Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
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 merits of introducing a direct-payment mechanism under the Warm Homes: Local Grant scheme to enable grant funding to be paid directly to a TrustMark-registered and MCS-certified installer where a local authority confirms that it is unable to provide a nationally eligible measure through its local delivery arrangements.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Warm Homes: Local Grant scheme provides grant funding to local authorities to deliver energy performance upgrades and low carbon heating to low-income privately owned homes in England below EPC Band C. This includes homes both on and off the gas grid.
The scheme is locally administered and delivered by local authorities. They provide oversight of upgrades in their area, ensuring high quality and monitoring compliance with the required rules and standards of the scheme.
There are no current plans to allow a direct to installer route.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the forbearance obligations on mortgage lenders under the Financial Conduct Authority's Mortgages and Home Finance: Conduct of Business sourcebook, in particular the duty to consider appropriate forbearance for borrowers in financial difficulty, apply independently of and continue beyond the six-month support options introduced under the Mortgage Charter; and what assessment the Government has made of the consistency with which those obligations are applied by lenders to borrowers who have exhausted Mortgage Charter support.
Answered by Rachel Blake
There are significant measures in place to protect vulnerable mortgage borrowers. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules require lenders to engage individually with their customers who are struggling or who are worried about their payments to order to provide tailored forbearance. This could include a range of options; the right option will depend on the borrower’s circumstances.
The Government’s Mortgage Charter, which is a voluntary industry agreement that covers 90% of the mortgage market, provides additional flexibilities to help borrowers who are up-to-date with their repayments, manage their repayments over a short period.
If any borrower does not believe they have been treated fairly by their lender, they may be able to take their complaint to the independent Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), which provides a free, independent dispute resolution service.
Importantly, any borrower who is concerned about making their repayment should contact their lender. Seeking support and engaging with lenders to discuss options will not affect a borrower’s credit score in any way, and earlier engagement will mean that lenders can offer more support.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that young people with symptoms of breast cancer are not dismissed by healthcare professionals because of their age.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including breast cancer in young people, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster.
The National Health Service runs Help Us Help You campaigns in England to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner.
Through the National Cancer Plan for England: delivering world class cancer care, Cancer Alliances will receive £200 million of ring-fenced funding in 2026/27 to support sustainable improvements in cancer delivery and performance, with a key focus on improving early diagnosis rates. Cancer Alliances will focus on increasing awareness of cancer symptoms and supporting primary care to spot signs of cancer early, including breast cancer.
To ensure earlier detection and diagnosis in younger people, the Government will ensure that over time the neighbourhood multi-disciplinary teams that care for children and young people with cancer will have a lead paediatrician. We will help neighbourhood and primary care teams get the right information by supporting the dissemination of evidence-based guidelines and information, including from partners.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure that households deemed financially eligible under the Warm Homes Local Grant are able to receive measures where local delivery agents are unable to provide them through supply chains; and how that scheme ensures that households in rural and non-standard properties are not disadvantaged.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Warm Homes: Local Grant supports low-income households in England by funding energy efficiency improvements - including insulation, heat pumps, and solar PV.
Eligible households in privately owned EPC band D–G homes, both on and off the gas grid, can benefit where they meet the scheme criteria.
Delivery is managed locally, with local authorities responsible for procuring the supply chain capacity and capability needed to deliver upgrades in their areas.
All installations must comply with PAS 2030/2035, which requires retrofit professionals to consider traditionally constructed buildings and any potential unintended consequences, helping to support rural and non-standard properties.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of recent reforms to NHS dental contracts in England on patient access to services and supporting dentists to deliver NHS care; and whether he has considered the potential merits of alternative remuneration models, including the fee‑per‑treatment system used in Scotland, in informing future reform of NHS dentistry.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
We have introduced a package of reforms this year to address some of the pressing issues that dentists and dental teams have been experiencing. These reforms prioritise those with the greatest need, shifting care away from clinically unnecessary check-ups. As of 1 April, dental practices are now required to deliver a set proportion of their contract as urgent care, supported by increased payments for dentists. Regulations introducing the remainder of the reforms, including new complex care pathways, came into force on 23 June. An impact assessment on the reforms has been published and can be found at the following link:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2026/42
We are committed to further reform of the National Health Service dental contract by the end of this Parliament. This will include publicly consulting on the future proposals. We are continuing to engage with the sector on these reforms to scope potential changes.
