Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made a recent assessment of the eligibility of tenants who purchase electricity via landlord-supplied prepayment card systems for support under the Warm Home Discount Scheme.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In 2025, the Government consulted on whether to expand the Park Homes Warm Home Discount Scheme to other households without a direct relationship with their energy supplier (including those pay their landlord for energy). Given the cost of the scheme falls on energy bills it was decided not to expand the scheme in this way. Households who are ineligible for a rebate payment may still be eligible for support through Warm Home Discount Industry Initiatives.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing the recommendations in the APPG on Pharmacy’s report entitled The Future of Community Pharmacy in England, published in November 2025.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I am grateful to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pharmacy for its report. I agree that pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system and recognise the challenges the sector faces. The Department will consider the recommendations set out by the report, some of which overlap with commitments already set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, such as introducing an independent prescribing service in community pharmacy.
For 2025/26, funding for the core community pharmacy contractual framework was increased to £3.1 billion. This represented the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service at the time, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. As is custom and practice, the Department will consult Community Pharmacy England on any proposed or future changes to reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase funding for community pharmacies; and whether there are plans for a long-term, inflation-linked funding settlement for the sector.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I am grateful to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pharmacy for its report. I agree that pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system and recognise the challenges the sector faces. The Department will consider the recommendations set out by the report, some of which overlap with commitments already set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, such as introducing an independent prescribing service in community pharmacy.
For 2025/26, funding for the core community pharmacy contractual framework was increased to £3.1 billion. This represented the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service at the time, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. As is custom and practice, the Department will consult Community Pharmacy England on any proposed or future changes to reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to review the UK Emissions Trading Scheme once the International Maritime Organisation rules come into force.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Addressing international emissions from shipping is critical and it is important action is taken globally through the International Maritime Organization (IMO). If the IMO Net-Zero Framework is introduced, the Government will review the scope of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to assess the effectiveness and fairness of the system for operators.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much revenue his Department expects to raise annually from the inclusion of domestic maritime in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme; and what proportion of that revenue will be recycled into maritime decarbonisation projects.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government’s Impact Assessment estimates that bringing domestic maritime into the United Kingdom Emissions Trading Scheme will increase allowance purchasing revenue by around £1.9 billion over the 20year appraisal period, averaging approximately £95 million a year.
Receipts from the United Kingdom Emissions Trading Scheme support the Government’s wider priorities, including spending that helps deliver the transition to net zero.
The Government recognises that decarbonising the maritime sector requires a suite of policies, and continues to provide funding, guidance and policy support to facilitate the uptake of cleaner technologies across the sector.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to align UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) maritime rules with the EU ETS to help (a) prevent (i) carbon leakage and (ii) port avoidance and (b) maintain competitiveness.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has assessed the impacts of expansion of the Emissions Trading Scheme to domestic maritime. That Impact Assessment concluded that the policy is not expected to materially affect the competitiveness of ports or operators, and that applying the scheme consistently to domestic voyages and at berth emissions does not create a credible incentive for traffic diversion.
This is in part because many of the core maritime rules closely mirror those for the EU Emissions Trading System. This will reduce administrative burden for operators participating in both regimes, and it will also ensure no double charging between the two regimes.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of expanding the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to maritime on shipping and ferry services serving British Overseas Territories; what assessment has been made of potential impacts on services to and from Crown Dependencies; and whether any mitigations or exemptions are being considered for these routes.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK Emissions Trading Scheme Authority has recently consulted on proposals to include a share of emissions from international maritime voyages, including voyages to and from Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories. The consultation invited evidence on the potential impacts on their communities and economies.
The Government recognise that some of these communities rely heavily on shipping and will continue to engage with Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories regarding the financial impacts this policy may have on their communities and economies. Policy decisions will be considered once consultation responses have been fully analysed and considered by the UK ETS Authority.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of including domestic maritime within the UK Emissions Trading Scheme on the competitiveness of UK ports and shipping operators; and what steps he is taking to mitigate risks of traffic diversion.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government’s Impact Assessment for including domestic maritime emissions within the United Kingdom Emissions Trading Scheme concluded that the policy is not expected to materially affect the competitiveness of United Kingdom ports or shipping operators. Compliance costs are proportionate, particularly on a per operator basis, and the scheme is designed to support cost effective decarbonisation across the sector. The Assessment also finds no credible risk of traffic diversion, as the scheme applies uniformly to domestic voyages and at berth emissions.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much additional funding has been allocated in the current financial year to expand secondary care capacity, including staffing and bed numbers.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Spending Review 2025 has prioritised health, with an increase by £29 billion in real terms by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24, including investment in urgent and emergency care and electives services to deliver the 10-Year Health Plan. The plan includes the shift from hospital to community to bring care closer to home, launching a new neighbourhood health service with easier and more convenient access to a full range of healthcare services on people’s doorsteps, open 12 hours a day, six days a week.
Integrated care board (ICB) revenue allocations for 2025/26 include a total of circa £5.3 billion elective recovery funding to allow the National Health Service to continue to deliver the high levels of elective activity performance seen last year, and to deliver our Plan for Change commitments including care closer to the community. This figure includes funding for cancer services.
Over £6 billion in additional capital will be invested in diagnostic, elective, and urgent and emergency capacity in the NHS over five years, including £1.65 billion in 2025/26 to deliver new surgical hubs, diagnostic scanners and beds to increase capacity for elective and emergency care.
Decisions on staffing and bed numbers are for individual NHS organisations to decide when developing their operational plans in response to the Medium Term Planning Framework 2026/27 to 2028/29.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, under the proposed pay-per-mile road charging scheme, whether mileage accrued by UK-registered vehicles while driving in the Republic of Ireland would be subject to UK charges; and whether mileage accrued by Republic of Ireland-registered vehicles while driving in Northern Ireland would be subject to any equivalent charge.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, recognising that EVs (electric vehicles) contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty. As with VED, eVED will apply to UK-registered vehicles; non-UK registered vehicles will be required to register for eVED after a period of six months in the UK.
The Government has ruled out charging tax based on when or where people drive to protect motorists’ privacy. This means non-UK mileage driven by UK registered cars will fall into scope of eVED, as with fuel duty, which does not vary by basis of where a car is driven.