Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Department's press release entitled Expansion of support scheme to help thousands of people back into work, published on 20 January 2026, what analysis his Department has conducted on the impact of the WorkWell programme on the health outcomes of those who cited mental health as their main impediment to finding work.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

WorkWell will be rolled out across all of England backed by up to £259 million over the next three years.

WorkWell gives funding to local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to lead, design and deliver integrated work and health support that meets the needs of working age disabled people and those with health conditions in their communities.

Management information from the pilot can be found at: WorkWell Pilot Management Information from 1 October 2024 to 30 November 2025 - GOV.UK

An independent consortium of evaluators will carry out a national evaluation to measure the effectiveness of the WorkWell pilot, using surveys, interviews and econometric measures of success. The final evaluation report is estimated to be available in Autumn 2028.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Expansion of support scheme to help thousands of people back into work, published on 20 January 2026, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people with health conditions in the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency who will be helped back into work as a result of the WorkWell programme.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

WorkWell will be rolled out across all of England backed by up to £259 million over the next three years.

WorkWell gives funding to local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to lead, design and deliver integrated work and health support that meets the needs of working age disabled people and those with health conditions in their communities.

Management information from the pilot can be found at: WorkWell Pilot Management Information from 1 October 2024 to 30 November 2025 - GOV.UK

An independent consortium of evaluators will carry out a national evaluation to measure the effectiveness of the WorkWell pilot, using surveys, interviews and econometric measures of success. The final evaluation report is estimated to be available in Autumn 2028.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Expansion of support scheme to help thousands of people back into work, published on 20 January 2026, what proportion of the £259 million funding to support people with health conditions back into work will be allocated to the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

WorkWell will be rolled out across all of England backed by up to £259 million over the next three years.

WorkWell gives funding to local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to lead, design and deliver integrated work and health support that meets the needs of working age disabled people and those with health conditions in their communities.

Management information from the pilot can be found at: WorkWell Pilot Management Information from 1 October 2024 to 30 November 2025 - GOV.UK

An independent consortium of evaluators will carry out a national evaluation to measure the effectiveness of the WorkWell pilot, using surveys, interviews and econometric measures of success. The final evaluation report is estimated to be available in Autumn 2028.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Expansion of support scheme to help thousands of people back into work, published on 20 January 2026, what proportion of people supported by the WorkWell pilot have been able to earn a sufficient income to no longer require support from universal credit.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

WorkWell will be rolled out across all of England backed by up to £259 million over the next three years.

WorkWell gives funding to local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to lead, design and deliver integrated work and health support that meets the needs of working age disabled people and those with health conditions in their communities.

Management information from the pilot can be found at: WorkWell Pilot Management Information from 1 October 2024 to 30 November 2025 - GOV.UK

An independent consortium of evaluators will carry out a national evaluation to measure the effectiveness of the WorkWell pilot, using surveys, interviews and econometric measures of success. The final evaluation report is estimated to be available in Autumn 2028.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Expansion of support scheme to help thousands of people back into work, published on 20 January 2026, what data his Department holds on the proportion of people supported by the WorkWell pilot who have remained in work long-term.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

WorkWell will be rolled out across all of England backed by up to £259 million over the next three years.

WorkWell gives funding to local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to lead, design and deliver integrated work and health support that meets the needs of working age disabled people and those with health conditions in their communities.

Management information from the pilot can be found at: WorkWell Pilot Management Information from 1 October 2024 to 30 November 2025 - GOV.UK

An independent consortium of evaluators will carry out a national evaluation to measure the effectiveness of the WorkWell pilot, using surveys, interviews and econometric measures of success. The final evaluation report is estimated to be available in Autumn 2028.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what research her Department has commissioned on the potential impact of apps accessible to children which utilise microtransactions on children's financial behaviour.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government is committed to ensuring apps, including games with in-app purchases are enjoyed safely and responsibly and guidance on-in game transactions is followed.

Industry-led guidance, to improve protections for players in relation to loot boxes, was published in 2023. A 12-month implementation period ended in July 2024 and DCMS commissioned independent research to assess its effectiveness which will be published in due course.

In November 2025, Ofcom, the regulator of the Online Safety Act, launched a Call for Evidence to explore whether children’s safety online would be better protected by the greater use of age assurance or other measures at app store level. It also looks at what role app stores play in children encountering content that is harmful to them by means of regulated apps which the app stores make available.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of peat extraction on (a) endangered (i) plants, (ii) invertebrates and (iii) and bird species and (b) other peatland-dependent species.

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

Defra keeps the impacts of peat extraction for horticulture under review as part of its peatland evidence programme.

Peat extraction in England is estimated to take place over approximately 384 hectares, with associated greenhouse gas emissions estimated to be less than 0.05 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, based on 2023 data. This figure may be an overestimate due to the potential misclassification of some historic extraction sites.

The department recognises that continued peat extraction can damage peatland habitats and disrupt hydrology, with impacts on biodiversity, water quality and flood regulation, and can adversely affect peatland‑dependent species, including endangered plants, invertebrates and bird species, primarily through habitat loss and drying of peat soils. Ending harmful peat extraction, alongside the planned peat restoration programme, contributes to the peatland targets set out in the latest revision of the Environmental Improvement Plan.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of continued peat extraction for horticulture on (a) carbon emissions, (b) biodiversity loss, (c) flood risk and (d) water quality.

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

Defra keeps the impacts of peat extraction for horticulture under review as part of its peatland evidence programme.

Peat extraction in England is estimated to take place over approximately 384 hectares, with associated greenhouse gas emissions estimated to be less than 0.05 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, based on 2023 data. This figure may be an overestimate due to the potential misclassification of some historic extraction sites.

The department recognises that continued peat extraction can damage peatland habitats and disrupt hydrology, with impacts on biodiversity, water quality and flood regulation, and can adversely affect peatland‑dependent species, including endangered plants, invertebrates and bird species, primarily through habitat loss and drying of peat soils. Ending harmful peat extraction, alongside the planned peat restoration programme, contributes to the peatland targets set out in the latest revision of the Environmental Improvement Plan.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of peatland protection on (a) flood resilience and (b) drought mitigation.

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

As set out in Natural England’s evidence review NEER155, protecting and restoring blanket bog supports natural water regulation by increasing water storage, slowing runoff and sustaining baseflows, contributing to improved flood resilience and helping to mitigate drought impacts during prolonged dry periods.

In September 2025, we strengthened protections for upland peat by amending the Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2021 to further restrict unnecessary burning on upland deep peat, supporting climate, water resilience and biodiversity objectives.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to protect peatland habitats.

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

As set out in Natural England’s evidence review NEER155, protecting and restoring blanket bog supports natural water regulation by increasing water storage, slowing runoff and sustaining baseflows, contributing to improved flood resilience and helping to mitigate drought impacts during prolonged dry periods.

In September 2025, we strengthened protections for upland peat by amending the Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2021 to further restrict unnecessary burning on upland deep peat, supporting climate, water resilience and biodiversity objectives.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK leads global efforts to help communities save the ocean and beat poverty, published on 26 January 2026, what assessment her Department has made of the potential benefits of funding overseas marine conservation through the Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature Grants Programme on UK taxpayers.

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

Marine conservation delivers a wide range of benefits. These include reducing global biodiversity loss and preventing ecosystem collapse, systems that are vital for global security and economic growth in the UK and in developing countries. Some of the world’s most biodiverse and vulnerable coastal ecosystems and communities are in developing countries.

The National Security Assessment on global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and national security, published in January, highlights how environmental degradation can disrupt food, water, health, and supply chains, and can trigger wider geopolitical instability. These impacts pose significant threats to UK national security and long‑term prosperity.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK leads global efforts to help communities save the ocean and beat poverty, published on 26 January 2026, whether her Department will measure the environmental impact of solar-powered recycling hubs funded under the Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature Grants Programme.

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

All recipients of Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature Grants must agree outcomes and monitor and report on progress towards them throughout the grant lifecycle. During the application phase, proposed outcomes and the indicators used to measure progress are agreed. These are assessed by an external Expert Committee, which also considers any potential adverse environmental impacts and their corresponding risk mitigations.

An independent evaluation is planned for the programme and will provide further evidence on progress towards agreed outcomes and impact. This process will form the basis for assessing the environmental impact of projects, including the solar‑powered recycling hubs funded under the programme.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK leads global efforts to help communities save the ocean and beat poverty, published on 26 January 2026, whether her Department has agreed outcomes with Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature Grants Programme recipients.

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

All recipients of Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature Grants must agree outcomes and monitor and report on progress towards them throughout the grant lifecycle. During the application phase, proposed outcomes and the indicators used to measure progress are agreed. These are assessed by an external Expert Committee, which also considers any potential adverse environmental impacts and their corresponding risk mitigations.

An independent evaluation is planned for the programme and will provide further evidence on progress towards agreed outcomes and impact. This process will form the basis for assessing the environmental impact of projects, including the solar‑powered recycling hubs funded under the programme.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to increase awareness among young people of career opportunities in British manufacturing industries.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government is taking a range of steps to increase awareness among young people of the diverse and rewarding career opportunities available in British manufacturing. This forms part of our wider efforts to reduce the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). Promoting the Youth Guarantee, the Government’s commitment to ensure young people have access to support to find a job, training or an apprenticeship, is a key element of this approach.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) promotes careers in manufacturing to young people through a range of national and local activity, including Jobcentre-led manufacturing-focused careers sessions, employer talks and jobs boards focused on apprenticeships and early careers roles. Work Coaches are also being upskilled to help them confidently challenge outdated myths and discuss modern manufacturing with young people.

