Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for the medical assessment stage of Personal Independence Payment claims in (a) Nottinghamshire and (b) the East Midlands.

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

The department is committed to ensuring that Personal Independence Payment claimants receive timely assessments and continues to work closely with its suppliers to improve customer experience across all geographical areas, including Nottinghamshire and the wider East Midlands.

We have introduced a range of measures to increase assessment capacity and reduce waiting times. These include ongoing recruitment and training of additional health professionals and a series of process improvements to streamline the assessment journey.

Waiting times can vary by region due to local demand and operational factors. Assessment suppliers actively monitor regional performance to ensure resources are deployed where they are most needed, and additional capacity will be directed where appropriate.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help support young people who are at risk of becoming homeless.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We are taking action across government to provide targeted support to young people and their families at an earlier stage. The government is providing more than £3.6 billion funding for homelessness and rough sleeping services over the next three years, which councils can use to meet the needs of people in their area including young people.

Through our National Plan to End Homelessness we are taking action to tackle the root causes of homelessness by building more homes, tackling poverty and reforming renters’ rights. We have also committed to develop a national Youth Homelessness Prevention Toolkit and develop a dedicated chapter of the Homelessness Code of Guidance on young people, to support councils to work collaboratively with other public services to prevent youth homelessness.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to (a) understand and (b) tackle causes of youth homelessness.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We are taking action across government to provide targeted support to young people and their families at an earlier stage. The government is providing more than £3.6 billion funding for homelessness and rough sleeping services over the next three years, which councils can use to meet the needs of people in their area including young people.

Through our National Plan to End Homelessness we are taking action to tackle the root causes of homelessness by building more homes, tackling poverty and reforming renters’ rights. We have also committed to develop a national Youth Homelessness Prevention Toolkit and develop a dedicated chapter of the Homelessness Code of Guidance on young people, to support councils to work collaboratively with other public services to prevent youth homelessness.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support local authorities to address youth homelessness.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We are taking action across government to provide targeted support to young people and their families at an earlier stage. The government is providing more than £3.6 billion funding for homelessness and rough sleeping services over the next three years, which councils can use to meet the needs of people in their area including young people.

Through our National Plan to End Homelessness we are taking action to tackle the root causes of homelessness by building more homes, tackling poverty and reforming renters’ rights. We have also committed to develop a national Youth Homelessness Prevention Toolkit and develop a dedicated chapter of the Homelessness Code of Guidance on young people, to support councils to work collaboratively with other public services to prevent youth homelessness.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to prevent youth homelessness.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We are taking action across government to provide targeted support to young people and their families at an earlier stage. The government is providing more than £3.6 billion funding for homelessness and rough sleeping services over the next three years, which councils can use to meet the needs of people in their area including young people.

Through our National Plan to End Homelessness we are taking action to tackle the root causes of homelessness by building more homes, tackling poverty and reforming renters’ rights. We have also committed to develop a national Youth Homelessness Prevention Toolkit and develop a dedicated chapter of the Homelessness Code of Guidance on young people, to support councils to work collaboratively with other public services to prevent youth homelessness.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help tackle youth homelessness.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We are taking action across government to provide targeted support to young people and their families at an earlier stage. The government is providing more than £3.6 billion funding for homelessness and rough sleeping services over the next three years, which councils can use to meet the needs of people in their area including young people.

Through our National Plan to End Homelessness we are taking action to tackle the root causes of homelessness by building more homes, tackling poverty and reforming renters’ rights. We have also committed to develop a national Youth Homelessness Prevention Toolkit and develop a dedicated chapter of the Homelessness Code of Guidance on young people, to support councils to work collaboratively with other public services to prevent youth homelessness.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support domestic ferry companies.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Domestic ferry companies operate their services predominantly in a commercial environment without intervention from the Government.

The Department for Transport continues to engage with domestic ferry companies and wider local stakeholders.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the quality of open water in Ashfield constituency.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Agency will publish updated water body classifications later this year (https://environment.data.gov.uk/catchment-planning/England/classifications). This will provide a measure of the health of the water environment, focusing on the effects of pollution from sources like sewage, industry, and farming.

These classifications guide regulatory decisions and drive investment, such as the £22.1bn that water companies across England will spend on infrastructure, and environmental improvements between 2025-2030.

