Mark Hendrick Portrait

Mark Hendrick

Labour (Co-op) - Preston

First elected: 23rd November 2000


International Trade Committee
2nd Mar 2020 - 26th Apr 2023
Powers of Attorney Bill
22nd Feb 2023 - 1st Mar 2023
Electricity and Gas Transmission (Compensation) Bill
18th Jan 2023 - 25th Jan 2023
Co-operatives, Mutuals and Friendly Societies Bill
23rd Nov 2022 - 30th Nov 2022
Employment (Allocation of Tips) Bill
7th Sep 2022 - 12th Oct 2022
Committees on Arms Export Controls
6th Jul 2020 - 2nd Feb 2021
International Trade Committee
2nd Jul 2018 - 6th Nov 2019
Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee
5th Jan 2016 - 3rd May 2017
Foreign Affairs Committee
8th Jul 2015 - 3rd May 2017
High Speed Rail (London - West Midlands) Bill (Commons)
7th Jul 2015 - 22nd Feb 2016
Foreign Affairs Committee
18th Jun 2012 - 30th Mar 2015
Opposition Assistant Whip (Commons)
8th Oct 2010 - 18th Mar 2013
International Development Committee
19th Jan 2009 - 6th May 2010
European Scrutiny Committee
25th Jan 2001 - 14th Jun 2004


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Mark Hendrick has voted in 564 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Mark Hendrick Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Boris Johnson (Conservative)
(6 debate interactions)
Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Conservative)
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
(5 debate interactions)
Dominic Raab (Conservative)
(4 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department for International Trade
(26 debate contributions)
HM Treasury
(22 debate contributions)
Department of Health and Social Care
(16 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Mark Hendrick's debates

Preston Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

We want the UK to be neutral in the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and withdraw offers of support for Israel.

We want the Government to seek a ceasefire and also seek to address the root cause of the current conflict by promoting dialogue and advocating for the end of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The UK Government should urge the Israeli Government to stop the blockade of Food, Fuel and Electricity to the already impoverished city of Gaza

Millions of UK citizens have a disability or serious medical condition that means they use more energy. Many people need to use a ventilator 24/7. People use electric pumps to feed through a tubes. People need to charge their mobility equipment, such as electric wheelchairs, stair lifts, bath seats.

Disabled people should be included alongside carers in the £650 one off payment as part of the Cost of Living support package. We have larger utilities bills and food costs when compared to non-disabled people. We rely on these utilities and food to stay alive.

The Education Committee has recently recommended introducing a statutory home educated register, and greater assessment of home educated children. These recommendations are in contrast to the views of many parents who home educate.

Remove the clauses relating to 'Children not in school' from Part 3 of the Schools Bill, and do not pursue compulsory registration of all home-schooled children. We see no evidence that this would be beneficial, and we believe the proposals place a discriminatory burden on supportive parents.

Reverse the plan to withdraw funding for most applied general qualifications such as BTECs and guarantee they will continue to play a major role in the qualifications landscape. Students should not be forced to choose between studying A levels or T levels from the age of 16.

The Government should provide more funding for stalking advocates for victims of stalking. This would help support victims, and should also help the police to investigate cases more thoroughly, potentially helping prevent threats to life.

Bring in a law which enforces professional football clubs to have at least 51% fan ownership similar to how the Bundesliga operates this rule.

The Government should use the recently established fan led review of football to introduce an Independent Football Regulator in England to put fans back at the heart of our national game. This should happen by December 2021.


