Written questions by Reader.

Whether his Department plans to introduce transitional arrangements for landfill gas electricity generation following the closure of the Renewables Obligation in 2027; and what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of methane capture from landfill sites.

Government is aware that Renewables Obligation (RO) support for existing landfill gas generators will begin to end in 2027, and that this could affect their commercial viability. We have also considered the implications that the end of RO support will have on methane emissions. That is why, as set out in the Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan, Government is exploring the implementation of a long-term methane capture scheme, with suitable transitional arrangements. We will provide an update in due course.

How many neurologists there are who have specialist training in Parkinson’s; how many geriatricians there are who have specialist training in Parkinson’s; and how many specialist Parkinson’s nurses there are in the UK.

While the Department does not hold data specifically on the number of Parkinson’s specialist staff in England, we do hold data on the number of doctors working in the wider specialities of neurology and geriatric medicine. As of August 2025, there were 2,010 full time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the specialty of neurology and 6,284 in geriatric medicine in National Health Service trusts and other organisations in England. This includes 1,025 FTE consultant neurologists and 1,687 FTE consultant geriatricians.The Department does not hold specific data on the number of specialist Parkinson’s nurses employed in the NHS in England. These roles are commissioned locally by NHS trusts and integrated care boards as part of neurology and movement disorder services.NHS England has published a service specification for specialised adult neurology services, which includes Parkinson’s disease as part of its scope. This specification sets out requirements for multidisciplinary care, including access to Parkinson’s disease nurse specialists, consultant neurologists and allied health professionals.NHS England is also implementing initiatives such as the Neurology Transformation Programme and the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, which aim to improve access to specialist care, reduce variation, and develop integrated models of service delivery for conditions including Parkinson’s disease. These programmes align with the National Institute for Care Excellence guidance on Parkinson’s disease, reference code NG71, which recommends that people with Parkinson’s have regular access to specialist staff with expertise in the condition.

What steps his Department is taking to provide adequate funding to the Probation Service for meeting its additional responsibilities in the Sentencing Bill.

We continue to invest in Probation to ensure workloads are manageable and the changes from the Independent Sentencing Review are sustainable.The Probation and community services budget will increase by up to £700 million (a 45% rise) by 2028/2029.An initial £8 million will be invested in technology to reduce administration and free up officers to focus on managing risk and reducing reoffending.

How many households which include children born in the UK include (a) one and (b) two adults with indefinite leave to remain.

The information requested is not centrally held.

How many children born in the UK have at least one parent with indefinite leave to remain.

The information requested is not centrally held.

If he will take steps to help reduce administration for businesses required to complete declarations for goods staying in Northern Ireland under trusted trader schemes.

On 1 May, the Government introduced important new arrangements for freight and parcel movements to ensure that goods can continue to move smoothly from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. The new arrangements ensure that parcels sent to or from consumers will not be subject to customs declarations or duty. We have also introduced a range of schemes to support businesses by removing unnecessary checks and paperwork on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland; over 15,000 businesses are already signed up to the UK Internal Market Scheme.

Whether the Office for Investment is taking to update its infrastructure pipeline portal; and whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential lessons learned from the (a) Australian, (b) New Zealand and (c) other international models of infrastructure pipeline portals.

The NISTA Infrastructure Pipeline was launched in July and plans to update the pipeline are outlined here: https://pipeline.nista.grid.civilservice.gov.uk/future. In developing the design of the Pipeline, NISTA drew on a broad range of industry feedback and examples, including from those outside the UK such as Australia and New Zealand. The Pipeline team will continue its active engagement of users to steer its design and ensure it improves through forthcoming iterations.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of increasing pension fund investment in private markets and infrastructure on the economy.

In May, 17 of the largest workplace pension providers signed the Mansion House Accord and voluntarily committed to invest at least 10 per cent of their defined contribution main default funds in private markets by 2030, with at least half of that invested in the UK. This is expected to unlock £50 billion of additional private market investment by 2030, including £25 billion in the UK. As providers work towards meeting these commitments, they will be investing more in private assets such as infrastructure projects. Additionally, the measures in the Pension Schemes Bill, introduced in July, will ensure pension schemes have the scale and expertise to access these types of investment.

What engagement his Department has had with institutional investors to identify barriers to investment in green infrastructure; and what steps his Department is taking to address those barriers through policy or regulatory reform.

The Department engages regularly with institutional investors and industry associations through bilateral meetings, roundtables and targeted events to better understand and address investment barriers. Insights from these interactions inform policy and regulatory reform to best mobilise private investment into the Clean Energy Mission. For example, investors were actively engaged in the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements. Engagement also informs planning reform, and changes to investment mechanisms such as recent Contracts for Difference reform. The Department works alongside public finance institutions to develop targeted interventions that crowd in private investment.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to accept the recommendations of the Older People’s Housing Taskforce Report, published on 26 November 2024.

The government is committed to enhancing provision and choice for older people in the housing market and we will continue to consider this issue as we develop our long-term housing strategy, which will be published later this year. As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 26 November 2024 (HCWS249), the government is giving careful consideration to the recommendations from the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report including in relation to specialist accommodation for older people.

