Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
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 impact of the installation of solar panels on the level of Energy Performance Certificate ratings for domestic properties.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Alongside lower electricity bills, there are many potential benefits for householders that invest in rooftop solar. These include improved property valuation and EPC scores, although the overall score for an individual property is based on several different variables.
Government has also consulted on introducing four complementary headline metrics for domestic EPCs: "Fabric Performance," "Heating System," "Smart Readiness," and "Energy Cost." The consultation proposed that the Smart Readiness metric would include information on a households’ ability to generate on-site renewable energy, including solar PV, and give specific recommendations for improvements to scores against the metric. Government will respond to this consultation in due course.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that rail companies maintain (a) station ramps and (b) boarding equipment to safe standards for passengers using wheelchairs and mobility scooters.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
All train and station operators must develop an Accessible Travel Policy, approved by the Office of Rail and Road. This requires operators to ensure that they make ramps that are fit for purpose, (either at the station or on board the train) to facilitate the boarding or alighting of the train by disabled people.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 85197 on Motor Vehicles: Testing, what steps her Department is taking to support small and independent MOT testing stations in managing operational costs.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Independent MOT garages are a cornerstone of our testing regime, and their contribution to delivering high-quality MOT tests is greatly valued. Their efforts do not go unnoticed and play a crucial role in ensuring our roads remain safe for all users.
I understand that rising inflation and operational costs have put pressure on garages. While the income from MOTs has remained static due to the set fee, many garages do not charge the maximum permitted fee, and others are not solely reliant on MOT income to remain profitable.
The Department keeps the MOT regime, including the fee under review. Any consideration of changes must balance the needs of garages and their ability to invest against the interests of drivers in receiving value from the MOT.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 85820 on Marriages and Civil Partnerships: LGBT+ People, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the guidance on registering births to same-sex couples who conceive after marriage is applied consistently across all local registration offices.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The General Register Office for England and Wales provide handbooks, regular publications, and training products for registrars covering the full range of registration duties. Local authorities are responsible for ensuring their staff deliver services in accordance with the guidance.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department had with teachers on the removal of the application window for the 2024–25 Student Finance England teacher student loan reimbursement scheme to March 2026, and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of this change on teachers’ (a) cash flow and (b) financial wellbeing.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In September 2025, the department communicated to eligible teachers that the application window for the Teacher Student Loan Reimbursement (TSLR) scheme was being rescheduled from autumn 2025 to March 2026, so that eligible teachers commit to teaching for the full academic year before they can claim this incentive.
Eligible teachers have always claimed TSLR payments retrospectively, as the policy allows teachers to claim back the student loan repayments they made in the previous financial year if they remain teaching in eligible schools. The rescheduling of the application window to 2 March 2026 is consistent with the policy intent of incentivising teacher retention.
TSLR provides a one-off annual incentive payment on top of the teacher’s salary, which eligible teachers will continue to receive.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure registrars receive clear (a) guidance and (b) training on registering births to same-sex couples who conceive after marriage.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The General Register Office for England and Wales provides handbooks and e-learning products to registrars. These cover the whole range of registration duties.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to encourage competition between independent MOT testing garages and large national chains.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The MOT is a vital part of the regulations that keep our roads safe, and I greatly appreciate the work of skilled mechanics in both independent garages and larger businesses that are essential to testing.
It is one of the strengths of our testing regime that independent garages across the country provide assurance to millions in their community's while providing value to drivers in a competitive market.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Sentencing Council on introducing tougher sentences for repeat (a) motorbike and (b) car theft offenders.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The maximum sentences available for criminal offences are set by Parliament. Theft of a motor vehicle may be prosecuted under different provisions of the Theft Act 1968 (“the Act”). For example, theft of a motor vehicle under section 1 of the Act is a triable either way offence, with a maximum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment.
The independent judiciary will determine the appropriate sentence in individual cases within the maximums set by Parliament, and in line with any relevant sentencing guidelines issued by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales.
The Sentencing Council has issued guidelines on theft of a motor vehicle, which provide the Court with guidance on factors that should be considered, which may affect the sentence given. They set out different levels of sentence based on the harm caused and how culpable the offender is. The guidelines also include non-exhaustive lists of aggravating and mitigating factors which can result in an upward or downward adjustment in the sentence. Previous convictions can be taken into account by the Court as aggravating factor, increasing the seriousness of an offence; the guidelines are clear that sentencers must consider their nature and relevance, as well as the time elapsed since the previous conviction(s). The guidelines can be found online at the Council’s website: https://sentencingcouncil.org.uk/.
Whilst the Government has no current plans to ask the Council to consider reviewing the guidelines on motor theft, it is open to individuals to approach the Council to ask that it does so.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of establishing one of the five proposed Clean Energy Technical Excellence Colleges in Northern Lincolnshire.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is introducing Technical Excellence Colleges (TECs) to specialise in training skilled workforces which industry needs in growth-driving priority sectors.
The Post-16 education and skills white paper, confirmed that the government is expanding the TEC programme to a further four sectors: clean energy, advanced manufacturing, digital and technologies, and defence. These new TECs, backed by £175 million, will secure the pipeline of skilled workers into these areas. Provider specialisms will be aligned with the priority sectors in the Industrial Strategy and Plan for Change, and in direct response to employer demand for specialist technical skills.
Exact locations are yet to be determined, and colleges will be appointed through a fair and transparent application process. The selection process for these TECs will start by the end of 2025, with delivery planned to begin from April 2026. Further details will be published in due course.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of gluten free prescribing provision for people with coeliac disease.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No recent assessment has been made by the Department. However, a review was undertaken in 2019, which confirmed that the position in England remains that gluten free (GF) bread and mixes can be provided to all eligible coeliac patients on a National Health Service prescription. A wide range of these items continues to be listed in Part XV of the Drug Tariff.
NHS England developed guidance on Prescribing Gluten Free Foods in Primary Care in 2018 which states that NHS commissioners can restrict the prescribing of GF foods to bread and mixes only. Under the current legislation, integrated care boards may choose to further restrict product choice, or end prescribing of GF foods altogether, if they feel this is appropriate for their population, whilst taking account of their legal duties to advance equality and having regard to reducing health inequalities. NHS England currently has no plans to update the guidance.