Latest EDMs signed by Mark Hendrick

8th January 2024
Mark Hendrick signed this EDM on Wednesday 10th January 2024

School Meals Coalition

Tabled by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
That this House welcomes the creation of the School Meals Coalition; notes the Coalition is a partnership of 96 countries, with responsibility for over 60 percent of the world’s population, spanning the full range of geographies and across high, middle and low-income countries; congratulates the Coalition in supporting the reinstatement …
25 signatures
(Most recent: 22 Jan 2024)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 17
Plaid Cymru: 3
Independent: 2
Green Party: 1
Scottish National Party: 1
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 1
18th December 2023
Mark Hendrick signed this EDM as a sponsor on Wednesday 10th January 2024

Integrated Care Board funding for children’s hospices in England

Tabled by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
That this House notes with concern the huge variance in local NHS spending on children’s hospice and palliative care in England, as found in the recent freedom of information requests published by the charity Together for Short Lives; is concerned that the amounts spent by each NHS integrated care board …
6 signatures
(Most recent: 22 Jan 2024)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 6
View All Mark Hendrick's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Mark Hendrick, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Mark Hendrick has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Mark Hendrick has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

2 Bills introduced by Mark Hendrick


A Bill to make provision to permit the capital surplus of co-operatives, mutuals and friendly societies to be non-distributable; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 29th June 2023 and was enacted into law.


The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to make provision about the meeting by the United Kingdom of the target for official development assistance (ODA) to constitute 0.7 per cent of gross national income; to make provision for independent verification that ODA is spent efficiently and effectively; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Wednesday 20th June 2012

Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
5 Other Department Questions
4th Nov 2022
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases in the cost of living on (a) women, (b) ethnic minorities, (c) disabled people, (d) single parents and (e) women with no recourse to public funds.

The government understands that families across the UK are worried about the cost of living, and are seeing their disposable incomes decrease as they spend more on the essentials. That is why the government has announced £37 billion of support for the cost of living this financial year, with most support going to those that need it most, regardless of their gender or ethnicity.

We have taken decisive action to support millions of households and businesses with rising energy costs this winter through the Energy Price Guarantee and the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. In addition to the Energy Price Guarantee, millions of the most vulnerable households will receive £1200 of support this year through the £400 EBSS, £150 Council Tax rebate and one-off £650 Cost of Living Payment for those on means-tested benefits, with additional support for pensioners and those claiming disability benefits.

Over the summer, a number of meetings and focus groups have taken place to hear disabled people's experiences in relation to the rising cost of living. Alongside this officials from the Disability Unit continue to engage with stakeholders to build the evidence base on how cost of living is impacting disabled people. This information will feed into the government’s response.

With regards to those without recourse to public funds, there are strong and important safeguards in place to ensure vulnerable migrants who are destitute and have community care needs, including issues relating to human rights or where the wellbeing of children is in question, can receive support.

Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
4th Nov 2022
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals on banning discrimination against someone because of their regional accent.

We have no plans for legislation to introduce new protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 nor is the scope of the Act a particularly good fit for those areas of life where people can experience bad treatment because of their accent.

However, advancing fairness in the workplace is a key priority for this Government. We have made it clear that everyone is treated fairly in the workplace, so that they can thrive and reach their full potential. We recognise that employers stand the best chance of achieving this when they focus their efforts on effective actions which have a proven track record of improving diversity and inclusion.

We have taken on board the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (CRED) recommendations, and as part of the UK government’s response ‘Inclusive Britain’, Action 69 is the commitment to establish an Inclusion at Work Panel to examine the evidence to understand what actually works to improve inclusion in the workplace and to share that information with employers so they can take action.

Made up of a panel of academics and practitioners in business it will develop and disseminate effective resources to help employers drive fairness across organisations. This will go beyond just race and ethnicity to identify actions to promote fairness for all in the workplace. It will include a programme of research and workplace trials to provide a robust evidence base and root out poor quality training.

In addition, we have published guidance that sets out the steps that employees can take if they are experiencing bullying or harassment at work, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/workplace-bullying-and-harassment.

Acas provides free and impartial advice for employers and employees, and has also published useful guidance on how to deal with bullying in the workplace that we encourage individuals and employers to consider when dealing with such matters. This is available at: https://www.acas.org.uk/if-youre-treated-unfairly-at-work/being-bullied.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
25th Feb 2022
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether her Department has made an assessment of the impact of the availability of childcare on the retention of mothers in the workforce.

