Written questions by McMurdock.

Innovation and Technology, whether her Department collects data on the number of fraud cases linked to specific online platforms such as social media platforms.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology does not hold data relating to the number of fraudulent or scam adverts on social media or other regulated services.There are mechanisms in the Online Safety Act that allow Ofcom to collect information from categorised services on the incidence and dissemination of illegal content, which would include fraudulent advertising content. Ofcom is required under the Act to publish annual transparency reports.

What estimate his Department has made of future demand for care home beds over the next ten years.

Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population. That is why, under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care market and to commission a range of high-quality, sustainable, and person-centred care and support services to meet the diverse needs of all local people.In performing that duty, a local authority must have regard to current and likely future demand for such services and consider how providers might meet that demand.

What assessment he has made of the potential risk to public safety posed by prisoners who escape custody and remain at large for over 30 days.

Public protection is our top priority. The number of escapes from prison establishments and prisoner escorts is very low. If a prisoner escapes or absconds, the police are immediately notified and are responsible for locating the offender. Those who escape or abscond face serious consequences including, in the case of absconders, being returned to closed prison conditions, where they may serve up to two additional years. Escapees face an additional sentence of imprisonment for which there is no statutory maximum term. Prisoners whose release is subject to a decision of the Parole Board are likely to spend a longer period in custody before the Board will agree to their release.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with the Home Secretary and the Justice Secretary on strengthening enforcement against online fraud, especially in relation to fraudulent advertising on social media platforms.

Ministers have regular meetings with Cabinet colleagues on a range of subjects including online fraud. The government is committed to a coordinated, cross-government approach to online fraud.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled Hundreds of new UK jobs as Nigerian companies confirm millions in investment, published on 17 March 2026, what assessment he has made of the trends in the level of inward investment from Nigeria into the United Kingdom.

As an integral part of the UK's growth objective, the Government is making it simpler and easier for business to make long term investment into the UK, including Nigerian inward investment.DBT routinely publishes official statistics on foreign direct investment in the UK on the GOV.UK website, including the number of jobs involved.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled Hundreds of new UK jobs as Nigerian companies confirm millions in investment, published on 17 March 2026, what estimate he has made of the monetary value of the investments confirmed by Nigerian companies as a result of the UK–Nigeria Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership (ETIP).

As an integral part of the UK's growth objective, the Government is making it simpler and easier for business to make long term investment into the UK, including Nigerian inward investment.DBT routinely publishes official statistics on foreign direct investment in the UK on the GOV.UK website, including the number of jobs involved.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled Hundreds of new UK jobs as Nigerian companies confirm millions in investment, published on 17 March 2026, what proportion of jobs created will require high-skilled workers.

As an integral part of the UK's growth objective, the Government is making it simpler and easier for business to make long term investment into the UK, including Nigerian inward investment.DBT routinely publishes official statistics on foreign direct investment in the UK on the GOV.UK website, including the number of jobs involved.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled Hundreds of new UK jobs as Nigerian companies confirm millions in investment, published on 17 March 2026, what mechanisms will be used to monitor whether the jobs announced are delivered in practice.

As an integral part of the UK's growth objective, the Government is making it simpler and easier for business to make long term investment into the UK, including Nigerian inward investment.DBT routinely publishes official statistics on foreign direct investment in the UK on the GOV.UK website, including the number of jobs involved.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled Hundreds of new UK jobs as Nigerian companies confirm millions in investment, published on 17 March 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of these investments on opportunities for UK-based workers aged 18–24.

As an integral part of the UK's growth objective, the Government is making it simpler and easier for business to make long term investment into the UK, including Nigerian inward investment.DBT routinely publishes official statistics on foreign direct investment in the UK on the GOV.UK website, including the number of jobs involved.

What assessment he has made of the UK’s refinery capacity and whether they are sufficient to meet national demand.

The Department publishes data on refinery production (Table 3.12) and demand for petroleum products (Table 3.13) as part of Energy Trends: UK oil and oil products - GOV.UK. These data are updated monthly.

What estimate she has made of the financial losses to UK consumers resulting from fraud facilitated via social media and online platforms in each year since 2020.

The Government takes the issue of fraudulent activity arising on social media and online platforms very seriously. The Office of National Statistics estimates that, in year ending March 2024, nearly half of all frauds were online-enabled.The department does not currently collect data on the financial losses from victims of fraud through social media channels directly. However, there have been 228,141 reports to Report Fraud of cyber-enabled fraud in 2025, totalling approximately £1.9 billion of losses. The government has also estimated that the total socio-economic cost of fraud to the UK was £14.4 billion between 2023-2024.Whilst the Government does not collect this type of data directly, as part of the recently published Fraud Strategy, the Government has committed to working with industry, including social media and online platforms, to develop metrics, with the purpose being to improve transparency and accountability and track sectors’ performance in tackling fraud.We encourage anyone to report instances of online fraud to Report Fraud, the UK’s dedicated fraud reporting service, and visit the Stop! Think Fraud website for information on how they can stay safe from fraud.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of battery storage technology for large-scale grid stabilisation.

