Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to assist people impacted by the practice of illegitimate motor insurance.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

All drivers must be insured to drive the vehicle they are using and for the purpose it is used for, and all drivers are subject to roadside enforcement by the police. Consumers should check that the firms they are purchasing insurance from are legitimate, which they can do by searching the Financial Conduct Authority’s Financial Services Register.

The Register lists all firms the FCA has approved, as well as firms that may be providing regulated products or services without the correct authorisation (including those deliberately running scams). It includes the different details unauthorised firms give out and whether they’re falsely claiming to be from an authorised firm.

The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) has been set up by the insurance industry to share intelligence on insurance claims and to identify dubious and repeated claims. The IFB looks for evidence of organised fraud on industry databases, develops cross-industry intelligence and coordinates investigations between insurers, the police and other agencies.

In October 2024, the government introduced a new Insurance Fraud Charter. This is a voluntary agreement between the government and the insurance sector to reduce fraud, designed to identify loopholes in the insurance market, enhance collaboration and criminal justice outcomes, better understand the scale of the problem and improve victim support. Home Office is also working to develop a new Fraud Strategy.

The Government regularly engages with a variety of stakeholders on issues relating to motor insurance, including fraud, and committed in its manifesto to tackle the high cost of motor insurance. To deliver on this, the Government formed a cross-government taskforce, co-chaired by the Department for Transport and His Majesty’s Treasury. The taskforce is expected to publish its final report in the autumn.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent steps his Department has taken to help mitigate the environmental impact of data centres in (a) Slough and (b) the South East.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government’s forecasts for data centre demand to 2030 are consistent with its Clean Power 2030 Action Plan. The Government expects to be able to meet this demand through its plans to increase renewable power capacity, other low carbon generation and flexible and dispatchable power. The Department is working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in considering potential AI Growth Zone sites and the interaction with delivering our Clean Energy Superpower Mission. The two Departments are jointly running the AI Energy Council, with a meeting and working group on the topic of sustainability currently being set up.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions has she had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) motor insurance companies on the prevalence of ghost broking in the motor insurance industry.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

All drivers must be insured to drive the vehicle they are using and for the purpose it is used for, and all drivers are subject to roadside enforcement by the police. Consumers should check that the firms they are purchasing insurance from are legitimate, which they can do by searching the Financial Conduct Authority’s Financial Services Register.

The Register lists all firms the FCA has approved, as well as firms that may be providing regulated products or services without the correct authorisation (including those deliberately running scams). It includes the different details unauthorised firms give out and whether they’re falsely claiming to be from an authorised firm.

The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) has been set up by the insurance industry to share intelligence on insurance claims and to identify dubious and repeated claims. The IFB looks for evidence of organised fraud on industry databases, develops cross-industry intelligence and coordinates investigations between insurers, the police and other agencies.

In October 2024, the government introduced a new Insurance Fraud Charter. This is a voluntary agreement between the government and the insurance sector to reduce fraud, designed to identify loopholes in the insurance market, enhance collaboration and criminal justice outcomes, better understand the scale of the problem and improve victim support. Home Office is also working to develop a new Fraud Strategy.

The Government regularly engages with a variety of stakeholders on issues relating to motor insurance, including fraud, and committed in its manifesto to tackle the high cost of motor insurance. To deliver on this, the Government formed a cross-government taskforce, co-chaired by the Department for Transport and His Majesty’s Treasury. The taskforce is expected to publish its final report in the autumn.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps she has taken to ensure that people moving from Employment Support Allowance Support Group to Universal Credit do not require a further fit note.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We want the migration process to be as simple as possible for claimants when they move their claim to Universal Credit (UC) from Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). If they have been receiving ESA, they will not need to provide medical evidence such as fit notes, or have a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) again if all of the following apply:

• They move from ESA to UC without a break
• They have already completed a WCA
• They were in the ‘support group’ or ‘work related activity group’ in ESA when they made their claim to Universal Credit.

If they were providing medical evidence on ESA before they moved, they will still need to provide medical evidence on Universal Credit until a WCA decision is received.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to reassess the mileage reimbursement rate.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government keeps the Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) rate under review and HMRC use a variety of information in estimating typical motoring costs per business mile. This includes information from the AA, the National Travel Survey, the Association of British Insurers, and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

As with all taxes and rates, the Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at Budget in the context of public finances.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) planning and (b) regulatory frameworks adequately (i) tackle and (ii) mitigate carbon emissions from high-density digital infrastructure.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The way to reduce the carbon intensity of grid-connected digital infrastructure is to reduce the overall carbon intensity of the UK electricity mix. The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan sets out how the Government will achieve this over the next five years, through increasing renewable and other low-carbon generation along with flexible and dispatchable power.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to help reduce childhood obesity rates in Slough.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The prevention of ill health is a clear priority for the Government, and a cornerstone of this is supporting children, including those in Slough, to live healthier lives.

The 10 Year Health Plan, published on 3 July, sets out decisive action on the obesity crisis. In a world first, we will introduce mandatory healthy food sales reporting for large food businesses and using that reporting, we will set new targets to increase the healthiness of sales.

We will also fulfil our commitments to restrict junk food advertising and ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16-year-olds. We have given local councils stronger powers to limit school children’s access to fast-food.

Officials in the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ South East team work closely with local partners, including local authorities and the National Health Service, to support them with local initiatives to promote a healthy lifestyle and tackle obesity.

Found: MP Minister for the Armed Forces Tel: 020 7218 9000 (switchboard) Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

Found: Griffiths Sonia Kumar Charlie Maynard Gregor Poynton Matt Western Rosie Wrighting Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

Found: Yours sincerely, John Edwards UK Information Commissioner Copied to: Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

Submit Evidence (by 14 Oct 2025)

This inquiry will examine the circumstances behind and the consequences of a major data breach in February 2022 from the Ministry of Defence. The breach involved the personal data of thousands of Afghan applicants for resettlement to the UK and their families, potentially putting these people at risk of reprisals. The inquiry aims to understand how this breach could have been allowed to happen, and, once it had happened, whether successive Governments took well-informed and sensible decisions under cover of an unprecedented super-injunction. The inquiry will also examine the Government’s wider arrangements for the resettlement of eligible Afghans in the UK.