Seamus Logan

The Government is working closely with DHSC and other relevant departments and organisations to give the recommendations full consideration. We will provide an update to Parliament on the progress we are making to respond to the Inquiry’s recommendations by the end of the year, as the Inquiry recommends. The Government will pay compensation to infected and affected victims of infected blood.

The Government asked Sir Robert Francis KC to hold an engagement exercise with the infected blood community to give recommendations on the composition of the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme. The Infected Blood Compensation Authority is committed to engaging with the infected and affected community in an open and transparent way so that it can deliver the compensation scheme as quickly as possible, and in a way that meets the needs of the community.

Section 2(5) of the Trade Act already ensures that international trade agreements, within the scope of the Act, cannot include provisions which are inconsistent with maintaining a UK publicly funded healthcare service.

In their meeting on 27 February, the Prime Minister and President Trump agreed to work together on a trade deal focused on tech. The government is clear that we will only ever sign trade agreements that align with the UK's national interests. The NHS will never be on the table for any trade agreement.

The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently. The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy and have less reliance on volatile international energy markets and help in our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030. This, combined with our Warm Homes Plan to upgrade millions of homes to make them warmer and cheaper to run is how we will drive down energy bills and make cold homes a thing of the past.

We recognise that we need to support households struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power by 2030. This is why we are delivering the Warm Home Discount to around 3 million eligible low-income households this winter. We have recently consulted on the expansion of the Warm Home Discount, giving more eligible households £150 off their energy bills. These proposals would bring around 2.7 million households into the scheme – pushing the total number of households that would receive the discount next winter up to around 6 million. The Government is considering the responses.

I have been clear with suppliers that they should do all that they can to support their customers – including vulnerable consumers – who may be struggling with their bills. The Government is continuing to work with Ofgem and energy suppliers to ensure energy bills remain fair and affordable while we transition to clean power by 2030.

The Department does not hold data on when different areas turn on their heating systems. Statistics on regional gas demand are published annually in Subnational gas consumption data. UK level monthly domestic gas demand is also published in Energy Trends table 4.2.

I wrote to the Hon. Member on 21 February, in response to the Hon. Member’s correspondence about how the Government plans to deliver emission cuts, generate jobs, lower energy bills and restore nature. In that response I apologised for the delay in replying. As the hon. Member is aware this correspondence was passed to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

This Government is committed to the delivery of CCUS, as demonstrated by our record investment of £21.7 billion in October and the signing of contracts to launch the first CCUS projects in the UK in December. CCUS requires significant resources, and it is right that it is considered within the Spending Review. My officials continue to engage with Track-2 clusters, and further decisions for future CCUS deployment will be taken in due course.

Government recognises the benefits that Landfill Gas to Energy can offer, both as a form of baseload generation, and to capture and make use of methane in order to support our net zero goals. Government is aware that support under the Renewables Obligation Scheme, including for landfill gas generators, concludes from 2027 onwards.

Both DESNZ and DEFRA officials are speaking with key stakeholders to understand the impact that the conclusion of support will have on their future operations. This will inform any future decisions about whether further support for the sector is appropriate.

The UK and US have a strong economic relationship which is fair, balanced and reciprocal. We have $1.5 trillion invested in each other’s economies and over 2.5 million jobs across both countries.

The Prime Minister and President Trump agreed to deepen this relationship and that we should work together to agree a trade deal focused on technology.

The UK and US have a strong economic relationship which is fair, balanced and reciprocal. We have $1.5 trillion invested in each other’s economies and over 2.5 million jobs across both countries.

The Prime Minister and President Trump agreed that we should work together to deepen this relationship and to agree a trade deal focused on technology.

The Government recognises the importance of seafood exports to the economies of many coastal communities around the United Kingdom. We will tackle trade barriers through seeking to negotiate a veterinary/SPS agreement. We will continue to work closely with seafood exporters to ensure that they can continue to sell their world-class produce to markets around the world.

