Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including hybrid heat pumps in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme does not support hybrid heat pumps, as we want to direct the available funding towards the technologies that offer the greatest carbon savings, rather than those which would continue to involve the burning of fossil fuels for space heating and hot water.
The Government is committed to incentivising all properties to transition to cleaner heating and will keep its position on alternative heating technologies under review. In the Raising Product Standards for Space Heating consultation, the Government set out that hybrids may be able to play a role in heat decarbonisation. The Government will publish a response in due course.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the adequacy of the jurisdiction of the SEND Tribunal.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Most education, health and care (EHC) plans and assessments are concluded without a Tribunal hearing, but, increasingly, many families are having to go to Tribunal to get the support they think they need.
The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Tribunal is an important legal backstop for cases where families disagree with a local authority about the support needed and where disagreements cannot be resolved early through collaborative early dispute resolution.
The department wants to ensure we have a collaborative redress system where families and local authorities resolve disputes early, enabling children and young people to access the support they need quickly.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education regularly meets cabinet colleagues to discuss SEND system improvements. We will work with government colleagues and the Tribunal, to ensure the best outcomes for children and families.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with (a) tribunal judges and (b) local authorities on the future of the SEND tribunal.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Most education, health and care (EHC) plans and assessments are concluded without a Tribunal hearing, but, increasingly, many families are having to go to Tribunal to get the support they think they need.
The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Tribunal is an important legal backstop for cases where families disagree with a local authority about the support needed and where disagreements cannot be resolved early through collaborative early dispute resolution.
The department wants to ensure we have a collaborative redress system where families and local authorities resolve disputes early, enabling children and young people to access the support they need quickly.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education regularly meets cabinet colleagues to discuss SEND system improvements. We will work with government colleagues and the Tribunal, to ensure the best outcomes for children and families.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
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 hybrid heat pumps on (a) consumer energy bills and (b) UK greenhouse gas emissions.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The specific greenhouse gas emissions and running costs of a hybrid heat pump are impacted by a range of factors including the proportion of heating met by the heat pump. However, the Government noted in the recent ‘Raising product standards for space heating’ consultation that hybrids could reduce fossil fuel usage and reduce a consumer’s bills, depending on wider energy pricing and other factors.
The Government will publish a response to this consultation in due course and will continue to gather and assess evidence and monitor market developments in relation to hybrid heat pumps.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions her Department has had with institutional market participants on the adoption of (a) tokenised sovereign instruments and (b) associated standards.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
My team regularly engages with the sector on issues relating to tokenisation in UK financial markets. In addition, we have had further discussions with participants in relation to our digital gilt instrument (DIGIT) pilot.
The Government is taking forward its DIGIT pilot which will be issued onto a digital securities platform within the digital securities sandbox (DSS). In April, the government issued a market engagement notice and is currently analysing responses ahead of launching an invitation to tender in the coming months.
Following the deadline for responses, my team has held constructive discussions with a range of industry groups and participants who responded and attended an industry roundtable hosted by UK Finance. This engagement with the market has provided valuable information to inform how a DIGIT pilot can help catalyse the adoption of DLT across UK financial markets.
The Government remains committed to working with the sector on tokenisation and the pilot DIGIT issuance, to effectively catalyse the adoption of DLT in UK financial markets.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to regulate open banking under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The National Payments Vision, published in November, set out the government’s ambitious plans for the next phase of Open Banking, building on the UK’s leadership in this area. This includes steps towards delivering seamless, Open Banking enabled, account-to-account payments.
The government intends to use powers in the ‘Data (Use and Access) Act’ to put in place a long-term regulatory framework for Open Banking. This will also secure the foundations for Open Finance, by establishing the necessary oversight functions within the FCA to regulate ‘Smart Data’ schemes.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to consult on bringing forward legislative proposals to introduce open finance under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The National Payments Vision, published in November, set out the government’s ambitious plans for the next phase of Open Banking, building on the UK’s leadership in this area. This includes steps towards delivering seamless, Open Banking enabled, account-to-account payments.
The government intends to use powers in the ‘Data (Use and Access) Act’ to put in place a long-term regulatory framework for Open Banking. This will also secure the foundations for Open Finance, by establishing the necessary oversight functions within the FCA to regulate ‘Smart Data’ schemes.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on (a) potential changes to the threshold at which the Soft Drinks Industry Levy starts and (b) the potential impact of that levy on (i) the economy and (ii) her fiscal policy.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
His Majesty’s Treasury engages with the Department for Business and Trade at ministerial and official level on a range of issues.
The Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) is central to the Government’s strategy for reducing rates of obesity, and helping to secure the fit and healthy population that is essential for a thriving economy.
After SDIL was announced, the average sugar content of soft drinks in scope of the levy fell 46% between 2015 and 2020. These positive health outcomes have been achieved without a negative impact on soft drink sales, with sales of drinks subject to the levy increasing by 21% over the same period.
The Government is currently consulting on proposals to strengthen SDIL.
Any changes to the levy will be announced at a future fiscal event, with costings certified by the Office of Budget Responsibility as standard.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking with the Financial Conduct Authority to help ensure that digital sovereign instruments issued by the Digital Securities Sandbox are fully interoperable with existing (a) financial infrastructure and (b) secondary markets.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is taking forward its digital gilt instrument (DIGIT) pilot which will be issued onto a digital securities platform within the Digital Securities Sandbox (DSS). With this pilot, the Government is seeking to explore how distributed ledger technology (DLT) can be applied across the lifecycle of the debt issuance process and catalyse the development of DLT in UK financial markets.
In April the government issued a market engagement notice, to understand both the current landscape of services available or in development in the UK and what potential investors want to see from a DIGIT issuance. This included questions aimed at understanding how important both secondary market trading and interoperability with existing market infrastructure were for the sector. The department is currently analysing responses ahead of launching an invitation to tender in the coming months.
The department is working closely with regulators, including the FCA, to ensure that DIGIT is successful in meeting its objective to catalyse the growth and adoption of DLT in UK financial markets.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions his Department has had with Fujitsu on (a) their plans to compensate Sub-Postmasters and (b) pausing bidding for new Government contracts while the Post Office Inquiry is ongoing.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We welcome Fujitsu’s acknowledgement of their moral obligation to contribute to the cost of the scandal. Fujitsu have also announced they will voluntarily not bid for new contracts unless requested by Government.
Following the joint announcement on 7 March that discussions of a Fujitsu contribution had begun, officials will continue to engage with Fujitsu representatives. We will not provide a running commentary on these discussions but will keep both Houses informed at key points.