We work closely with industry bodies such as Make UK and the Institute for Grocery Distributors, to support young people to better understand the breadth of manufacturing careers available. In addition, we encourage employers to directly engage with schools and colleges, and work closely with the National Careers Service to provide clear information on routes into the sector. We also promote pathways into manufacturing, including government skills interventions such as Sector-based Work Academy Programmes and Skills Bootcamps, and apprenticeships.

National Manufacturing Day (NMD) further supports these efforts by opening up factories and workplaces to schools, colleges, and local communities. Through activities such as factory tours, demonstrations and employer-led talks young people can see firsthand what modern manufacturing looks like and the range of roles available, including apprenticeships and graduate routes. The Department for Education (DfE) supports NMD by promoting it to schools and parents and providing materials on education and training routes into the sector for school leavers.

Finally, DWP hosts regular Jobs and Careers Fairs, with planned events throughout 2026, designed to support young people, particularly those who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET, to explore opportunities across different sectors, including manufacturing. These events enable young people to access advice and training and engage directly with employers.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK leads global efforts to help communities save the ocean and beat poverty, published on 26 January 2026, what assessment she has made of the long-term financial sustainability of recycling projects funded under the Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature Grants Programme.

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

The Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature Grants Programme assesses long‑term financial sustainability as part of its highly competitive two‑stage application process. Applicants must set out their methodology, the evidence base for their approach, how the project will be sustained over the long term, including financially, and a clear pathway to delivering outcomes. Applications are assessed at both stages by a panel of experts against published criteria, including financial sustainability and only applicants assessed as having high long‑term financial sustainability are successful.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what criteria is used to assess the suitability of publicly-funded manufacturing contracts allocated to companies.

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

The Procurement Act sets out the process that contracting authorities follow when assessing the suitability of suppliers for public contracts, including their capacity and capability to deliver. This approach is supported by guidance in the Sourcing Playbook.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support British manufacturing businesses in the production of new energy projects.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The government’s mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower and deliver clean power by 2030 will accelerate deployment of wind, hydrogen, nuclear, CCUS, heat pumps, and related technologies across the UK.

The government’s Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan targets at least double current investment levels across our Clean Energy Industries to over £30 billion per year by 2035. These are the industries of the future that can create hundreds of thousands of jobs for engineers, technicians, mechanics, electricians, and welders in every corner of the country.

Additionally, the government will provided targeted support to businesses through The National Wealth Fund (NWF) and Great British Energy (GBE). The NWF will deploy £27.8 billion by 2030/31, including £5.8 billion for key clean industry sectors. Energy, Engineered in the UK (EEUK) is GBE’s flagship supply chain investment programme. It will deliver £1 billion of funding to increase UK manufacturing capacity, drive down technology costs, and create and support jobs across the UK.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the levels CO2 emissions caused by importing foreign steel for British manufacturing projects.

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

The Department estimates greenhouse gas emissions (including carbon dioxide) on a territorial basis, meaning emissions that occur within UK borders. This is the approach required by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the UK’s Climate Change Act 2008. The latest estimates are published here: UK territorial greenhouse gas emissions statistics - GOV.UK

Defra publishes consumption-based emissions statistics, calculated by the University of Leeds, which include emissions associated with imported goods and services. The latest estimates are published here: UK and England's carbon footprint to 2022 - GOV.UK

Last year, the Department consulted on measures to accelerate the adoption of low carbon products, including low carbon steel. The consultation is published here: Growing the market for low carbon industrial products: policy framework - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled UK and Europe sign historic pact to drive clean energy future, published on 26 January 2026, what assessment his Department have made of the level of additional energy storage capacity required to accommodate the increase in electricity generated as a result of the agreement.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Coordinating with our neighbours can cut costs, strengthen energy security and help build a more flexible system. Any future hybrid projects, combining interconnection with offshore wind, will be guided by the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) conducted by our National Energy System Operator (NESO), which will be consulted on in Q1 2027. The SSEP will take a whole systems approach, co-optimising electricity generation, interconnection and storage across GB out to 2050. This will ensure that our international ambitions are coherent with domestic needs.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled UK and Europe sign historic pact to drive clean energy future, published on 26 January 2026, what is the planned timetable for delivering the 100 GW of joint offshore wind projects agreed at the North Sea Summit.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Hamburg Declaration sets a collective ambition of 100 GW of offshore wind cooperation projects by 2050. Shorter term delivery targets will flow from strategic planning work such as NESO's Strategic Spatial Energy Plan due to be consulted on in Q1 2027.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled UK and Europe sign historic pact to drive clean energy future, published on 26 January 2026, whether the Hamburg Declaration places financial obligations on the UK.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Hamburg Declaration does not place financial obligations on the UK.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled UK and Europe sign historic pact to drive clean energy future, published on 26 January 2026, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) resilience and (b) security risks associated with increased shared offshore energy infrastructure in the North Sea.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero works closely across Whitehall and with domestic and international partners to assess and manage the resilience and security risks associated with increased shared offshore energy infrastructure in the North Sea.

Through this cooperation, and in line with the commitments made under the Hamburg Declaration, the Department is ensuring that future offshore hybrid assets and interconnectors are designed, operated, and maintained with proportionate protections against natural hazards and reckless or malign threats.

The United Kingdom benefits from a resilient and diverse energy system, supported by rigorous security and resilience standards and close coordination across government, industry, and international counterparts.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled UK and Europe sign historic pact to drive clean energy future, published on 26 January 2026, how much of the 100 GW of jointly delivered offshore wind capacity agreed under the Hamburg Declaration is expected to be located in UK waters.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Hamburg Declaration sets a collective ambition of 100 GW of offshore wind cooperation projects by 2050. National contributions were not specified. Future GB co-ordinated projects will be guided by domestic strategic energy planning conducted by our National Energy System Operator (NESO), which is due to be consulted on in Q1 2027.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled UK and Europe sign historic pact to drive clean energy future, published on 26 January 2026, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of this pact on (a) domestic and (b) industrial energy prices in the UK.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

There has not been a specific assessment of the impact of the pact on electricity prices, but it will support the buildout of Offshore Hybrid Assets, which combine offshore wind farms with interconnectors. Interconnection can provide GB access to cheaper electricity and reduce the cost of running our energy system. They can help dampen price spikes in GB by providing access to lower‑cost electricity from neighbouring markets when domestic prices rise, improving the system's resilience and reducing price volatility. We import when energy is cheaper than in GB, so domestic families and businesses pay lower prices for their energy.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled UK and Europe sign historic pact to drive clean energy future, published on 26 January 2026, what legal status the Hamburg Declaration has; and whether it creates binding obligations on the UK.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Declaration and its annexes do not create any rights or obligations under national or international law.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled UK and Europe sign historic pact to drive clean energy future, published on 26 January 2026, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Hamburg Declaration on the number of people employed in offshore wind-related jobs in the UK.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department has not made specific projections of the number of offshore wind jobs attributable to the Hamburg Declaration.

However, the UK is already leading the way in delivering the commitments set out in the Declaration. Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 7 secured 8.4GW of offshore wind – the biggest ever auction in European history – unlocking 7,000 jobs and driving £22 billion of private sector investment into UK factories and ports.

The Government estimates that the offshore wind sector could support up to 100,000 direct and indirect jobs in Great Britain by 2030.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the NHS in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency on patient safety for people experiencing long waits in Accident and Emergency.

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

The Government recognises that urgent and emergency care performance has fallen short in recent years. We are committed to restoring accident and emergency waiting times to the National Health Service constitutional standard.

Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 sets out clear actions to deliver improvements and make services better. The plan commits to reducing the number of patients waiting over 12 hours for admission or discharge to less than 10% of the time. This is supported by almost £450 million of capital investment for Same Day Emergency Care, Mental Health Crisis Assessment Centres, and new ambulances, avoiding unnecessary admissions to hospital and supporting the faster diagnosis, treatment, and discharge for patients.

The NHS Medium-Term Planning Framework sets out a further trajectory to improve urgent and emergency care performance year-on-year toward the constitutional standard, reducing long waits and improving patient experience. The plan focuses on practical steps such as expanding urgent treatment centres, improving patient flow, and reducing 12-hour waits, to make emergency departments safer and more efficient.

NHS England provides regional oversight to support local delivery of services and improvement. The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust’s One Team Improvement Plan has a focus on improving urgent and emergency care outcomes. The programme group looking at quality and patient safety has been focusing on reviewing processes and the fundamentals of care in wards and in the trust’s emergency departments. The trust has also introduced additional consultant cover during the weekends to increase the number of people discharged at the weekend. This helps to keep the emergency department safe as it allows for the movement of people who need to be admitted into the right beds.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help improve triaging by Accident and Emergency departments at Basildon Hospital.

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

The Government recognises that urgent and emergency care performance has fallen short in recent years. We are committed to restoring accident and emergency waiting times to the National Health Service constitutional standard.

Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 sets out clear actions to deliver improvements and make services better. The plan commits to reducing the number of patients waiting over 12 hours for admission or discharge to less than 10% of the time. This is supported by almost £450 million of capital investment for Same Day Emergency Care, Mental Health Crisis Assessment Centres, and new ambulances, avoiding unnecessary admissions to hospital and supporting the faster diagnosis, treatment, and discharge for patients.

The NHS Medium-Term Planning Framework sets out a further trajectory to improve urgent and emergency care performance year-on-year toward the constitutional standard, reducing long waits and improving patient experience. The plan focuses on practical steps such as expanding urgent treatment centres, improving patient flow, and reducing 12-hour waits, to make emergency departments safer and more efficient.

