Written questions by Coutinho.

Whether any cost benefit analysis conducted by his Department on linking the UK Emissions Trading Scheme with the EU Emissions Trading Scheme assessed the potential impact of higher UK Allowance prices on UK industry and consumers as a result of price convergence.

The price of carbon allowances in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme is set by the market.As the conveners of the market the Government is not able to comment on current prices and price movements. Linking the UK ETS and EU ETS is expected to bring significant economic benefits to the UK. These include for example providing businesses with access to a larger, stable carbon market; and the removal of some of the regulatory barriers in sectors like CO2 storage. Additionally, linking is expected to create the conditions for mutual CBAM exemptions, removing a major barrier to trade and lowering costs for UK firms.

What assessment his Department has made of the additional cost to businesses and consumers since the beginning of 2025 arising from increase UK ETS Allowance prices following the announcement of the Government’s intention to link the UK Emissions Trading Scheme with the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

The price of carbon allowances in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme is set by the market.As the conveners of the market the Government is not able to comment on current prices and price movements. Linking the UK ETS and EU ETS is expected to bring significant economic benefits to the UK. These include for example providing businesses with access to a larger, stable carbon market; and the removal of some of the regulatory barriers in sectors like CO2 storage. Additionally, linking is expected to create the conditions for mutual CBAM exemptions, removing a major barrier to trade and lowering costs for UK firms.

Whether the Government's position that aligning the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme will prevent an £800 million impact from the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, refers to savings in a single year or to a cumulative impact over multiple years.

Linking the UK ETS and EU ETS is expected to bring significant economic benefits to the UK. These include providing businesses with access to a larger, stable carbon market; the removal of regulatory barriers in sectors like CO2 storage; supporting UK renewable rollout; and lowering electricity costs in the long run. Additionally, linking is expected to create the conditions for mutual CBAM exemptions, removing a major barrier to trade and lowering costs for UK firms. The £800m estimate is from a Frontier Economics report and refers to cumulative savings between 2026 and 2030.

What the source is for the Government's claim that aligning the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme will save British businesses £800 million.

Linking the UK ETS and EU ETS is expected to bring significant economic benefits to the UK. These include providing businesses with access to a larger, stable carbon market; the removal of regulatory barriers in sectors like CO2 storage; supporting UK renewable rollout; and lowering electricity costs in the long run. Additionally, linking is expected to create the conditions for mutual CBAM exemptions, removing a major barrier to trade and lowering costs for UK firms. The £800m estimate is from a Frontier Economics report and refers to cumulative savings between 2026 and 2030.

Whether the new British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will be funded through a) the Exchequer, b) energy suppliers or c) another source.

As stated in the Modern Industrial Strategy, the Government intends to fund the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme by bearing down on costs across the energy system to ensure that the scheme is delivered in line with our wider priorities to deliver affordable power for businesses and households. For example, the proposals in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's recent consultations on changes to inflation indexation of the Renewables Obligation and Feed-In Tariffs schemes, if implemented, could contribute to that goal.

With reference to the oral answer by the Prime Minister of 3 December 2025, Official Report, column 980, what the evidence basis is for the statement that the energy bills package announced in the Budget will cut energy bills for every family by £150.

The recent Budget acts to take an average £150 of costs off household energy bills from April 2026. As a result of this action, people can expect to see a significant saving on their bills.

Whether her Department has entered into any contracts with external organisations to review the use of risk assessment tools to prevent violence against women and girls, including the Domestic Abuse, Stalking, Harassment and Honour Based Violence risk checklist, known as DASH.

I am aware of challenges in the existing system for identifying, assessing and responding to domestic abuse risk, and we are committed to ensuring it is as effective as possible.It is vital that the police are supported with the right training and tools to identify offences and protect victims. That is why, as part of our £13 million investment into the new National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and Public Protection, the Centre will conduct a robust review of the range of risk assessment tools available to policing to drive improved practice nationwide, pinpointing areas for improvement.We have separately funded the charity SafeLives to conduct engagement with the VAWG sector and other experts on the existing risk system. This will inform new non-statutory guidance on best practice for effective multi-agency working on domestic abuse and risk.

Communities and Local Government, whether external (a) organisations and (b) stakeholders have been invited to view the Working Group on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition's draft definition of Islamophobia/Anti-Muslim hatred in advance of publication.

As part of the Government’s careful consideration of the Working Group’s advice, officials have undertaken some limited and focused informal engagement with stakeholders. It is standard practice for Government to engage stakeholders on policy development.Following consideration of the above, we will make any relevant announcements in due course.

Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the names of the (a) organisations and (b) stakeholders that have viewed the Working Group on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition's draft definition of Islamophobia/Anti-Muslim hatred in advance of publication.

As part of the Government’s careful consideration of the Working Group’s advice, officials have undertaken some limited and focused informal engagement with stakeholders. It is standard practice for Government to engage stakeholders on policy development.Following consideration of the above, we will make any relevant announcements in due course.

Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the proposed definition of Islamophobia/Anti-Muslim Hatred in advance of its adoption.

As part of the Government’s careful consideration of the Working Group’s advice, officials have undertaken some limited and focused informal engagement with stakeholders. It is standard practice for Government to engage stakeholders on policy development.Following consideration of the above, we will make any relevant announcements in due course.

Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the advice provided to the Government by the Working Group on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition.

As part of the Government’s careful consideration of the Working Group’s advice, officials have undertaken some limited and focused informal engagement with stakeholders. It is standard practice for Government to engage stakeholders on policy development.Following consideration of the above, we will make any relevant announcements in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer on 5 November 2025 to Question 86737 on Energy: Prices, for what reason his intention to cut energy bills by £300 by 2030 was not included in his Department's publication entitled Carbon budget and growth delivery plan, published on 29 October 2025.

The Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan sets out how the UK will continue to reduce emissions in a way that lowers bills and secures good jobs, in line with the landmark 2008 Climate Change Act. In this document and those published alongside it, the government reconfirmed the commitments made in the Clean Power Action Plan to make Britain a clean energy superpower, and to get the UK off the rollercoaster of fossil fuel prices and onto clean, homegrown power that we control. Our plan for clean power by 2030 will bring down wholesale prices and reduce energy bill volatility.

How many (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) civil servants from his Department will attend the COP30 summit in Belem in November 2025; and whether these figures apply to (i) his Department and (ii) other departments.

The full, confirmed list of delegates who attend COP is published by the UNFCCC each year, after COP has concluded. The UK delegation to COP30 will be significantly smaller than the delegation to COP29 in Baku last year. The UK delegation includes Ministers and negotiators working together to represent the British people on the world stage fighting for investment, jobs, energy security, and action on the climate crisis.

Whether it remains his policy to cut energy bills by £300 by 2030.

It remains our intention to cut energy bills by up to £300 by 2030. The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently. The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy and have less reliance on volatile international energy markets and help in our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030. This, combined with our Warm Homes Plan to upgrade millions of homes to make them warmer and cheaper to run is how we will drive down energy bills and make cold homes a thing of the past. A clean power system will also help protect consumers from global gas prices and fluctuations which drove increases of over £1,300 in the electricity price cap for a typical household during winter 22/23.

How many times Ministers in his Department have met with representatives of the Nursing and Midwifery Council in the last 12 months.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the independent regulator of nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom, and nursing associates in England. The NMC is independent of Government, directly accountable to Parliament and is responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties. The UK's model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government.The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care oversees the bodies that regulate health and care professionals in the UK, which includes the NMC. As the Minister of State for Health (Secondary Care), I monitor the NMC’s performance and meet with the organisation regularly. In line with the Ministerial Code, details of all ministerial meetings, including those with the NMC, are published quarterly on the GOV.UK website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-overseas-travel-and-meetings

Which Minister has responsibility for oversight of the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the independent regulator of nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom, and nursing associates in England. The NMC is independent of Government, directly accountable to Parliament and is responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties. The UK's model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government.The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care oversees the bodies that regulate health and care professionals in the UK, which includes the NMC. As the Minister of State for Health (Secondary Care), I monitor the NMC’s performance and meet with the organisation regularly. In line with the Ministerial Code, details of all ministerial meetings, including those with the NMC, are published quarterly on the GOV.UK website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-overseas-travel-and-meetings

With reference to the statutory guidance entitled Preparing your data, updated on 11 August 2025, for what reason it is her policy that an employer may exclude an employee who does not self-identify as either gender from the relevant calculations.

The current gender pay gap reporting guidance was drafted in order to reduce the burden on business, and be mindful of variations in their data collection processes. This part of the guidance has not been updated recently. We regularly look at a range of considerations when it comes to gender pay gap reporting and updating existing guidance, and we will continue to do so. For example, while the reference to non-binary employees has not been recently updated, a different section of the guidance was updated on 11 August 2025 to publish the latest Behaviour Insights Guidance for employers. We recognise the Supreme Court judgment has changed the landscape in this area; and we are carefully contemplating the impact of the ruling.

How many hours of staff time are taken up by the average Nursing and Midwifery Council disciplinary process.

The Department does not hold this information centrally. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the independent regulator of nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom, and nursing associates in England. The UK's model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government.All registered health and social care professions in the UK pay an annual registration fee to their regulatory body. Registrant fees are used to fund the NMC's operations, including its fitness to practise processes. Being funded by registrant fees enables the NMC to maintain its independence, allowing it to take action if it identifies risks to patient safety or the public’s confidence in the profession.

What the average cost to the public purse is of a Nursing and Midwifery Council disciplinary process.

The Department does not hold this information centrally. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the independent regulator of nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom, and nursing associates in England. The UK's model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government.All registered health and social care professions in the UK pay an annual registration fee to their regulatory body. Registrant fees are used to fund the NMC's operations, including its fitness to practise processes. Being funded by registrant fees enables the NMC to maintain its independence, allowing it to take action if it identifies risks to patient safety or the public’s confidence in the profession.

What the average length of time taken is for the Nursing and Midwifery Council to resolve a disciplinary complaint.

The Department does not hold this information centrally. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the independent regulator of nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom, and nursing associates in England. The UK's model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government.All registered health and social care professions in the UK pay an annual registration fee to their regulatory body. Registrant fees are used to fund the NMC's operations, including its fitness to practise processes. Being funded by registrant fees enables the NMC to maintain its independence, allowing it to take action if it identifies risks to patient safety or the public’s confidence in the profession.