Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to introduce new safety protocols for solar battery storage sites.

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

The Government has committed to consult in June 2025 on including battery storage sites within scope of the Environmental Permitting Regulations.

We are continuing to work closely with the industry-led Electricity Storage Health and Safety Governance Group, to ensure that a robust health and safety framework for batteries is sustained.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when her Department will publish the response to the consultation entitled Non-domestic private rented sector minimum energy efficiency standards: EPC B implementation, published on 17 March 2021; and whether the response will include proposals for new targets to be introduced by 2030.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

We are currently reviewing the policy design, including the timelines for introduction, to ensure that it remains fair and proportionate for landlords and tenants. We plan to publish a response to the consultation as early as possible this year.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will bring forward the date by which the UK will spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on Defence.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Government has made a clear commitment for defence spending to reach 2.5% of GDP by 2027. This is a fully funded increase, the details of which were set out in the Spring Statement.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of water consumption by data storage centres on (a) consumer and (b) agricultural water supplies.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Datacentre water consumption varies considerably based on their size and cooling method. There is currently no requirement for data centres to report on their water consumption, so an accurate assessment of their impact on water supplies to consumers and agriculture is difficult. We are working with datacentres and their trade associations to understand their impact and identify opportunities to improve reporting and water efficiencies in their design.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to introduce a civilian home guard as part of the armed forces reserve capabilities.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

I am grateful for the contribution of our Reserve Forces who provide the UK with the ability to meet the threats we face at home and overseas, with the scale, skills, agility and connection to society that it needs, in a cost-effective way. Home Defence resilience is one of the key themes from the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) Report released on 2 Jun 2025.

The Ministry of Defence will now work with other relevant Government Departments to consider the implementation of the recommendations within the SDR, which includes Home Defence and Critical National Infrastructure. The potential role of Armed Forces Reserves capabilities will be considered as part of this.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has plans to expand the use of satellite technology to improve rural mobile phone (a) connectivity and (b) coverage.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Satellite connectivity can complement the coverage provided by terrestrial mobile networks. Mobile network operators have already for example, used satellite services to provide backhaul to some Shared Rural Network sites where it is challenging to provide traditional fibre or microwave backhaul, and to increase network resilience. Many modern handsets already have text-based emergency satellite connectivity.

Ofcom recently consulted on proposals to authorise Direct to Device satellite services in certain mobile spectrum bands in the UK. These proposals could enable people to make satellite calls from their mobile phones, which may extend coverage to the most remote areas. This consultation is an important step towards enabling these services.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to investigate the number of fires caused by self-installed solar panels on residential properties.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs). This data includes the cause of the fire and the source of ignition. This data is published in a variety of publications, available on gov.uk here.

Data collected through the Incident Recording System (IRS) does not include data on whether fire incidents attended were caused by or involved solar panels, nor their installation method.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to encourage communities to purchase public houses through the tax system.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government recognises the important role that pubs play in supporting high streets and local communities.

At the Autumn Budget the Chancellor introduced a range of measures that support pubs. These included doubling the Employment Allowance to £10,500. This means more than half of businesses with NICs liabilities will either gain or will see no change this year.

The Chancellor also cut alcohol duty on qualifying draught products – approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This represents an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year and is equivalent to a 1p duty reduction on a typical pint. This reduction increased the relief available on draught products to 13.9%.

We intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality & leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values under £500,000, including those on the high street, from April 2026.

During the interim period, for 2025-26, RHL businesses will receive a 40 per cent relief on their business rates up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business, and the tax multiplier applied to small properties will be frozen. RHL relief was due to end entirely in April 2025. By extending it, the Government has saved the average pub, with a ratable value of £16,800, over £3,300.

There are no current plans to introduce a tax measure to support communities purchasing public houses, but the Government keeps all areas of the tax system under review. Any changes to the tax system are announced as part of the annual Budget process.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to improve opportunities in public procurement for SMEs in (a) the defence sector and (b) other sectors in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) make a vital contribution to economic growth and are a valuable source of technical innovation in defence. This is recognised in the Defence Industrial Strategy Statement of Intent, as well as the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) Social Value policies.

The MOD has also announced the launch of an SME Support Centre to provide SMEs with better access to the defence supply chain and has committed to set direct SME spending targets, ensuring that thousands of small businesses in the UK, including those in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, will benefit from the decision to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP.

