Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the financial resilience and tax arrangements of companies holding Private Finance Initiative contracts.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government’s preferred financing model for any type of infrastructure project is the one that offers the best value for money. Proposals are appraised on a case-by-case basis using the Green Book.
Public sector contracting authorities directly manage Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts and are responsible for monitoring and managing their respective contracts to ensure value for money.
Since 2020, the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA), formerly Infrastructure and Projects Authority, has provided advice and training directly to contracting authorities to support them in navigating issues relating to PFI projects (operational and expiry-related).
PFI payments are made by “unitary charge”, which are not broken down by underlying cost drivers. Therefore, the proportion of payments that are (a) capital repayment, (b) interest and (c) service charges is not readily available, nor is data on costs which have arisen because of inflation and indexing.
Data on PFI and PF2 projects can be found at the following weblink: PFI and PF2 projects: 2024 Summary Data - GOV.UK
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which projects in Nigeria (a) receive funding from the Integrated Security Fund and (b) have ceased to receive funding from the Integrated Security Fund in the previous five financial years.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Since 1 April 2024 the cross-government Integrated Security Fund (ISF), and the previous Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) have funded projects in Nigeria led by several government departments.
The CSSF and ISF has funded projects supporting Nigeria’s security and resilience in line with our priorities identified through the UK–Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership Dialogue. This has included projects dedicated to security sector reform to better meet the security needs of communities in vulnerable areas, strengthen accountability, improve the inclusion of women and girls to advance peacebuilding efforts and improve regional and inter-agency coordination. The ISF also funds projects which improve Nigeria’s capability to counter terrorism, serious and organised crime and illicit finance which directly threaten the UK and our interests. Historically the CSSF and ISF have funded projects to enhance Nigeria’s cyber resilience and reduce the upstream drivers of illicit migration to the UK.
The ISF is an agile fund, which directs its funding towards projects focused on tackling the top national security threats to the UK, and therefore ceases funding projects which have achieved their objectives, or when funding can be better directed to address more pressing threats.
The Hon Member can find further details on Overseas Development Aid (ODA) programmes supported in Nigeria on the GOV.UK Development Tracker (https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/).
Asked by: Claire Hazelgrove (Labour - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability, affordability and terms of insurance for people (a) diagnosed with sickle cell disease and (b) carrying the sickle cell trait.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government has not made a specific assessment regarding insurance for individuals with sickle cell disease. However, the government recognises the important role of insurance products in building the financial resilience of consumers and protecting them when things go wrong. The government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy seeks to close gaps in protection and ensure that the insurance sector is well-placed to support the financial wellbeing of households and vulnerable customers.
The Equality Act 2010 generally prohibits discrimination based on certain personal characteristics. However, the law accepts that some exceptions, relating to age and disability, apply for insurance. The Act stipulates an insurance provider cannot refuse to cover potential consumers or charge more for insurance as a result of these characteristics, unless they base their risk assessment on relevant information from a reliable source and (in the case of the disability exception) it is reasonable for the insurer to refuse cover or charge more.
However, the Financial Conduct Authority, as the independent regulator, requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value. The FCA has been clear that it will be monitoring firms, and, where necessary, it will take action.
Since 2021, the FCA has required firms providing travel insurance to signpost consumers with pre-existing medical conditions to a directory of specialist providers if they are declined cover, offered cover with an exclusion, or charged a significantly higher premium based on a pre-existing medical condition.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, where saplings planted to meet EIP25 interim targets will be sourced from.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra’s Nature for Climate Fund continues to invest working to increase the availability of domestically grown saplings for woodland creation through its Sector Capacity project. Forestry Commission publish annually the Tree Supply Report and Tree Nursery Directories to bring visibility to the market and work closely with the nurseries to assess trends in the market. There is an increasingly strong supply of trees from across the UK and beyond, as highlighted in the Tree Supply Report.
Through the Tree Supply Report, we estimate that over 161 million trees were grown in Great Britain in 24/25, 1,000,000 more than the previous year. This has built up resilience in our seed and tree supply, improving ability to meet the interim target of reaching 16.5% tree canopy and woodland cover by 2050. The Nature for Climate Fund funded grants this financial year of up to £7.8 million capital investment in tree production through the Tree Production Capital Grant; £7.8 million supporting innovation in tree production through the Tree Production Innovation Fund and £871K supporting tree seed sourcing through the Seed Sourcing Grant. We have also invested in Forestry England developing a state-of-the-art new Seed processing unit at Delamere. As well as processing seed for use in the nation’s forests, this facility will continue to make surplus seed from a limited number of species available to the private sector.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data the Department holds on the expected uptake of family financial resilience programmes in Hexham constituency under the Child Poverty Strategy.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We do not hold data on the expected uptake of family financial resilience programmes in the North East region, including the Hexham and Northumberland constituencies under the Child Poverty Strategy.
