 2023/24 and made 117,800 new Pension Credit awards – a 64% increase or 45,800 extra awards on the comparable period in 2023/24.

We are now writing to all pensioners who make a new claim for Housing Benefit and who appear to be entitled to Pension Credit – directly targeting this group and encouraging them to make a claim. In the longer term, we will be bringing together the administration of Pension Credit and Housing Benefit, so that pensioners receive both Housing Benefit and any Pension Credit that they are entitled to.

We are committed to supporting vulnerable households access healthy food. We support over 365,000 pregnant women and young children to buy healthy foods like milk or fruit through Healthy Start, provide Free School Meals to over 3 million children, are tripling investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million, and last year invested over £200 million into the Holiday Activities and Food Programmes. We also continue to provide substantial funding to Local Authorities to support those most in need, and are extending the Household Support Fund (HSF) by a further year until March 2026, providing funding of £742 million in England. This will ensure low-income households can continue to access support towards the cost of essentials, such as food.

Ministers will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead this transformation. As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.

The abolition of NHS England will strip out the unnecessary bureaucracy and cut the duplication that comes from having two organisations doing the same job. We will empower staff to focus on delivering better care for patients, driving productivity up and getting waiting times down.

The Government is committed to tackling the burden of diabetes in England and to reducing the variation in access to diabetes prevention services across the country.

A central mission of the Government is to build a health and care system fit for the future. To achieve this, it is crucial that we tackle preventable ill health, such as diabetes, by ensuring those at risk of developing, or already living with the disease, are identified, and can in turn be effectively treated.

We are continuing to deliver the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, which is highly effective for those who attend. More than 840,000 people have been supported through this programme, and it has been found to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 37%, compared to those who did not attend.

The Impact Assessment was published alongside the consultation of the proposed hub and spoke reform, which was published on 13 May 2024. The assessment is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/hub-and-spoke-dispensing/outcome/government-response-to-the-consultation-on-hub-and-spoke-dispensing#impact-assessment-and-equality-considerations

No costs savings were attributed to the National Health Service in that assessment. The monetised benefits relate to the reduction in operating costs at the spoke pharmacies due to the savings in dispensing time. The Impact Assessment will be updated when the Government lays the proposed legislation in Parliament.

The Government is committed to tackling the burden of diabetes in England and to reduce the variation in access to diabetes prevention and treatment services across the country.

A central mission of the Government is to build a health and care system fit for the future. To achieve this, it is crucial that we tackle preventable ill health, such as type 2 diabetes, by ensuring those at risk of developing, or already living with, the disease are identified and can in turn, be effectively treated.

We have committed to develop a 10-year plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future. We will carefully be considering policies, including those that impact people with diabetes, as we develop the plan.

The Department is taking steps to reduce overall prevalence of type 2 diabetes through programmes such as the NHS Health Check and the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme (NHS DPP).

The NHS DPP is highly effective for those that attended. More than 840,000 people have been supported through this programme, and it has been found to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 37% compared to those who did not attend. NHS England has responsibility for delivering the programme.

We continue to work with our international partners, including at the UN, to put pressure on Israel to show the world it is complying with international humanitarian law. The UK does not disagree with the central findings of the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) Advisory Opinion on the 'Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem'. We are of the clear view that Israel should bring an end to its presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories as rapidly as possible - but we are clear that every effort must be made to create the conditions for negotiations towards the two-state solution. Our commitment to a two-state solution is unwavering. The UK abstained on the UN General Assembly resolution in September because it did not provide sufficient clarity to advance a negotiated two-state solution. The UK respects the independence of the ICJ.

The UK is fully committed to international law. We respect the independence of the International Criminal Court, and respect their independence in investigating the situation in Israel and the OPTs. UK practical support to the ICC includes: witness protection; sentence enforcement; commitment to the ICC’s reform process; and secondment of staff. The UK is also one of the Court’s major funders, providing support of £13.2 mill to the ICC’s annual (2024) budget. This Government is clear that International Humanitarian Law must be upheld, and civilians protected.

We await the Pre-Trial Chamber's decision on the Prosecutor's application for arrest warrants, after which all normal procedural steps would need to take their course. The UK respects the independence of the Court in investigating the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We support Israel's right to act in self-defence, in line with international humanitarian law.

