Imran Hussain

No recent assessment has been made of the adequacy of current legislation governing the sale and use of fireworks in England and Wales including the purchase from registered sellers during specific dates.

Enforcement powers exist for local authorities to take action when fireworks are unsafe, sold illegally or misused. Local authorities and the police also have powers to tackle anti-social behaviour caused by the misuse of fireworks. It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy these powers, based on their circumstances.

No recent assessment has been made of the adequacy of current legislation governing the sale and use of fireworks in England and Wales including the purchase from registered sellers during specific dates.

Enforcement powers exist for local authorities to take action when fireworks are unsafe, sold illegally or misused. Local authorities and the police also have powers to tackle anti-social behaviour caused by the misuse of fireworks. It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy these powers, based on their circumstances.

No recent assessment has been made of the adequacy of current legislation governing the sale and use of fireworks in England and Wales including the purchase from registered sellers during specific dates.

Enforcement powers exist for local authorities to take action when fireworks are unsafe, sold illegally or misused. Local authorities and the police also have powers to tackle anti-social behaviour caused by the misuse of fireworks. It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy these powers, based on their circumstances.

The Government have launched a public campaign on fireworks safety for this year’s fireworks season which encourages the use of low noise fireworks. The campaign also features new guidance for those running community fireworks events which recommends the use of low-noise fireworks to reduce the impact on communities, as well as social media materials that emphasise the risks from the misuse of fireworks. The campaign materials are being shared widely to increase their impact.

The F35 programme has a significant dependence on the UK, which provides unique and critical components. At the present time, any suspension of F-35 components to Israel through the programme is not possible without undermining the programme overall, and the government’s judgement is that this would have a significant negative impact on international peace and security. Therefore, at the present time, exports to the F-35 programme are excluded from the current suspension of export licences. We are keeping this under close review.

The Secretary of State for Business and Trade has set out this decision in further detail to the House in his written ministerial statement on 2 September 2024: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-09-02/hcws64

We have been clear that the original installer is responsible for remediating issues with their work and for the costs of doing so. Where an installer ceases to trade or in some cases fails to rectify an issue, TrustMark require a guarantee to have been issued which for SWI will cover up to £20k.

We are working with Ofgem, TrustMark, certification bodies, energy suppliers and guarantee providers to encourage businesses to fulfil their responsibilities.

Where installers refuse to engage with remediation requests, TrustMark and certification bodies can suspend or remove their certifications. This prevents them being awarded any new work.

Everyone deserves to live in a healthy and warm home. Damp and mould can have a serious impact on the health of residents.

The audits the Department has commissioned into Solid Wall Insulations on ECO4 and GBIS schemes consider risks to health and safety and where any such risk is identified, we require the installer to make it safe within 24 hours. For government schemes, it is the responsibility of the installer to fix any defective installation and if they cease to trade, then the guarantee for that work can be exercised by the householder.

Ofgem was first made aware of concerns with insulation issues in Fishwick in 2013 and they engaged with the energy supplier responsible to secure remediation.

Since then, National Energy Action (NEA) have led remediation schemes to support residents but we understand that there are still homes needing remediation. DESNZ has been in contact with NEA.

ECO4 / GBIS non-compliance issues were alerted to DESNZ in October 2024. Since that date thousands of additional audits have taken place and any issues are being fixed. We have offered an audit to all homes fitted with EWI under these schemes.

Data has not been collected regarding the specific number of houses affected by non-compliance, however failure rates from audits of individual measures has been collected for some schemes of which a summary is included in the NAO report.

For SWI installed under ECO4 and GBIS we have calculated the number of homes affected. We acknowledge that issues have emerged in other schemes, however this is not on the scale seen with EWI issues under ECO4 / GBIS. We have recent published results from audits on our housing association and local authority based schemes on gov.uk.

We are aware of unresolved issues with external wall insulation in Fishwick under the Community Energy Savings Programme (a supplier obligation based scheme)

The Department will continue to update the House on energy efficiency schemes, including the publication of relevant analysis.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) plays a crucial role incentivising collaboration and knowledge exchange between universities and other sectors and has supported numerous high-impact collaborations in artificial intelligence. For example, Higher Education Innovation Funding supports engagement with the space industry through the University of Bradford’s Bradford-Renduchintala Centre for Space AI.

UKRI also supports partnerships between universities and businesses through opportunities like Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and consortia investments such as the AI research hubs, AI centres for doctoral training and the flagship BridgeAI programme, catalysing local partnerships and driving local innovation and prosperity.