The Strategy recognises the important role that financial resilience must play in supporting families in poverty. The new £1 billion (including Barnett consequential) Crisis and Resilience Fund, launching in April 2026, will invest in local financial resilience to enable communities to better deal with crises in the long-term, reducing dependence and repeat need.
Alongside this, the government is boosting financial resilience through helping low-income families to save, increasing debt advice provision and providing financial education and money management tools. The Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy, published on 5 November 2025, brings together the foundations of financial resilience in support of the Child Poverty Strategy.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data the Department holds on the expected uptake of family financial resilience programmes in the North East under the Child Poverty Strategy.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We do not hold data on the expected uptake of family financial resilience programmes in the North East region, including the Hexham and Northumberland constituencies under the Child Poverty Strategy.
The Strategy recognises the important role that financial resilience must play in supporting families in poverty. The new £1 billion (including Barnett consequential) Crisis and Resilience Fund, launching in April 2026, will invest in local financial resilience to enable communities to better deal with crises in the long-term, reducing dependence and repeat need.
Alongside this, the government is boosting financial resilience through helping low-income families to save, increasing debt advice provision and providing financial education and money management tools. The Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy, published on 5 November 2025, brings together the foundations of financial resilience in support of the Child Poverty Strategy.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data the Department holds on the expected uptake of family financial resilience programmes in Northumberland under the Child Poverty Strategy.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We do not hold data on the expected uptake of family financial resilience programmes in the North East region, including the Hexham and Northumberland constituencies under the Child Poverty Strategy.
The Strategy recognises the important role that financial resilience must play in supporting families in poverty. The new £1 billion (including Barnett consequential) Crisis and Resilience Fund, launching in April 2026, will invest in local financial resilience to enable communities to better deal with crises in the long-term, reducing dependence and repeat need.
Alongside this, the government is boosting financial resilience through helping low-income families to save, increasing debt advice provision and providing financial education and money management tools. The Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy, published on 5 November 2025, brings together the foundations of financial resilience in support of the Child Poverty Strategy.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) financial support and (b) support for (i) relocation, (ii) purchase of replacement housing and (iii) compensation for loss of property value is available to households in Hemsby whose properties are lost to coastal erosion.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency administers and assures the coastal erosion assistance grant (CEAG) on behalf of Defra. A grant of £6,000 per property is available to support the prompt and safe demolition of homes at greatest risk of loss from erosion. Local authorities can apply for the grant to help with the costs associated with demolishing residential property at risk of loss and basic moving costs if appropriate.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council is a partner in the £8 million Resilient Coasts project – part of the Government’s £150 million Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme. This project is developing new, innovative methods to build resilience and help communities adapt to flooding and coastal erosion. The local project team are trialling new mechanisms to create a self-sustaining fund to help communities at risk of coastal erosion.
Asked by: Baroness Tyler of Enfield (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Chancellor’s letter of 14 November 2024 on the remit and recommendations for the Financial Policy Committee, what assessment they have made of the extent to which the Financial Conduct Authority has implemented its requirement to ‘have regard’ to reinforcing financial inclusion.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Ensuring everyone has access to the financial services and products they need is a key priority for the Government. This is why we recently published the Financial Inclusion Strategy setting out a range of measures to improve financial inclusion and resilience for underserved groups across the UK.
The Chancellor recognised the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) role in reinforcing financial inclusion in the most recent remit letter, which asks them to have regard to the Government’s priorities in relation to this. The FCA is required to respond annually to the remit letter and in its most recent response, published in July 2025, Nikhil Rathi (FCA CEO) emphasised the FCA’s support for the Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy which was developed with input from a committee of consumer and industry representatives, including the FCA given their key role in the sector.
The FCA has a range of powers which it is using to promote financial inclusion and resilience and will play a key role in the delivery of several interventions within the strategy. We continue to engage closely with the FCA on this and the successful implementation of the strategy more broadly.
Asked by: Baroness Tyler of Enfield (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to develop metrics to evaluate the (1) implementation, and (2) impact, of the Financial Inclusion Strategy.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
In early November, the Government published its Financial Inclusion Strategy, setting out an ambitious programme of measures to improve financial inclusion and resilience for underserved groups across the UK. This includes interventions by both Government and industry to address barriers individuals and households face in accessing financial products, such as supporting people to open a bank account, build a savings habit, and access affordable credit
As part of developing the strategy, the Government has engaged with Financial Inclusion Committee members and other organisations on how best to measure its implementation and impact. The strategy is expected to have a positive impact on a range of outputs including, for example the proportion of UK adults who are unbanked
The strategy’s implementation will be reviewed in two years’ time, providing an update on delivery of the interventions and on relevant outcomes‑based metrics, which will reflect the progress made across the sector
The Government recognises that improving financial inclusion requires a joined‑up approach and will continue to work closely with industry, the Financial Conduct Authority and wider stakeholders as we implement the strategy.