Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether any review was undertaken of the mitigation package secured through the Sizewell C Deed of Obligation following the increase in the project’s estimated cost.

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

The Deed of Obligation was agreed between Suffolk Council, East Suffolk Council, and NNB Generating Company (SZC) Limited in October 2021. It sets out mitigation measures to reduce the impact of the development and operation of Sizewell C within each Councils boundary and is reflected in Requirements within the Development Consent Order. We are not aware of any review of the mitigation package in the light of increased project costs. Any application to change the Orders Requirements would need to be approved by the Secretary of State.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the Universal Credit claimant count has been in (a) Leiston and (b) the IP16 postcode area in each month since January 2022.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Monthly Universal Credit statistics showing the number of people on Universal Credit, for the Postcode Area IP16, and the Ward Aldeburgh & Leiston or Leiston Jobcentre Plus office, are published in the People on Universal Credit dataset on Stat-Xplore, and are currently available to February 2026.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract information. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the closure of plants currently supported under the Renewables Obligation from April 2027 on business continuity, jobs and energy resilience.

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

Accreditation under the Renewables Obligation (RO) was always intended to be time limited and generators have known, from the date they were accredited, how long their support would last.

The Government will continue to monitor the potential impacts of the closure of the scheme on different technologies.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has considered the potential merits of time-limited transitional support mechanism for generators currently supported through the Renewables Obligation, including to help safeguard critical infrastructure and help support investment in carbon capture technology.

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

Renewables Obligation (RO) scheme support ends for some generators from 2027 onwards, and the Government is aware that this will affect the commercial viability of some operators. The Government recognises the value that these generators provide. However, these benefits must be weighed against the cost of potential further support.

The Government does not intend to pursue a comprehensive ongoing support mechanism as this would not deliver value for money to consumers, but it is exploring the implementation of a long-term methane capture scheme for existing landfill gas generators, with suitable transitional arrangements. We will provide stakeholders with an update in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of freight operations associated with Sizewell C on (a) passenger capacity, (b) journey times and (c) service frequency on the East Suffolk Line in the long-term.

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

The train operator Greater Anglia is aware that freight traffic in relation to the constructions of Sizewell C is likely to increase in the future. Network Rail will continue to work closely with operators to assess how best to accommodate the additional freight services while protecting current passenger train service levels on the route.

There has been a specific workstream dedicated to operational readiness including timetabling and capacity and Network Rail identified capacity within the timetable to enable four additional Sizewell freight trains to operate some time ago.

Separately, Sizewell has also commissioned Network Rail to do a feasibility study on what would need to be true to improve passenger services on the East Suffolk branch line to support the local area.

The Rail Minister recently met with Jenny Riddell-Carpenter on 24 March to discuss this matter. Greater Anglia has recently confirmed that from the May 2026 timetable change, additional later trains will operate from Lowestoft to Beccles and from Beccles to Lowestoft on Mondays to Saturdays.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on developing a cross-government strategy to help tackle rural poverty.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra Ministers regularly engage with other Government departments on a range of issues impacting rural communities.

In April 2025, Defra established a Rural Taskforce to better understand how government can support rural businesses and communities, tackle rural disadvantage, and unlock the potential of the rural economy. The Taskforce brought together Government departments and external partners to consider the potential opportunities and challenges in rural areas for delivering growth and supporting sustainable rural communities.

The Rural Taskforce delivered recommendations on how Government can deliver on its ambition for thriving, inclusive and sustainable rural communities by 2030. This will feed into a report which Defra intends to publish in the coming months.

Found: Norfolk) Jayne Kirkham (Labour; Truro and Falmouth) Josh Newbury (Labour; Cannock Chase) Jenny Riddell-Carpenter

Found: Jayne Kirkham MP  Josh Newbury MP  Terry Jermy MP  Sarah Dyke MP  Henry Tufnell MP  Jenny Riddell-Carpenter

Found: Jayne Kirkham MP • Josh Newbury MP • Terry Jermy MP • Sarah Dyke MP • Henry Tufnell MP • Jenny Riddell-Carpenter

Found: Q146 Jenny Riddell-Carpenter: Did you say in 2023-24? Mark White: At that time, 2023-24.

Found: Q146 Jenny Riddell-Carpenter: Did you say in 2023-24? Mark White: At that time, 2023-24.

Found: Norfolk) Jayne Kirkham (Labour; Truro and Falmouth) Josh Newbury (Labour; Cannock Chase) Jenny Riddell-Carpenter

Found: Q1569 Jenny Riddell-Carpenter: Thank you, Chair.

Found: Q1569 Jenny Riddell-Carpenter: Thank you, Chair.