NHS England provides regional oversight to support local delivery of services and improvement. The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust’s One Team Improvement Plan has a focus on improving urgent and emergency care outcomes. The programme group looking at quality and patient safety has been focusing on reviewing processes and the fundamentals of care in wards and in the trust’s emergency departments. The trust has also introduced additional consultant cover during the weekends to increase the number of people discharged at the weekend. This helps to keep the emergency department safe as it allows for the movement of people who need to be admitted into the right beds.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce the number of patients waiting over 12 hours to be admitted to, or discharged from, Basildon Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department.

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

The Government recognises that urgent and emergency care performance has fallen short in recent years. We are committed to restoring accident and emergency waiting times to the National Health Service constitutional standard.

Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 sets out clear actions to deliver improvements and make services better. The plan commits to reducing the number of patients waiting over 12 hours for admission or discharge to less than 10% of the time. This is supported by almost £450 million of capital investment for Same Day Emergency Care, Mental Health Crisis Assessment Centres, and new ambulances, avoiding unnecessary admissions to hospital and supporting the faster diagnosis, treatment, and discharge for patients.

The NHS Medium-Term Planning Framework sets out a further trajectory to improve urgent and emergency care performance year-on-year toward the constitutional standard, reducing long waits and improving patient experience. The plan focuses on practical steps such as expanding urgent treatment centres, improving patient flow, and reducing 12-hour waits, to make emergency departments safer and more efficient.

NHS England provides regional oversight to support local delivery of services and improvement. The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust’s One Team Improvement Plan has a focus on improving urgent and emergency care outcomes. The programme group looking at quality and patient safety has been focusing on reviewing processes and the fundamentals of care in wards and in the trust’s emergency departments. The trust has also introduced additional consultant cover during the weekends to increase the number of people discharged at the weekend. This helps to keep the emergency department safe as it allows for the movement of people who need to be admitted into the right beds.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to Answer of 27 January 2026 to Question 106906, how much funding has been allocated through the Worst Served Customers Allowance in each year of the RIIO-ED2 period.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Worst Served Customer Allowance supports targeted reliability improvements for customers who experience persistently poor service. Over the RIIO‑ED2 period it totals £94 million and the annual allocations rises over time: £7.78 million in 2023/24, £11.17 million in 2024/25, £13.40 million in 2025/26, £28.88 million in 2026/27, and £32.87 million in 2027/28.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department’s World News Story entitled Cameroon: UK supports new generation of Central Africa researchers, published on 29 January 2026, what assessment she made of the potential impact of allocating the funding provided to Congo Rainforest Alliance for Forest Training for Sustainable Development to forest protection and community-based conservation on development and research for climate resilience.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Congo Rainforest Alliance for Forest Training (CRAFT) for Sustainable Development programme is a major milestone in advancing world‑class, locally led scientific research across the Congo Basin. Further details of all FCDO-funded programmes can be found at the Development Tracker website on GOV.UK. Each proposed programme is assessed in advance for the impact it will have on the UK's partnership objectives in the country in question, and for its cost-effectiveness in achieving that impact. Each approved programme is subsequently evaluated on an ongoing basis for its performance against agreed objectives, and for its delivery on time and on budget.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department’s world news story entitled Cameroon: UK supports new generation of Central Africa researchers, published on 29 January 2026, what measures are in place to evaluate the long-term outcomes of UK investment in the Congo Rainforest Alliance for Forest Training programme.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Congo Rainforest Alliance for Forest Training (CRAFT) for Sustainable Development programme is a major milestone in advancing world‑class, locally led scientific research across the Congo Basin. Further details of all FCDO-funded programmes can be found at the Development Tracker website on GOV.UK. Each proposed programme is assessed in advance for the impact it will have on the UK's partnership objectives in the country in question, and for its cost-effectiveness in achieving that impact. Each approved programme is subsequently evaluated on an ongoing basis for its performance against agreed objectives, and for its delivery on time and on budget.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department’s World News Story entitled Cameroon: UK supports new generation of Central Africa researchers, published on 29 January 2026, what steps she is taking to help ensure that research produced through the Congo Rainforest Alliance for Forest Training for Sustainable Development programme will support (a) forest governance, (b) biodiversity protection and (c) climate resilience.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Congo Rainforest Alliance for Forest Training (CRAFT) for Sustainable Development programme is a major milestone in advancing world‑class, locally led scientific research across the Congo Basin. Further details of all FCDO-funded programmes can be found at the Development Tracker website on GOV.UK. Each proposed programme is assessed in advance for the impact it will have on the UK's partnership objectives in the country in question, and for its cost-effectiveness in achieving that impact. Each approved programme is subsequently evaluated on an ongoing basis for its performance against agreed objectives, and for its delivery on time and on budget.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department’s world news story entitled Cameroon: UK supports new generation of Central Africa researchers, published on 29 January 2026, what steps she has taken to ensure that the £9.1 million of International Development funding achieves value for money; and what criteria she uses to assess the effectiveness of that funding in achieving the UK's development objectives.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Congo Rainforest Alliance for Forest Training (CRAFT) for Sustainable Development programme is a major milestone in advancing world‑class, locally led scientific research across the Congo Basin. Further details of all FCDO-funded programmes can be found at the Development Tracker website on GOV.UK. Each proposed programme is assessed in advance for the impact it will have on the UK's partnership objectives in the country in question, and for its cost-effectiveness in achieving that impact. Each approved programme is subsequently evaluated on an ongoing basis for its performance against agreed objectives, and for its delivery on time and on budget.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department's world news story entitled Cameroon: UK supports new generation of Central Africa researchers, published on 29 January 2026, what proportion of that funding is provided directly to Central African institutions.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Congo Rainforest Alliance for Forest Training (CRAFT) for Sustainable Development programme is a major milestone in advancing world‑class, locally led scientific research across the Congo Basin. Further details of all FCDO-funded programmes can be found at the Development Tracker website on GOV.UK. Each proposed programme is assessed in advance for the impact it will have on the UK's partnership objectives in the country in question, and for its cost-effectiveness in achieving that impact. Each approved programme is subsequently evaluated on an ongoing basis for its performance against agreed objectives, and for its delivery on time and on budget.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK leads global efforts to help communities save the ocean and beat poverty, published on 26 January 2026, whether funding awarded for LED lighting on fishing nets will provide research applicable to fishing in UK waters.

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

The funding awarded for the ‘Illuminar el Mar’ project in Ecuador through the UK’s OCEAN Grants Programme will support research applicable to fishing in UK waters. In partnership with University College London, the project will use low-cost LED bycatch-reduction technology that operates through visual deterrence. The research is designed to support global replication and will be made open access.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Prime Minister’s press release entitled Prime Minister unlocks new opportunities for British businesses in China, published on 29 January 2026, how she plans to monitor and evaluate cooperation with China on transnational organised crime and illegal immigration.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Home Office will monitor and evaluate the impact of any cooperation with China by assessing operational outcomes against the UK’s Transnational Crime and Illegal Migration threat picture, drawing on performance indicators and intelligence from UK operational partners to determine the reduction in associated harms.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of curtailment costs to electricity billpayers in 2026.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Data on the aggregate impact of curtailment payments to electricity billpayers is calculated by the National Energy System Operator (NESO) and can be found in NESO Annual Balancing Report, the next of which will be published later this year. The most recent NESO Annual Balancing Report was published in June 2025, covering the 2024/25 financial year, and can be found via this link: neso.energy/document/362561/download

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the expected completion dates are for major new transmission projects intended to reduce renewable curtailment.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Clean Power Advice to Government, published by the National Energy System Operator in 2024 set out the list of over 80 transmission projects needed to meet Clean Power 2030, and their required delivery dates. These projects will alleviate curtailment and allow more renewable power to serve homes and businesses across the country. Updates on the expected completion dates of these projects is a matter for the Transmission Owners which design, run and build the high voltage network.

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 whether curtailment payments create incentives to locate generation in areas with insufficient grid capacity.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The revenue that generators can make from curtailment payments is regulated by Ofgem through the Transmission Constraint Licence Condition. This regulation limits the revenue generators can make from being curtailed to the value of the revenue lost through not being able to generate plus reasonable costs. Ofgem can and does take enforcement action against generators that it believes are not complying with this regulation.

The Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) will optimise the siting of new sources of electricity generation across Great Britain. The Government’s Reformed National Pricing programme will have the SSEP at its heart, and reforms will be designed to ensure incentives for generation projects encourage siting and investment in areas that align with the SSEP.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate his Department has made of the proportion of curtailment costs borne by domestic consumers.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Data relating to curtailment caused by constraints including costs is provided in the National Energy System Operator (NESO) Annual Balancing Report at this link: neso.energy/document/362561/download. Constraint costs, as with other interventions taken by NESO to balance the electricity system, are recovered from consumers through Balancing Service Use of System Charges. Both domestic and non-domestic consumers pay these balancing costs, in proportion to their energy consumption. Although the most energy intensive industries receive additional support with these costs.

The current extent of grid constraints reflects years of underinvestment, with new network infrastructure development having lagged the expansion of new generation. We are already taking action to reduce constraints with the biggest upgrade to Great Britain’s electricity network in decades.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how often gas-fired power stations were used to replace curtailed renewable generation in 2025.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department does not hold the requested information. It is owned by NESO and published on the Elexon data portal.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has had discussions with Ofcom on improving media literacy among parents and children.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Online Safety Act updated Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy, including by raising awareness and understanding of misinformation and harmful content, especially where it affects vulnerable groups. The Secretary of State maintains regular, constructive engagement with Ofcom on delivery of its obligations.

