Written questions by Dewhirst.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of full electrification on (a) fish and chip shops, (b) other businesses and (c) economic growth.

Fuel switching from fossil fuels to electricity has the potential to significantly reduce emissions, making a central contribution to our carbon budget commitments. Clean, homegrown energy is the best way to protect billpayers and boost Britain's energy independence. This will allow the UK to build an energy system that can bring down bills for households and businesses for good. Many electric technologies are more efficient than their gas counterparts, and therefore electrification has the potential to lower energy requirements for sites. The Government remains committed to supporting electrification and addressing the barriers to investment in electric technology. This includes further development of policy options to address the high cost of electricity relative to natural gas, and the implementation of planning reforms to speed up infrastructure development and unblock issues on grid connection delays. Taking the points specified in the hon Member’s question in turn: A) Fish & chip shops: Alongside the electrification of heating and cooling, a key approach for full electrification of a fish & chip shop could be switching from a gas fryer to an electric fryer. An electric fryer is more energy efficient and generally requires less maintenance than a gas fryer, but also tends to require higher upfront costs, and currently results in higher operating costs due to the higher price of electricity compared to gas. B) Businesses: For many businesses based in commercial units or offices, full electrification would require an electric source of heating and cooling, such as heat pumps or electric boilers. Heat pumps are highly efficient, reducing carbon emission significantly, and can provide both heating and cooling. As with the gas fryer, greater energy efficiency from heat pumps and electric boilers would reduce energy consumption, however upfront costs and operating costs are generally higher than gas alternatives. Some businesses with high temperature heat requirements, such as those involved in manufacturing, amy also require more specialised electrification technologies. C) Economic growth Electrification is the future for most UK industries, and brings with it a range of economic benefits. These include boosting the domestic supply chain, and supporting UK businesses to be more productive. Electrification will reduce the UK’s reliance on volatile fossil fuel prices, making the UK a more attractive place to do business leading to increased growth and jobs.At present, government provides grants of up to £7,500 for low carbon heating systems through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which are available to small commercial buildings.

Whether (a) fish and chip shops and (b) other catering businesses will be required to replace existing gas cooking equipment.

Fuel switching from fossil fuels to electricity has the potential to significantly reduce emissions, making a central contribution to our carbon budget commitments. Clean, homegrown energy is the best way to protect billpayers and boost Britain's energy independence. This will allow the UK to build an energy system that can bring down bills for households and businesses for good. Many electric technologies are more efficient than their gas counterparts, and therefore electrification has the potential to lower energy requirements for sites. The Government remains committed to supporting electrification and addressing the barriers to investment in electric technology. This includes further development of policy options to address the high cost of electricity relative to natural gas, and the implementation of planning reforms to speed up infrastructure development and unblock issues on grid connection delays.

What discussions his Department has had with (a) fish and chip and (b) other commercial food providers on pressures faced by SMEs due to (i) taxation, (ii) the price of fish and (iii) the expense of full electrification.

Fish and chip shops are integral to our high streets, communities and culture. Commercial food providers more broadly play a key role in supporting economic growth in every corner of the UK. I recognise that these businesses are being challenged by rising costs, but we are protecting the smallest businesses by increasing the Employment Allowance and creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street. The Government remains committed to supporting electrification and addressing the barriers to investment in electric technology. This includes further development of policy options to address the high cost of electricity relative to natural gas, and the implementation of planning reforms to speed up infrastructure development and unblock issues on grid connection delays.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the policies of the Moroccan government on providing aid for (a) security and (b) development to help tackle fragility in the wider Sahel region.

The UK and Morocco share concern about the security and development issues faced by Sahelian countries. In the Sahel, the UK provided £177 million in bilateral Official Developmental Assistance in the financial year ending in 2025, including £46 million on health, £83 million on humanitarian, and £12 million on promoting stability and conflict prevention. UK embassies and aid programmes in Mali, Niger, Chad and Mauritania and aid programmes in Burkina Faso promote UK interests and seek to address the root causes of recurrent crises in the Sahel, working with international partners including Morocco. The UK's continued engagement and humanitarian aid helps reduce instability in the Sahel and impact on neighbouring states including Morocco and manage threats to our national security.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on whether (a) the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and (b) Hezbollah have provided military training and drone technology to the Polisario Front; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of this alleged collaboration on UK interests in (i) north and (ii) west Africa.