In Ashfield, by 2030, Severn Trent will deliver 46 new environmental actions on top of the 20 actions completed between 2020–2025. These actions can include small developments in a sewage treatment works, stopping sewage overflows, through to large interventions such as complete changes to sewage treatment.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to improve the water quality of open water in Ashfield constituency.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Agency will publish updated water body classifications later this year (https://environment.data.gov.uk/catchment-planning/England/classifications). This will provide a measure of the health of the water environment, focusing on the effects of pollution from sources like sewage, industry, and farming.

These classifications guide regulatory decisions and drive investment, such as the £22.1bn that water companies across England will spend on infrastructure, and environmental improvements between 2025-2030.

In Ashfield, by 2030, Severn Trent will deliver 46 new environmental actions on top of the 20 actions completed between 2020–2025. These actions can include small developments in a sewage treatment works, stopping sewage overflows, through to large interventions such as complete changes to sewage treatment.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help ensure British ports operate at high efficiency.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The United Kingdom has a world leading maritime sector, including its ports. The ports sector is largely privatised, so government direct intervention is limited. Whilst there are some government bodies who do direct day to day work within ports, matters that fall within the DfT’s jurisdiction are ones concerned with safety.

The department does have a range of grant programs designed to support the wider UK ports sector, with these programs aimed at supporting the transition to a green economy and at modal shift towards rail and water. We are working with other Departments to strengthen and streamline planning, including by updating the National Policy Statement for Ports.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment the Government has made of the connection between speech, language and communication needs for children and their long-term employment prospects in (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) nationally.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

We set out our plans to reform the system of support for children with special educational needs in the Schools White Paper and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) consultation document and will continue to invest in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention and an extension of the Early Language Support for Every Child programme. This includes £1.8 billion for the new Experts at Hand offer, £15 million to establish new speech and language therapy advanced practitioners, and £200 million to train staff in mainstream settings to better support pupils with SEND, including speech, language and communication needs (SLCN).

Nationally, in 2024/25, 72.5% of those with no primary special educational need achieved grades 4 or above in English and maths GCSEs, compared to 28.6% of those with SLCN as a primary need. In Nottinghamshire these figures were 73.7% and 34.3% respectively. This data is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance/2024-25.

Nationally, for 2022/23 academic year study leavers, 68.0% of those who had completed 16 to 18 study with SLCN as a primary need were in sustained education, apprenticeships or employment in the following academic year, compared to 80.7% of those with no identified need. The data is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/16-18-destination-measures/2023-24.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment the Government has made of the connection between speech, language and communication needs and educational attainment in (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) nationally.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

We set out our plans to reform the system of support for children with special educational needs in the Schools White Paper and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) consultation document and will continue to invest in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention and an extension of the Early Language Support for Every Child programme. This includes £1.8 billion for the new Experts at Hand offer, £15 million to establish new speech and language therapy advanced practitioners, and £200 million to train staff in mainstream settings to better support pupils with SEND, including speech, language and communication needs (SLCN).

Nationally, in 2024/25, 72.5% of those with no primary special educational need achieved grades 4 or above in English and maths GCSEs, compared to 28.6% of those with SLCN as a primary need. In Nottinghamshire these figures were 73.7% and 34.3% respectively. This data is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance/2024-25.

Nationally, for 2022/23 academic year study leavers, 68.0% of those who had completed 16 to 18 study with SLCN as a primary need were in sustained education, apprenticeships or employment in the following academic year, compared to 80.7% of those with no identified need. The data is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/16-18-destination-measures/2023-24.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to promote the use of regional airports.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Regional airports are vital in addressing transport inequity by connecting all regions of the UK to national and international opportunities. They serve our local communities by supporting thousands of jobs while maintaining social and family ties and strengthening the bonds between the four nations.

Government supports connectivity across the union through our joint funding of two Public Service Obligation (PSO) routes into London from Dundee and Derry/Londonderry.

The UK aviation market operates predominantly in the private sector. Airports invest in their infrastructure to attract passengers and airlines, while airlines are well placed to deliver services to their customers by responding to demand for different routes.

Ministers and officials at the Department meet regularly with regional airports to discuss issues such as regional air connectivity.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information his Department holds on trends in the average cost of household energy bills since 2023.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The department publishes statistics on domestic electricity and gas bills, based on data provided to the department by energy suppliers.

Annual domestic energy bills - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government are taking to help increase employment opportunities for people with autism.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government is committed to supporting all neurodivergent people, including autistic people, into and at work. This is part of our wider commitment to drive healthy and inclusive workplaces for all.