The new National Procurement Policy Statement requires contracting authorities to maximise their spend with SMEs and VCSEs, ensuring thousands of businesses across the country have greater opportunities to win public contracts. This approach actively drives local economic growth, creates jobs and fosters innovation in places right across the country including in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will end his Department's pension payments to any former defence personnel who have served in any branch of the UK armed forces and who have fought alongside (a) Russian Federation military personnel and (b) Russian proxies in (i) Ukraine, (ii) North Africa and (iii) Sub-Saharan Africa.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Armed Forces Pension Schemes allow for the forfeit of an individual’s pension entitlements where certain conditions are met. The conditions largely concern circumstances where the member has been convicted of a serious criminal offence. This power provides assurance that those who commit grave and serious crimes, connected with their service, that bring His Majesty’s Armed Forces into disrepute or cause grave injury to the interests of defence or the State, do not receive public funds in the form of an Armed Forces pension. Pension forfeiture is rare and requires consideration by the Secretary of State or the Defence Council.

The Ministry of Defence cannot comment on individual cases but further information on the general conditions under which forfeiture may be applied and the procedure to be followed when enacting forfeiture can be found at:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65ef14e35b6524100bf21ad6/Armed_Forces_Pension_Schemes_Pension_Forfeiture_Policy.pdf.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps with the Fire Service college to implement a (a) national strategy and (b) protocols for local fire authorities when responding to battery storage fires.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

It is the responsibility of fire and rescue authorities to ensure that firefighters receive the equipment and training they need to safely respond to incidents, and to do so considering their individual areas’ risk profiles and Community Risk Management Plans. Government works closely with the National Fire Chiefs Council to ensure that the fire and rescue sector has sufficient resource to keep the public safe.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the change in the level of employers National Insurance contributions on the revenue budget of Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

On 3 February 2025, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published the 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement which sets out funding allocations for all local authorities including fire and rescue.

These allocations, which include the National Insurance Contribution Grant, will see standalone fire and rescue authorities including Shropshire receiving an increase in core spending power of £69 million in 2025/26. This is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25.

In 2025/26, Shropshire and Wrekin Fire Authority will have core spending power of £29.4 million; an increase of 2.1 per cent on 2024/25.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for mental health treatment in (a) Shropshire, (b) Telford and (c) Wrekin.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Long waits for mental health services are being driven by increasing demand in a system in desperate need of change, including in Shropshire, Telford, and Wrekin.

The Government is piloting innovative models of care in the community, including six neighbourhood adult mental health centres that are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and which bring together community, crisis, and inpatient care.

NHS England Planning Guidance for 2025/26 makes it clear that for this year, to support reform and improvements, we expect all providers to reduce the variation in children and young people accessing services and improve productivity.

We are also improving data quality so we can support providers to understand demand across their areas. Since July 2023, NHS England has included waiting times metrics for referrals to urgent and community-based mental health services in its monthly mental health statistics publication to help services to target the longest waits.

Our 10-Year Health Plan will inform the future vision and delivery plan for mental health services in England. Earlier intervention remains a key focus of the plan, with the aim of reducing pressure on mental health services.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will introduce a tax-free annual bonus to help improve recruitment and retention of special police constables.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, we are committed to increasing the number of special constables across England and Wales.

To support this commitment, we are exploring a range of measures to improve the recruitment and retention of special constables. This includes considering how we can better incentivise the role, recognise their service, and ensure they feel supported and valued.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will allow members of His Majesty's armed forces to access salary sacrifice schemes for car (a) leasing and (b) purchases.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has no plans to introduce salary sacrifice schemes for members of the Armed Forces. However, the MOD continually reviews the overall offer to Service personnel with the aim of making it as attractive as possible, supporting maximum levels of recruitment and retention within available resources.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to announce the reopening of the UK’s embassy in Syria.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We are keeping the re-establishment of a permanent presence in Damascus under review. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office staff, including our UK Special Representative for Syria, undertake regular visits to Damascus.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the hacking group Salt Typhoon on the (a) public sector, (b) private sector and (c) UK global information service providers.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

While we cannot comment on ongoing incidents and operational matters, we continuously monitor any potential UK impact and will activate our cyber incident management structures as required.