We remain open minded and keen to consider how different payment models could best support the delivery of dental care to patients. There is no one perfect payment model and all payment models will have downsides as well as advantages. Careful consideration needs to be given to any potential changes to the complex dental system so that we deliver genuine improvements for patients and the profession.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she will make an assessment of the potential merits of applying a reduced or zero rate of VAT to essential fire safety equipment, such as fire extinguishers.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s third largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26.
Tax breaks reduce the revenue available for vital public services and must represent value for money for the taxpayer. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.
One of the key considerations when assessing a new VAT relief is whether the cost saving is likely to be passed on to consumers. Evidence suggests that businesses only partially pass on any savings from lower VAT rates. In some cases, reliefs do not represent good value for money, as there is no guarantee that savings will be passed on to consumers.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of mobile phone coverage in rural areas; and what steps he is taking to tackle gaps in mobile and broadband connectivity in Oake in Somerset.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
Our ambition is for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030. This includes rural communities such as Oake, as well as towns and cities.
In their Connected Nations Spring update (13 May 2026), Ofcom reported that as of January 2026, 82% of the UK’s rural landmass has 4G geographic coverage from all four mobile operators, while standalone 5G is available outside of 76% of UK rural premises from at least one operator.
The rollout of higher quality standalone 5G is commercially led by the network operators, and all three have committed significant investment plans which align with the Government’s ambition. Government is undertaking a Mobile Market Review to assess what further action Government can take to support the sector to invest in comprehensive, high-quality connectivity; we expect to set out next steps later this year. Government also remains committed to unlocking the barriers to telecoms deployment, including supporting mobile network rollout through our recent call for evidence on planning reform in England. We are considering responses and will determine next steps in due course.
Alongside our work to deliver high-quality mobile connectivity right across the UK, we also have a target to deliver nationwide (99%) gigabit broadband coverage by 2032. We have created a competition-friendly environment in areas where deployment is commercially viable, as most gigabit-capable connections will be delivered commercially. Via Project Gigabit we are focusing Government funds on the remaining areas of the country, to tackle gaps in broadband coverage where commercial deployment is unlikely, in support of the Government’s target.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent progress has been made in delivering the School Rebuilding Programme for Tiverton High School.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The project is at pre-feasibility stage, and the department is undertaking technical work and planning appraisals. Work to date suggests that significant development of the school will be required, and that this may not be permitted by the planning authority on the current site due to its location in a flood zone. The department has identified a potential alternative location for the school and is in discussions with interested parties.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to improve enforcement against dangerous riding among moped and motorcycle delivery riders.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is clear that dangerous or anti-social riding by any road user, including moped and motorcycle delivery riders, is unacceptable. Those who break the law should expect robust enforcement action.
A strong legislative framework is already in place. The police have a range of powers to tackle dangerous riding and wider road traffic offences, including prosecution, penalty points, and, where appropriate, seizing vehicles being used illegally, dangerously or in an anti-social manner.
The Crime and Policing Act 2026 has strengthened these powers by enabling officers to seize vehicles involved in anti-social or dangerous use without the need to issue a prior warning, helping to stop offending more quickly and deter reoffending. The Government has also consulted on measures to enable swifter disposal of vehicles used in this way. The Government response to the consultation was published on 9 June. It sets out our intention to reduce and align timelines to dispose of seized vehicles from up to three months to seven days. Changes will be made when legislative time allows.
Taken together, these measures ensure that police have robust powers to act against dangerous riding, including among moped and motorcycle delivery riders.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what plans he has to support households in off‑gas‑grid homes where heat pumps are not a viable option; and whether he plans to introduce grant funding for alternative low‑carbon heating technologies, including electric boiler systems, to assist households seeking to transition away from oil heating.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
To provide additional support for off-gas-grid households the Boiler Upgrade Scheme will begin to provide grants of £9,000 for hydronic heat pumps replacing oil or LPG boilers in off-grid homes from 21 July, in addition to the £7,500 grants that are available for most homeowners.
The Government believes most off-grid homes are suitable to install hydronic heat pumps. To provide additional consumer choice the scheme also offers grants of £5,000 for biomass boilers in rural homes, and will begin to provide grants of £2,500 for air-to-air heat pumps and heat batteries once appropriate product and installation standards are in place.