Both Ofcom and DSIT are taking steps to improve media literacy among parents and carers and are working closely to ensure our approaches are complementary.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to promote media literacy among child users.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Supporting parents and children is central to our media literacy approach. On 10 February, DSIT launched a pilot media literacy communications campaign to give parents tools to help children build resilience and critical thinking skills online. A new Online Safety hub, developed with DfE, will provide everyone in the UK with clear guidance on media literacy and online safety.

Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom has a media literacy strategy that prioritises support for children and families, especially those with additional needs.

In formal education, the Department for Education has committed to strengthening media literacy in the updated national curriculum.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Government is taking to ensure businesses in Essex are aware of, and have access to, UK- Export Finance support.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

UK Export Finance (UKEF) has a network of Export Finance Managers (EFMs) around the whole country who are valuable points of contact for local businesses and can provide information on the range of support available. Contact details for the Essex EFM, and others can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/find-an-export-finance-manager.

On 26 January, UKEF announced an £11 billion lending package from five high street banks to support small businesses’ growth. Alongside funding, businesses will also benefit from advisory support through banks’ relationship managers and the EFMs.

We do not hold details of the proportion of exporters supported at constituency or county level. Full details of the businesses supported by UKEF each year are published online at: UK Export Finance: business supported - GOV.UK.

The support that UKEF provides extends beyond its immediate customers. Recently published research by Oxford Economics (available online at: UK exporters boost economy, as new study reveals major impact of export credit on UK industry - GOV.UK) shows that there are 115,000 businesses in the supply chains of businesses directly supported by UKEF.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what proportion of UK Export Finance-supported exporters are based in (a) the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency, and (b) Essex.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

UK Export Finance (UKEF) has a network of Export Finance Managers (EFMs) around the whole country who are valuable points of contact for local businesses and can provide information on the range of support available. Contact details for the Essex EFM, and others can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/find-an-export-finance-manager.

On 26 January, UKEF announced an £11 billion lending package from five high street banks to support small businesses’ growth. Alongside funding, businesses will also benefit from advisory support through banks’ relationship managers and the EFMs.

We do not hold details of the proportion of exporters supported at constituency or county level. Full details of the businesses supported by UKEF each year are published online at: UK Export Finance: business supported - GOV.UK.

The support that UKEF provides extends beyond its immediate customers. Recently published research by Oxford Economics (available online at: UK exporters boost economy, as new study reveals major impact of export credit on UK industry - GOV.UK) shows that there are 115,000 businesses in the supply chains of businesses directly supported by UKEF.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many UK businesses are estimated to be part of the supply chains supported by UK Export Finance customers; and what plans the Government has to increase export-linked supply chain activity.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The recently published report by Oxford Economics, Analysing UKEF-Supported Supply Chains (which is available online at: Research and Analysis: Analysing UKEF-supported supply chains - GOV.UK), shows that exporters in UK Export Finance’s (UKEF’s) direct customer base support a further 115,000 businesses in supply chains throughout the whole of the UK.

The government’s ambitious Industrial and Trade Strategies, published last year, set out the government’s plans to support the UK’s supply chains.

Legislation is currently before the House to increase UKEF’s statutory commitment limit.

UKEF is also working with the Department for Business and Trade to ensure that businesses understand how UKEF can support them in taking advantage of new free trade agreements as they are agreed.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support training and skills pathways for British manufacturing industries.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

DWP works closely with industry bodies such as Make UK, the Manufacturing Technologies Association and the Institute for Grocery Distributors to support jobseekers to better understand the many career opportunities available in manufacturing.

DWP also promotes pathways into manufacturing to jobseekers, including skills interventions such as Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) and Skills Bootcamps, alongside paid employment routes such as Apprenticeships. Between April 2021 and December 2025, DWP delivered 16,080 SWAP starts in the manufacturing sector.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average cost per unaccompanied asylum-seeking child to local authorities was in the 2024-25 financial year.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Support for looked after children, including unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, is the statutory responsibility of local authorities. The primary source of funding for local authority children's social care is through the Local Government Funding Settlement (and Devolved equivalents).

In addition to the funding for children's social care that local authorities receive through the Local Government Finance Settlement, and equivalent finance arrangements which apply to the Devolved Governments, the Home Office provides additional funding contributions to support local authorities in meeting the costs incurred looking after unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled PM: “We're capping ground rents at £250”, published on 27 January 2026, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of those reforms on mortgage availability and property sales for leasehold homes.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 27 January 2026 (HCWS1278) as well as the corresponding ground rent policy statement which can be found on gov.uk here.

An Impact Assessment and response to the 2023 ground rent consultation will be published in due course to support scrutiny of the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled PM: “We're capping ground rents at £250”, published on 27 January 2026, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed cap to ground rent on levels of rent set by landlords.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 27 January 2026 (HCWS1278) as well as the corresponding ground rent policy statement which can be found on gov.uk here.

An Impact Assessment and response to the 2023 ground rent consultation will be published in due course to support scrutiny of the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled PM: “We're capping ground rents at £250”, published on 27 January 2026, what proportion of leaseholders will have ground rents reduced immediately upon commencement of the cap.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 27 January 2026 (HCWS1278) as well as the corresponding ground rent policy statement which can be found on gov.uk here.

An Impact Assessment and response to the 2023 ground rent consultation will be published in due course to support scrutiny of the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled PM: “We're capping ground rents at £250”, published on 27 January 2026, whether the proposed peppercorn ground rent cap after 40 years will apply retroactively.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 27 January 2026 (HCWS1278) as well as the corresponding ground rent policy statement which can be found on gov.uk here.

An Impact Assessment and response to the 2023 ground rent consultation will be published in due course to support scrutiny of the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled PM: “We're capping ground rents at £250”, published on 27 January 2026, what estimate his Department has made of the number of residential leaseholders paying more than £250 on ground rent.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 27 January 2026 (HCWS1278) as well as the corresponding ground rent policy statement which can be found on gov.uk here.

An Impact Assessment and response to the 2023 ground rent consultation will be published in due course to support scrutiny of the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the sustainability of current funding arrangements for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Support for looked after children, including unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, is the statutory responsibility of local authorities. The primary source of funding for local authority children's social care is through the Local Government Funding Settlement (and Devolved equivalents).

In addition to the funding for children's social care that local authorities receive through the Local Government Finance Settlement, and equivalent finance arrangements which apply to the Devolved Governments, the Home Office provides additional funding contributions to support local authorities in meeting the costs incurred looking after unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the cost to local authorities was of providing social care to asylum seekers in each financial year since 2019-20 by (a) adults, (b) children in families and (c) unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

MHCLG collects data about local authorities’ spend on all services through the General Fund revenue outturn collection, including spend on social care for asylum seekers in the General Fund Revenue Account Outturn RO3 - Social Care and Public Health Services. The collection for each financial year is published online here: Local authority revenue expenditure and financing - GOV.UK. The guidance notes which describe what should be captured in each line can be found here: General fund revenue account outturn: specific guidance notes - GOV.UK.

The reported spend is available for both the national and local authority level.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Act now: 864,000 sole traders and landlords face new tax rules in two months, published on 5 February 2026, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the requirement to maintain digital records and submit quarterly tax updates under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax on sole traders and landlords.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government is undertaking a range of activities to ensure those needing to use Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax from April 2026 are ready and able to do so successfully.

This includes targeted media campaigns, awareness letters, developing guidance, and working with the software industry to ensure a broad range of MTD‑compatible products is available, to suit different needs and budgets. Free options will support those with the simplest affairs.

MTD will help businesses and landlords keep on top of their tax affairs. It places small businesses on a more digital footing, with digital tools helping to reduce errors and making annual tax returns easier.

HMRC’s latest published assessment of the potential impact of MTD for Income Tax across different taxpayer groups is available at:

Extension of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment to sole traders and landlords - GOV.UK

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Act now: 864,000 sole traders and landlords face new tax rules in two months, published on 5 February 2026, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of awareness of the the new Making Tax Digital for income tax rules among sole traders and landlords.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government is undertaking a range of activities to ensure those needing to use Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax from April 2026 are ready and able to do so successfully.

This includes targeted media campaigns, awareness letters, developing guidance, and working with the software industry to ensure a broad range of MTD‑compatible products is available, to suit different needs and budgets. Free options will support those with the simplest affairs.

MTD will help businesses and landlords keep on top of their tax affairs. It places small businesses on a more digital footing, with digital tools helping to reduce errors and making annual tax returns easier.

HMRC’s latest published assessment of the potential impact of MTD for Income Tax across different taxpayer groups is available at:

Extension of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment to sole traders and landlords - GOV.UK

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Act now: 864,000 sole traders and landlords face new tax rules in two months, published on 5 February 2026, what steps HM Revenue and Customs is taking to ensure that sole traders and landlords impacted by the new Making Tax Digital for Income Tax rules are aware of their obligations.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government is undertaking a range of activities to ensure those needing to use Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax from April 2026 are ready and able to do so successfully.

This includes targeted media campaigns, awareness letters, developing guidance, and working with the software industry to ensure a broad range of MTD‑compatible products is available, to suit different needs and budgets. Free options will support those with the simplest affairs.

MTD will help businesses and landlords keep on top of their tax affairs. It places small businesses on a more digital footing, with digital tools helping to reduce errors and making annual tax returns easier.

