Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will set out the detailed allocation plan for the additional £1.5 billion funding for the Energy Company Obligation, including the timeline for disbursement and the criteria for prioritising households.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
ECO4 has played a part in delivering clean heat technologies; however, issues identified by the NAO and PAC support a shift to a more direct, publicly-funded approach focused on technologies that cut bills and accelerate the transition to clean heat such as heat pumps, solar PV and batteries. The government is providing an additional £1.5 billion—taking planned capital investment to almost £15 billion—to upgrade low‑income homes and scale clean home‑energy technologies. Deployment will be further supported through wider policies and details of this will be set out soon in the Warm Homes Plan.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the proposed timeline is for the implementation of the Warm Homes Plan, and what steps are being taken to ensure collaboration with local authorities, industry stakeholders, and consumer groups in its delivery.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government remains committed to delivering the Warm Homes Plan which will be published soon. At the Autumn Budget 2024 the Chancellor announced an additional £1.5 billion of funding for the Warm Homes Plan, bringing total capital investment to almost £15 billion. This exceeds the manifesto commitment of £13.2 billion.
As part of the development of the Plan, this department has engaged with a broad range of stakeholders through a variety of different fora to ensure a wide range of views are considered.
This includes working with local authorities and social housing providers, who in March last year were allocated £1.8 billion to install energy saving measures across the country through the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and Local Grant.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what measures are being introduced to protect and support small and medium-sized enterprises in the retrofit supply chain under the Energy Company Obligation and related schemes.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
ECO4 has played a part in delivering clean heat technologies; however, issues identified by the NAO and PAC support a shift to a more direct, publicly-funded approach focused on technologies that cut bills and accelerate the transition to clean heat such as heat pumps, solar PV and batteries. The government is providing an additional £1.5 billion—taking planned capital investment to almost £15 billion—to upgrade low‑income homes and scale clean home‑energy technologies. Deployment will be further supported through wider policies and details of this will be set out soon in the Warm Homes Plan.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued guidance to schools following the inquest into the death of Benedict Blythe.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department has not issued any guidance to schools following the inquest into the tragic death of Benedict Blythe.
The department encourages schools, colleges and settings to use resources such as those published in the allergy guidance for schools as part of their work to fulfil their statutory duties to manage allergy risks. This guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools/allergy-guidance-for-schools.
The government has committed to reviewing the statutory guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions at school (2015), and we intend to consult on revised guidance. The current guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.
Our aim is to ensure that schools are better equipped to support all pupils with medical conditions as part of our wider ambition to create more inclusive schools through the forthcoming Schools White Paper.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will introduce a Good Food Bill by the end of this Parliament.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Good Food Cycle publication is the first part of the food strategy. It will require a long-term programme of work to transform the food system and support food strategy outcomes.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, within Washington and Gateshead South constituency in the most recent 12 months for which data is available, what is the total sum of money resulting from a) deductions, and b) sanctions applied to Universal Credit claims.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
a) Universal Credit deductions statistics are published quarterly with the latest figures available in table 6, row 216 in Universal Credit deductions statistics, September 2024 to August 2025, supplementary data tables, at Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 9 October 2025 - GOV.UK
b) The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the (a) availability and (b) levels of use of tan-enhancing products containing Melanotan II is being considered in the development of the forthcoming cancer plan.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is taking steps to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancers more quickly, including skin cancers. The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care. It will set out how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including by speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately driving up this country’s cancer survival rates. We will publish the National Cancer Plan in the new year to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next 10 years.
We received over 11,000 responses to our call for evidence from individuals, professionals, and organisations, and we are reviewing the submissions from skin cancer partners. While no formal assessment has been made of the availability and levels of use of tan-enhancing products containing Melanotan II, respondents shared concerns about tanning products and their potential links to cancer, particularly melanoma. Our expansive engagement will allow the National Cancer Plan to have patients at its heart.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for the regulation of medicinal products and medical devices in the United Kingdom. Although tanning is not considered to be a medical purpose, injectable products containing Melanotan I or Melanotan II have been determined as medicinal products due to their similarity to the authorised medicine Scenesse.
In relation to nasal sprays containing Melanotan I or Melanotan II, there are no equivalent authorised medicines and in the absence of medicinal claims, they are not regarded as medicinal products.
Medicinal products must hold a relevant Marketing Authorisation to be legally sold and supplied in the UK. This also guarantees that the medicines have been tested for conformity with strict standards of quality, safety, and efficacy.
The MHRA takes action when a medicinal product without appropriate authorisations is identified.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will set out the legal status of the sale of tan- enhancing nasal products containing Melanotan II for cosmetic purposes.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is required to determine whether products are medicines on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the definition of a medicine in The Human Medicines Regulations 2012, relevant case law, and any other evidence.
There are many products which modify physiological function but which are not medicinal products, and case law has established that products that do so while having no beneficial effects on human health cannot be medicines.
Melanotan II injections and pens are considered medicinal products due to their similarity to an authorised medicinal product and potential application to other medical conditions.
However, tan-enhancing nasal products, which are clearly marketed for self-tanning purposes and which do not have a medical purpose, do not fall under medicines regulations and therefore are not within the MHRA’s remit.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will provide redress for mesh and sodium valproate families.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is carefully considering the work by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex issue involving input from different Government departments. The Government will provide a further update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report. I will also be meeting the Patient Safety Commissioner in due course.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to set out (a) where responsibility sits for action to prevent the availability of tan- enhancing products containing Melanotan II and (b) the steps that have been taken to prevent the availability of tan-enhancing products that are illegal.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for the regulation of medicinal products and medical devices in the United Kingdom.
Although tanning is not considered to be a medical purpose, injectable products containing Melanotan 1 or Melanotan 2 have been determined as medicinal products due to their similarity to the authorised medicine Scenesse.
In relation to nasal sprays containing Melanotan 1 or 2, there are no equivalent authorised medicines and in the absence of medicinal claims, they are not regarded as medicinal products.
Medicinal products must hold a relevant Marketing Authorisation to be legally sold and supplied in the UK. This also guarantees that the medicines have been tested for conformity with strict standards of quality, safety, and efficacy.
The MHRA takes action when a medicinal product without appropriate authorisations is identified.