We do not have information to confirm the allegation of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or Hezbollah provision of military training and drone technology to the Polisario Front. We continue to support UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.The UK has long condemned the destabilising activity of the IRGC and its regional partners and proxies, including Lebanese Hezbollah. We will continue to work with partners to tackle Iran's destabilising activity.

What steps his Department is taking to encourage UK companies to invest in Morocco’s Western Sahara region, in the context of (a) levels of (i) economic growth and (ii) infrastructure development in the region and (b) the UK-Morocco association agreement.

It is for companies to make their own decisions regarding investments in Western Sahara, as in any other region, based on the information available to them including from the Department of Business and Trade.Products originating in Western Sahara, subject to controls by customs authorities of Morocco, benefit from the same trade preferences as those granted by the United Kingdom to products covered by the UK-Morocco Association Agreement. The application of the Agreement is without prejudice to our position on the status of Western Sahara. The UK supports UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with regional allies on tackling Iran's alleged (a) involvement in training Polisario militias and (b) strategy to destabilise the region.

The UK has not seen requisite evidence to raise concerns with allies regarding the allegation of Iranian involvement in training of Polisario Front. However, we continue to monitor Iranian activity in the region. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office regards the Polisario Front as a pro-independence movement and party to a UN-mediated dispute. The UK continues to support UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.

If she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of proscribing membership of the Polisario Front.

Whilst the Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under constant review, we do not routinely comment on intelligence and security matters, including whether or not an organisation is under consideration for proscription.

What discussions she has had with (a) Network Rail and (b) the Office of Rail and Road on the necessary provision of information by Network Rail to the Office of Rail and Road, so the Office of Rail and Road can take decisions on open access rail applications.

The Department for Transport works closely with both the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) and Network Rail to ensure that information to inform access decisions is provided in as timely a manner as possible. However, it is important that decisions are fully considered and potential impacts to taxpayers, the efficient and reliable operation of the network, and to other operators are properly assessed.

For what reason LNER has withdrawn its London to Sunderland services from the East Coast Main Line timetable.

The recast timetable being implemented in December 2025 can no longer accommodate the London North Eastern Railway (LNER) service. This was made clear in the 2021 consultation.The new December 2025 East Coast Timetable change will see additional services between Sunderland and Newcastle where passengers can join the East Coast Mainline.Regular metro services provide connectivity to Newcastle where two LNER trains operate to London per hour and Grand Central has increased its services from five to six trains per day between London King’s Cross and Sunderland.

If she will make an estimate of the costs to LNER of operating once-a-day train services to (a) Hull and (b) Bradford.

London North Eastern Railway (LNER) already operates one service a day to Hull and two services a day, increasing to seven next month, to Bradford. The cost of these services are included within LNER's annual budget agreed by the Department.

How much funding has been (a) allocated to and (b) spent by the Great British Railways Transition Team since it was established; and how many external consultants were employed by that team on 28 April 2025.

The Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT) was set up as a temporary organisation under the previous government to design and transition towards Great British Railways, including building cross-industry capability. Total funding allocated to GBRTT was: £20.9m in the financial year 2021-22; £54.4m in financial year 2022-23; £50m in financial year 2023-24; and £29.3m in financial year 2024-25. Total funding spent by GBRTT was: £12.9m in the financial year 2021-22; £52.7m in the financial year 2022-23, £41.3m in the financial year 2023-24; and £27.6m in the financial year 2024-25. No external consultants were employed by GBRTT on 28 April 2025. No staff have been employed by GBRTT since 31 March 2025.

With reference to the CBI Economics' report entitled The Economic and Fiscal Impacts of Changes to BPR and APR, published in March 2025, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the report’s finding on the impact of changes to agricultural property relief and business property relief on (a) trends in level of economic growth and (b) fiscal policy.

