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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria his Department plans to use to select areas eligible for the £15 million programme to address long term rough sleeping; and whether Cornwall Council will be considered for inclusion.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

On Thursday 26 February the government published allocations for the Long-Term Rough Sleeping Innovation Programme. All councils in England were considered for inclusion, with funding allocated to areas with the greatest long-term rough sleeping pressures. You can find details of allocations on gov.uk here.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has access to real time data on attendance and exclusions at academies.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Improving attendance and tackling school exclusion early is central to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. High-quality, timely data enables early identification of need and delivery of a support-first approach.

Thanks to our world-leading data collection, the department has access to near real-time attendance data for schools, including academies. For each morning and afternoon session, schools must record the relevant attendance and absence code for each pupil. This includes Code E, which is used when a pupil is absent due to suspension or permanent exclusion. Code E is recorded as absence but not classified as unauthorised absence.

Using this attendance data, key actors can take a curious approach to identify patterns in pupil movement that could suggest off-rolling or other concerning practices, including off-site direction and managed moves, and will follow up on a targeted basis with responsible bodies to understand and challenge where there are possible concerns.

Formal data on suspension and permanent exclusion is also collected through the termly school census, which is published two terms in arrears.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme for civil servants on the decarbonisation of the public sector.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Civil Service has had a history of providing benefits that are attractive and value for money and that support green policies such as season ticket and bike loans to help manage travel costs as well as the Cycle to Work Scheme.

As part of work on the future Civil Service Reward Strategy, a wide range of approaches and benefits are currently under consideration.

Officials continue to work closely with government departments and other key stakeholders as this work develops.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what processes were in place to verify that accredited installers participating in government heat pump schemes held the required seven-year Insurance Backed Guarantee cover; how many installers were found to have inadequate cover; and what steps his Department is taking to help resolve cases where consumers have been left without recourse due to installer insolvency.

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

The Government requires installers participating in government heat pump schemes to be certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS).

MCS has required installers to provide a minimum of two years’ cover through Insurance Backed Guarantees, increasing to six years under the reformed MCS.

MCS holds information on installer insurance and checks are carried out to ensure that installers hold appropriate cover.

The Government is closely monitoring the implementation of MCS’ scheme reforms, which will include measures to support consumers even if installers are no longer trading.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what inspection regime was in place for verifying the quality and compliance of heat pump installations funded under the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive and the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme; how many installations were physically inspected; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that future government-funded installations are subject to independent on-site verification.

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

Installers participating in government clean heat schemes, including the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (DRHI) and Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme (GHGVS), must be Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certified. MCS is responsible for setting and upholding technical standards for small scale renewable technologies, and accredited installers are subject to annual audits and site‑based assessments.

Annually for the DRHI, approximately 400 randomly selected, and up to 250 risk-based site audits occur.

GHGVS installers required suitable TrustMark qualifications. TrustMark conducts site audits, but the department does not hold statistics on this.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many consumers who received heat pump installations under the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive and Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme have been left without redress following installer insolvency; and what support his Department provides to consumers in such circumstances.

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

The department does not collect this data.

For the DRHI installers were required to be members of the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS)and a Chartered Trading Standards Institute approved Consumer Code, which provided routes for complaints handling and alternative dispute resolution. Access to redress in cases of installer insolvency depends on individual circumstances.

For the GHGVS consumers were required to seek advice from a suitably qualified TrustMark registered installer before they applied for a voucher. Consumers are entitled to remediation by their installer or, failing that, the insurance-backed guarantee, or using the TrustMark dispute resolution process to seek redress

The department’s role is limited to signposting consumers to appropriate sources of support, such as the Consumer Code, MCS or independent advice services.