Rachel Gilmour

As sustainable biomass is a limited resource, the Government expects to prioritise its use in sectors like aviation which have fewest options to decarbonise. Renewable liquid heating fuels (RLHF) are also much more expensive to use than other heating solutions.

Before taking decisions on whether to support the use of RLHFs, like hydrotreated vegetable oil, in heating, the Government would require stronger evidence on their affordability for consumers, and the availability of sustainable feedstocks.

Evidence shows that heat pumps are suitable for a diverse range of housing archetypes in the UK and the clear majority of properties.

Modern heat pumps, capable of running efficiently at similar temperatures to an existing boiler, can increasingly be used in homes previously considered unsuitable for electrification. Other low-carbon heating solutions are available for properties that are not suited to a heat pump, and the government will continue to assess and support the options for all properties to decarbonise and reduce their energy use.

Currently, Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) produce an energy efficiency rating (EER) based on the estimated running costs of the property. Basing the rating and recommendations of the EPC on cost is done with the aim of generating improvement which will lead to a reduction in energy costs.

Last week, the Government published the consultation on EPC Reform, developed through close collaboration between DESNZ and MHCLG. The Government proposes using four key metrics for domestic EPCs: "fabric performance," "heating system," "smart readiness," and "energy cost." The Government is reviewing the methodology underpinning EPCs to make it fit for purpose to support net zero. The department is also reviewing consultation responses for the new building physics model, the Home Energy Model.

The Government has made no such specific assessment, as tariffs and energy contracts are a commercial matter for suppliers. However, the Government does want consumers to have access to a range of tariffs, so they can choose the contract that best suits their needs and can help to reduce energy bills. In circumstances where a supplier may not currently be able to offer a smart meter, Ofgem has been clear that suppliers are obligated under their licence conditions to ensure that a suitable metering system is installed.

We are considering how Project Gigabit can support the rollout of fast, reliable broadband to premises that have been descoped from Airband’s contracts with Connecting Devon and Somerset. This may include bringing more premises into the scope of Project Gigabit contracts in the region or supporting suppliers to deliver more projects through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme. In some cases, premises that were set to be connected by Airband have since been included in suppliers’ commercial plans, so will no longer require public subsidy to receive access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection.

The industry-led migration from analogue to digital landlines (“the PSTN migration”) poses some specific risks for rural constituencies, for instance where areas may be more prone to power outages or lack mobile coverage. The Department is working with communications providers to ensure that they are mitigating these risks wherever possible, for example by encouraging the industry to provide improved power resilience to vulnerable customers.

Since the general election, the government has brought together communications providers, government departments, local government, telecare providers and water companies to ensure that the transition proceeds smoothly and stably. This has led to a new Charters of Commitments signed by industry to ensure additional protections for vulnerable customers and for Critical National Infrastructure.

The government recognises the importance of the UKs copyright regime to the economic success of the creative industries, one of eight growth-driving sectors as identified in our Industrial Strategy. We are committed to supporting rights holders by ensuring they retain control over and receive fair payment for their work, especially as technology advances to include AI. We are actively working with stakeholders to ensure copyright protections remain robust and fit for purpose.

Although existing legislation gives creative rights holders control over the use of their protected works, we are aware that this can be very difficult to implement in practice in the context of AI, especially for individual firms and creators. The application of existing copyright legislation in the context of AI training is disputed, both in the UK and internationally, with many high-profile court cases underway. Right holders are finding it difficult to control use of their works to train AI models, and want greater ability to manage that activity and be paid for it.

Responses to our Copyright and AI consultation, published 17 December and closing 25 February, will inform our approach to the design and delivery of a solution to the current dispute over copyright legislation. Our aim is to clarify the copyright framework for AI – delivering legal certainty through a copyright regime that provides creators with real control, transparency, and helps them licence their content, while supporting AI developers' access to high-quality material, so that they can train leading AI models in the UK.

This government recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving young people’s life chances and wellbeing. As set out in section 507B of the Education Act 1996, local authorities have a statutory duty to secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of educational and recreational leisure-time activities for young people in their area. This is funded through the Local Government Settlement which amounts to over £60 billion this year.

This is in addition to the DCMS investment of over £500 million in youth services to ensure every young person has access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer. Within the Tiverton and Minehead constituency, DCMS has directly provided funding for Duke of Edinburgh to be run within schools, encouraging young people to develop skills, build confidence, and make a difference in their communities through volunteering, access to the outdoors, and skills development.

Overall core revenue funding for schools totals almost £61.6 billion this financial year, 2024/25. At the Autumn Budget 2024, the government announced an additional £2.3 billion for mainstream schools and young people with high needs for the 2025/26 financial year, compared to 2024/25. This means that overall core school funding will total almost £63.9 billion in 2025/26.

