Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will set out a timetable to publish the Hydrogen Strategy update.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The renewed Hydrogen Strategy will set out Government’s vision and objectives for hydrogen, and how we intend to work together with industry to continue to transform ambition into action. Our understanding of where hydrogen can deliver the greatest value in our energy system has matured and our strategy will set this out.
We’re now firmly in delivery mode, supporting projects that will create real jobs and growth across the UK, while contributing to the Government’s ambition to make the UK a clean energy superpower.
We plan to publish a renewed Hydrogen Strategy, alongside a package of other hydrogen policy documents as soon as possible.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports of attacks affecting Orthodox Christian communities in Ethiopia’s Arsi Zone in May and June 2026, including the destruction of a historic church; and what discussions she has had with her Ethiopian counterpart on protection for places of worship and affected communities.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided in the House of Lords on 23 June in response to Question HL995, reproduced below for ease of reference:
"We are concerned by reports of violence affecting communities in Ethiopia's Oromia region, including in Arsi Zone. The UK condemns all violence against civilians, including attacks against places of worship and people because of their religion. We continue to call on all parties to engage in dialogue to address the underlying causes of conflict. Through our Human Rights and Peacebuilding Programme, the UK supports dialogue efforts by local peacemakers, women's groups and the Inter-Religious Council of Ethiopia alongside Early Warning Human Rights Networks raising security alerts. The UK also supports the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission's capacity to monitor, investigate and act upon violations affecting civilians."
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to the Government of Russia on the use of administrative penalties to fine religious organisations and confiscate or destroy religious literature for alleged failures to comply with official labelling requirements, and what assessment she has made of the implications for freedom of religion or belief.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer I gave him on 1 June in response to Question 2671, and - as I said in my further response to him on 16 June - we will keep him updated if and when there are further developments to report.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the answer of 27 April 2026 to Question 128634, how many individuals identified by HM Revenue and Customs as eligible for the settlement opportunity announced following the McCann review have (a) settled in full and (b) entered into a Time to Pay arrangement in respect of disputed tax demands arising from the Loan Charge as of the most recent date for which data is available.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The new Loan Charge Settlement Opportunity (LCSO) is currently being legislated for and represents a fair and proportionate attempt to provide a route to resolution for those who have not yet been able to settle with HMRC. In turn, this requires taxpayers to now come forward and engage with HMRC in good faith.
When the new settlement opportunity is enacted, HMRC will contact customers again, in stages, to explain what it means for them based on their specific circumstances.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make representations to the Government of Israel regarding the seizure of land in Silwan residence owned by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchies, the removal and destruction of property and ejection of personnel.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answers provided on 23 June and 24 June in response to Questions 10663 and 10665.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to the Government of Russia on the prosecution of (a) Jehovah’s Witnesses and (a) other religious groups under extremism legislation in the last 12 months.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer I gave him on 1 June in response to Question 2671. We will update him if and when there are further developments to report.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of insecurity in Mali on Christian communities; and what steps her Department is taking with international partners to support the protection of displaced religious minority communities.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is gravely concerned at the fragile security situation in Mali, including reports of rising attacks against religious minority groups. We raise our concerns about protection of minority communities and social cohesion directly with the Government of Mali. We also provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance including projects dedicated to protection of civilians across the Sahel: last financial year the UK provided over £177 million of bilateral Official Development Assistance to the region.
More broadly, the UK continues to champion Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, and we deplore the persecution of Christians globally on account of their faith, alongside the persecution of other groups. We regularly highlight FoRB violations through our position at the UN, the G7, and as an active member of the Article 18 Alliance.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he has plans to provide financial assistance to small electrical contractors to enable them to comply with the revised Electrotechnical Assessment Specification; and if he will extend the October deadline for compliance, including to ensure training can be completed.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Electrotechnical Assessment Specification (EAS) is an industry agreed specification, and decisions on the detailed requirements and implementation timelines, including the October compliance deadline, are therefore primarily a matter for industry. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government sits on the EAS management committee.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of specialist paediatric neurorehabilitation services; and whether he is taking steps to improve access to intensive rehabilitation for children recovering from acquired brain injury, brain tumours and other neurological conditions.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Specialist paediatric neurorehabilitation services are commissioned in line with the service specification published by the NHS England’s Clinical Reference Group for Paediatric Neurosciences. The service specification is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Paediatric-Neurorehabilitation.pdf
The service specification sets out a national, multidisciplinary model for delivering intensive rehabilitation tailored to the needs of children with acquired brain injury (ABI), including those with brain tumours, as well as children with other neurological conditions. The service specification provides a framework for integrated, specialist paediatric neurorehabilitation, centred on early and intensive intervention, coordinated care across acute, specialist, and community settings, and sustained support throughout childhood, including transition to adult services.
As part of NHS England’s service specification review programme, the Paediatric Neurosciences Clinical Reference Group is currently reviewing the service specification. This work includes engagement with individual paediatric neurorehabilitation services to inform an updated model of care and to assess current provision and access. This review will support improvements in access to high-quality, intensive rehabilitation and ensure services are responsive to the needs of children and young people across England.
In October 2025, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published new guidance on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders, including ABI. The guideline covers children and young people as well as adults. NICE guidelines are informed by clinical expertise, are evidence-based, and represent best practice. The Government expects commissioners and service providers to take NICE guidance fully into account in designing services that meet the needs of their local population and to work towards their implementation over time.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what plans he has to enable community energy schemes to sell power directly to households and businesses in nearby communities.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the role of community energy in delivering net zero and is working with Ofgem to address regulatory barriers, including routes to market. Through delivering on commitments in the Local Power Plan, we are working with Great British Energy to explore measures to make it easier for community energy groups to participate in local energy markets.
The department, Ofgem and wider energy industry has also been working to make changes to industry rules to support the local trade of energy. This includes work on rule P441, standardising the classification of local energy sites to provide a regulatory footing that will clarify the rules of setting them up. Further updates and outcomes from this work will be provided in due course.