The Government is determined to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and rapidly increase aid, ensuring humanitarian support is reaching people there.

The government is keeping existing visa pathways under review in response to events. Palestinian nationals who wish to come to the UK can do so via the existing range of visa routes available.

Our embassy staff are ready to provide support as appropriate. They continue to support British nationals and other eligible persons who have exited Gaza to access the necessary medical, consular and administrative support.

Any application for a UK visa will be assessed against the requirements of the Immigration Rules. Immediate family members of British citizens and those settled in the UK who wish to come and live in the UK can apply under one of the existing family visa routes.

There are also routes available for dependants of those who are in the UK on most work routes and certain postgraduate student routes.

Individuals with protection status or settlement on a protection route may

sponsor their partner or child (under 18), to join or stay with them in the UK,

providing they formed part of the pre-flight family unit before the sponsor fled

their country to seek protection.

Where a relevant application is made, consideration will be given to compelling compassionate factors that are raised.

The Government is determined to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and rapidly increase aid, ensuring humanitarian support is reaching people there. We have been assisting British nationals and other eligible people to leave Gaza, liaising closely with the Israeli and Egyptian authorities.

There are provisions that allow Palestinians to come to the UK for Private Medical Treatment under the Immigration Rules. Where a relevant application is made consideration will be given to exceptional circumstances or where there are compelling or compassionate grounds. The government is keeping all existing visa pathways under review in response to events in Gaza.

Israel should engage with its partners to urgently establish sustained, safe and timely passage for patients who need medical or surgical interventions not available in Gaza.

The UK is supporting the provision of essential healthcare to civilians in Gaza, including support to UK-Med for operating their field hospitals. On 16 October, Minister Falconer announced £1m for WHO Egypt to help Egypt’s Ministry of Health support medically evacuated civilians from Gaza who are receiving care in Egypt.

It should be noted that the World Health Organisation (WHO) position is that people who are medically evacuated should stay as close to home as possible, so that they remain amongst those who are more likely to understand their language and culture, and so that their return home, when ready, is easier.

The Government is assisting British nationals to leave Gaza. The FCDO is also providing consular assistance to those with British nationality, or dual nationality including British, who are in Gaza or who have left Gaza to a third country. Dual national British-Palestinians are not required to make a visa application as they have the right of abode in the UK.

Our embassy staff are ready to provide support as appropriate. They continue to support British nationals and other eligible persons who have exited Gaza to access the necessary medical, consular and administrative support.

Immediate family members of British nationals and those settled in the UK who wish to come and live in the UK can apply under one of the existing family visa routes.

Our mandate is narrowly defined to focus on securing the release of the hostages only, including British nationals.

We are unable comment further on detailed intelligence matters for operational security reasons.

The Principles relating to the detention and interviewing of detainees oversees, which replaced the Cabinet Office Consolidated Guidance, apply to and must be followed by members of the Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence employees. The Principles apply to all nations.

As part of pre-deployment procedures, Defence personnel receive theatre specific training, which includes guidance and training on The Principles for personnel who may need to apply it in their work.

If Defence personnel receive intelligence from a foreign authority that has originated from a detainee and there is a risk the detainee has been or will be subject to human rights violations, then a formal assessment of the situation is undertaken and if the concerns remain valid, Defence Ministers will consider a full range of appropriate actions.

The unarmed UK surveillance aircraft are employed for the sole purpose of increasing our chances of locating the hostages. We are unable comment further on detailed intelligence matters for operational security reasons.

The Principles relating to the detention and interviewing of detainees oversees, which replaced the Cabinet Office Consolidated Guidance, apply to and must be followed by members of the Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence employees. The Principles apply to all nations.

As part of pre-deployment procedures, Defence personnel receive theatre specific training, which includes guidance and training on The Principles for personnel who may need to apply it in their work.

If Defence personnel receive intelligence from a foreign authority that has originated from a detainee and there is a risk the detainee has been or will be subject to human rights violations, then a formal assessment of the situation is undertaken and if the concerns remain valid, Defence Ministers will consider a full range of appropriate actions.

The government is committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 30393 on 24 February 2025 for more detail on the steps we have already taken to increase social and affordable housebuilding.

We will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for Social Rent.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 34191 on 10 March 2025.