These increases, against the backdrop of a challenging fiscal picture, demonstrate the government’s commitment to schools and ensuring every child can achieve and thrive through its commitment to the Opportunity Mission.

Schools have autonomy over how they use their core funding, including for their non-staff costs such as textbooks. The department will continue to monitor the balance of funding and costs for schools.

I refer the hon. Member for Tiverton and Minehead to the answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 26025.

The government has a central mission to drive forward opportunity and growth, which relies on people having the skills needed to thrive in life and work. The construction sector is vital in driving economic prosperity and providing career opportunities for people at all ages and stages of their careers. For this reason, the department works closely with the construction sector to ensure our skills offer meets the needs of the sector.

Stonemasonry is a key skill, which is why an apprenticeship covering several stonemasonry occupations is available. This apprenticeship is, however, at level 2 and not at level 3. The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education is currently working with industry to split this apprenticeship standard into a level 2 Stonemason apprenticeship and a level 3 Craft Stonemason apprenticeship, to better meet the needs of the sector. Classroom qualifications can be developed against occupational standards.

On 12 December 2024, the government announced the outcomes of the review of qualifications reform at level 3 in England. As part of this review, three level 3 qualifications in Stonemasonry will continue to have public funding removed from 31 July 2025. Awarding organisations have had the opportunity to appeal where necessary, so that specialist qualifications could be retained if it was demonstrated that they were needed. Full details of the review outcomes can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-level-3-qualifications-reform-provisional-outcomes.

The department has continued to remove funding from existing level 3 qualifications, not only because the standards are at level 2, but also due to the qualifications having less than 100 enrolments for three successive years, highlighting that a classroom-based qualification at level 3 is not being sufficiently used.

At level 2, there are still four qualifications in Stonemasonry available to young people and adults. These qualifications are used currently within apprenticeships and are closely aligned with the industry standards by design.

The department wants to ensure that qualifications are developed at the right level to enable people to enter skilled employment, and where qualifications attract public funding, we want to ensure that they are needed. Where they are not needed, including having very low levels of enrolments, we will continue to remove public funding so that students and employers have a simpler range of qualifications to choose from.

The department has no plans to undertake this specific assessment, but we have evaluated the impact of poverty on educational outcomes. Evidence shows that disadvantaged pupils and those with additional needs are more likely to fall behind and need extra support to achieve and thrive.

That is why the department is working to make sure that all children and young people have access to a variety of enrichment opportunities at school as an important part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity. We recognise that these activities are a vital way for children and young people to gain skills and strengthen their sense of school belonging, supporting them to thrive.

The Department for Work and Pensions strives to set affordable and sustainable repayment plans and encourages customers to make contact if they are unable to afford the proposed repayment rate.

When a customer makes contact because they are experiencing financial hardship, the rate of repayment can be reduced or, depending on the customer’s financial circumstances, a temporary suspension of repayment can be agreed. There is no minimum amount a customer has to repay.

As seen in the measures announced by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the Autumn Budget 2024 to drive up opportunity and drive down poverty, a new Fair Repayment Rate will be introduced from April 2025, reducing Universal Credit deductions overall cap from 25% to 15%. This measure will help approximately 1.2 million of the poorest households benefit by an average of £420 a year.

Ensuring schools have the resources and buildings they need is a key part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education is unable to meet at present due to constraints on her diary. However, departmental officials will be in touch with you shortly to arrange a meeting with the honourable member who are best placed to provide detail on the condition of the school.

The Government committed in its manifesto to improving responsible access to nature. The Department is currently assessing the best way to deliver this, and further information will be made available in due course.

The Environment Agency (EA) maintains assets and infrastructure, including flood relief channels to divert water during heavy flows. EA monitoring teams use telemetry systems to identify and respond to high levels, while field teams ensure water conveyance is maximised by removing obstructions and blockages from channels & trash screens, including proactive checks in advance of expected high rain volumes. We work alongside partner agencies such as Highways & Local Authorities whose duty is to ensure road gulleys are clear to allow surface water to drain and roads to remain open.

Protecting communities from the dangers of flooding is one of Defra’s top priorities.

Watercourse management responsibilities fall to different bodies. Riparian landowners are required to keep watercourses clear of anything which could cause an obstruction to the flow of water on their land, or downstream if washed away.

The Environment Agency has permissive powers to undertake maintenance on main rivers. Lead local flood authorities (LLFAs) or internal drainage boards (IDBs) have permissive powers for ordinary watercourses. The Environment Agency focuses its efforts on those activities which will achieve the greatest benefit in terms of protecting people and property from flooding.