HMRC’s latest published assessment of the potential impact of MTD for Income Tax across different taxpayer groups is available at:

Extension of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment to sole traders and landlords - GOV.UK

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on (a) changes in local authority spending on social care for asylum seekers between 2019-20 and 2024-25 and (b) the reasons for those changes.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

MHCLG collects data about local authorities’ spend on all services through the General Fund revenue outturn collection, including spend on social care for asylum seekers in the General Fund Revenue Account Outturn RO3 - Social Care and Public Health Services. The collection for each financial year is published online here: Local authority revenue expenditure and financing - GOV.UK. The guidance notes which describe what should be captured in each line can be found here: General fund revenue account outturn: specific guidance notes - GOV.UK.

The reported spend is available for both the national and local authority level.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will list the ten local authorities which incurred the highest asylum-related social care costs in the 2024-25 financial year.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

MHCLG collects data about local authorities’ spend on all services through the General Fund revenue outturn collection, including spend on social care for asylum seekers in the General Fund Revenue Account Outturn RO3 - Social Care and Public Health Services. The collection for each financial year is published online here: Local authority revenue expenditure and financing - GOV.UK. The guidance notes which describe what should be captured in each line can be found here: General fund revenue account outturn: specific guidance notes - GOV.UK.

The reported spend is available for both the national and local authority level.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether local authorities will have discretion following the implementation of electoral boundary changes to determine whether elections are held by thirds, halves, or all-out elections without further primary or secondary legislation.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The legislation governing councils’ power to choose its own scheme of elections is set out in Chapter 1 of Part 2 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. The legislation permits non-metropolitan district councils to choose to move to electing by thirds or halves where they have previously held elections by thirds or halves.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that roads categorised as requiring maintenance are repaired promptly by local authorities.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government recognises that historic underinvestment has made it difficult for authorities to maintain their roads in the way that they would want to. The Government has therefore confirmed a record £7.3 billion investment into local highways maintenance over the next four years. This new, four-year funding settlement is in addition to the Government's investment of £1.6 billion this financial year, a £500 million increase compared to last year. By confirming funding allocations for the next four-year period, authorities have certainty to plan ahead and shift away from short-term fixes to proactive and preventative maintenance to stop potholes from forming in the first place. The Department has recently released new road condition statistics, which show that in 2025 the percentage of roads receiving maintenance treatment increased, following gradual decreases in the years before then.

In addition, the Department recently announced a new traffic light rating system for local highway authorities. Under this system, all local highway authorities in England received a red, amber or green rating based on the condition of their roads, how much they spend to maintain their roads, and whether they do so using best practice. The ratings will be updated annually and provide an incentive to highway authorities to further adopt best practice. They enable the department to identify where councils need to improve and to support them. As part of this, the Department is providing £300,000 worth of development support to help councils adopt best practice and to improve their rating and the condition of their roads.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK leads global efforts to help communities save the ocean and beat poverty, published on 26 January 2026, what proportion of the £14 million OCEAN funding will be spent in each recipient country.

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

OCEAN Round 2 projects remain subject to final due diligence. The finalised list of projects, along with the countries in which OCEAN works, will be made available on the OCEAN website in due course.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to Prime Minister’s press release entitled Prime Minister unlocks new opportunities for British businesses in China, published on 29 January 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed UK-China bilateral services partnership on trends in the level of UK service exports.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK‑China Bilateral Services Partnership (BSP) is designed to deliver high‑value benefits for UK businesses in the world’s second-largest services import market.

UK services exports to China rose 81% in current prices between 2016 and 2024. However, in 2024 the UK had nearly a three times greater share of the global services import market (at 8.0%) than of China’s market (at 2.6%) [ONS and UNCTAD data].

The BSP therefore aims to help UK firms access China’s large and expanding services market. It is a mechanism to push for improved market access as well as deliver practical support to help drive UK services exports to China, supporting growth.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Prime Minister’s press release entitled Prime Minister unlocks new opportunities for British businesses in China, published on 29 January 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of a UK-China services partnership on economic growth.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK‑China Bilateral Services Partnership (BSP) is designed to deliver high‑value benefits for UK businesses in the world’s second-largest services import market.

UK services exports to China rose 81% in current prices between 2016 and 2024. However, in 2024 the UK had nearly a three times greater share of the global services import market (at 8.0%) than of China’s market (at 2.6%) [ONS and UNCTAD data].

The BSP therefore aims to help UK firms access China’s large and expanding services market. It is a mechanism to push for improved market access as well as deliver practical support to help drive UK services exports to China, supporting growth.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of postponing the 2026 local elections on the progress of Thurrock council's local plan.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government followed a locally-led process and based his decisions on a careful consideration of the representations made from councils with elections scheduled in May and from other councils, interested organisations, Members of Parliament, and members of the public. The government expects local planning authorities to work towards the adoption of an up-to-date local plan as soon as possible. Local government reorganisation should not hinder this essential work.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of postponing the 2026 local elections on the progress of Basildon council's local plan.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government followed a locally-led process and based his decisions on a careful consideration of the representations made from councils with elections scheduled in May and from other councils, interested organisations, Members of Parliament, and members of the public. The government expects local planning authorities to work towards the adoption of an up-to-date local plan as soon as possible. Local government reorganisation should not hinder this essential work.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answers of 14 January 2026 and 13 October 2025 to Questions 102364 and 77631 on Local Government: Reorganisation, whether his Department has conducted research comparing the average cost effectiveness of providing public services in (a) unitary and (b) two-tier councils.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 77631 on 13 October 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government action to avert summer prison disaster, published on 29 January 2026, what steps he has taken to help ensure that changes to sentencing do not adversely impact (a) public safety and (b) offender rehabilitation.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The greatest risk to public safely is the risk of not being able to lock up dangerous offenders. Without the Sentencing Act, which received Royal Assent on 22 January, the country would have completely run out of prison places as early as June this year. This Government’s decisive action has safeguarded the police, courts, and wider criminal justice system, and avoided a potentially catastrophic breakdown of law and order.

Public protection is our main priority, and many offenders will still go to prison, some for a very long time. Where offenders are on licence, in the community, we are imposing more intensive supervision, including ramped up tagging. We are also introducing new restriction zones for the most serious offenders, locking them down to a specific area.

We are prioritising rehabilitation of offenders: evidence shows that short prison sentences exacerbate issues with employment, housing, and maintaining family ties, without allowing sufficient time for offenders to access effective rehabilitative services. Whereas suspended sentence orders give offenders a chance to stay in work, keep stable housing, and access support, all of which help reduce repeat offending and support rehabilitation.

To support rehabilitation and managing offenders in the community, this Government is rebuilding the probation service, increasing investment by up to £700 million by 2028/29, a 45% increase.

We are creating a tougher, smarter system that protects the public and supports rehabilitation.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the British Embassy in Bangkok’s press release entitled UK PACT and Bangkok advancing sustainable transport, published on 30 January 2026, what assessment she has made of the value for money of the UK PACT funding for sustainable transport initiatives in Bangkok.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK PACT Thailand programme is funded from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's (DESNZ) Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget.

Further details of all FCDO and DESNZ funded programmes can be found at the Development Tracker website on GOV.UK. Proposed activities are assessed in advance for the impact they will have in meeting the UK's programme and partnership objectives in the country in question, and for their cost-effectiveness in achieving that impact. ODA programmes are evaluated on an ongoing basis for their performance against their agreed objectives, and for their delivery on time and on budget.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the British Embassy in Bangkok’s press release entitled UK PACT and Bangkok advancing sustainable transport, published on 30 January 2026, which Department's budget the funding for Thailand's transport and green finance will come from.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK PACT Thailand programme is funded from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's (DESNZ) Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget.

Further details of all FCDO and DESNZ funded programmes can be found at the Development Tracker website on GOV.UK. Proposed activities are assessed in advance for the impact they will have in meeting the UK's programme and partnership objectives in the country in question, and for their cost-effectiveness in achieving that impact. ODA programmes are evaluated on an ongoing basis for their performance against their agreed objectives, and for their delivery on time and on budget.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK leads global efforts to help communities save the ocean and beat poverty, published on 26 January 2026, what proportion of projects funded under the second round of the Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature Grants Programme are led by (a) women and (b) women’s organisations.

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

All applications to the OCEAN Grants Programme are assessed against publicly available Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) assessment criteria. This assessment is conducted by an external Expert Committee and a GEDSI specialist to ensure applications demonstrate how they will mainstream GEDSI through the project lifecycle. Progress is routinely monitored.

In Round Two, 100% of projects were identified as mainstreaming GEDSI and designed to explicitly benefit women and girls. Approximately 30% of projects are led by a woman Project Leader, and one project is led by a women’s-rights, women-led organisation in Bangladesh.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK leads global efforts to help communities save the ocean and beat poverty, published on 26 January 2026, if she will list the criteria that assess whether projects under the Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature Grants Programme benefit women and girls.

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

All applications to the OCEAN Grants Programme are assessed against publicly available Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) assessment criteria. This assessment is conducted by an external Expert Committee and a GEDSI specialist to ensure applications demonstrate how they will mainstream GEDSI through the project lifecycle. Progress is routinely monitored.

In Round Two, 100% of projects were identified as mainstreaming GEDSI and designed to explicitly benefit women and girls. Approximately 30% of projects are led by a woman Project Leader, and one project is led by a women’s-rights, women-led organisation in Bangladesh.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK leads global efforts to help communities save the ocean and beat poverty, published on 26 January 2026, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the delivery of proposed environmental benefits from the Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature Grants Programme.