The UK’s approach to mitigating cyber risks facing telecoms providers in the UK is set out in law by the Telecommunications Security Act (TSA) and the associated Code of Practice. UK telecommunications operators should remain vigilant to cyber threats and are encouraged to take action by meeting the requirements of the Act, even ahead of full implementation.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to diversify supplies of (a) gallium and (b) germanium as part of the UK’s defence industrial strategy.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Department recognises China’s influence in global critical mineral supply chains and the potential implications of China's export regulations on these chains, particularly concerning the use of germanium and gallium in the defence sector. The Department is collaborating closely with Industry, the Department for Business and Trade, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Cabinet Office and NATO to consistently assess supply chain risks and strategies for mitigation, including diversification of supply chains.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether Sport England will remain a statutory consultee for planning applications that affect playing fields.

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

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 10 March 2025 (HCWS510), the government plans to consult on the impact of removing statutory consultee status for planning applications from Sport England, The Theatres Trust, and The Gardens Trust.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a salary sacrifice car scheme for armed forces personnel.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 June 2025 to Question 57620 to the hon. Member for The Wrekin (Mark Pritchard).

Found: Bedford Ellie Chowns Siân Berry Carla Denyer Adrian Ramsay Sir Jeremy Hunt Joy Morrissey Mark Pritchard

Tennis APPG
Tuesday 10th June 2025

Found: Jessica Morden MP John Milne MP Josh Newbury MP Layla Moran MP Lord Bilimoria Lord Liddle Mark Pritchard

Media APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Conservative) Lord Snape (Labour) Lord Marlesford (Conservative) Lord Inglewood (Non-affiliated) Mark Pritchard

Media APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Conservative) Lord Snape (Labour) Lord Marlesford (Conservative) Lord Inglewood (Non-affiliated) Mark Pritchard

Media APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: follows: Chair: Andy Carter MP (Con) Vice-Chairs: Sir Peter Bottomley MP (Con) Mark Pritchard

Media APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Chairs: Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone (Conservative) Sir Roger Gale MP (Conservative) Mark Pritchard

Media APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Andy Carter MP (Con) Vice-Chairs: Sir Peter Bottomley MP (Con) Sir Roger Gale MP (Con) Mark Pritchard

Media APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Carter MP, Lord Birt, Vice-Chair Alun Cairns MP, Vice-Chair Owen Thompson MP, Vice-Chair Mark Pritchard

Media APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Conservative) Vice Chairs: Baroness Bottomley (Conservative) Sir Roger Gale MP (Conservative) Mark Pritchard

Media APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Andy Carter MP (Con) Vice-Chairs: Sir Peter Bottomley MP (Con) Sir Roger Gale MP (Con) Mark Pritchard

Media APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Conservative) Vice Chairs: Baroness Bottomley (Conservative) Sir Roger Gale MP (Conservative) Mark Pritchard

Media APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Andy Carter MP (Con) Vice-Chairs: Sir Peter Bottomley MP (Con) Sir Roger Gale MP (Con) Mark Pritchard

Cyber Security and Business Resilience APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Networks have been co-operative in working with Govt. 1) Mark Pritchard MP – will there be anymore

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Mayhew MP Julian Knight MP Julian Lewis MP Kevin Hollinrake MP Lord Gordon of Strathblane Mark Pritchard

Media APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: – 15 October 2019 have been as follows: Chair: Rosie Cooper MP (Lab) Vice-Chairs: Mark Pritchard

Global Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: People’s Health Vice-Chair: Rosie Duffield MP; and APPG on Cancer Vice -Chairs: John Baron MP, Mark Pritchard

Media APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: and are as follows: Rosie Cooper MP - Chair Lord Jimmy Gordon of Strathblane - Vice-Chair Mark Pritchard

Media APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: and are as follows: Rosie Cooper MP - Chair Lord Jimmy Gordon of Strathblane - Vice-Chair Mark Pritchard

Global Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: 236 Women’s Rights in India and Pakistan, 6th March 2013 At Prime Minister’s Questions, Mark Pritchard

Japan APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: CHAIR: Roger Godsiff MP; VICE-CHAIRS: David Wright MP; Paul Farrelly MP; Fabian Hamilton MP; Mark Pritchard

Animal Welfare APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Labour) ● Eric Martlew MP (Labour) ● Baroness Masham (Crossbench) ● Eliot Morley MP (Labour) ● Mark Pritchard

Found: Than N, Mark Pritchard D, Hughes DM, Shing Yu K, Minnaar HS, Dhadda A, Mills J, Folkesson J, Radu C,