The Government is investing a record £2.65 billion over two years in building, maintaining and repairing our flood and coastal defences, better protecting 52,000 properties. We are also shifting £108 million towards maintenance to shore up creaking defences, benefitting a further 14,500 properties.

Please see the table below for total seizures of illegal meat year on year. The figures quoted are seizures from all ports who had returned seizure data to us from September 2022 onwards as part of Defra African Swine Fever programme. This does not reflect all illegal meat seizures.

We are unable to provide further levels of detail as we do not release details of the location of seizure; this information could risk undermining border security, by providing intelligence in our resource deployment and targeting

Total seizures for full year on year are as follows:

Whilst we have never had an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the UK, it remains a key priority in terms of exotic notifiable disease preparedness. The overall risk of an incursion is currently assessed to be medium, and we continue to prepare for a possible outbreak. To safeguard the UK’s pork and pig industries, Defra, Devolved Governments, together with the pig industry and veterinary bodies have been working together to raise awareness of the risks of the introduction of ASF to the UK. Defra announced further controls in September 2024, restricting the movement of pork and pork products into Great Britain.

The risk of incursion of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) to Great Britain was increased to medium following the confirmation of disease in Germany on the 10 January 2025. The Government has taken decisive and rapid action to protect the UK by suspending the commercial import of susceptible animals from Germany and restricting personal imports of animal products from across the EU. The UK has robust contingency plans in place to manage the risk of this disease as set out in the Foot and Mouth Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain supported by the Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England.

The Environment Agency (EA) charges consultation (including proposals to charge for waste exemptions) is now closed. The EA expects businesses that register and comply with waste exemptions without the requirement for an environmental permit, will continue to do so and pay the associated waste exemption charges. The EA does not expect waste exemption charges to result in an increase in landfill, where specific wastes are banned and landfill tax applies. Further information on the charges consultation, the points raised by industry and our responses to them will be included in a forthcoming consultation response document to be published by the EA. The EA has carried out an affordability impact analysis of the charge proposals. Key findings are detailed in the public consultation and any changes will be noted when the consultation response is published.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as lowering the age of eligibility, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.

Local authorities in England have the power to offer concessions in addition to their statutory obligations such as lowering the age of eligibility. Additional local concessions are provided and funded by local authorities from local resources.

The government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Devon County Council and Somerset Council have been allocated £11.6 and £6.8 million of this funding respectively. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services for passengers can be used in whichever way they wish. This could include extending the discretionary concessions available in the local area.

At the Budget on 30 October, the Chancellor announced £1.6 billion of capital funding for English local highway authorities for highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year, an increase of £500 million or nearly 50% compared to the current financial year.

Funding allocations for individual local highway authorities for 2025/26, including Somerset Council, will be confirmed in due course. It is entirely a matter for Somerset Council how it spends this highway maintenance funding based on local needs, priorities, and circumstances.

I’m pleased to advise that the Rail Minister Lord Hendy has accepted an invitation to meet with the Chair of the Peninsula Rail Task Force, Cllr Andrea Davis, and officials are currently making the necessary arrangements.

Officials continually monitor the performance of Great Western Railway services, including instances of overcrowding, and actively hold operators to account through their contracts when they run less capacity than agreed. The Rail Minister additionally meets with Train Operating Companies to review their performance. We work closely with Great Western Railway to match supply to demand within operational and financial constraints including the provision of additional summer services. Great Western Railway is also exploring opportunities to increase the capacity of its rolling stock fleet.

Good local bus services are an essential part of prosperous and sustainable communities. As announced in the King’s Speech, the government will pass the Better Buses Bill to put the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England. The government knows that every community will have its own unique needs from its public transport network and wants to empower local leaders to work with operators to design networks that meet these needs, including considering the use of different types of services, such as community transport and demand responsive transport services, alongside regular stopping services to deliver comprehensive coverage.

We have interpreted your question to mean ‘To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will make an assessment of the financial impact of transitioning from ESA to Universal Credit on adults with preventable disabilities’.

The Government has given a commitment that those sent a managed migration notice requiring them to claim Universal Credit, where eligible, will not have a lower entitlement to Universal Credit than they had total existing benefit entitlement at the point they claim. Transitional Protection is available to ensure this commitment is met, including for those with preventable disabilities.

The Government has had to make hard choices to bring the public finances back under control. The policy change ensures that the Winter Fuel Payment will be better targeted to low-income pensioners who need it most.

Information on pensioners with incomes below £15,000 affected by the change to Winter Fuel Payment policy is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. However, the Department has produced some analysis on the impacts of the change in policy on poverty levels which was published here: Winter Fuel Payments eligibility change - Letter from the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

State Pension payments are usually paid four weekly in arrears. People have the option to be paid weekly or in some circumstances bi-weekly. There are no plans to introduce alternative payment arrangements.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) continues to engage regularly with stakeholders as we consider CMS reform. We are currently considering the recommendations and our response to the Gingerbread report ‘Fix the CMS’.