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

All recipients of OCEAN Grants are required to agree outcomes and to monitor and report on progress including of proposed environmental benefits, throughout the grant lifecycle. During the application phase, proposed outcomes and the indicators used to measure progress are agreed and assessed by an external Expert Committee.

An independent evaluation of the programme is planned and will provide further evidence on progress towards agreed outcomes and overall impact.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK leads global efforts to help communities save the ocean and beat poverty, published on 26 January 2026, what outcome measures her Department will use to assess the impact of projects funded under the Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature Grants Programme.

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

All recipients of OCEAN Grants are required to agree outcomes and to monitor and report on progress including of proposed environmental benefits, throughout the grant lifecycle. During the application phase, proposed outcomes and the indicators used to measure progress are agreed and assessed by an external Expert Committee.

An independent evaluation of the programme is planned and will provide further evidence on progress towards agreed outcomes and overall impact.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of GP trainees qualified as GPs in each of the last three years.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

General practice (GP) speciality training has maintained a low rate of attrition over the last three years of approximately 1.3% to 1.5%, and the average length of time to complete GP training has remained at 3.8 years.

A proportion of trainees achieving a Certificate of Completion of Training is difficult to provide as programme length can vary due to individual circumstances, such as changes in working hours, maternity/paternity leave, sick leave, and out of programme activities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK leads global efforts to help communities save the ocean and beat poverty, published on 26 January 2026, if she will set out how her Department evaluates whether Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature Grants Programme-funded projects are inclusive of (a) marginalised and (b) indigenous communities.

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

The OCEAN Grants Programme has been designed to ensure that Gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) is at its heart. OCEAN's approach goes beyond gender equality alone to include disability and wider social inclusion, explicitly covering marginalised groups and Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs). All applications are assessed for social inclusivity by an external Expert Committee and GEDSI specialist and must ensure equitable access, active participation, and appropriate roles in decision-making, with safeguards to prevent intentional or unintentional harm.

Projects are monitored and evaluated during delivery to track progress and embed learning. In Round Two, 54% of successful projects explicitly target IPLCs and/or other ethnic or religious minority groups and 100% of successful projects are expected to work with marginalised communities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the adequacy of primary care estates to support workforce expansion.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards to ensure that the National Health Service estate is fit for purpose, in order to meet the needs of the local population.

At the Autumn Budget, we announced our commitment to deliver 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHCs) through the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme. This will deliver NHCs through a mixture of refurbishments to expand and improve sites over the next three years and new-build sites opening in the medium term. The first 120 NHCs are due to be operational by 2030 and will be delivered through public private partnerships and public capital.

The Government is providing £426 million over four years through the Utilisation and Modernisation Fund, upgrading general practice (GP) estate and supporting delivery of 40 to 50 NHCs this Parliament through refurbishment of existing buildings.

In Spring we will publish the 10 Year Workforce Plan, which will set out the high-level vision for how we can prepare our workforce to deliver the three shifts set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.

The Government has committed to training thousands more GPs, which will support the delivery of the left shift and focus more resources in the community. Our work on this has already started, with the number of available GP training places increasing by an additional 250 places to 4,250 for 2025/26 and again to 4,500 for 2026/27.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK leads global efforts to help communities save the ocean and beat poverty, published on 26 January 2026, what proportion of OCEAN grant funding is provided as direct financial support to community organisations.

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

Through Round One and Two, approximately 20% (£4,905,878) of OCEAN Grants Programme funding is expected to be provided in direct financial support to local NGOs, Civil Society Organisations and other in-country non-profit organisations working closely with communities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK leads global efforts to help communities save the ocean and beat poverty, published on 26 January 2026, over what period the £14 million allocated to the second round of the OCEAN Grants Programme will be spent.

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

The following projects have been funded under Round Two of the OCEAN Grants Programme. Funding comes from Defra’s Official Development Assistance budget and is projected to be spent between January 2026 and March 2029. The Round Two projects with signed grant agreements have been awarded the following amounts:

• Empowering traditional micro-retailers as refill stations to reduce plastic pollution, Indonesia: £93,155
• Eco Kolek, The Philippines: £249,973
• Solar-Powered Coastal Recycling Hubs: Transforming Plastic Waste into Construction Materials, The Philippines: £93,632
• Climate-smart initiatives for sustainable Coastal youth and women livelihoods, Tanzania: £95,000
• Iluminar el Mar, Ecuador: Reducing bycatch in Ecuador's Artisanal Gillnet Fishery: £150,000
• Empowering Coastal Communities Towards Inclusive Management of Ghana’s First MPA, Ghana: £250,000
• Mangrove restoration empowering women fisherfolks cooperatives in Sundarbans, Bangladesh: £243,073
• Blue Hispaniola: Protecting Coastal Ecosystems of the Northern Haitian-Dominican Corridor, Haiti and Dominican Republic: £2,999,192
• Scaling Community-based Resource Management through GEDSI-Empowering Information, Learning and Action, Fiji, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea: £2,989,340

A final list of projects will be available on the OCEAN website in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK leads global efforts to help communities save the ocean and beat poverty, published on 26 January 2026, what Department's budget the £14 million OCEAN Grants Programme funding will be drawn from.

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

The following projects have been funded under Round Two of the OCEAN Grants Programme. Funding comes from Defra’s Official Development Assistance budget and is projected to be spent between January 2026 and March 2029. The Round Two projects with signed grant agreements have been awarded the following amounts:

• Empowering traditional micro-retailers as refill stations to reduce plastic pollution, Indonesia: £93,155
• Eco Kolek, The Philippines: £249,973
• Solar-Powered Coastal Recycling Hubs: Transforming Plastic Waste into Construction Materials, The Philippines: £93,632
• Climate-smart initiatives for sustainable Coastal youth and women livelihoods, Tanzania: £95,000
• Iluminar el Mar, Ecuador: Reducing bycatch in Ecuador's Artisanal Gillnet Fishery: £150,000
• Empowering Coastal Communities Towards Inclusive Management of Ghana’s First MPA, Ghana: £250,000
• Mangrove restoration empowering women fisherfolks cooperatives in Sundarbans, Bangladesh: £243,073
• Blue Hispaniola: Protecting Coastal Ecosystems of the Northern Haitian-Dominican Corridor, Haiti and Dominican Republic: £2,999,192
• Scaling Community-based Resource Management through GEDSI-Empowering Information, Learning and Action, Fiji, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea: £2,989,340

A final list of projects will be available on the OCEAN website in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of GCSE outcomes in (a) English and (b) Mathematics in South Basildon and East Thurrock compared with the national averages in 2024.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

​​This government has committed £27.7 million this financial year to support and drive high and rising standards in reading. The department will introduce a new, statutory test of reading in year 8 to ensure a focus on reading in key stage 3, whether giving those struggling additional support or ensuring those doing well continue to succeed. Our network of 40 Maths Hubs is supporting local schools to improve their maths teaching, including Venn Essex Maths Hub led by St Thomas More’s Catholic Primary School in Colchester.

Following the Curriculum and Assessment review, our new national curriculum and GCSEs will have improved coherence, specificity, sequencing and will be grounded in the most important knowledge and disciplinary skills, so that every child leaves school having mastered the subjects they have been taught and is able to pursue a career in their chosen field.

In addition, schools in the constituency have access to the department’s Universal Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) programme, which is helping every school across the country to improve. Universal RISE is a sector-led approach which is connecting all schools to high quality school improvement resources.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled UK leads global efforts to help communities save the ocean and beat poverty, published on 26 January 2026, how much funding has been allocated to each project awarded grants under the second round of the OCEAN Grants Programme.

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

The following projects have been funded under Round Two of the OCEAN Grants Programme. Funding comes from Defra’s Official Development Assistance budget and is projected to be spent between January 2026 and March 2029. The Round Two projects with signed grant agreements have been awarded the following amounts:

• Empowering traditional micro-retailers as refill stations to reduce plastic pollution, Indonesia: £93,155
• Eco Kolek, The Philippines: £249,973
• Solar-Powered Coastal Recycling Hubs: Transforming Plastic Waste into Construction Materials, The Philippines: £93,632
• Climate-smart initiatives for sustainable Coastal youth and women livelihoods, Tanzania: £95,000
• Iluminar el Mar, Ecuador: Reducing bycatch in Ecuador's Artisanal Gillnet Fishery: £150,000
• Empowering Coastal Communities Towards Inclusive Management of Ghana’s First MPA, Ghana: £250,000
• Mangrove restoration empowering women fisherfolks cooperatives in Sundarbans, Bangladesh: £243,073
• Blue Hispaniola: Protecting Coastal Ecosystems of the Northern Haitian-Dominican Corridor, Haiti and Dominican Republic: £2,999,192
• Scaling Community-based Resource Management through GEDSI-Empowering Information, Learning and Action, Fiji, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea: £2,989,340

A final list of projects will be available on the OCEAN website in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the potential impact of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy on the level of sugar intake by children.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) came into law on 5 April 2018, having been announced in 2016. Between 2015 and 2024 sugar levels in drinks in scope of the levy reduced by 47%, and while no formal assessment of the impact on children has been undertaken, the scale of reduction will have an impact on the sugar intake of children.

Data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS), an ongoing Government survey of food consumption, nutrient intake, and nutrient status in the United Kingdom, showed a fall in sugar intakes between 2014 to 2019, in older children and adolescents. This appears to be partly driven by soft drinks contributing less to sugar intakes, likely as a result of the changes made to drinks in scope of the SDIL.

