Written questions by Heylings.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Local Government Pension Scheme on levels of economic growth in local communities.

The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) already invests approximately 30% of its assets in the UK, as part of its duty to invest to pay pensions. The government believes that the LGPS can make a distinctive contribution to local economic growth building on its local role and networks, through increasing its long-term investment in local communities.

What steps he is taking to support green technologies.

The Government is committed to supporting the growth and scaling-up of green technologies, including through the creation of GB Energy, as part of its Clean Energy Superpower Mission. A combined total of £1.3 billion has been committed through the 2021-25 Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP) to accelerate the commercialisation of green technologies supporting around 5,500 jobs and leveraging £750 million in private investment. The Government will set out its full approach to seizing the growth opportunities from clean energy industries in the forthcoming Industrial Strategy.

What steps she is taking to help ensure that people in (a) low-paid and (b) insecure work receive an adequate income in retirement.

The new State Pension has been designed to provide a foundation for private saving, supported through Automatic Enrolment (AE). The new State Pension improves State Pension outcomes for those who often did less well under the previous system, including those on low incomes. Alongside qualifying through work or self-employment, there is also a wide range of National Insurance credits available, ensuring people can achieve the best possible State Pension outcome.We have made a commitment to the Triple Lock throughout this Parliament which will mean spending on people’s State Pensions is forecast to rise by over £31 billion. As a result, over 12 million pensioners will receive up to £1,900 a year more by the end of the Parliament. Pension Credit also provides a means-tested safety-net for those on low-incomes in retirement.AE has succeeded in transforming retirement saving with over 11 million employees having been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension since 2012. AE has been a particular success for lower earners with participation for eligible employees earning between £10,000 and £20,000 in the private sector, increasing from 17% in 2012 to 75% in 2023. However, we know we need to do even more to build on the success of AE in getting people into saving by ensuring security in retirement for all.The first phase of our review is focused on investment and growth with the twin objectives of increasing investment in the UK and delivering improved returns for savers. In November 2024 we published the interim report of this review with consultations on unlocking the UK pensions market for growth and reforming the Local Government Pension Scheme. These consultations closed in January, and we expect to provide our response in Spring 2025.However, it is also important that we then consider the broader question of adequacy and how to build on the success of AE to ensure that people are saving enough for retirement. Therefore, the second phase of the review will in due course look at further steps to improve pension outcomes, and pension adequacy for all.

What steps he is taking to promote nature-positive renewable energy.

The Government will ensure that the protection of nature is embedded into the delivery of clean power and we will be driving for nature to not only be protected but restored through clean power infrastructure. As part of our Clean Power Action Plan, we are considering how to use development to fund nature recovery unlocking a win-win outcome for the economy and for nature. We are working with nature delivery organisations, stakeholders and the sector to consider how we can better support the delivery of infrastructure whilst driving better environmental outcomes.

What steps he is taking to support industrial electrification.

Fuel switching from fossil fuels to electricity has the potential to significantly reduce annual industrial emissions, making a critical contribution to our carbon budget commitments contributing between 15% and 40% of the necessary carbon abatement in industry by 2050. The Government remains committed to supporting industrial electrification and addressing the barriers to investment that were highlighted in the 2023 call for evidence on enabling industrial electrification. 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 steps he is taking to ensure that the deployment of offshore renewables is not detrimental to blue carbon stores.

The Government is committed to delivering clean power by 2030, to accelerating to net zero and to restoring nature. The Government needs to ensure that the UK’s marine ecosystems are healthy and capturing and storing carbon too. This means that new energy infrastructure needs to be planned and developed in a way that protects the natural environment and supports nature recovery. Assessment and mitigation of environmental impacts are a core part of the Government’s planning processes, and future spatial plans will support rebuilding the UK’s natural infrastructure at the same time as building the new energy infrastructure the UK needs for the twenty-first century.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to increase the use of nature-based solutions to help tackle climate change.

The Government is supporting farmers to implement nature-based farming practices through a range of measures. These include habitat restoration and creation; activities to reduce the impact of invasive non-native species on sites or to address pressures on sensitive areas; improvements in water storage and management; and changes to limit emissions while maintaining agricultural profitability and increasing productivity. These measures will be delivered through our Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes. We now have more than half of farmers in an ELM scheme, putting us on the path to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector. In the October 2024 budget, we committed £5 billion for farming over two years, including £1.8 billion for our ELM schemes - the largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history. Trees and peat are at the forefront of our plans to reduce emissions. We are working towards our Environment Act targets to reach 16.5% tree canopy cover in England by 2050. We have pledged up to £400 million for tree planting and peatland restoration over the current and next financial year. We also recognise the potential to scale up private investment for carbon and nature projects. Learning from the success of the established UK Woodland Carbon Code and UK Peatland Code, the government is funding the British Standards Institution to build a more comprehensive framework of UK Nature Investment Standards. This includes a UK Natural Carbon Standard, which will be available to support the development of high integrity investment schemes for nature recovery and sustainable farming projects around the UK. As announced in November 2024 at COP29 in Baku, the government is committed to delivering confidence in the integrity of these growing markets and will consult on further potential measures later this year.

What his Department's timetable is for publishing submissions to the consultation entitled Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, opened in December 2020; and what plans he has to publish new minimum energy efficiency standards for non-residential buildings.

The Government published the ‘Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes in England and Wales’ consultation on 7 February 2025. This consultation includes government responses to the 2020 consultation on ‘Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes’. Responses to the 2019 and 2021 consultations on minimum energy efficiency standards in the non-domestic private rented sector are being reviewed to inform the policy design and ensure it remains fair and appropriate for landlords and tenants, with the aim to publish in the early part of 2025.

