Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether recordings made by his Department of advice given during phone calls by the Universal Credit helpline can be used by claimants as evidence when appealing an overpayment decision.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Household Energy Payment announced in the Autumn Budget 2026, whether full-time students in band A to D properties who are exempt from council tax under Class N will be eligible for that payment; whether tenants of houses in multiple occupation who pay their own energy bills, but whose landlord is the liable person for council tax, will be eligible; and what steps she plans to take to ensure local authorities proactively contact eligible households that do not pay council tax by direct debit.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Household Energy Payment will be available to those living in households in council tax bands A-D as their sole or main residence. The government will set out detailed guidance for local authorities in due course, including specifying that households exempt from council tax because they are students or in receipt of Local Council Tax Support are eligible.
To be eligible the occupant must also be liable for council tax. Where the owner of a property is liable rather than the occupant e.g. with an HMO, the household would not be eligible for this payment.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to support students and others who are council tax exempt with energy bills.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Household Energy Payment will be available to those living in households in council tax bands A-D as their sole or main residence. The government will set out detailed guidance for local authorities in due course, including specifying that households exempt from council tax because they are students or in receipt of Local Council Tax Support are eligible.
To be eligible the occupant must also be liable for council tax. Where the owner of a property is liable rather than the occupant e.g. with an HMO, the household would not be eligible for this payment.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many requests to waive recovery of an official error overpayment were (a) received and (b) granted in each of the last three years.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Official error overpayments within Universal Credit are treated the same as claimant error overpayments, as all overpayments are recoverable and we no longer track them separately for administrative purposes
The Department publishes estimates of UC official error overpayments available here: Fraud and Error FYE 2026 and also publishes data which identifies waiver volumes: Annual Report and Accounts 2025-26.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Universal Credit overpayments classified as official error were recovered in each of the last three years; and what the total value of those overpayments was.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Official error overpayments within Universal Credit are treated the same as claimant error overpayments, as all overpayments are recoverable and we no longer track them separately for administrative purposes
The Department publishes estimates of UC official error overpayments available here: Fraud and Error FYE 2026 and also publishes data which identifies waiver volumes: Annual Report and Accounts 2025-26.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to establish an independent housing commission to oversee and monitor long-term housing strategy.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has no such plans.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, when the phase-out of animal testing in all but exceptional circumstances will be outlined, including a proposed end date; how exceptional circumstances will be defined; and how completion of the phase-out will be assessed.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government’s long-term vision is to eliminate the use of animals in science in all but exceptional circumstances. The Replacing Animals in Science strategy does not include a fixed end date for the complete phase-out of animal use, as progress depends on scientific, regulatory and technological developments. The Government will not set arbitrary timelines and will instead publish timelines for specific actions and targeted replacements where scientifically justified. Animals may continue to be used where no validated alternative exists. Progress will be assessed through publicly reported delivery updates, key performance indicators and a dashboard tracking implementation of the strategy.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the energy support measures announced in the Autumn Budget 2026, what estimate he has made of the number of students living in halls of residence and purpose-built student accommodation who will not be eligible for the Household Energy Payment; and whether he plans to issue guidance to local authorities on including those students and tenants of houses in multiple occupation in the eligibility criteria for the £100 million discretionary fund for households not eligible for that payment.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
To help households with the rising cost of energy, the government will provide a £100 Household Energy Payment for households in council tax bands A to D for this year. Halls of residence and purpose built student accommodation that fall outside the council tax system will not be eligible for the Household Energy Payment. However, the government recognises that some households which are not eligible for the Household Energy Payment may still need support. The government is therefore providing £100 million for local authorities in England to provide further support to households most acutely impacted by rising energy bills.
Local authorities are best placed to identify and support vulnerable households in their area, and the government will issue guidance to local authorities on this in due course.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions officials have had with online marketplaces regarding the sale of illegal e-bike conversion kits and non-compliant e-scooters.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency's Market Surveillance Unit (MSU) actively monitors the market, investigates mis-selling, and can take appropriate action in line with its statutory remit. The MSU has established a process for notifying online marketplaces of non-compliant e-bikes where listings do not make clear that they cannot legally be used on the road.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what data her Department holds on fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in e-bikes and e-scooters in each of the last three years, broken down by region.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) does not currently hold data on the number of fires caused by lithium-ion battery failures attended by Fire and Rescue Services in e-bikes and e-scooters or any other forms of transport.
MHCLG collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs), with this data including the cause of the fire and the source of the ignition. This data is published in a variety of publications, available here. This does not yet include data on whether fire incidents attended were caused by lithium-ion failures.
The Fire and Rescue Analysis Platform (FaRDaP) is now used for the collection of fire and rescue incident data, and work is ongoing to review and update the information collected, including consideration of whether data covering the role of lithium-ion batteries in fire incidents can be captured in future.
In addition, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) conducts research into product safety risks associated with lithium-ion batteries and are working closely with MHCLG and other Government Departments to develop this knowledge base. A report from January 2025 by the OPSS that covers the root causes of fire incidents often associated with lithium-ion battery failures is available here.