Battery energy storage systems can play an important role in large-scale grid stabilisation, depending on the type of inverter technology used and their location on the network. The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is responsible for grid stability, and the department works with NESO to ensure that we have the resources needed for secure system operation. Battery energy storage systems with grid-forming capabilities were trialled on the Stability Pathfinder programme and are now eligible to apply into the Stability Market which offers a route for NESO to procure these services through a transparent and competitive market.

What estimate he has made of the volume of UK-origin oil and gas reserves that are currently being extracted by foreign operators and subsequently re-imported into the UK.

Oil and gas produced in the North Sea is traded on international markets, regardless of whether the operator is UK-based or otherwise. Due to the physical characteristics of UK North Sea Crude, such as density and sulphur content, it is often more cost-effective for UK refineries to process imported crude oils that are better suited to their configurations. In 2024, 92% of oil production and 34% of UK natural gas production was exported.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the reliability of (a) wind and (b) solar generation.

The UK is one of the windiest countries in Europe and has a large resource of wind at its disposal. Solar panels can generate large amounts of electricity across the UK, even on cloudy days and from indirect sunlight, and they work more efficiently at cooler temperatures. Both technologies have evolved significantly and are now able to maximise generation at times of high and low wind or sun, for longer.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the role of oil and gas in the production of essential goods such as a) pharmaceuticals, b) medical equipment and c) agricultural inputs in the UK.

The government recognises the importance of oil and gas for a wide range of industrial purposes. The government’s North Sea Future Plan sets out our plans for managing existing oil and gas fields for their lifespan while not issuing new licences to explore new fields.

What assessment he has made of electricity generation capacity in Scotland.

Information on electricity generation sites owned by Major Power Producers, including location, is published in table 5.11 of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics. Total renewable electricity generation capacity for Scotland is published in table 6.1 of UK Energy Trends. Capacity of Combined Heat & Power plants in Scotland is published in table 7.8 of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics.

What estimate he has made of the land area required to deploy sufficient battery storage to support a fully renewable electricity system.

DESNZ has not made a formal estimate on land requirements for batteries to support a fully renewable electricity system. There are more battery projects than are likely to need to be deployed to support a fully renewable electricity system. Government does not hold data on all their projected land use. The recently published Land Use Framework (LUF) incorporates projections for renewable energy infrastructure. Government is working with NESO to ensure LUF operates cohesively alongside the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP). SSEP will assess and identify optimal locations, quantities and types of generation and storage required to meet future energy demands.

What assessment she has made of trends in online-enabled fraud, including investment fraud involving deepfake content, since 2020.

Fraud and cybercrime are deeply interconnected. The Office of National Statistics estimates that in year ending March 2024, nearly half of all frauds were online-enabled.The government’s Fraud Strategy (2026-2029) sets out the latest trends and evolving drivers of online fraud. Criminals routinely hijack online channels to socially engineer people into sending money directly, through fraudulent adverts or through convincing fraudulent emails and text messages. Criminals exploit data breaches, and use phishing techniques, to obtain personal information to takeover online accounts directly. We have also seen the growth of ‘fraud-as-a-service’ marketplaces, which lower the barrier to entry for new criminals.The government is aware that criminals have adopted generative AI as a tool to increase the scale and sophistication of attacks, as well to bypass company’s security procedures to impersonate customers for account takeovers. Measuring these types of attacks is a challenge as often victims will be unaware of whether AI has been used. While reports of AI enabled fraud are increasing, they still account for a fraction of all Report Fraud cases (0.2% in 2025); but it is almost certain that the true number of AI enabled frauds is much higher.We encourage anyone to report instances of online fraud to Report Fraud, the UK’s dedicated fraud reporting service, and visit the Stop! Think Fraud website for information on how they can stay safe from fraud.

What assessment he has made of the impact of restrictions on new North Sea drilling licences on a) domestic energy production and b) the level of reliance on imported oil and gas.

The government has thoroughly assessed the impacts of its policies in the North Sea, as set out in the government’s North Sea Future Plan. Oil and gas production is in natural decline, with a 75% reduction in production occurring between 1999 and 2024. Assessments show that new licences to explore and potentially drill for new oil and gas fields would only make a marginal difference to overall production. It would not change the UK’s status as a net importer of oil and gas.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of his renewable energy policies on non-electricity energy demand.

The Department has made a range of assessments of energy supply and demand under a range of scenarios. The published energy and emissions projections set out a view of electricity and non-electricity energy demand given firm and funded policy." Annex_E_primary_energy_demand_TWh.ods