Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) reasons for and (b) outcomes of complaints made through the new independent reporting channel in HMPPS were since its establishment.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The new independent reporting channel may consider allegations of bullying, harassment, discrimination, sexual harassment or assault, or cases where serious safeguarding concerns are raised. Complaints may be upheld, partially upheld or not upheld, or mediation between parties may be recommended.
A number of cases are still being investigated. As we are still in the process of putting in place a system for analysing data relating to complaints made through the new reporting channel, it is not possible to provide the requested information at this stage.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) prison and (b) probation workers have made complaints through the new independent reporting channel in HMPPS.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
On 10 November 2025, as part of the work to implement the reforms recommended in the Rademaker Review, His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) instituted an interim grievance process through which members of staff can raise complaints about bullying, harassment, discrimination or victimisation outside of their management line. This complements the existing grievance policy. For the period up to 26 February 2026, 5 complaints were received from staff working in Headquarters, 79 from probation staff and 188 from prison staff.
On 26 January 2026, a new Independent Review, Resolution and Investigations Service (IRRIS) was launched in HMPPS, subsuming the work of the former Tackling Unacceptable Behaviours Unit (TUBU). IRRIS will provide a fully independent route for bullying, harassment, discrimination and victimisation complaints within HMPPS, operating entirely outside line management structures. It will build upon TUBU’s strong work over the last five years, continuing to provide all the existing TUBU services while significantly enhancing its role.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress he has made on the new independent reporting channel in HMPPS.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
On 10 November 2025, as part of the work to implement the reforms recommended in the Rademaker Review, His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) instituted an interim grievance process through which members of staff can raise complaints about bullying, harassment, discrimination or victimisation outside of their management line. This complements the existing grievance policy. For the period up to 26 February 2026, 5 complaints were received from staff working in Headquarters, 79 from probation staff and 188 from prison staff.
On 26 January 2026, a new Independent Review, Resolution and Investigations Service (IRRIS) was launched in HMPPS, subsuming the work of the former Tackling Unacceptable Behaviours Unit (TUBU). IRRIS will provide a fully independent route for bullying, harassment, discrimination and victimisation complaints within HMPPS, operating entirely outside line management structures. It will build upon TUBU’s strong work over the last five years, continuing to provide all the existing TUBU services while significantly enhancing its role.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if his Department will publish an annual report on (a) its retrofit schemes, (b) their level of compliance, (c) estimated fraud and (d) their effectiveness.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department will publish monitoring statistics and evaluation of policies announced in the Warm Homes Plan. DESNZ currently publishes statistics covering the uptake and impacts of energy efficiency measures on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to page 88 of the Department's policy paper entitled Warm Homes Plan, published on 21 January 2026, when he plans to publish the consultation on (a) options for bringing the oversight of energy efficiency and microgeneration installations for government schemes under closer control and (b) the role of the Warm Homes Agency.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As set out in the Warm Homes Plan, we will consult this year on options for bringing the oversight of energy efficiency and microgeneration installations for government schemes under closer government control and the role of the Warm Homes Agency.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will release annual reports estimating the level of fraud and non‑compliance in retrofit schemes.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We have received similar recommendations from both the NAO and the PAC. We are considering these reports and the recommendations and will be responding to these in full in due course.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of current aviation fuel taxation arrangements on the environment.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Air Passenger Duty (APD) applies to airlines and is the principal tax on the aviation sector. It is expected to raise £4.7 billion in 2025-26 and it aims to ensure that airlines make a fair contribution to the public finances, particularly given that tickets are VAT free and aviation fuel incurs no duty.
Due to the international nature of air travel, the UK Government, alongside over 100 other countries, has entered into wide-ranging bilateral agreements to enable more seamless air connectivity between countries. These are longstanding agreements that include restrictions on taxing jet fuel on international flights. Air Passenger Duty is therefore the principal tax on the aviation sector, charged on a per passenger basis, to ensure that airlines continue to make a fair contribution to the public finances.
Reforms to APD took effect in April 2023, including the introduction of a new ultra long-haul band covering flights that are greater than 5,500 miles from London. This ensures that those who fly furthest, and have the greatest impact on emissions, pay the most tax.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a social energy tariff.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government understands the need to target support to those who need it most. That is why on 30 January, we announced the continuation of the Warm Home Discount scheme, providing around 6 million eligible households with the £150 rebate on their energy bills every winter until 2030/31. This means that millions of households every year who need support with their energy bills will receive the Warm Home Discount for the rest of the decade.
We also committed to exploring additional improvements to the scheme. While we consider options for future bill support, we are working across Government to improve access to and sharing of data to target support more effectively in the future. Specifically, the ‘Kickstarter’ programme under the National Data Library will test how public sector data can be better joined up to improve access to government programmes.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
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 adequacy of the availability of energy support for (a) ill and (b) other vulnerable people.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government understands the need to target support to those who need it most. That is why on 30 January, we announced the continuation of the Warm Home Discount scheme, providing around 6 million eligible households with the £150 rebate on their energy bills every winter until 2030/31. This means that millions of households every year who need support with their energy bills will receive the Warm Home Discount for the rest of the decade.
We also committed to exploring additional improvements to the scheme. While we consider options for future bill support, we are working across Government to improve access to and sharing of data to target support more effectively in the future. Specifically, the ‘Kickstarter’ programme under the National Data Library will test how public sector data can be better joined up to improve access to government programmes.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on the desired governance end state for policing in Wales following the policing white paper; when those discussions took place; and what the outcomes were.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are working closely with the Welsh Government, as well as other Welsh Stakeholders including Welsh local government, police forces and other partners, to ensure new governance arrangements provide strong and effective police governance in Wales.
Officials have established a specific Welsh transition working group as part of the Police Governance Reform project, which last met on 22 January. Welsh Government officials are members of this Board and Home Office and Welsh Government officials speak regularly to develop proposals. The Minister for Policing and Crime regularly speaks to the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Jane Hutt MS, and she attended the Policing Partnership Board for Wales on 18 December. The Minister plans to attend the next Board on 5 March.
We will continue to work collaboratively with Welsh stakeholders on the design and implementation of governance arrangements in Wales.