Our employment support for neurodivergent people is led by DWP’s £1 billion, voluntary, locally-led Supported Employment programme, Connect to Work. It covers all of England and Wales, with the exception of Greater Manchester which is using their Connect to Work funding to pilot their Prevention Demonstrator, through their Integrated Settlement.

Connect to Work will support around 300,000 disabled people, people with health conditions and individuals with complex barriers to employment by the end of the decade. It offers intensive, personalised employment support to help people move into and stay in paid employment, and is built around two internationally recognised evidence-based Supported Employment frameworks: Individual Placement and Support, and the Supported Employment Quality Framework. The latter has been specifically designed to support neurodivergent people and those with learning disabilities into sustainable jobs. Crucially, Connect to Work supports both participants and employers, helping to ensure that individuals are given the best chance to succeed once in work.

We recognise that supporting employers to understand the needs of neurodivergent employees is also key to our efforts. This year we funded free-of-charge neurodiversity masterclasses, delivered by ACAS, to help small and medium sized businesses build their understanding of neurodivergence and improve workplace support. Over 1800 representatives of small and medium sized businesses attended these masterclasses.

As announced early this year, we are reforming our Disability Confident scheme by strengthening its criteria and expectations to drive meaningful change across its approximately 19,000 employer members and the estimated 11.5 million employees working in their organisations. The reforms will provide clearer, more robust guidance on inclusive recruitment and retention, including for autistic people; and these reforms are being closely aligned with the work of the Keep Britain Working Review.

As part of the vanguard phase of the Keep Britain Working Review, we are working directly with employers to identify what “good” looks like in inclusive workplace practice, including for neurodivergent employees. This vanguard phase includes over 150 volunteer employers and 10 regions and will, over the next three years, work with government to test employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in and return to work.

Finally, last year, DWP launched an independent panel of academics with expertise and lived experiences of neurodiversity to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. The panel considered the reasons why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate. DWP has now received a final version of the Panel’s report and is considering its findings.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help support autistic people to find employment.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government is committed to supporting all neurodivergent people, including autistic people, into and at work. This is part of our wider commitment to drive healthy and inclusive workplaces for all.

Our employment support for neurodivergent people is led by DWP’s £1 billion, voluntary, locally-led Supported Employment programme, Connect to Work. It covers all of England and Wales, with the exception of Greater Manchester which is using their Connect to Work funding to pilot their Prevention Demonstrator, through their Integrated Settlement.

Connect to Work will support around 300,000 disabled people, people with health conditions and individuals with complex barriers to employment by the end of the decade. It offers intensive, personalised employment support to help people move into and stay in paid employment, and is built around two internationally recognised evidence-based Supported Employment frameworks: Individual Placement and Support, and the Supported Employment Quality Framework. The latter has been specifically designed to support neurodivergent people and those with learning disabilities into sustainable jobs. Crucially, Connect to Work supports both participants and employers, helping to ensure that individuals are given the best chance to succeed once in work.

We recognise that supporting employers to understand the needs of neurodivergent employees is also key to our efforts. This year we funded free-of-charge neurodiversity masterclasses, delivered by ACAS, to help small and medium sized businesses build their understanding of neurodivergence and improve workplace support. Over 1800 representatives of small and medium sized businesses attended these masterclasses.

As announced early this year, we are reforming our Disability Confident scheme by strengthening its criteria and expectations to drive meaningful change across its approximately 19,000 employer members and the estimated 11.5 million employees working in their organisations. The reforms will provide clearer, more robust guidance on inclusive recruitment and retention, including for autistic people; and these reforms are being closely aligned with the work of the Keep Britain Working Review.

As part of the vanguard phase of the Keep Britain Working Review, we are working directly with employers to identify what “good” looks like in inclusive workplace practice, including for neurodivergent employees. This vanguard phase includes over 150 volunteer employers and 10 regions and will, over the next three years, work with government to test employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in and return to work.

Finally, last year, DWP launched an independent panel of academics with expertise and lived experiences of neurodiversity to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. The panel considered the reasons why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate. DWP has now received a final version of the Panel’s report and is considering its findings.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information his Department holds on trends in the number of jobs in the oil and gas sector since 2023.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government holds information on employment trends in the oil and gas sector from a range of sources, including industry data and independent research.

The Office for National Statistics estimates that direct employment in the sector was around 27,000 in 2023 and around 28,000 in 2024 on a provisional basis.

Analysis shows strong skills transferability from oil and gas to offshore clean energy roles.

Energy Conservation