Asked by: Rachel Blake (Labour (Co-op) - Cities of London and Westminster)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to improve protections for private renters with pre-paid energy metres.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is committed to ensure energy is affordable for all households, including those who are on prepayment meters. For some consumers, prepayment meters are a useful tool for managing budgets.
In 2023, Ofgem introduced stringent rules for the involuntary installation of prepayment meters. Under these rules, energy suppliers are required to make at least 10 attempts to contact an indebted customer, carry out a site visit prior to any involuntary installation, and refrain from installations in households where a vulnerable person is present.
Energy suppliers are only able to restart involuntary prepayment meter installation when they can demonstrate to Ofgem that they are able to comply with the new rules.
Asked by: Rachel Blake (Labour (Co-op) - Cities of London and Westminster)
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 minimise conflicts of interest within the medical profession.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The General Medical Council (GMC) is the regulator of all medical doctors, anaesthesia associates (AAs), and physician associates (PAs) practising in the United Kingdom. It sets and enforces the standards all doctors, AAs, and PAs must adhere to. The GMC is independent of the Government, is directly accountable to Parliament, and is responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties.
The GMC’s core guidance, Good medical practice, sets out what is expected of all registrants, including ‘Acting with honesty and integrity’ and ‘Sharing information with patients’ which requires that medical practitioners be ‘open and honest with patients about any interests’ that may affect, or could be seen to affect, the way they propose, provide, or prescribe treatments, or refer patients. This guidance is made under powers in the Medical Act 1983. The GMC can take action against professionals who fail to meet these requirements, and serious or persistent breaches that pose a risk to patient safety and/or public trust may put a registrants’ registration at risk. The GMC’s core guidance, Good medical practice, is available at the following link:
https://www.gmc-uk.org/-/media/documents/good-medical-practice-2024---english-102607294.pdf
Although the Department is not currently taking steps to minimise conflicts of interest, all medical professionals are expected to be open and transparent about any relevant interests, to enable patients to make informed decisions about their treatment and care.
Asked by: Rachel Blake (Labour (Co-op) - Cities of London and Westminster)
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 increase transparency around the awarding of contracts to private healthcare companies.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Transparency and value for money are key priorities in elective care, including where care is delivered by independent sector providers. Contracts between commissioners and providers have to comply with the NHS Payment Scheme, a set of prices and rules used to deliver the most efficient, cost-effective care to patients. These unit prices are consistent across independent providers and National Health Service providers.
Contracts are awarded to independent sector providers in line with the NHS England Provider Selection Regime (PSR). The PSR was introduced by regulations made under the Health and Care Act 2022, and it helps us ensure that these decisions are made in the best interest of patients and service users. Further information on the NHS England PSR is available at the following link:
Where a contract is awarded, commissioners are mandated to adhere to the NHS Standard Contract. Where a PSR direct contract is awarded, the award notification must be published as part of the tender process, ensuring the process is transparent. Further information on the NHS Standard Contract is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/nhs-standard-contract/
Where patient choice applies to a service, commissioners cannot restrict the number of providers that contracts are awarded to. Any contract awarded in relation to a service that is within the scope of patient choice must be done so under the Direct Award Process B of the PSR Regulations, and commissioners must comply with the transparency notice publication requirements set out in those regulations.
Asked by: Rachel Blake (Labour (Co-op) - Cities of London and Westminster)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he is taking steps to encourage whistleblowing in the business community.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
My Department is responsible for routinely updating the Prescribed Persons Order, a list of relevant bodies to which a worker can make a protected disclosure about a wrongdoing. Recent whistleblowing disclosures have been highly concentrated in health, public administration, and the financial and insurance sectors. We continue to regularly review the list and address gaps to support more workers to qualify for whistleblowing protections.
Asked by: Rachel Blake (Labour (Co-op) - Cities of London and Westminster)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many adults living in temporary accommodation receive the Shared Accommodation Rate of Local Housing Allowance.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The shared accommodation rate does not apply in temporary accommodation.
Temporary Accommodation is defined as housing that a claimant has been placed in by a local authority or housing association to meet the local authority’s statutory homelessness duty or to prevent homelessness.
Costs for housing support to those in private rental accommodation are subject to the Local Housing Allowance. The Shared Accommodation Rate (SAR) applies to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit claimants who are under 35 years of age, living on their own, and renting privately.
Asked by: Rachel Blake (Labour (Co-op) - Cities of London and Westminster)
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 adequacy of existing and planned heat network regulation for protecting consumer interests.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We are aware that some consumers on heat networks are not currently getting a fair deal, which is why DESNZ is introducing heat network regulation which aims to provide consumers with comparable protections to existing gas and electricity regulations.
The first part of this new regulatory framework was signed into law earlier this year, establishing Ofgem as the market regulator with consumer interests as its highest priority.
When Ofgem formally commence this role in January 2026, they will have powers to investigate unfair pricing, require suppliers to institute protections for vulnerable consumers, and establish guaranteed standards of performance to ensure that a minimum quality of service is provided at all times.
Asked by: Rachel Blake (Labour (Co-op) - Cities of London and Westminster)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of the independent report entitled Regulation of Property Agents: working group report, published on 18 July 2019.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 41307 on 2 April 2025.
Asked by: Rachel Blake (Labour (Co-op) - Cities of London and Westminster)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her timetable is for consulting on mandatory qualifications for managing agents.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 41307 on 2 April 2025.
Asked by: Rachel Blake (Labour (Co-op) - Cities of London and Westminster)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Written Statement of 21 November 2024 on Leasehold and Commonhold Reform, HCWS244, what her planned timeline is for (a) reforms of and (b) consultations on the leasehold system.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November (HCWS244).
Asked by: Rachel Blake (Labour (Co-op) - Cities of London and Westminster)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the First-Tier Tribunal.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government inherited a broken justice system with record and rising court backlogs. The Lord Chancellor recently announced that for 2025-26, the Ministry of Justice will provide a total budget of £2,538 million.
We have continued investment this year in the recruitment of up to 1,000 judges and tribunal members across all jurisdictions. This includes recruitment targeted at First-tier Tribunal chambers with the greatest business need.
HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) continues to invest in improving tribunal productivity through the deployment of Legal Officers to actively manage cases, the development of modern case management systems, and the use of remote hearing technology.
As a result, the Lord Chancellor was able to announce on 5 March the sitting day allocations for the First-tier Tribunal for 2025/26, which will enable all chambers of the First-tier Tribunal to sit at, or near, their maximum capacity for the year.
We recognise that there remain significant challenges for the performance of the First-tier Tribunal. We are therefore continuing to monitor demand on the Tribunal and are working with the Judiciary, HMCTS and relevant Government Departments on the further actions needed to alleviate pressures on the Tribunal system, improve efficiency and reduce waiting times to ensure timely access to justice for all parties.