Written questions by Coutinho.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the AI Opportunities Action Plan on the Clean Power Action Plan.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has established the AI for Decarbonisation Virtual Centre of Excellence (ADViCE) to support the development and adoption of AI technologies for decarbonisation.[1] ADViCE has identified seven focus areas where the use of AI can contribute directly to the Clean Power Action Plan, including enabling net zero infrastructure, optimising new connections and maximising flexibility in energy networks.[1] https://www.turing.ac.uk/research/research-projects/advice

How the AI Energy Council will engage with (a) the National Energy System Operator and (b) Distribution Network Operators.

DSIT and DESNZ officials are currently agreeing the membership and Terms of Reference of the AI Energy Council and as part of this they are also discussing how to engage with the National Energy System Operator and Distribution Network Operators.

How the AI Energy Council will engage with the (a) renewables, (b) nuclear, and (c) oil and gas industries.

DSIT and DESNZ officials are currently agreeing the membership and Terms of Reference of the AI Energy Council and as part of this they are also discussing how to engage with the renewables, nuclear, and oil and gas industry.

With reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Energy in response to the hon. Member for Gordon and Buchan during the Oral Statement of 13 January on Gas Storage Levels, Official Report, column 32, if he will publish details of the meetings the Minister for Energy has had with oil and gas companies in Aberdeen since July 2024.

Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Published declarations include the purpose of the meeting and the names of any additional external organisations or individuals in attendance.

If she will direct her Department to share all submissions received for the call for input on single-sex spaces with the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

The Government has written to the EHRC to confirm that we will share all the submissions which met the criteria of the previous Government’s call for input on single-sex spaces guidance.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2025 to Question 21052 on Gender: Public Consultation, if she will publish the submissions to the call for input on single-sex spaces which were determined not to meet the criteria because they contained text which was irrelevant to the request.

The Government has written to the EHRC to confirm that we will share all the submissions with them which met the criteria of the previous Government’s call for input on single-sex spaces guidance in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2025 to Question 21052 on Gender: Public Consultation, if she will publish the submissions to the call for input on single-sex spaces which were determined to have met the submission criteria.

The Government has written to the EHRC to confirm that we will share all the submissions with them which met the criteria of the previous Government’s call for input on single-sex spaces guidance in due course.

If she will publish all submissions to the call for input on single-sex spaces that were determined to have misinterpreted the Equality Act 2010.

The submissions to the previous Government’s call for input on single-sex spaces guidance which seem to have misinterpreted the Equality Act 2010 have been sent to the EHRC, as the relevant independent regulator, for further review.

When his Department plans to publish its response to the consultation entitled NHS Constitution: 10 year review, which closed in June 2024.

In May 2024, the Department consulted on a series of proposed updates to the NHS Constitution as part of the 10-year review. We appreciate the time and care spent by everyone who contributed to the consultation at the time. Following the General Election in 2024, the Department is considering next steps and will provide an update shortly.

With reference to the Response to call for input on single-sex spaces guidance, published on 17 December 2024, if she will publish (a) a list of reasons for submissions being rejected for not meeting the submission criteria and (b) how many submissions were rejected for each reason.

The call for input on single-sex spaces guidance asked specifically for examples of policy or guidance ‘which states that people have a legal right to access single-sex spaces and services according to their self-identified gender’.A total of 3,272 responses (excluding spam or ‘bot’ submissions) were received. Manual review of these responses found that many did not meet the criteria outlined on the call for input gov.uk page under ‘How to respond’. Some responses contained text which was irrelevant to the request (2,160). Some responses did not contain an attachment or a link to a policy or guidance (255). Some responses provided examples that were outside the criteria (196). Some responses met the criteria but provided examples of policies or guidance duplicated by other responses (257). The final sample comprised 404 responses which met the criteria.

With reference to the her Department's publication eneitled Response to call for input on single-sex spaces guidance, published 17 December 2024, how many submissions were received in total.

The call for input on single-sex spaces guidance asked specifically for examples of policy or guidance ‘which states that people have a legal right to access single-sex spaces and services according to their self-identified gender’.A total of 3,272 responses (excluding spam or ‘bot’ submissions) were received. Manual review of these responses found that many did not meet the criteria outlined on the call for input gov.uk page under ‘How to respond’. Some responses contained text which was irrelevant to the request (2,160). Some responses did not contain an attachment or a link to a policy or guidance (255). Some responses provided examples that were outside the criteria (196). Some responses met the criteria but provided examples of policies or guidance duplicated by other responses (257). The final sample comprised 404 responses which met the criteria.