If he will publish the research paper entitled UK:EU Ecofin Regulatory Divergence Study of minimum energy efficiency performance standards (MEPS) for water pumps, vacuum cleaners and tumble dryers, commissioned from Riccardo-AEA Ltd in May 2022; and if he will make it his policy to seek to align related regulations with future EU's Ecofin regulations.

A summary of the research is available. We will consult on the merits of alignment with new EU regulations and will align where it makes sense to do so. GB may choose not to align if it is not in the interests of consumers, businesses, and our wider policy goals.

How many and what proportion of continuing care assessments resulted in eligibility in (a) the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board and (b) England in the most recent year for which figures are available.

We have interpreted the request for information regarding continuing care assessments as a request for data on NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) eligibility decisions for standard CHC. The following data is based on the number of assessments completed and the number and proportion found eligible:- from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, 157 assessments out of a total of 638 standard CHC assessments, or 25%, resulted in eligibility in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board area; and- from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, 10,791 assessments out of a total of 51,165 standard CHC assessments, or 21%, resulted in eligibility in England.

If his department will make an assessment on the potential merits of the heating-as-a-service (HaaS) business model as a solution to tackle high energy bills in the private rented sector.

The Government has pledged to take action to stand with tenants and deliver the safety and security of warmer, cheaper homes. We are currently consulting on plans to reduce energy bills by increasing standards in the private rented sector in England and Wales. As Government-funded trials have shown, Heat-as-a-Service is a potentially attractive way for consumers to finance the installation and operation of low carbon heating systems. We continue to explore how Government can enable these types of business models, while working to ensure consumers are protected.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s proposed revisions to its Code of Practice on the Equality Act in relation to single-sex spaces; and if she will hold discussions with representatives of the transgender community on this matter.

The EHRC recently concluded their consultation on the draft updated Code of Practice where they sought a wide range of views. The Government will consider the EHRC's final draft Code once submitted, ensuring that it clarifies the Equality Act’s single-sex exceptions which we have committed to uphold. The Office for Equality and Opportunity listens to a wide range of stakeholders’ diverse perspectives as it carries out its policy work.

If he will take steps to help ensure that companies cannot commit fraud by changing their company name.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 introduced new powers that build on the existing controls of company names. These powers will be used in accordance with the Registrar’s new statutory objectives.The Registrars of Companies can now reject a proposed company name where they have reason to believe that a name is intended to facilitate fraud. Companies can be directed to change their name in more circumstances and the Registrar can determine a new name for the company.

What steps her Department is taking to improve the effectiveness of the initial assessment process for research and development tax relief claims.

All Research and Development (R&D) claims go through a risk screening process to determine which need further checking, with the majority paid without a formal compliance check. Where risks are identified, HMRC opens compliance checks to investigate the claims, within established legislative time limits and with wider taxpayer safeguards such as appeal rights. Where a check is opened into a claim that on further investigation is found to be fully eligible, HMRC aims to close its check and approve the claim as quickly as possible. HMRC has required claimants to submit an Additional Information Form as part of their claim since August 2023. The information provided in these forms enhances HMRC’s risking process by helping to more accurately identify claims that may not be compliant and reduces the risk of valid claims being picked up for a compliance check. To strengthen the administration of the reliefs and provide businesses with greater certainty the Government announced at the Autumn Budget that it will explore widening the use of advance clearances for R&D reliefs.

For what reason advice on the potential merits of installing (a) loft, (b) wall and (c) roof insulation has been removed from his Department's pages entitled Energy efficient home on gov.uk.

Home upgrades – including insulation – are one of the best tools to get bills down for good and we are committed to promoting properly installed loft, wall and roof insulation. The Government is currently updating the Energy Efficient Home website as part of work to refresh our public campaigns. Additional pages will go live in the coming weeks, including a page on the benefits of cavity wall, roof and loft insulation, and one on wider energy saving tips. The Government’s ‘Find Ways to Save Energy in your Home’ service (www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency) provides tailored recommendations to increase household energy efficiency, including advice on insulation.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2025 to Question 25004 on Infected Blood Compensation Scheme: Hepatitis, what steps he is taking to improve the application process for compensation (a) in general and (b) for people with a line of succession to victims.

The delivery of compensation payments, including the application process, is a matter for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA). IBCA made its first payments to a small cohort of eligible infected people in December 2024, and has steadily increased the number of people invited to claim. This “test and learn” approach of trialling a system with a small number of people is to make sure it works properly, before increasing the number of users. The Government expects payments to eligible affected people to begin this year. Both the Government and IBCA remain committed to ensuring payments are made as soon as possible.

What steps she is taking to monitor the adequacy of library provision in primary schools.

I refer the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire to the answer of 28 January 2025 to Question 25143.

What progress her Department has made on improving accessibility of railways; and (a) when and (b) how new projects will be identified under the Access for All funding scheme.

Since April 2024, step free upgrades at 13 stations have been completed, with a further 18 due to be completed by April 2025. This will be the most stations completed in one year since the programme started in 2006. This Government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities. We will shortly provide an update to MPs and other stakeholders on our approach to the Access for All programme.

If he will review the decrease to the Agenda For Change mileage payments for community nurses that will come in July 2025.

Agenda for Change mileage reimbursement rates are reviewed twice a year in line with the process set out in the national contract. These reviews incorporate the latest information on the cost of fuel. The next review is scheduled for April 2025 and any changes required would then be implemented in July 2025. We cannot pre-empt the outcome of this review, however it does not necessarily mean that changes will be made to the reimbursement rates.The Government is aware that some National Health Service trusts may have local arrangements in place for reimbursing mileage. This would be for local employers and trade unions to manage in partnership.

What steps her Department is taking to encourage reading in schools.

I refer to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire to the answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 29850.