Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will publish the training materials for case handlers of the Energy Ombudsman.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ofgem is required to review the Energy Ombudsman every two years. As part of these reviews, the Energy Ombudsman provided training materials to Ofgem, who judged that staff at the Ombudsman were sufficiently well-trained. The decision about whether to publish training materials is a decision for the Energy Ombudsman, who are independent of Government.
We want it to be quicker and easier for consumers to access the Energy Ombudsman service and for any customer who has received a poor-quality service from their supplier to receive the compensation and resolution they deserve.
That is why the Government has announced proposals to strengthen the Energy Ombudsman to ensure that suppliers comply with its final decisions or pay compensation to their consumer. We will also consult on introducing automatic referrals to the Ombudsman, explore the reduction of referral waiting times from 8 weeks to 4 weeks and make the overall complaints process more transparent and accessible.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of vehicles involved in criminal activity have had non-compliant licence plates in the last 12 months.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not collect information related to the compliance of licence plates for vehicles which have been involved in criminal activity. Data may be held by local police forces.
Data be held locally by law enforcement organisations.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to separate the number of procedures for the (a) LD50 (lethal dose 50%) and (b) LC50 (lethal concentration 50%) tests in the annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes extensive data on the use of animals in science in the annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals.
There are no plans to disaggregate the number of procedures specifically relating to the LD50 and LC50 tests within these statistics.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make it his policy to transition government digital services to (a) free and (b) open-source providers.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Where appropriate, the Government makes use of free and open-source providers. The Digital, Data & Technology playbook provides guidance on sourcing and contracting for digital, data and technology projects and programmes. Cabinet Office & Government Digital Service are currently working together to define a comprehensive sourcing strategy for what we build, what we buy and how we partner. This will include use of open-source solutions.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, who is liable for the cost of repairing damage incurred from installing insulation under the Great British Insulation Scheme.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
All installations under government energy efficiency schemes, including the Great British Insulation Scheme, must be carried out by a TrustMark registered business. TrustMark registered installers are required to provide consumers with guarantees from a TrustMark approved guarantee provider. TrustMark have a 3-step dispute resolution process for when things go wrong which includes liaising with the original installer to carry out any required repairs in the first instance. Further information on the steps consumers can take and financial protection for installations can be found on TrustMark’s website here: https://www.trustmark.org.uk/
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
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 effectiveness of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman underwent an independent peer review in 2023-24 facilitated by the International Ombudsman Institute. The review and the LGSCO’s response to its recommendations can be found on the LGSCO’s website.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the Government paid Microsoft for digital services for the last 12 months for which data is available.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Full information on government spend with Microsoft is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office (CO), as individual departments and public bodies are responsible for their own procurement and contractual arrangements.
However, the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), an executive agency of the Cabinet Office, manages the Strategic Partnership Arrangement 2024 (SPA24) with Microsoft.
Through SPA24, approximately £1.9 billion has been spent on Microsoft software licences via third-party resellers in the financial year 2024/25. SPA24 enables all eligible UK public sector organisations to access discounted pricing on a range of Microsoft products.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy for all lung cancer patients to be routinely screened for ROS1 biomarkers.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Genomic Medicine Service (GMS) provides genomic testing in the National Health Service. Testing is delivered by the NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs and directed by the National Genomic Test Directory. The test directory comprises of a full list of clinical indications, with over 200 cancer clinical indications for genomics testing, including ROS1 biomarker testing for non-small cell lung cancer, a common form of lung cancer.
NHS England, supported by the Genomics Clinical Reference Group and genomic test evaluation working groups, holds responsibility for reviewing the test directory on an annual basis following a robust and evidence-based process. Through this process, NHS England will continue to consider the potential costs and benefits of expanding or altering the genomic testing which it commissions, ensuring that this testing is available for all patients for whom it would be of clinical benefit.
The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including lung cancer patients, have access to innovative diagnostics tests. In May, NHS England announced the roll out of liquid biopsy testing which is now available for all eligible lung cancer patients, which aims to speed up diagnosis and inform better treatment options for those with lung cancer.
The 10-Year Health Plan, published 3 July, commits to further expanding the GMS and developing a new population health genomics service which will combine genomics, new diagnostics, and predictive analytics with artificial intelligence, to enable early identification and intervention for individuals with cancer. Additionally, further information on how the Department will tackle lung cancer and improve outcomes for patients will be released in the National Cancer Plan, which is due to be published later this year.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what provisions his Department has put in place to help ensure the professional competency of firms that install insulation with support from the Great British Insulation Scheme.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We recognise the importance of facilitating a competent and robust supply chain. All installations under government energy efficiency schemes, including the Great British Insulation Scheme, must be carried out by a TrustMark registered business. This includes a requirement to meet independent industry standards and to provide a warranty to the householder, in case something goes wrong.
The government recognises the need to reform a fragmented system and will introduce plans to drive-up quality and protect consumers through the Warm Homes Plan.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the proportion funding his Department provides for cancer research that is allocated to brain tumour-related research.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests over £1.6 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR spent £133 million on cancer research in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority.
Between 2018/19 and 2023/24, the NIHR directly invested £11.8 million in research projects focused on brain tumours. In addition, the NIHR’s wider investments in research infrastructure, for instance facilities, services, and the research workforce, are estimated to be £37.5 million, supporting the delivery of 261 brain tumour research studies and enabling over 11,400 people to participate in potentially life-changing brain tumour research in the National Health Service.
In 2024, the NIHR announced new research funding opportunities, to stimulate high quality brain tumour research applications, as part of the Government’s commitment to developing new lifesaving and life-improving research, supporting those diagnosed and living with brain tumours. Further information on the NIHR’s new research funding opportunities is available at the following link:
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/news/new-funding-opportunities-novel-brain-tumour-research-launched
Additionally, a new national Brain Tumour Research Consortium was established in December 2024 to bring together researchers from a range of different disciplines and institutions with the aim of driving scientific advancements in how we prevent, detect, manage, and treat cancers in adults and children. The NIHR is also working closely with research partners, including the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission, to attract new researchers, develop the community, and support researchers to submit high-quality research funding proposals, which should result in more effective treatments.
The NIHR continues to welcome high quality, high impact funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including brain tumours.