We recognise that access to, and the availability of, affordable childcare is a key factor in enabling women to enter, remain, and progress in the workplace. That is why this Government continues to support families with their childcare costs.

All three- and four-year-olds in England are entitled to 15 hours of free childcare each week, providing children with high-quality early education, and helping parents to return to work. We have also spent over £3.5bn in each of the past three years on early education entitlements; and, at the Spending Review in October 2021, we announced additional funding for early years entitlements worth £160m in 2022-23, £180m in 2023-24 and £170m in 2024-25.

The provision of affordable, high-quality childcare is just one way in which we are changing the culture of the workplace to ensure that parents can balance work and care. In addition, we have extended the right to request flexible working to all employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service with their employer.

Furthermore, the Shared Parental Leave and Pay scheme gives working families more choice and flexibility about who cares for their child in the first year, and when. We have recently launched an online tool to make it easier for parents to check if they are eligible for shared parental leave and pay.

Kemi Badenoch
President of the Board of Trade
24th Feb 2022
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of prohibiting employers from requesting salary history from new employees in an effort to help tackle the replication of pay gaps between organisations.

There is growing evidence to show that, when pay is negotiable, asking applicants to disclose previous salary information increases the risk that historic disparities will be replicated. This is also the case when employers fail to provide clear salary information within their job adverts.

Both practices, when taken together, can limit an applicant’s ability to understand the value of their skills, and prevent them from negotiating on a level playing field. This can be particularly detrimental to those applicants who have been historically paid less, and who may not benefit from the informal sharing of pay information; ultimately putting them at a disadvantage during salary negotiations.

Kemi Badenoch
President of the Board of Trade
29th Jan 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the increase in incidents of online workplace sexual harassment.

Under the Equality Act 2010 employers have a legal responsibility to take all reasonable steps to protect their employees against workplace sexual harassment. If they fail to do so, the employer is vicariously liable for any sexual harassment committed by their employees during the course of their employment; this includes online.

The Government expects employers to take these responsibilities seriously. If they fail, employees can seek advice from ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) and, if necessary, take legal action in an Employment Tribunal.

Last year the Equality and Human Rights Commission, with the Government’s support, published guidance on harassment and sexual harassment at work. This made clear that employers should ensure policies on IT, communications systems and social media include appropriate warnings against online harassment and encourage workers to report it.

Kemi Badenoch
President of the Board of Trade
17th Feb 2023
To ask the Attorney General, what steps she is taking to ensure the effective prosecution of fraud and economic crime.

We continue to work closely with the SFO and CPS to identify any policy changes that could support their work. This is why we sought the introduction of a provision in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill to extend the SFO’s pre-investigation powers under section 2A of the Criminal Justice Act 1987. The CPS published its first ever Economic Crime Strategy in March 2021 to focus its efforts in tackling the economic crime threat. The Serious Economic, Organised Crime and International Directorate (SEOCID) ensures that the CPS has the resilience, expertise and flexibility in its staff and organisational structure to best respond to new and changing areas of complex crime. The CPS and SFO continue to deliver real success in the fight against economic crime. This financial year alone, the SFO has brought seven cases to trial involving criminality valued at above £500 million. Five of these trials have already concluded, and each case resulted in guilty pleas or convictions. The SFO prosecution of Glencore saw the company pay a record fine of £280 million for its actions. In the year ending September 2022 the CPS prosecuted 6,381 defendants, where Fraud and Forgery was the principal offence, and the conviction rate was 83.4%. The CPS Fraud and Forgery charge rate was at 79% in Q2 22/23, 5 percentage points higher than the previous quarter.

Michael Tomlinson
Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
15th Jan 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to help ensure that all those affected by contaminated blood receive appropriate compensation; and what is his planned timetable for finalising the compensation framework.