Food and Rural Affairs, when he expects the Circular Economy Strategy for England to be published.

This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy. The government has convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help develop the first ever Circular Economy Strategy for England, which we plan to publish for consultation in the coming autumn.

What steps his Department plans to take with local authorities to encourage consumer-led flexibility in the energy market in Northampton South constituency.

This Government supports significant growth in consumer-led flexibility, as set out in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan. In our Action Plan, Government committed to publishing a Flexibility Roadmap in 2025. The Roadmap will set out further detail on how the benefits of clean flexibility can be unlocked for consumers across all parliamentary constituencies in Great Britain, including Northampton South. The government will continue to collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders, including with local authorities to support greater uptake of public on-street EV charging.

With reference to p. 82 of the document entitled The UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, published on 23 June 2025, what his Department's planned timetable is for launching a call for evidence on the expansion of permitted development rights for electricity distribution network infrastructure.

On 8 July 2025, DESNZ launched a public consultation on consents, land access, and rights for electricity network infrastructure. This consultation includes proposals related to the expansion of permitted development rights for electricity infrastructure, as referenced on page 82 of ‘The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy.’ This consultation also addresses a range of related matters such as land access rights, tree lopping, permitted development for substations, Section 37 consents, and thresholds for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects. These broader reforms are intended to streamline the system, reduce burdens, and accelerate network deployment while ensuring appropriate protections for landowners, communities, and the environment.

What consultation his Department has had on the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's Future Homes Standards work in relation to wellbeing and health standards in homes.

The Government plans to legislate for the Future Homes Standard this autumn. This legislation will aim to ensure that all new homes are warm, comfortable, and maintain high indoor air quality. This work is being led by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The Department of Health and Social Care will continue to work with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as the standards are finalised and implemented, to ensure that evidence on health impacts can be taken into account.

What steps his Department plans to take to support the expansion of consumer options for low-carbon heating systems for households that are unable to install a heat pump.

The Warm Homes Plan will help households take up measures like solar panels, heat pumps, batteries and insulation, helping them save money on their bills and benefit from cleaner, cheaper heating. The government expect most properties will switch to heat pumps.The government is analysing responses to the consultation on potential changes to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which included proposals to support air-to-air heat pumps and alternative electric heating technologies. The government will continue to review their position on alternative electric heating technologies as the supporting evidence base develops.Further detail on the Warm Homes Plan will be set out by October.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to update the guidance for Approved Document F of the Building Regulations to recognise smart ventilation systems as a compliant option for homes.

Revisions to Approved Document F of the Building Regulations were proposed as part of the Future Homes and Buildings Standards: 2023 consultation. Proposed updates to the minimum ventilation standards for homes were described in section 6.2 and proposed updates to the guidance for ventilation installations were described in section 8.3 of the consultation. We are carefully considering the feedback we received to the consultation. We intend to publish the Government response to the consultation, and the new Approved Document F, in autumn this year.We are mindful of the impact of increasing airtightness in our homes and workplaces. While this can have a significant impact on the energy efficiency of buildings, it also requires appropriate, controlled ventilation. We will continue to engage with developing ventilation technology and will update Approved Document F as required.

If he will hold discussions with Ofgem on reducing the time taken to implement reforms to the electricity distribution network.

The National Infrastructure Commission published recommendations on 21 February on making the electricity distribution network fit for net zero. The Government published a formal response on 7th July, which agrees with the study’s view that investment in the distribution network is required ahead of need to accommodate expected growth in electricity demand. In developing the response, we have engaged with Ofgem and other delivery partners.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of mandatory food waste reporting on the economy.

The potential impacts of mandatory food waste reporting were assessed as part of the consultation process in 2022. As with all policies, if the policy were to be taken forward, a further assessment of costs and benefits would be published as part of the legislative process. This Government has announced plans to publish a Circular Economy Strategy for England and is committed to transitioning to a circular economy – one that stimulates growth, reduces waste, and alleviates pressure on household bills. As this work is developed, evidence from across the economy will be considered as the interventions that may be needed are evaluated. This includes for the potential introduction of a mandatory food waste reporting requirement for large food businesses.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of reducing permitted weights for Volumetric Concrete Mobile Plants from 2028 on the manufacturing sector.

The Department ran a call for evidence from October to December 2023 seeking views on three potential options on weight limits for Volumetric Concrete Mixers (VCMs). The outcome of this review was published on 18 March 2025 at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/volumetric-concrete-mixers-reviewVCMs will continue to be permitted on our roads. A temporary weight limit exemption for this type of vehicle (via vehicle special orders) that was put in place to allow operators and manufacturers time to adapt, will end in 2028, as planned. Existing VCMs will be able to continue operating, but only within the applicable weight limits.

Whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to extend the proposed standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker under the Crime and Policing Bill to include retail delivery drivers.

This Government is committed to tackling retail crime. Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.Assaults against delivery drivers are already an offence (Common Assault) under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, and are covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 creates a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public. This includes those delivering goods to customers and other public-facing roles.