Asked by: Dave Robertson (Labour - Lichfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help lower energy bills.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Energy bills are too high. The previous Government left Britain dependent on the roller coaster of gas prices and left families paying around £1.7 billion on their bills for their failed energy efficiency ‘ECO’ scheme
This is why we are scrapping ECO and taking some of the expensive legacy levies off bills – saving households an average £150 from April.
Asked by: Dave Robertson (Labour - Lichfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how his Department plans to consult people with lived experience of dementia on the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We will deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.
On 28 October, Alzheimer’s Society held a World Café event on behalf of the Department to help ensure that people living with dementia were able to feed in at an early stage to the development of the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia.
Policy leads from the Department attended the session, along with representatives from Alzheimer’s Society, to hear from those living with dementia, their family members, and their carers, both paid and unpaid. This event aimed to foster open dialogue and help inform the development of the modern service framework.
We intend to further engage with a range of partners over the coming months to enable us to build a framework which is both ambitious and practical, to ensure we can improve system performance for people with dementia both now and in the future.
Asked by: Dave Robertson (Labour - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the 2017 reforms to the Electronic Communications Code on levels of (a) 5G coverage and (b) network performance in comparison to other countries.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Government has no plans to conduct a formal review of the 2017 reforms to the Electronic Communications Code before commencing the remaining sections of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022.
The aim of the 2017 reforms was to encourage investment in digital networks and improve coverage and connectivity across the UK. Following the 2017 reforms, government representatives engaged regularly with stakeholders about their impact, resulting in a consultation on further changes to the Code. These were included in the 2022 Act, which received full Parliamentary scrutiny.
Our ambition is that all populated areas will have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030. We are committed to removing barriers to the digital infrastructure, including reviewing where planning rules could be relaxed to support the deployment of 5G.
Analysis from the EU Commission showed 5G households' coverage in the UK at the end of 2024 (95%) was on par with India, China and ahead of France (94%) and the EU (94.3%), but behind South Korea (100%), Japan (99.2%), Norway, Iceland and Germany (all 99%) as well as USA (97.0%). Since this assessment, UK 5G coverage outside premises has increased to 96%.
Asked by: Dave Robertson (Labour - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plans to commission a review of the 2017 Electronic Communications Code reforms to evaluate its potential impact on the deployment of 5G masts.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Government has no plans to conduct a formal review of the 2017 reforms to the Electronic Communications Code before commencing the remaining sections of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022.
The aim of the 2017 reforms was to encourage investment in digital networks and improve coverage and connectivity across the UK. Following the 2017 reforms, government representatives engaged regularly with stakeholders about their impact, resulting in a consultation on further changes to the Code. These were included in the 2022 Act, which received full Parliamentary scrutiny.
Our ambition is that all populated areas will have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030. We are committed to removing barriers to the digital infrastructure, including reviewing where planning rules could be relaxed to support the deployment of 5G.
Analysis from the EU Commission showed 5G households' coverage in the UK at the end of 2024 (95%) was on par with India, China and ahead of France (94%) and the EU (94.3%), but behind South Korea (100%), Japan (99.2%), Norway, Iceland and Germany (all 99%) as well as USA (97.0%). Since this assessment, UK 5G coverage outside premises has increased to 96%.
Asked by: Dave Robertson (Labour - Lichfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 on rent revenues earned by NHS properties hosting mobile infrastructure.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold the data of national-level assessment specific to this request. National Health Service property owners are responsible for ensuing they comply with all relevant commercial requirements and legislation.
Asked by: Dave Robertson (Labour - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions his Department has had with (a) landowners (b) Wireless Infrastructure Providers and (c) Mobile Network Operators on the implementation of sections 61-64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
A technical consultation on draft regulations to commence Sections 61 – 64 of the Act, dealing with certain Renewal agreements, was published on 7 May 2025 and closed on 2 July 2025. The department received submissions from a range of stakeholders in response to the consultation, including landowners, Wireless Infrastructure Providers and Mobile Network Operators.
Officials have kept these stakeholders updated on progress to implement outstanding provisions of the PSTI Act, including sections 61 – 64. This has been done through group sessions, which site providers, operators and infrastructure providers have all been invited to attend. Officials have also shared these updates and listened to feedback as part of their routine engagement with stakeholders. This engagement has included regular and ad hoc meetings with specific organisations and representative groups.
Asked by: Dave Robertson (Labour - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to delay implementation of Sections 61-64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act until the Government’s review of the mobile market is complete.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
No, there are no plans to delay implementation. The Government is undertaking its Mobile Market Review to assess the technological and financial developments occurring across the sector and how these impact investment in mobile networks over the long-term. The review will help us understand what more Government can do to support the market to invest in widespread high-quality connectivity.
The Government’s work on the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 is separate. The technical consultation on draft regulations to commence Sections 61 – 64 of the Act closed on 2 July 2025. Subject to considering the consultation responses, we intend to finalise sections 61 – 64 of the Act by the end of the year.
Asked by: Dave Robertson (Labour - Lichfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of applying VAT to unredeemed deposits in the Deposit Return Scheme on levels of private investment into the scheme’s (a) infrastructure and (b) delivery.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government remains committed to successful implementation of the Deposit Return Scheme, which is a critical step in moving towards a circular economy that delivers sustainable growth and produces less waste, rubbish, and litter.
The Government is keen to ensure that VAT is not a barrier to effective operation of the Deposit Return Scheme. The Government is considering how best to achieve this while maintaining the integrity of the tax, and this work is being supported by engagement with industry representatives, including the British Soft Drinks Association.
Asked by: Dave Robertson (Labour - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how the National Jobs and Careers Service will complement the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. Our new service will move away from the current one size fits all approach, recognising people are individuals with different support needs and will provide better tailored support. The new service will be universal and must work for everyone, including disabled people and those with health conditions.
We are committed to working with users of the new service, and organisations representing their needs, throughout the design process to ensure the new service is inclusive, accessible, and works for everyone. We are taking a test and learn approach to develop and launch the new service. We will ensure the design of the new service supports the delivery of the Pathways to Work guaranteed support offer as we develop it.
The new Jobs and Careers Service is part of the reforms outlined in the Get Britian Working White Paper, which in total, is backed by £240m for 2025/26. The reforms set out within this are on top of other areas of support we are already progressing including:
Asked by: Dave Robertson (Labour - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Get Britain Working White Paper, published on 26 November 2024, what progress her Department has made on the planned pilot of the National Jobs and Careers Service.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Get Britain Working White Paper set out our vision to reform Jobcentre Plus and create a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers.
We are taking a test and learn approach to develop the new service ensuring that we develop a service that is locally tailored and embedded, designed to meet the different needs of local labour markets, local people and local employers. We are in the early stages of designing the new service and more details will be shared in due course.