Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to protect leaseholders from paying for heat network remediation costs.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The rules of the Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme (HNTAS) are still under development. They are designed to be proportionate, deliver better quality of service and to reduce consumer costs in the longer term. We plan to publish a consultation on HNTAS this summer. We are exploring options to support the sector, including leaseholders. Recognising that the availability of support will have a significant bearing on the sector’s ability to fund and achieve proposed HNTAS requirements, we encourage stakeholders to respond to the consultation once published.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the (a) total and (b) per dwelling building remediation costs associated with the proposed Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The rules of the Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme (HNTAS) are still under development, and it would be inappropriate to pre-emptively set out potential costs ahead of publishing our technical standards consultation and options assessment this summer.
To support the sector with remediation costs arising due to HNTAS, the Heat Networks Efficiency Scheme will deploy up to £75 million of capital grants and £2 million of revenue grants between 2023 and 2028.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will update the Decent Homes Standard for social housing to ensure that kitchens over 20 years old are renewed by social landlords.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government will consult this year on a new Decent Homes Standard for the social and private rented sectors.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the White Paper entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published on 12 May 2025, when she plans to publish further information on how changes to the five-year settlement pathway will affect people already in the UK on a pathway to settlement.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be provided at that time.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on whether former SAS soldiers working in private mercenary companies had any involvement in the committing of war crimes during the Sri Lankan civil war.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is committed to human rights in Sri Lanka for all its communities and will continue to press for truth, reconciliation, accountability and justice for victims of the Sri Lankan civil war. On 24 March, the Foreign Secretary announced sanctions on four Sri Lankan individuals responsible for serious human rights abuses and violations during the Sri Lanka civil war.
We take very seriously the allegations raised in relation to the committing of war crimes during the conflict in Sri Lanka. In March 2020, the Metropolitan Police War Crimes Team received a referral regarding British mercenaries in Sri Lanka during the 1980s which started an investigation into these claims. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has previously assisted the police in relation to this matter but does not hold any relevant information. We are not able to provide further comment on the content of relevant information, as the investigation by the police is ongoing.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will ensure that consideration of (a) maternity pay and (b) pregnancy poverty are included in the work of the child poverty taskforce.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Poverty Taskforce is considering all children across the United Kingdom and is exploring all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty.
The Taskforce is listening to experts and campaigners and ensuring the voices of families and children with experience of poverty are brought into policy thinking and decision making as part of the development of the Child Poverty Strategy. This programme of work has ensured people’s experiences have been shared with Ministers and senior decision makers, and the findings are directly informing the development of the Strategy.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her planned timetable is for providing eVisas to (a) people on leave extended by section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 and (b) others; and when that rollout will be completed.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We are developing a border and immigration system that is more digital and streamlined.
We plan to provide digital status for all those with a valid UK immigration status, including those on whose permission has been extended by section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971. This is being rolled out gradually as we transition to a digital system.
We do not currently produce data on the number of people whose permission has been extended by section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 and who have eVisas. Also, this number would change on a daily basis as people make new applications and applications are decided.
People with UKVI accounts and eVisas are already able to prove their status digitally. When they subsequently submit a valid, in-time immigration application and their permission has been extended by section 3C, their eVisa will automatically reflect that.
A small proportion of people who submitted immigration applications before they were transitioned to an eVisa, for which an outcome is still pending, will be unable to demonstrate that their permission has been extended by section 3C using our digital services. However, their digital immigration status will be updated when their pending application is decided, and if it is granted, they will receive an eVisa.
If a person’s eVisa does not display their 3C leave because their pending application was made before the eVisa system went live, and they need to prove their right to work or to rent whilst their application remains outstanding, employers can use the Employers Checking Service (ECS) and landlords can use the Landlord Checking Service. These services are for people with outstanding applications, administrative reviews, or appeals, who cannot provide evidence of their status digitally.
If a government department requires information in relation to benefits and healthcare, and they are unable to confirm an individual's’ immigration status, they are able to seek clarification via the Home Office Status Verification Enquiry and Checking Service (SVEC).
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people on leave extended by section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 have been provided e-Visas.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We are developing a border and immigration system that is more digital and streamlined.
We plan to provide digital status for all those with a valid UK immigration status, including those on whose permission has been extended by section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971. This is being rolled out gradually as we transition to a digital system.
We do not currently produce data on the number of people whose permission has been extended by section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 and who have eVisas. Also, this number would change on a daily basis as people make new applications and applications are decided.
People with UKVI accounts and eVisas are already able to prove their status digitally. When they subsequently submit a valid, in-time immigration application and their permission has been extended by section 3C, their eVisa will automatically reflect that.
A small proportion of people who submitted immigration applications before they were transitioned to an eVisa, for which an outcome is still pending, will be unable to demonstrate that their permission has been extended by section 3C using our digital services. However, their digital immigration status will be updated when their pending application is decided, and if it is granted, they will receive an eVisa.
If a person’s eVisa does not display their 3C leave because their pending application was made before the eVisa system went live, and they need to prove their right to work or to rent whilst their application remains outstanding, employers can use the Employers Checking Service (ECS) and landlords can use the Landlord Checking Service. These services are for people with outstanding applications, administrative reviews, or appeals, who cannot provide evidence of their status digitally.
If a government department requires information in relation to benefits and healthcare, and they are unable to confirm an individual's’ immigration status, they are able to seek clarification via the Home Office Status Verification Enquiry and Checking Service (SVEC).
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the (a) monitoring and (b) treatment of tuberculosis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Tuberculosis (TB) is a statutorily notifiable disease in the United Kingdom. Surveillance data on all individuals diagnosed with TB is collected via the UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) National TB Surveillance System (NTBS), which was launched in 2021 to replace older systems.
Scotland joined the NTBS in March 2025, bringing all four UK nations into a single system to improve TB control. Regular data and analysis to support TB control activities is published by the UKHSA, with both annual and quarterly analyses and updates available, respectively, at the following two links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tuberculosis-in-england-2024-report
Annual data sorted by National Health Service and local authority geographies is also available publicly on the Fingertips website, which is available at the following link:
https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/tb-monitoring
The UKHSA and NHS England’s joint Tuberculosis (TB): action plan for England, 2021 to 2026 details actions to support prevention, detection, and control of TB. This includes actions targeted at improving treatment completion and ensuring effective management of drug-resistant TB.
The UKHSA routinely undertakes whole genome sequencing of all TB strains through the National Mycobacterial Reference Service to support treatment decisions based on resistance profiles and public health action with high resolution typing.
NHS England and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital’s Getting it Right First Time review of TB services reported in March 2025, with a series of recommendations to reduce unwarranted variation and improve care, including to underserved populations. Work is underway, including a call for evidence launched on 2 April 2025, to review and update the national action plan, with further information available at the following link:
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the number of incidences of upskirting.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a top priority for this Government and we are committed to addressing all forms of VAWG, including non-contact sexual offences, such as exposure and voyeurism (such as so-called 'upskirting').
Through the Crime and Policing Bill, three new offences will be introduced, for the taking of intimate images without consent, alongside two offences for the installation of equipment with intent to enable these offences. This will cover a broader range of behaviour than the two existing voyeurism offences that they will replace.
We will continue to work with law enforcement agencies to ensure that the right powers are available for the authorities to tackle sexual crimes, bring perpetrators to justice and manage sex offenders. More broadly, we will be publishing a new VAWG Strategy later this year, taking forward our unprecedented mission to halve VAWG over the next decade.