Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support the (a) capacity and (b) operational readiness of the Lebanese Armed Forces, in the context of (i) disarmament initiatives and (ii) regional stability in southern Lebanon.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

For more than a decade, the UK has been a trusted partner of the Lebanese Armed Forces, providing £106 million of financial support and offering training, infrastructure, and equipment.

In collaboration with international partners, we continue to work closely with the Lebanese Armed Forces, identifying opportunities to support capability development to ensure the Lebanese Armed Forces are able to exert a monopoly of force across Lebanon.

Over the past six months, we have completed construction of key infrastructure to enhance border security on the eastern border and will be seeking to work with the Lebanese authorities to replicate this in the South. We have also started training Lebanese Armed Forces troops to conduct area security operations in southern Lebanon. This support package is confirmed and will cost £10 million for financial year 2025-26.

We also continue to coordinate our bilateral support with international partners. This government recognises the critical role the Lebanese Armed Forces play in ensuring future stability and security in Lebanon.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the UK military support to Lebanon.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

For more than a decade, the UK has been a trusted partner of the Lebanese Armed Forces, providing £106 million of financial support and offering training, infrastructure, and equipment.

In collaboration with international partners, we continue to work closely with the Lebanese Armed Forces, identifying opportunities to support capability development to ensure the Lebanese Armed Forces are able to exert a monopoly of force across Lebanon.

Over the past six months, we have completed construction of key infrastructure to enhance border security on the eastern border and will be seeking to work with the Lebanese authorities to replicate this in the South. We have also started training Lebanese Armed Forces troops to conduct area security operations in southern Lebanon. This support package is confirmed and will cost £10 million for financial year 2025-26.

We also continue to coordinate our bilateral support with international partners. This government recognises the critical role the Lebanese Armed Forces play in ensuring future stability and security in Lebanon.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing support with energy costs to defence manufacturers engaged in energy-intensive steel casting.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

For Energy Intensive Industries overall, our Clean Power 2030 target is the key to long-term sustainable price reductions. From 2027, the new British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will reduce electricity costs by up to £40 per megawatt hour for over 7,000 electricity-intensive businesses in manufacturing sectors. Eligibility will be determined following consultation, which will open shortly, with a review point in 2030. The government is also increasing support through an uplift for our most energy-intensive industries eligible for the British Industry Supercharger, with an uplift of the Network Charging Compensation (NCC) scheme to 90% from 2026. The government will set out further details on its plans to decarbonise industry, in its Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan in October.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Carer’s Allowance overpayments on individuals in receipt of the benefit; and what steps her Department is taking to support carers in receipt of overpayments.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This Government recognises and values the vital contribution made by unpaid carers every day in providing significant care and continuity of support to family and friends with disabilities.

When we came into government, it became clear that there were far too many cases where hard-working carers had been left with large overpayments to be repaid, sometimes worth thousands of pounds. As a result, we commissioned an independent review of earnings-related overpayments of Carer’s Allowance to understand exactly what has gone wrong and make the necessary improvements needed. We expect to receive the report from the Independent Review shortly. We will then publish the report, and our initial response, as soon as is practicable thereafter. The review is not a substitute for legal proceedings, and the existence of the review does not prejudice any business-as-usual activity by DWP.

The government has not been treading water while waiting for the review. We have already taken steps to address the problem carers have been experiencing. For example, we have introduced the largest increase in the earnings limit since Carer’s Allowance was introduced in 1976. The earnings limit is now 16 hours work at National Living Wage levels and over 60,000 additional people will be able to receive Carer’s Allowance between 2025/26 and 2029/30.

We carefully balance our duty to the taxpayer to recover overpayments with safeguards in place to manage repayments fairly. Carers have a responsibility to ensure they are entitled to benefits and to inform the DWP of any changes in their circumstances that could impact their award. Support remains in place with DWP’s Debt Management Service who are available to speak to anyone who has had an overpayment about the terms of their repayment.

To help prevent overpayments building up in the first place, we want to make it as easy as possible for carers to tell us when something has changed in their life which could affect their Carer's Allowance. That is why we will continue to review and improve communications, including some trials during 2025, so customers are more aware of what changes they need to report and are regularly reminded to do so and in a way that suits them.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Emily Thornberry (Chair); Alex Ballinger; Aphra Brandreth; Phil Brickell

Found: Defence Finance and UK Financial Institutions I am writing in follow-up to Question 239 raised by Alex Ballinger

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Emily Thornberry (Chair); Alex Ballinger; Aphra Brandreth; Phil Brickell

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Emily Thornberry (Chair); Alex Ballinger; Aphra Brandreth; Phil Brickell