The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances in a fair way. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free. The reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief are forecast to raise a combined £520 million in 2029-30. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) certified this costing at Autumn Budget 2024 and it does not expect the reforms to have a significant macroeconomic impact. The OBR published information about the costing in the Economic and Fiscal Outlook on 30 October 2024. The OBR published more detail on the costings on 22 January 2025. This material is all available on the OBR’s website.

What information her Department holds on the amount of land owned by Train Operating Companies that is (a) unused, (b) undeveloped and (c) available for commercial use.

The Department does not hold information on land owned by train operating companies as they do not typically own land; rather they lease stations and pay track and depot access charges to the relevant infrastructure owner.

What information her Department holds on the amount of (a) land and (b) property estate owned by Network Rail that is (i) unused, (ii) under-developed and (iii) available for commercial use.

Network Rail owns c.52,000 hectares of land. All of Network Rail’s land is deemed to be operational and required for the specific functioning of the railway network. Land can only be deemed surplus once it has gone through a regulatory process governed by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).Network Rail regularly reviews whether land can be released from operational use and has a pipeline of potential sites that are at different stages of the business release and regulatory process. This is not a static list and information is released to potential purchasers and delivery partners at the appropriate time. Significant sites that are in the pipeline for development, include:Newcastle Forth Yards: a 100-acre regeneration opportunity which could deliver 5,000 new homesManchester Mayfield: opportunity for 1,500 new homesCambridge: a mixed-use development with 425 homesNottingham: 200 new homes following 348 successfully delivered homes at The Barnum, Nottingham Network Rail also owns, and manages, other commercial uses on its estate principally within in its managed stations (retail and advertising for example) and within the retained arch portfolio.

What progress her Department has made with the Office of Rail and Road and Network Rail on (a) identifying unused track access rights and (b) making underused rail capacity available to open access operators.

Identification and address of unused track access rights is through the robust industry process for maintenance of rights in accordance with the Network Code, applied by the Operators and Network Rail as overseen by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). Open access operators may apply to utilise available capacity alongside operators contracted by Government. It will then be a matter for Network Rail and the ORR to decide through the established systems and processes how capacity should ultimately be allocated.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes in the level of the employer National Insurance contributions on the economy in Wales.

The government recognises the need to protect the smallest employers which is why we have more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning more than half of businesses with NICs liabilities either gain or see no change. SMEs account for 99.3% of total enterprises in Wales. The previous Conservative Government left us a £22bn black hole in public finances and the highest debt burden in 70 years – we are fixing the mess the party left to kickstart economic growth and put more money in people’s pockets.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the Terms of Reference for the appointment of Baroness Batters to lead a Farm Profitability Review.

The Terms of Reference for Baroness Minette Batters’ review of farm profitability were published on 7 April 2025 - Farming Profitability Review: terms of reference - GOV.UK.

Pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 25454 on 9 Downing Street: Media, whether his Department has paid OCS; and in which month's transparency data will the cost of the works be published.

Payment will be made through the Government Property Agency, and the cost of these works will be published in due course in Cabinet Office transparency returns.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2025 to Question 34459 on Government Departments: Official Cars, whether the decision on whether specific departmental officials may have use of a car from the Government Car Service is made by (a) the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster’s Private Office, (b) the Cabinet Secretary’s Private Office, (c) the Permanent Secretary’s Private Office, (d) the Cabinet Office Chief Operating Officer’s private office and (e) the Prime Minister’s Private office.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer to Question 34459. The arrangements relating to officials' use of vehicles from the Government Car Service are set out in the Civil Service Management Code. In particular, section 8.2.7 states the conditions under which Permanent Secretaries may use official cars, and states that Permanent Secretaries may determine whether, exceptionally, other senior staff are allowed to use official cars on the same conditions. Departmental Private Offices will administer the allocation; ministerial private offices would not be involved in any such decisions other than in determining if a car is available.