The AI Action Plan emphasises building a robust AI ecosystem that supports research, skills development, and business engagement, and at Spending Review £2 billion was allocated to implement the Action Plan.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) plays a crucial role incentivising collaboration and knowledge exchange between universities and other sectors and has supported numerous high-impact collaborations in artificial intelligence. For example, Higher Education Innovation Funding supports engagement with the space industry through the University of Bradford’s Bradford-Renduchintala Centre for Space AI.

UKRI also supports partnerships between universities and businesses through opportunities like Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and consortia investments such as the AI research hubs, AI centres for doctoral training and the flagship BridgeAI programme, catalysing local partnerships and driving local innovation and prosperity.

The AI Action Plan emphasises building a robust AI ecosystem that supports research, skills development, and business engagement, and at Spending Review £2 billion was allocated to implement the Action Plan.

Government is investing up to £500 million in the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, a new programme to grow high potential innovation clusters across the UK. This will empower local partnerships of government, universities and businesses to decide how to target R&D investment in their region and unleash their full innovation potential. Alongside this, UKRI continues to support knowledge transfer and AI adoption through consortia of universities and local businesses across the UK. Investments such as the AI research hubs, AI centres for doctoral training and flagship BridgeAI programme are already catalysing local partnerships and driving local innovation and prosperity.

The government has committed to invest more than £86 billion on research and innovation over financial years 26/27-29/30, supporting the UK’s scientific excellence and its full economic potential around the country, including in areas such as AI and data science. This funding will support the UK’s top scientists and innovators in business, universities and R&D organisations. DSIT will share further details of how its £58.5bn settlement over the Spending Review period will be invested once multi-year business planning allocations conclude this Autumn.

The UK is an Associated Country to Horizon Europe. UK applicants are eligible to apply to Horizon Europe calls both now and in the future. The Government strongly encourages researchers to do so.

Horizon Europe funding calls are set by the EU, who then evaluate applications and award funding accordingly. As Horizon Europe is a competitive fund, UK entities bid into the programme directly.

As a result of the UK’s association to Horizon Europe, institutions and organisations in Bradford and West Yorkshire have been awarded €10 million and €74 million, respectively, as of 13 June 2025. These figures include funding from the UK Government’s Horizon Europe Guarantee Scheme.

The government has a central mission to break down barriers to opportunity for every child. The government has inherited a trend of rising child poverty, which has increased by 700,000 since 2010, with over four million children now growing up in a low income family. That is why the government is committed to delivering an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty, tackling the root causes and giving every child the best start at life. To support this, a ministerial taskforce has been set up to begin work on the Child Poverty Strategy.

Under current programmes, disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools, as well as 16 to 18 year-old students in further education, are entitled to receive free meals on the basis of low income. 2.1 million disadvantaged pupils are registered to receive free school meals (FSM) and a further 90,000 are registered to receive further education free meals. In addition, all children in reception, year 1 and year 2 in England's state-funded schools are entitled to universal infant free school meals, which benefits around 1.3 million pupils.

Additionally, the government is committed to introducing free breakfast clubs in every primary school, to set children up for the day and ensure they are ready to learn, while supporting parents and carers to work.

As with all government programmes, the department will keep the approach to FSM under review.

No specific assessment has been made of the potential impact of high-decibel fireworks on animal welfare or the merits of reducing the permissible noise limits of fireworks used for public and private functions.

However, the Government is continuing to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities, including animal welfare stakeholders, to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks to inform any future action.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and Port Health Authority (PHA) are the competent authorities for the purposes of the Sea Fishing (Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishing) Order 2009. PHAs are responsible for receiving and checking catch certificates and other supplementary IUU documents that accompany consignments of fishery products at the UK border and have the power to stop and detain consignments for further investigation and refuse imports where necessary. There is a total of 28 PHAs that receive fishery products from the EU and the rest of the world, each of which assess their own resource requirements.

MMO's IUU Team comprises of 10 FTE who provide advice and training to PHAs on the UK’s IUU Regulation for importation and are the conduit for further information needed on an import through formal verification between the PHAs and 3rd country authorities.

The Government wants all pensioners to get the support to which they are entitled. That is why we have been running the biggest ever Pension Credit take-up campaign. The campaign included adverts on television, radio, social media such as Facebook and Instagram, on YouTube, on advertising screens, including on GP and Post Office screens as well as in the press.

Our drive to increase Pension Credit take up has successfully boosted applications. The latest applications and awards statistics were published on 29 May and are available at: Pension Credit applications and awards: May 2025. The statistics show that the Department received over 285,000 applications since 29 July 2024 and made almost 60,000 extra awards on the comparable period the previous year.

The latest phase of the Pension Credit campaign which started on 29 May will run for six weeks with promotion across print, radio and social media. Targeted promotional messaging is also planned for Carers Week (9^th – 15^th June).

