Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children under the age of 18 were newly diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in each of the last five years, and how many of those cases involved hospital admission through accident and emergency departments.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information is not held in the format requested.
Information is held on the count of finished admission episodes on emergency admissions and those made through accident and emergency (A&E) departments for patients aged between zero and 17 years old with a primary diagnosis of 'type 1 diabetes' for activity between 2020/21 to 2024/25.
Year | Total admissions (including non- emergency) | All emergency admissions (including those not made via A&E department) | Emergency admissions made via the A&E department |
2020/21 | 6,006 | 5,569 | 3,771 |
2021/22 | 7,120 | 6,561 | 4,483 |
2022/23 | 6,508 | 6,027 | 4,175 |
2023/24 | 6,271 | 5,792 | 4,179 |
2024/25 | 6,013 | 5,537 | 4,171 |
Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to retain dedicated payment rates for (a) organic conversion and (b) organic maintenance within the revised Sustainable Farming Incentive.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Yes, recent announcements have confirmed that DEFRA is retaining dedicated payment rates for organic conversion. Defra has also confirmed that it is removing three actions relating to maintenance of organic land; however, organic farmers will be able to apply for existing conventional actions instead of the ones removed.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the new Sustainable Farming Incentive offer will include long-term organic maintenance payments that take into account the level of similar payments offered in the EU and devolved Administrations.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra reviews environmental scheme approaches used internationally, including those in the EU and the devolved nations, to inform our thinking. However, the department ultimately designs and implement schemes that we believe are most appropriate for England.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many applications for Fit and Proper Person status have been (a) granted, (b) refused and (c) granted subject to conditions since The Mobile Homes (Requirement for Manager of Site to be Fit and Proper Person) (England) Regulations 2020 came into force.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The fit and proper person test, which applies to a site owner or the person appointed to manage a site, is intended to ensure that those managing park home sites are competent to do so.
Where properly applied by local authorities, the legislation has been shown to be effective.
Local authorities are responsible for administering the fit and proper person test. They are required to publish and maintain a register of persons they are satisfied are fit and proper persons to manage a park home site in their area. The information contained in these registers is held locally and is not held centrally.
My Department will continue to monitor the operation of the test and consider whether any changes are required.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the 10% commission charge on park home residents requiring residential care in Wiltshire.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 97962 on 15 December 2025.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to support investment into research and development across the hydrogen technology manufacturing sector.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Since 2020, Innovate UK, which is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), has awarded more than £405 million in hydrogen related R&D funding to support technology development, strengthen supply chains, advance hydrogen production, and to enable its use across the transport, energy, and industrial sectors.
The Industrial Strategy set out the government’s approach to attract private investment into clean energy industries, including our hydrogen economy (including the £1 billion Clean Energy supply chain fund), £5.8 billion for the National Wealth Fund to invest in clean industries, and a £4 billion British Business Bank Growth Capital scale and start-up financing package. The proposed British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will also reduce electricity costs for manufacturing supply chains in priority clean energy sectors such as hydrogen.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
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 help ensure that UK hydrogen and fuel cell technology manufacturers benefit from the comprehensive Public Financial Institution offer set out in the Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK is well placed to be a global leader in hydrogen deployment and supply chains, with significant export market potential for UK manufacturers. The Clean Energy Industries Plan (CEI) sets out a comprehensive Public Finance Institution offer to crowd private investment into sustainable supply chains in the UK and we will ensure hydrogen benefits from this. The offer includes:
DESNZ is collaborating with the public finance institutions to align these offers with the needs of hydrogen and fuel cell manufacturers.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what funding will be allocated to the UK hydrogen and fuel cell technology manufacturing sector through the Great British Energy £1 billion ‘Energy: Engineered in the UK’ supply chain fund.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Energy, Engineered in the UK (EEUK) is GBE’s flagship supply chain investment programme, delivering £1 billion of funding to increase UK manufacturing capacity, drive down technology costs, and create and support jobs across the UK.
Aside from the £300m Offshore Wind and Networks fund, funding under EEUK has not been pre-allocated to specific technologies or sectors. GBE will deploy the funding strategically, as aligned with its Strategic Plan and the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, working with industry and the wider energy ecosystem to identify where public investment can best unlock UK capability and crowd in private capital. GBE is currently engaging with companies in various clean energy sectors, including the hydrogen supply chain, to explore potential interventions under EEUK.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential for UK hydrogen and fuel cell technologies to contribute to the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors such as (a) heavy machinery and (b) heavy transport.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government expects hydrogen to play a role in decarbonising applications where there are limited alternatives such as maritime, aviation, and off-road machinery. This includes through use as a fuel directly, in a fuel cell, and to produce other low-carbon fuels such as ammonia, methanol, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The Government plans to publish a renewed Hydrogen Strategy in early 2026 to sharpen our priorities, deepen industry collaboration, and unlock the full potential of hydrogen over the next decade.
The Department has long supported the research, development, and deployment of hydrogen‑powered transport, including through ensuring hydrogen is eligible for support under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation and the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate, through the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator, the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions, and the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas programme.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to encourage investment into the UK hydrogen technology manufacturing sector.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Industrial Strategy set out our public finance offer to crowd private investment into clean energy industries, including our hydrogen economy. This includes: £1bn Clean Energy supply chain fund; £5.8bn for the National Wealth Fund to invest this Parliament in clean industries; and a £4bn British Business Bank Growth Capital scale and start up financing package. The proposed British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will reduce electricity costs for manufacturing supply chains in priority clean energy sectors such as hydrogen, making the UK an even more competitive place to invest.
My officials work with the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero to showcase investment opportunities and our world-class hydrogen sector capability.