The latest results for 2019 to 2023 show that sugar intakes in children remain approximately double the maximum recommendation and children aged 11 to 18 years old are the highest consumers of sugar sweetened soft drinks. Diets high in sugar increase the risk of dental caries as well as weight gain, which can ultimately result in living with overweight and obesity and related adverse health outcomes. The NDNS will continue to monitor sugar intakes following reformulation of drinks in scope of the SDIL.

Academic modelling indicates that reductions in sugar from drinks subject to the SDIL may have prevented 5,000 cases of obesity in girls aged ten to 11 years old, with greater impact on those attending schools in the most deprived areas. Modelling data also suggests that the changes resulting from the SDIL may have reduced hospital admissions for dental caries related tooth extractions in those aged zero to nine years old and for asthma related issues in those aged five to 18 years old.

Following formal consultation, two changes to the SDIL were announced in the 2025 Autumn Budget which will apply from 1 January 2028:

• reducing the lower sugar threshold at which the levy applies from 5 grams to 4.5 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres; and
• removing previous exemptions for pre-packed added sugar milk-based and milk substitute, for example oat, soya, and/or almond, drinks.

The Department carried out a health benefits assessment to estimate the sugar and calorie reduction from these changes through product reformulation and consumer substitution to alternative drinks.

This analysis estimates a sugar reduction equivalent to per person per day calorie reductions of 0.3 kcal in five- to ten-year-olds, 0.4 kcal in 11- to 18-year-olds, 0.3 kcal in 19- to 64-year-olds, and 0.2 kcal in those aged 65 years old and over. This is equivalent to approximately four million kcal per day in children and 13 million kcal per day in adults.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled ‘UK lenders step up with £11 billion push to back British businesses’ published on 26 January 2026, what steps he is taking to ensure businesses with no prior exporting experience are aware of the new funding and are aware of the lending and advisory support available.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The lending commitment facility is not time limited.

We have not made a formal assessment of how much of the lending commitment is expected to be drawn down in each financial year. The support that the participating banks can offer to businesses hoping to export is not restricted to this lending package.

The £11 billion commitment represents new lending, and does not included facilities extended before the announcement

Businesses can apply for a lending facility directly with the participant banks. They can start by speaking to their high street lender or their local Export Finance Manager (EFM). The EFMs are UKEF’s regional representatives who provide local points of contact for exporters and businesses with export potential. Contact details for the EFMs around the whole of the UK can be found at: Find an Export Finance Manager - GOV.UK.

Repayment of the loans will be managed by the respective banks, applying their regular criteria and processes. UKEF has robust legal agreements in place which set requirements regarding monitoring of potential defaults and making relevant recoveries.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled UK lenders step up with £11 billion push to back British businesses, published on 26 January 2026, what assessment he has made of the level of default risk associated with loans guaranteed by UK Export Finance under this agreement.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The lending commitment facility is not time limited.

We have not made a formal assessment of how much of the lending commitment is expected to be drawn down in each financial year. The support that the participating banks can offer to businesses hoping to export is not restricted to this lending package.

The £11 billion commitment represents new lending, and does not included facilities extended before the announcement

Businesses can apply for a lending facility directly with the participant banks. They can start by speaking to their high street lender or their local Export Finance Manager (EFM). The EFMs are UKEF’s regional representatives who provide local points of contact for exporters and businesses with export potential. Contact details for the EFMs around the whole of the UK can be found at: Find an Export Finance Manager - GOV.UK.

Repayment of the loans will be managed by the respective banks, applying their regular criteria and processes. UKEF has robust legal agreements in place which set requirements regarding monitoring of potential defaults and making relevant recoveries.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to Prime Minister’s press release entitled Prime Minister unlocks new opportunities for British businesses in China, published on 29 January 2026, when the joint feasibility study on a UK-China trade in services agreement is expected to conclude.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The joint feasibility study for a UK-China Trade in Services Agreement is an exploratory stage; it’s not a commitment to negotiate an agreement. The study is intended to identify areas of shared interest and assess the potential benefits and challenges involved in a potential bilateral Trade in Services Agreement.

Should both parties find sufficient common ground, the process may then proceed to formal negotiations, based on mutual agreement. The timing of the conclusion of the feasibility study and any potential future negotiations would be determined through further technical discussions between the UK and China.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Prime Minister’s press release entitled ‘Prime Minister unlocks new opportunities for British businesses in China’ published on 29 January 2026, what steps are being taken to improve recognition of UK professional qualifications in China.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK-China Bilateral Services Partnership (BSP) Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Thursday 29 January between the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Peter Kyle, and the Minister for Commerce, Wang Wentao.

The BSP represents a commitment between the UK and China to deepen practical government cooperation and support in growth sectors such as financial and professional services where the recognition of professional qualifications is critical for trade.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled UK lenders step up with £11 billion push to back British businesses, published on 26 January 2026, whether the £11 billion lending commitment represents new lending or includes existing lending facilities repackaged under this agreement.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The lending commitment facility is not time limited.

We have not made a formal assessment of how much of the lending commitment is expected to be drawn down in each financial year. The support that the participating banks can offer to businesses hoping to export is not restricted to this lending package.

The £11 billion commitment represents new lending, and does not included facilities extended before the announcement

Businesses can apply for a lending facility directly with the participant banks. They can start by speaking to their high street lender or their local Export Finance Manager (EFM). The EFMs are UKEF’s regional representatives who provide local points of contact for exporters and businesses with export potential. Contact details for the EFMs around the whole of the UK can be found at: Find an Export Finance Manager - GOV.UK.

Repayment of the loans will be managed by the respective banks, applying their regular criteria and processes. UKEF has robust legal agreements in place which set requirements regarding monitoring of potential defaults and making relevant recoveries.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled UK lenders step up with £11 billion push to back British businesses, published on 26 January 2026, how much of the £11 billion lending package is expected to be drawn down in each financial year.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The lending commitment facility is not time limited.

We have not made a formal assessment of how much of the lending commitment is expected to be drawn down in each financial year. The support that the participating banks can offer to businesses hoping to export is not restricted to this lending package.

The £11 billion commitment represents new lending, and does not included facilities extended before the announcement

Businesses can apply for a lending facility directly with the participant banks. They can start by speaking to their high street lender or their local Export Finance Manager (EFM). The EFMs are UKEF’s regional representatives who provide local points of contact for exporters and businesses with export potential. Contact details for the EFMs around the whole of the UK can be found at: Find an Export Finance Manager - GOV.UK.

Repayment of the loans will be managed by the respective banks, applying their regular criteria and processes. UKEF has robust legal agreements in place which set requirements regarding monitoring of potential defaults and making relevant recoveries.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled UK lenders step up with £11 billion push to back British businesses, published on 26 January 2026, over what time period the £11 billion lending commitment will be made available to businesses.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The lending commitment facility is not time limited.

We have not made a formal assessment of how much of the lending commitment is expected to be drawn down in each financial year. The support that the participating banks can offer to businesses hoping to export is not restricted to this lending package.

The £11 billion commitment represents new lending, and does not included facilities extended before the announcement

Businesses can apply for a lending facility directly with the participant banks. They can start by speaking to their high street lender or their local Export Finance Manager (EFM). The EFMs are UKEF’s regional representatives who provide local points of contact for exporters and businesses with export potential. Contact details for the EFMs around the whole of the UK can be found at: Find an Export Finance Manager - GOV.UK.

Repayment of the loans will be managed by the respective banks, applying their regular criteria and processes. UKEF has robust legal agreements in place which set requirements regarding monitoring of potential defaults and making relevant recoveries.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to support British manufacturing SMEs to bid for contracts.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government is determined to ensure the £400 billion of public money spent on public procurement annually delivers economic growth and supports British businesses, especially SMEs.

The Government’s reforms to the National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) requires contracting authorities to consider ways to increase procurement spend with SMEs and Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprises (VCSEs), like in the manufacturing sector.

We have also introduced changes allowing local councils to reserve over one billion pounds worth of lower value contracts to suppliers based locally or within the UK which has recently become law, a step strongly supported by SMEs.

We will set out further reforms, including the response to the recent public procurement consultation, in due course. These reforms will further support British SMEs, like in manufacturing, to bid for contracts.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to Prime Minister’s press release entitled Prime Minister unlocks new opportunities for British businesses in China, published on 29 January 2026, if he will make it his policy to ensure that any services agreement with China includes clear and legally binding protections for UK firms operating in China.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK and China have agreed to launch a Bilateral Services Partnership, developed in response to UK business' asks for clearer rules, better market access, and practical support to benefit from China's increasing demand for high-quality UK services.

