Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure that data held across HM Treasury, HMRC and the Department for Work and Pensions is used effectively to reduce fuel poverty and improve the targeting of energy affordability support.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the pressure that rising energy prices place on households. We already use data from multiple sources including HMRC and DWP to identify households eligible for the Warm Home Discount, enabling most rebates to be paid automatically. However, many fuel poor households cannot currently be identified through existing data-matching arrangements.
The Government earlier this year launched a National Data Library 'kickstarter' project to explore whether securely connecting public sector data can make it easier to identify households in need, to ensure support reaches the people it’s designed for faster.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking through its cross-government data strategy to develop a secure, unified data-sharing framework with the Department for (a) Energy Security and Net Zero and (b) Work and Pensions to map and mitigate fuel poverty.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Digital Economy Act 2017 (‘DEA’) Part 5, Chapter 1 Public Service Delivery Powers enable information sharing between certain public authorities and gas and electricity suppliers. This information sharing power enables government departments (such as the DWP or DESNZ) to match household data against energy supplier records to deliver financial assistance and other targeted support.
Additionally, the Government’s forthcoming strategic data roadmap will set out the plan to transform how data is protected, shared and used across the public sector so it delivers more value for citizens, businesses, public services and the economy.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress his Department has made on helping to reduce business energy costs.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Every business in the country has paid the price of Britain’s dependence on foreign fossil fuel markets.
The government’s clean power mission will end the exposure of industry to the rollercoaster of fossil fuel prices. And we are supporting businesses through the British Industry Supercharger and British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what mechanisms his Department uses to monitor (a) the impact of private rented sector reforms on the availability of housing for vulnerable people and (b) local housing authorities' assessment of vulnerability and priority need among homelessness applicants with severe mental health conditions.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department collects data on the private rented sector through the English Housing Survey, which is published annually and can be found on gov.uk here, and through ongoing longitudinal survey of private tenants.
My Department also publishes data showing the number of households owed a prevention or relief duty where there are support needs, including the number who have support needs due to a history of mental health problems. This data can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what consideration he has given to publishing annual data on suicides among armed forces veterans.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Any suicide is a tragedy and is one too many. Our thoughts remain with the families, friends and colleagues of all those affected.
In 2024, for the first time ever, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published annual suicide rates (year 2021) for the veteran population in England and Wales using Census 2021 and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Service Leaver Database (SLD). This analysis was conducted based on a collaboration between ONS and the MOD.
The Government is committed to developing annual statistics for publication, which will provide a clearer picture of the issue and help inform targeted interventions to improve mental health support for veterans.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many workers applied to the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund during the pilot programme; and what estimate he has made of the number of workers who will be supported by the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund in the next 12 months.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As of 6th February, the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund has received 980 applications and of these 402 have been approved so far. Following the success of the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund pilot in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire UK and Scottish Governments plan to significantly scale up this and will extend the reach of the Transition Training Fund, enabling thousands more highly skilled oil and gas workers to access tailored careers advice and training to transition to new sectors.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the availability of flexible, remote or hybrid working on mothers with childcare responsibilities, including in Basingstoke; whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) school hours, (b) school holidays and (c) the availability of informal childcare on women’s participation in the labour market; and whether his Department plans to take steps to help encourage employers to offer flexible roles that enable parents to (i) maintain employment, (ii) develop skills and (iii) reduce reliance on out-of-work benefits.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We’re delivering a modern deal for working parents through the Employment Rights Act. Improving access to flexible working to allow parents to fit work around their family life, and employers will be expected to agree flexible working requests unless there is a clear and reasonable reason why they can’t.
Access to childcare support is essential in enabling parents to move into or progress in employment. Eligible Universal Credit (UC) customers can be reimbursed up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month up to the maximum amounts (caps). The UC childcare offer can be used alongside the Department for Education’s early years and childcare entitlements in England to help cover costs of childcare during school holidays and before or after the school day, and there are similar offers in the Devolved Nations.
To deliver our long-term ambition, the Department for Education is leading a cross-government review of early education and childcare support to design and deliver a simpler system that maximises benefits for child development and parents’ ability to work or work more hours.
We are also investing up to £289m in Wraparound Childcare places before and after school, and during the school holidays, rolling out Free Universal Breakfast Clubs in every primary school, and spending over £200m each year on free Holiday Childcare places for our most disadvantaged children. These policies will ensure that parents have access to affordable, quality childcare so they can work, study, and train.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the exclusion of Further Education Colleges from section 33 of the VAT Act 1994 on social mobility for students at those colleges.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
Further Education (FE) funding is vital to ensure people are being trained in the skills they need to thrive in the modern labour market. The 2025 Spending Review provided an additional £1.2 billion per year by 2028-29 for skills and £1.7 billion of capital funding to help colleges maintain the condition of their estate. In addition, the Government is providing £375 million of capital investment to support the FE system to accommodate increasing student numbers.
For their non-business activity, FE colleges are unable to reclaim VAT incurred. We operate several VAT refund schemes for schools and academies which are designed variously to ensure that VAT is not a burden on local taxation, and that academies are not disincentivised from leaving local authority control. FE colleges do not meet the criteria for either scheme.
In relation to business activity, FE colleges enjoy an exemption from VAT which means that they do not have to charge VAT to students, but cannot recover it either.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the exclusion of Further Education Colleges from section 33 of the VAT Act 1994 on economic growth.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
Further Education (FE) funding is vital to ensure people are being trained in the skills they need to thrive in the modern labour market. The 2025 Spending Review provided an additional £1.2 billion per year by 2028-29 for skills and £1.7 billion of capital funding to help colleges maintain the condition of their estate. In addition, the Government is providing £375 million of capital investment to support the FE system to accommodate increasing student numbers.
For their non-business activity, FE colleges are unable to reclaim VAT incurred. We operate several VAT refund schemes for schools and academies which are designed variously to ensure that VAT is not a burden on local taxation, and that academies are not disincentivised from leaving local authority control. FE colleges do not meet the criteria for either scheme.
In relation to business activity, FE colleges enjoy an exemption from VAT which means that they do not have to charge VAT to students, but cannot recover it either.
Asked by: Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the inability of Further Education colleges to reclaim VAT on their financial sustainability.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
Further Education (FE) funding is vital to ensure people are being trained in the skills they need to thrive in the modern labour market. The 2025 Spending Review provided an additional £1.2 billion per year by 2028-29 for skills and £1.7 billion of capital funding to help colleges maintain the condition of their estate. In addition, the Government is providing £375 million of capital investment to support the FE system to accommodate increasing student numbers.
For their non-business activity, FE colleges are unable to reclaim VAT incurred. We operate several VAT refund schemes for schools and academies which are designed variously to ensure that VAT is not a burden on local taxation, and that academies are not disincentivised from leaving local authority control. FE colleges do not meet the criteria for either scheme.
In relation to business activity, FE colleges enjoy an exemption from VAT which means that they do not have to charge VAT to students, but cannot recover it either.