Since February, the Department has been writing to all pensioners who make a new claim for Housing Benefit and who appear to be entitled to Pension Credit – directly targeting this group and encouraging them to make a claim.

For State Pensions, the Department writes to customers about four months prior to their State Pension age, inviting a claim to State Pension. The letter signposts the customer to claim online – which is the quickest and easiest way to claim. It also includes the telephone number so customers can also claim over the telephone or request a paper claim form.

Claims for Attendance Allowance are primarily made by post. Customers can print the claim form or contact the freephone Attendance Allowance helpline to request a claim form. A claim can also be made online at: www.gov.uk/attendance-allowance/how-to-claim. The Department is currently testing this new digital claim process as a part of its wider service modernisation plans with the aim of providing a streamlined alternative in addition to the current paper application form.

Information and advice about pensioner benefits and entitlements may be available from a range of outlets including Jobcentre Plus offices, DWP and other helplines, Gov.uk and other internet sites, local authorities, Citizens Advice and welfare benefit offices, Social Services, voluntary organisations, such as, Age UK and MacMillan, public libraries, health clinics, doctors' surgeries and health visitors.

DWP is actively reviewing and simplifying the process for pensioners to access the benefits they are entitled to. This includes the ability to apply by various means—digital, paper, or telephony. We are also shifting towards a more integrated approach where our agents can advise and support customers across multiple benefits, rather than being trained in just one pension-related benefit.

To enhance accessibility, we provide various support options, including assistance from agents and third-party organisations, home visits for those unable to complete forms, and services for customers who are deaf or unable to speak on the phone. For the most vulnerable individuals, additional support is available through the Visiting Service and Jobcentres, which offer face-to-face assistance and referrals to specialist support when needed.

I always welcome suggestions for what more we can do to ensure more pensioners get the Support they are entitled to.

It is our aim to make the right decision as early as possible in the claim journey. To support this, we have made improvements to our decision-making processes to help ensure people get the support they are entitled to without needing to appeal. This includes giving Decision Makers additional time to proactively contact customers if they think additional evidence may support the claim.

We recognise that the overturn rate at appeal is high. This is why we are continuing to learn from appeal outcomes. We regularly gather feedback on appeals from Presenting Officers who attend tribunals.

We are committed to ensuring individuals receive a high standard and accurate assessment. We want every report to reflect a high-quality functional assessment that the department can use to make their benefit entitlement decisions. This is a priority for the department, and we work extensively with assessment suppliers to make improvements to guidance, training, and audit procedures to ensure a quality service.

Suppliers are monitored against a range of measures to improve the accuracy of the advice they provide. A high standard is maintained through an independent audit function that continually monitors performance and provides feedback to its suppliers.

Independent audit refers to a comprehensive check of the elements of the assessment, including the evidence collection, further evidence provided, and the assessment report completed by the health professional. The check is completed against a set of guidelines to ensure a consistent approach is taken. This ensures that assessment reports are fit for purpose, clinically justified and sound, and provide sufficient information for the department to make an informed decision on entitlement to benefit.

We outlined our commitment to improving the PIP assessment in the recently launched Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper. We will take action to get the basics right and improve the experience for people who use the system of health and disability benefits. This includes recording health assessments as standard to build greater trust in the system. The aim is to create greater transparency, using recordings as a learning opportunity to consider potential improvements to the quality of the assessment process.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

The most recent estimate of Pension Credit take-up covers the financial year 2022/23 and is available at: Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2023 - GOV.UK

The Government wants all pensioners to get the support to which they are rightly entitled. That is why we have been running the biggest ever Pension Credit take-up campaign, which included adverts on Television, radio, social media such as Facebook and Instagram, on YouTube, on advertising screens, including on GP and Post Office screens as well as in the press. Around 11 million pensioners will have also recently received a leaflet promoting Pension Credit along with their State Pension uprating letter.

The latest Pension Credit applications and awards statistics were published on 27 February and are available at: Pension Credit applications and awards: February 2025 - GOV.UK The statistics show that the Department received 235,000 Pension Credit applications in the 30 weeks since the Winter Fuel Payment announcement – an 81% increase on the comparable period in 2023/24 and made 117,800 new Pension Credit awards – a 64% increase or 45,800 extra awards on the comparable period in 2023/24.

We are now writing to all pensioners who make a new claim for Housing Benefit and who appear to be entitled to Pension Credit – directly targeting this group and encouraging them to make a claim. In the longer term, we will be bringing together the administration of Pension Credit and Housing Benefit, so that pensioners receive both Housing Benefit and any Pension Credit that they are entitled to.