Asked by: Liam Conlon (Labour - Beckenham and Penge)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending VAT energy-saving materials relief to promote the uptake of heat batteries in homes in Beckenham and Penge constituency.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
This Government is committed to improving the quality and sustainability of our housing stock, through improvements such as low carbon heating, insulation, solar panels, and batteries. This will be vital to making the UK more energy resilient and meeting our 2050 Net Zero commitment.
Installations of qualifying energy-saving materials (ESMs) in residential accommodation and buildings used solely for a charitable purpose benefit from a temporary VAT zero rate until March 2027, after which they will revert to the reduced rate of VAT at five per cent.
The Government assesses whether to add ESMs to this relief by evaluating them against the following principles: the primary purpose of the technology must be to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions; and relieving the technology of VAT must be cost effective and align with broader VAT principles.
Asked by: Liam Conlon (Labour - Beckenham and Penge)
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 reduce digital exclusion in Beckenham and Penge constituency.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We know that digital exclusion is a complex issue, and that a reported 6% of residents in the Outer London - South area do not use the internet. That is why we launched the Digital Inclusion Action Plan which sets out the first five actions we are taking over the next year to boost digital inclusion in every corner of the UK, including in Beckenham and Penge.
They will be targeted at local initiatives for boosting digital skills and confidence, widening access to devices and connectivity, and getting support to people in their own communities so everyone can reap the benefits of technology. One of these actions was to launch the £9.5mn Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund to support and expand local community initiatives to get people online, which we did in August.
Asked by: Liam Conlon (Labour - Beckenham and Penge)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to phase out the use of animals in scientific research.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Labour Manifesto commits to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal. The Government invests £10m annually in the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) to accelerate the development and adoption of 3Rs approaches. A significant amount of research funding in the UK also goes to underpinning technologies that have the potential to deliver the 3Rs, driving forward innovation.
The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year.
Asked by: Liam Conlon (Labour - Beckenham and Penge)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help increase opportunities for innovation in the economy.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises that innovation is a key driver of long-term economic growth, higher productivity and improved living standards.
Public investment in research and development (R&D) will rise to £22.6 billion per year by 2029-30, supporting innovation across the government’s eight Industrial Strategy priority sectors.
The Government is also transforming the resources and capabilities of the British Business Bank, delivering a two-thirds increase in support for UK innovative businesses and increasing its overall financial capacity to £25.6 billion. With additional capital and greater flexibilities, the BBB will be able to continue delivering flagship programmes such as Start-Up Loans and the Nations and Regions Investment Fund.
To further incentivise innovation, the Government is maintaining generous rates in both the merged R&D Expenditure Credit (RDEC) scheme and the Enhanced Support for R&D Intensive SMEs. The RDEC rate of 20% represents the joint highest uncapped headline rate of R&D tax relief in the G7 for large companies. The R&D reliefs will support an estimated £56 billion of business R&D expenditure a year by 2029-30.
The Digital and Technologies sector plan sets out a vision for the UK to be one of the best places in the world for fast-growing technology businesses. In addition, the Government has accepted and is implementing all 50 recommendations of the AI Opportunities Action Plan, unlocking the full potential of AI.
The Digital and Technologies Sector Plan can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/digital-and-technologies-sector-plan
Asked by: Liam Conlon (Labour - Beckenham and Penge)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that parents and carers understand the new protections for children under the Online Safety Act 2023.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government recognises the vital role parents and carers play in supporting children’s online safety. Under the Online Safety Act (the ‘Act’), as of July, platforms are now required to protect children from harmful content and provide age-appropriate experiences. The government will continue to build on the Act to ensure digital environments are safe for children.
Additionally, Ofcom have released a guide for parents outlining how their new measures can help children to be safer online. This includes tips on what parents can do to protect their children online and links to a range of helpful resources from other organisations.
Asked by: Liam Conlon (Labour - Beckenham and Penge)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Online Safety Act 2023 for reducing children’s exposure to harmful online content.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Since the child safety duties came into force in July, the way children experience the internet has fundamentally changed. Services are now required to protect children from both illegal and legal but nonetheless harmful content and provide age-appropriate experiences for them.
Ofcom has robust enforcement powers for platforms failing to fulfil these duties and is already exercising these powers.
Over 6000 services have implemented highly effective age assurance to prevent children from seeing the most harmful types of content; improving protections for millions of children online.
Asked by: Liam Conlon (Labour - Beckenham and Penge)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential role of new technologies in reducing the use of animals in scientific research.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to the development of alternatives to using animals in science and will publish a strategy to support their adoption. UK Research and Innovation supports new technologies and approaches that replace animal use in research, including organ-on-a-chip, functional genomics and computer modelling. The impact of individual technical advancements is a matter for individual regulators to consider. The Government’s strategy on this will facilitate the inclusion and adoption of alternative methods in these regulatory contexts.
Asked by: Liam Conlon (Labour - Beckenham and Penge)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress her Department has made on improving neighbourhood policing (a) in Beckenham and Penge constituency and (b) elsewhere in England and Wales.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Neighbourhood policing is the bedrock of the British policing model. Every community deserves visible, pro-active and accessible neighbourhood policing with officers tackling the issues that matter to them. On 10 April, the Prime Minister and Home Secretary outlined further details about our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, including that from month, every community will have named and contactable officers dedicated to addressing issues facing their communities.
We have made £200 million available to police forces in 2025/26 to support the first steps towards delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel. This major investment supports the commitment to make the country’s streets safer and reflects both the scale of the challenges that many forces face and the Government’s determination to address them.
The Metropolitan Police has been allocated £45,639,456 from the £200 million fund in 2025/26. Based on this funding allocation, the projected growth for neighbourhood officers in the Metropolitan Police in 2025/26 will be 420 (FTE) police officers and 50 (FTE) Police Community Support Officers.
Asked by: Liam Conlon (Labour - Beckenham and Penge)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress her Department has made on tackling antisocial behaviour in (a) Beckenham and Penge constituency and (b) across England and Wales.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.
The Government’s Plan for Change details our commitment to reduce ASB, including that every police force in England and Wales will have a dedicated lead officer by the end of July, who will work with communities to develop a local ASB action plan.
We are also delivering on our commitment to restore and strengthen neighbourhood policing, ensuring thousands of additional police officers and police community support officers are out patrolling in our town centres and communities to make the streets safer. As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, £200 million has been allocated to forces for 2025/26 to support this commitment. The Metropolitan Police has been allocated £45,639,456 and will deliver an increase of 420 police officers and 50 PCSOs by 31 March 2026.
The Home Office is also providing £66.3 million funding in 2025-26 to forces in England and Wales to deliver high visibility patrols in the areas worst affected by knife crime, serious violence, and anti-social behaviour. The Metropolitan Police will receive £8,139,508 of this funding.
Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are strengthening the powers available to the police and other relevant agencies to tackle ASB, including introducing new Respect Orders to tackle persistent adult ASB offenders, and extending the maximum exclusion period for dispersal directions from 48 to 72 hours. Other measures in the Bill include enhancing the powers for the police to seize nuisance off-road bikes, and other vehicles which are being used in an anti-social manner, without having to first give a warning to the offender.
Asked by: Liam Conlon (Labour - Beckenham and Penge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent steps he has taken to develop relations between the UK Government and the European Union.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
At the first UK-EU Summit held on 19 May, the Government agreed a substantial package to take forward our future partnership. The Government will now move forward to begin negotiations to conclude as swiftly as possible. We will keep Parliament updated on significant developments.