The UK and China have also agreed to conduct a joint feasibility study to examine the potential to negotiate a bilateral Trade in Services Agreement. Such a legally binding agreement, if secured, would mirror the services chapters of the UK’s modern, high‑standard FTAs and be consistent with the UK and China’s obligations under the World Trade Organisation’s General Agreement on Trade in Services.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Foreign Secretary sets out new cooperation on illegal migration from Horn of Africa on visit to Ethiopia, published on 2 February 2026, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Joint Development Agreement on the number of illegal migrants coming to the UK.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Joint Development Agreement announced by the Foreign Secretary marks a major milestone in an investment project by a UK company. It will support the growth of Ethiopia's economy by building new electric transmission lines to support Ethiopia's growth, electrification and further jobs. Supporting economic growth and job creation in Ethiopia helps address the underlying economic drivers that contribute to migration flows. The Department keeps the impact of all its investments and programmes under continuous review.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of soil excavated as part of the Lower Thames Crossing construction will be a) re-used on site, b) recycled or c) disposed of off-site.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Lower Thames Crossing project aims to reuse between 90% and 95% of the soil it excavates on site. This material will be used to create new public parks, embankments and earth bunds, helping to screen the route from the local community. The remaining material will be disposed of off-site. Details of how this material will be treated have not yet been determined; however, this information will be set out in the project’s Delivery Partners’ Site Waste and Materials Handling Plans, which, once completed and approved by the Secretary of State, will be published on the Lower Thames Crossing website.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the environmental impact of a) soil excavation and b) disposal generated by the Lower Thames Crossing.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

On 25 March 2025, the Transport Secretary gave approval for the application from National Highways for a Development Consent Order for the Lower Thames Crossing. The Transport Secretary’s consideration of the application for the development including the environmental impacts are set out in her decision letter of 25 March 2025 which is available on the Planning Inspectorate’s website.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government action to avert summer prison disaster, published on 29 January 2026, on what date the 2,900 prison spaces were approved for construction.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

This Government has delivered c.2,900 additional prison places and construction on these began between 2022 and 2024. We have invested £4.7 billion over the spending review period to enable the delivery of these additional prison places at pace and have maintained our target to deliver a total of 14,000 by 2031. The places delivered by this Government so far were approved for construction between 2020 and 2024.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government action to avert summer prison disaster, published on 29 January 2026, when the 2,900 prison spaces began construction.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

This Government has delivered c.2,900 additional prison places and construction on these began between 2022 and 2024. We have invested £4.7 billion over the spending review period to enable the delivery of these additional prison places at pace and have maintained our target to deliver a total of 14,000 by 2031. The places delivered by this Government so far were approved for construction between 2020 and 2024.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the tax treatment of the State Pension and Pension Credit on the relative incomes of pensioners.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to making sure older people can live with the dignity and respect they deserve in retirement. The State Pension will remain the foundation of retirement income. In line with the Government’s commitment to the Triple Lock for the duration of this parliament, over 12 million pensioners will benefit from a 4.8% increase to their basic or new State Pension in April 2026, worth up to £575 a year. This follows a substantial increase in 2025/26, when those on the full new State Pension received a £360 boost.

The Pension Credit Standard Minimum Guarantee will also increase by 4.8% in April 2026, from £227.10 to £238 a week for single pensioners and from £346.60 to £363.25 for couples, protecting the poorest pensioners. Pension Credit is not subject to income tax.

Pension income, whether State or occupational, is a form of income like earnings and, as such, is taxable, subject to any personal tax allowances. The vast majority of pensioners paid tax under the previous Government, with 8.3 million taxpayers over State Pension age in 2024/2025.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has to collect data on the frequency of (a) potholes and (b) defects on local roads.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

DfT collects and collates information on the condition of roads from local authorities in England annually. This information is published as official statistics. The latest release of these statistics was in January 2026, which covered data for the financial year ending March 2025. The statistics are published online, at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/road-conditions-in-england-to-march-2025

In addition, in June 2025 local highway authorities had to publish transparency reports about their maintenance activities to unlock their full share of the Government’s £500 million uplift for local highways maintenance this financial year. These reports included estimates of the number of potholes they have filled in each of the last five years and from now, must be published annually on local highway authorities’ websites. The reports also require local highway authorities to publish data on the condition of their roads and to demonstrate how they comply with best practice in highways maintenance, for example the extent to which they adopt preventative maintenance approaches which keep roads in good condition for longer and prevent potholes from forming in the first place.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the role of media literacy in helping children identify misleading or harmful online content.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Media literacy is currently covered in the citizenship, relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) and computing curricula.

Following publication of the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report on 5 November 2025, vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy relevant to identify misleading or harmful online content will be embedded into the revised curriculum from 2028.

The department will engage with sector experts in working out how best to reflect this in the updated curriculum. There will be public consultation on the updated curriculum programmes of study, to seek views on the content before they are finalised.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what measures are in place to limit curtailment costs during the period before new grid infrastructure becomes operational.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) and the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) are pursuing measures which will reduce constraint costs in the short term. These include making best use of the existing network, deploying smart grid technologies and taking measures to reduce the amount of time networks need to be out of service for essential new build and maintenance. NESO is also progressing other technical measures at pace via the Constraints Collaboration Project. We intend to announce further measures in the Reformed National Pricing (RNP) Deliver Plan which will be published shortly.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure that the expansion of renewable generation does not lead to higher electricity bills for consumers.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

At a systems level, the prize of a renewables-based system, supported by nuclear and other technologies, is clear: it gets us off the fossil fuel rollercoaster, reducing our exposure as a country. The role of gas generation is already changing in GB’s electricity system and, as renewable deployment continues, its impact on the electricity price will reduce. Clean power 2030 will mean volatile gas sets the wholesale electricity price much less often than today.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of A&E waiting times on post-discharge outcomes for older patients.

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

No assessment has been made of the impacts of accident and emergency waiting times on post-discharge outcomes. There have been studies on the impact of waiting times on clinical outcomes in general, which inform the targets the National Health Service sets for accident and emergency waiting times.

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 compatibility of his Clean Power 2030 target with current grid capacity constraints.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Clean Power Action Plan set out the actions needed to deliver the Clean Power target, including the generation assets required and the network projects needed to transport homegrown power to homes and business across the country. This was based on advice from the National Energy System Operator that is informed by its analysis of current and expected future grid capacity constraints.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of curtailment payments on average household energy bills in 2025.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

This information can be found in the NESO Annual Balancing Report, the next of which will be published later this year. The most recent NESO Annual Balancing Report was published in June 2025, covering the 2024/25 financial year, and can be found via this link: neso.energy/document/362561/download

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what lessons his Department has learnt from other countries that have reduced curtailment while expanding renewables.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

We use evidence from comparable countries to support our decision making and policy thinking on curtailment. Constraint payments are a natural part of operating an electricity system and are used in many countries such as Italy, Spain, Germany and Denmark. However, the current extent of grid constraints reflects years of underinvestment, with new network infrastructure development having lagged the expansion of new generation. We’re finally changing that, with the biggest upgrade to Great Britain’s electricity network in decades, which will minimise both curtailment and constraint costs, and help deliver clean power by 2030.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to publish data on cases where patients deteriorate or die in Accident and Emergency waiting rooms before being seen by a doctor.

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

This data is not available in the format requested and there is no plan to publish this. Patients are reviewed at the front door and are seen by a clinical member of staff and streamed to the right service for them. If there is an incident around care processes, this is logged.

The National Health Service and the Department have taken significant steps forward to improve patient safety, including by implementing significant programmes under the NHS Patient Safety Strategy from 2019.

We are also introducing new clinical operational standards for the first 72 hours of care, setting clear expectations for timely reviews and specialist input, including guidance on monitoring patients with frailty. This supports the early identification of deterioration and helps ensure patients waiting in accident and emergency departments are appropriately monitored.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of the role of battery storage in reducing renewable curtailment.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Electricity storage has an important role to play in decarbonising the power sector by helping to balance the electricity system at lower cost. Electricity storage achieves this by charging when electricity is abundant and discharging when it is scarcer, thereby mitigating the need for grid reinforcement and reducing the curtailment of renewable generation. Efficient use of storage therefore offers opportunities for reducing constraint costs. The Government, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) and the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) are currently investigating options aimed at maximising the benefits of storage technologies in reducing system costs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure schools tackle gender-specific online harm.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The updated relationships, sex and health education guidance ensures that, from September 2026, schools will address gender‑based online harms including from pornography, deepfakes, sextortion and misogynistic content. It places new emphasis on challenging misogyny and supporting pupils to recognise and report harmful behaviours and to understand the impact of harmful online influencers.

In December 2025, the government published a new strategy to tackle violence against women and girls. We want to protect young people and drive forward education on healthy relationships. We will invest £11 million to pilot the best interventions in schools over the next three years.

‘Keeping children safe in education’, the statutory safeguarding guidance which schools must have regard to, has been strengthened significantly in recent years to reflect evolving online risks. Online safety is embedded throughout, making clear the importance of ensuring a whole school approach to keeping children safe both online and offline.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied asylum-seeking children were supported by local authorities in each financial year since 2019-20.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not hold data on the number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) supported by local authorities. Local authorities have a duty to provide services to all children in need in their area. Under section 20(1) of the Children Act 1989, when a local authority has accommodated an unaccompanied child for 24 hours, they become 'looked after'. An unaccompanied child is entitled to the same support as any other looked after child, regardless of their immigration status. The Department for Education publishes annual data on the number of UASC looked after by local authorities in England here -

Children looked after in England including adoptions - reporting year 2025

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of male underrepresentation in the teaching workforce in primary schools on the attainment gap between boys and girls.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

As my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has said, the department wants to see more male teachers teaching, guiding and leading the boys in their classrooms.

Men are underrepresented across the education workforce. This is broadly in line with international trends and has remained stable over time in England

Recruiting and retaining expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for every child, as high-quality teaching is the in-school factor that has the biggest positive impact on a child’s outcomes.

We ensure men are featured regularly in our recruitment marketing campaign “Every Lesson Shapes a Life”, with men in the focal role in our last two major TV campaigns.

Whilst the department does not have evidence to draw a direct link between gender of teachers and pupil outcomes, we are clear that schools should be an environment where all children feel a genuine sense of belonging.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to provide a response to Question 93556 on Schools: Standards, tabled on 21 November 2025.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I can confirm that a response has been submitted to the hon. Member for South Basildon and East Thurrock to Question 93556.

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