If she will remove Germany from the Gender Recognition Certificate: list of approved countries and territories.

The Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023 was approved by Parliament in April 2024, the first update to the list of approved countries in 13 years.We are committed to more regularly updating the list of approved countries and territories when applying for gender recognition in the UK. We continue to work with our counterparts in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to ensure that any changes internationally are monitored and noted for future updates.

When he plans to publish his Department's assessment of the full systems costs of a fully decarbonised, renewables-based grid by 2030.

The Government published the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan ‘a new era of clean electricity’ on 13 December 2024 detailing our plan to achieve deliver clean power by 2030.

What estimate he has made of carbon prices in 2030.

The price of carbon allowances in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme is set by the market and not the Government. A market-determined price of carbon is the most efficient way to decarbonise the traded sector.It is the role of the UK ETS Authority to set the scheme’s cap, which sets a limit on the volume of greenhouse gases participants captured by the scheme can emit. This ensures the covered sectors will reduce their emissions in line with net zero and establishes a long-term investment signal.

When his Department plans to respond to the suggested guidance on single-sex spaces in the NHS drafted by the Darlington Nurses Union.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care met with five nurses from the Darlington Nursing Union last month, to hear about their concerns regarding single-sex spaces for staff in National Health Service hospitals Since the meeting the nurses have shared correspondence setting out suggested policy on single-sex spaces for staff in the NHS. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will reply at the earliest opportunity. The Government is clear that everybody deserves to feel safe and to be treated with respect at work.

What guidance the Office for Equality and Opportunities has produced on whether positive discrimination on the basis of gender identity is permitted under the Equality Act 2010.

Positive discrimination is treatment which favours someone solely because he or she has a particular protected characteristic such as their sex or race. Positive discrimination is generally unlawful under the Equality Act 2010 and therefore guidance has not been issued.

What her planned timetable is for the publication of the response to the call for evidence on single-sex spaces; and how many responses to the call for evidence have been received.

We will publish a response to the call for input on single-sex spaces guidance, including the number of valid responses, in due course.

What legal costs have been incurred by her Department for the appeal by the Freedom of Speech Union against her decision to pause the implementation of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 as of 1 November 2024.

The requested information is not known while this claim is in process and it is not appropriate to comment on live legal proceedings.

What steps her Department is taking to help counter the influence of the Chinese state in British universities.

The UK welcomes international partnerships and students, including from China, who make a very positive impact on the UK’s higher education (HE) sector, our economy and society as a whole. However, the government will always protect its national security interests, human rights and values.There are a set of measures that protect against undue foreign interference in our universities. These range from the Academic Technology Approval Scheme, which vets students and researchers seeking to study in sensitive areas, to the provisions of the Education Act 1986, which require HE providers to uphold freedom of speech within the law for staff, students and visiting speakers. In England, all registered providers must also uphold applicable public interest governance principles to meet the regulatory requirements of the Office for Students, including principles on academic freedom and accountability, such as operating openly and with integrity.To support the HE sector to maximise the opportunities of international collaboration whilst managing the risks, the government offers practical advice through the National Protective Security Authority, the National Cyber Security Centre and the Research Collaboration and Advice Team. The department works alongside these partners and engages directly with the sector to increase their understanding of the risks and their ability to respond to them.This government will take a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing the UK’s relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests. The department will co-operate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must. We are contributing towards the government’s audit of the UK’s relationship with China as a bilateral and global actor, to improve our ability to understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities China poses.

If she will meet the senior Jewish academics who wrote to her on 11 August 2024 on the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.

My noble Friend, the Minister for Skills Baroness Smith confirmed to the House of Lords on 10 October 2024 that she will meet with the Jewish academics who wrote to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education on 11 August. That meeting has now been arranged by her office. Departmental officials and Minister Smith have met with over 40 individuals to discuss the future of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, including academics with concerns about constraints on freedom of speech and academic freedom, as well as representatives from minority groups. These meetings will inform decision making on the future of the Act.