Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the UK can attract private sector investment in nationally signification infrastructure projects.

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

The Department for Business and Trade is taking active steps to attract private sector investment into nationally significant infrastructure projects. Through the expanded Office for Investment, we provide enhanced relationship management for major and sovereign investors, supported by strengthened business development teams that work closely with delivery partners to originate and progress high-quality projects.

Under the Government’s 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy, the Strategic Investment Opportunities Unit within the OfI identifies and develops demand-led opportunities, aligning them with investor priorities. In partnership with NISTA, we promote priority infrastructure projects with strong commercial potential to suitable institutional investors, helping to unlock long-term capital at scale.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of Network Rail’s approach to the proposed redevelopment of London Liverpool Street Station on inward foreign direct investment.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Office for Investment, a joint unit across DBT, HMT & No.10, promotes the UK as one of the world’s leading destinations for Foreign Direct Investment, supported by our strong business environment, highly skilled workforce and globally competitive sectors. FDI plays an important role in driving growth, innovation and jobs across the country. The OfI has not made a formal assessment of the potential impact of Network Rail’s approach to the proposed redevelopment of London Liverpool Street Station on inward foreign direct investment.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people receive the basic state pension and the additional state pension.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

In Great Britain in 2025/26, around 8.1 million individuals were forecast to receive the basic State Pension (this is the State Pension under the pre-2016 system), with around 6.9 million of these individuals forecast to receive the Additional State Pension*. These estimates all refer to pensions administered by DWP for State Pensions accrued in Great Britain.

*The Additional State Pension is an earnings-related element of the pre-2016 State Pension and could include Additional Pension, State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme (SERPS) and State Second Pension (S2P) elements.

Source: Benefit Expenditure and Caseload Tables 2025

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people on the basic State Pension have inherited part of the additional State Pension from their deceased spouse or partner.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Department does not hold published readily accessible data on the number of individuals in receipt of the Basic State Pension who have inherited part of the Additional State Pension from a deceased spouse or partner.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to expand the permitted development right for floating solar installations on reservoirs in England and Wales to allow the electricity generated by the floating solar projects to be exported to third parties.

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

Planning is a devolved matter within the competency of the Welsh Parliament.

The government continues to keep permitted development rights in England under review.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to extend the permitted development right for floating solar installations to disused quarries and docks in England and Wales.

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

Planning is a devolved matter within the competency of the Welsh Parliament.

The government continues to keep permitted development rights in England under review.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to extend permitted development rights for floating solar installations to on-farm reservoirs in England and Wales.

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

Planning is a devolved matter within the competency of the Welsh Parliament.

The government continues to keep permitted development rights in England under review.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to encourage private investors to help deliver the commercial structures used for (a) Liverpool Street Station and (b) other major rail infrastructure developments.

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

As set out in the Ten-Year Infrastructure Strategy, the Government is committed to increased private investment alongside public funding to transform the UK’s infrastructure.

Officials are engaged with Network Rail and Platform4 - the government’s new property development company, on the emerging proposition for the potential redevelopment of Liverpool Street station.

Government encourages Network Rail to secure third-party funding contributions to minimise the use of taxpayer funding and to demonstrate value for money.

The Government is already taking action to deliver the infrastructure the country needs, including around railway sites, recognising the opportunities stations present for housing, retail, commercial and community assets, as well as transport hubs.

In the future, Ministers have been clear that Great British Railways (GBR) will be set up to be a commercially agile organisation able to provide the integrated leadership of Britain's railway and long-term strategic framework that supports private sector investment.