The CMS Service Modernisation Programme has delivered improvements to the customer experience enabling parents to access their on-line My Child Maintenance Case, ensuring parents can report changes of circumstances and access their digital communications at any time of the day. In addition, caseworker training to support vulnerable customers has been updated following invaluable engagement with stakeholders.

The CMS has recently consulted on significant reforms and are analysing the responses. This included removing the Direct Pay service and managing all CMS cases in one service to allow the CMS to tackle non-compliance faster.  The consultation also sought views on how victims and survivors of domestic abuse can be better supported to use CMS and whether removing Direct Pay completely would benefit victims and survivors of domestic abuse. The Government will publish a response in due course.

DWP are committed to providing the best possible support for all our customers, including the most vulnerable in society. Within Universal Credit, we recognise that customers have individual needs and different barriers, so we train and support all our work coaches to be able to respond appropriately to a customer’s situation.

We have no plans to assess the impact of the journal system on the mental health of applicants and users., Independent research published in 2018 showed that the majority of customers found the journal easy to use. The DWP Customer Experience Survey for 2023-2024 showed that 88% of people found it easy to use their UC online account.

Improving health outcomes for people who live with long-term conditions, including postural tachycardia syndrome, is a key part of the Government's mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) publishes guidance on the diagnosis and treatment of long-term conditions for use by healthcare professionals and commissioners. NICE has produced a clinical knowledge summary on the clinical management of blackouts and syncope, which sets out how clinicians should assess and diagnose postural tachycardia syndrome. This was last updated in November 2023 and is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/blackouts-syncope/diagnosis/assessment/

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services that meet the needs of their population. The Government expects ICBs to take account of NICE guidelines and other best practice in designing their local services.

The United Kingdom faces significant health inequalities, with life expectancy varying widely across and within communities. The Government is committed to building a fairer Britain by tackling the structural inequalities that contribute to poor health, particularly for disadvantaged groups.

The population health priorities in the South West focus on improving population health outcomes and reducing health inequalities and health disparities for inclusion groups. This includes increasing the detection and treatment of people with hypertension, improving the uptake of health checks, increasing the number of people supported to stop smoking, improving the support to people at risk of self-harming, and increasing the number of people affected by long term sickness who are supported back into employment.

The Somerset local authority received £23.1 million in Public Health Grant funding in 2024/25. This provides services such as stop smoking, drug and alcohol treatment, health visiting and school nursing, sexual health, and NHS Health Checks among others, all of which contribute to addressing health inequalities.

In the South West region, assurance and support for inequalities and inclusion is led by the regional health inequalities team, who work as a blended team across both NHS England and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, and who collaborate with national and integrated care system colleagues, including the Directors of Public Health within the region. The health inequalities team supports systems to accelerate the narrowing of gaps in population health outcomes relating to specific South West priorities, and supports the national Core20PLUS5 approach and the implementation of the digital inclusion framework.

The Department funds research into epilepsy via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). There are currently no plans to assess the adequacy of funding for research into epilepsy, however, the NIHR continues to welcome high quality applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including prevention, management, and treatment of epilepsy and the related conditions.

These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to the public and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on epilepsy to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility, both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.

The NIHR committed £31.5 million of funding to 28 epilepsy research projects in the five years from April 2019 to March 2024. Additionally, over this period, more than 5,000 people were enabled to participate in epilepsy research by the NIHR Clinical Research Network, now the NIHR Research Delivery Network.

The NIHR also works closely with other Government funders, including UK Research and Innovation, which is funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and includes the Medical Research Council, to fund research into epilepsy to improve treatments and prevent poor health outcomes for patients.

No such assessment has been made by the Department. The commissioning of out of hours services, and to what extent those services are supported, is the responsibility of local commissioners in partnership with their providers, and in the best interest of their populations.

On 6 January 2025, NHS England published the new Elective Reform Plan, which sets out a whole system approach to hitting the 18-week referral to treatment target by the end of this Parliament. Further information on the Elective Reform Plan is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/reforming-elective-care-for-patients/

Part of the plan sets out funding to boost bone density scanning capacity, to support improvements in early diagnosis and bone health conditions such as osteoporosis. This will provide an estimated 29,000 extra scans per year.

As announced in the Get Britain Working white paper, we are delivering the joint Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England Getting It Right First-Time (GIRFT) Musculoskeletal (MSK) Community Delivery Programme. With a £3.5 million funding boost, GIRFT teams will deploy their proven Further Faster model to work with integrated care board leaders to further reduce MSK community waiting times, including for those with osteoporosis, and improve data, metrics, and referral pathways to wider support services.