The Government recognises the importance of seafood exports to the economies of many coastal communities around the United Kingdom. We will tackle trade barriers through seeking to negotiate a veterinary/SPS agreement. We will continue to work closely with seafood exporters to ensure that they can continue to sell their world-class produce to markets around the world.

The farming budget beyond this year will be part of the Government’s spending review.

This Government recognises that food security is national security. We said we would provide stability for farmers and we are delivering on this commitment and have confirmed that the first Sustainable Farming Incentive agreements are now live. We will confirm plans for rollout of schemes and our wider approach as soon as possible.

As part of the mission led government, regular cross government collaboration takes place at both Ministerial and official level. DWP will work across Government, including with the Department for Health and Social Care, to address any impacts caused by reforms made to the Social Security system.

The publication ‘Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms – Impacts’ provides some information on the numbers affected by the proposed changes to the disability benefits system.

In particular, table B2 on page 12 shows the estimated impact of the benefit change alone on the proportion of children living in poverty.

More information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published shortly. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

No assessment has been made.

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

PIP is a non-means tested benefit that can be paid to those in or out of work, it therefore does not directly link with employment rights.

There are no plans to change the name of Attendance Allowance in England and Wales.

Attendance Allowance is a devolved matter in Scotland. The Scottish Government is currently replacing it with Pension Age Disability Payment.

The Government’s policy position is to protect the National Health Service and the services it provides in trade agreements.

The Government’s policy position is to protect the National Health Service and the services it provides in trade agreements. The Department of Health and Social Care will continue to work closely with the Department for Business and Trade to defend this position in all trade policy and trade agreement considerations.

The Department is considering the impact of a potential trade deal between the United Kingdom and the United States. As my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said last week, “we’re clear the NHS is not on the table. It’s not up for sale. But when it comes to life sciences and medical technology… we’ve got a lot to offer the United States, and we’ve got a lot to get from the United States in return”.

The Barnett formula applies to all increases or decreases to the Government’s departmental expenditure limits. As this £100 million in capital funding for adult and children’s hospices is being re-allocated from within existing budgets, there will be no additional Barnett consequentials. The Barnett formula has already been applied to funding previously allocated at Autumn Budget 2024. Given the devolved nature of healthcare funding and administration across the four nations, this capital funding is for adult and children’s hospices in England only.

We work collaboratively with the devolved governments to drive forward our objective of supporting people to lead more independent, healthier lives for longer. While health and social care are predominantly devolved, working together across the United Kingdom is ingrained in the values of our National Health Service and social care sector.

The devolved governments’ Phase 1 Spending Review settlements for 2025/26 are the largest in real terms of any settlements since devolution. The allocation of this settlement for Scotland is, of course, the responsibility of the Scottish Government. Devolved governments are receiving over £86 billion in 2025/26, including an additional £6.6 billion through the operation of the Barnett formula.

The Government considered the cost pressures facing adult social care as part of the wider consideration of local government spending in England within the Spending Review process. In response to the range of pressures facing local authorities, the Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in England for 2025/26. Funding for the devolved governments is determined through the Barnett formula.

Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why, under the Care Act 2014, local authorities in England are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people. In performing that duty, a local authority must have regard to current and likely future demand for such services and consider how providers might meet that demand.

A response has been sent to the Member for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East regarding his correspondence of 18 October 2024 about VAT on private school fees.

We take our international obligations very seriously, including those under the Refugee Convention 1951. The good character policy is compliant with those obligations.

Each citizenship application will continue to be considered on a case-by-case basis considering all positive and negative factors. The Secretary of State may choose to apply discretion to grant citizenship on an exceptional basis where there are particularly exceptional, compelling, or mitigating circumstances.

I am proud to champion Scotland’s products and services, including whisky, globally through Brand Scotland. I have just returned from a visit to South East Asia where I was pleased to support the Scotch Whisky industry at a range of meetings with industry and Government in this key market. 90% of Scotch Whisky is already exported and therefore pays no duty. Increases on duty are in line with inflation and under the previous Government, duty was increased by 10.1% following the duty review. This does not detract from my support of the industry and I will continue to work closely with it to maximise opportunities and growth through Brand Scotland.