I recognise that the use of Infected Blood and blood products was an appalling tragedy. Clinical, legal and social care experts are being appointed to advise the Cabinet Office on technical considerations to inform the Government’s response to the Inquiry’s recommendations on compensation. The Inquiry will publish its final report on 20th May and I have committed to updating Parliament within 25 sitting days of its publication.

John Glen
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
3rd May 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants have their (a) payroll and (ii) pensions managed by private limited company Shared Services Connected Ltd; what was the cost to the public purse of using this company in (i) 2020-21 (ii) 2021-22 and (iii) 2022-23; and whether he plans to take steps to administer the payroll and pensions of all civil servants in-house.

Shared Services Connected Ltd (SSCL) services are provided to approximately 260,000 civil servants across the Health and Safety Executive, Office for Nuclear Regulation, Ministry of Justice, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Home Office, Department for Work and Pensions and Cabinet Office. SSCL costs for all Independent Shared Services Centre Two (ISSC2) departments in calendar year 2020 were £171m and for calendar year 2021 were £206m. This change was due to a surge of short term and catch up volumes as a result of the COVID pandemic and project start ups.

2022 calendar year costs have not yet been published. SSCL are contracted to perform as-is services until October 2025. Future service provision, beyond this date, is currently being considered for the whole of the civil service.

This system saves duplication of effort across government departments, enabling them to focus work and resources on the British people’s priorities.

The costs stated are for all services provided by SSCL which include HR, Finance, Recruitment and Procurement Services. Across all streams, they process approximately 6 million transactions per annum.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
21st Feb 2022
To ask the Prime Minister, what the scientific basis is for lifting remaining covid-19 restrictions as announced on 21 February 2022.

I refer the Hon. Member to both my statement to the House and press conference of 21 February.

18th Feb 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of (a) exports and (b) imports between the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the hon. Member's Parliamentary Questions of 18 February 2022 is attached.

29th Jan 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of knife crime in the last 10 years.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
27th Jan 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of public health messaging in saving lives during the covid-19 outbreak.

Behavioural science has been fully embedded in Covid-19 communications since the start of the pandemic. The evidence-based principles from this field have been applied across all key campaigns, including the decision to enter national lockdown. Behavioural science support during the pandemic has been provided by internal government teams and academic experts, including those who are members of SPI-B.

The Government constantly monitors and gains insight on public awareness. We use regular evaluations to maximise the impact of our campaigns across the UK. Recall of Government communication has remained extremely high.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
16th Oct 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to implement AI infrastructure at EU-UK borders.

The Cabinet Office published on 22 July a consultation document on the 2025 Border Strategy. This set out the Government’s intention to create a highly digitised and automated border. As part of this approach, we will explore the potential to use artificial intelligence at the border. We will respond to the consultation in due course.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
13th Oct 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what criteria is used by Government Departments when granting public contracts to private companies.

Public sector purchasing authorities are required to purchase products and services in accordance with public procurement legislation. Against this background, UK public procurement policy is to award contracts on the basis of value for money, which means the optimum combination of cost and quality over the lifetime of the project.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
28th Aug 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have died in care homes in (a) April, (b) May and (c) June 2020 in (i) Preston and (ii) Lancashire compared to the same period in each of the last two years.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

28th Aug 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the (a) median age (b) sex (c) race (d) religion and (e) gender was of covid-19 (i) deaths and (ii) cases in Preston constituency.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

28th Aug 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, the exact number of daily excess all-cause mortality in (a) age group and (b) PHE centres in week 30 of covid-19.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

28th Aug 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an automated traffic light system to control the number of people entering and leaving government buildings.

The guidance designed for Government workplaces does not currently consider the use of such traffic light systems. Current advice includes consideration of staggered arrival and departure times to reduce crowding.

Additional measures will be considered as necessary.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
3rd Jul 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he took to ensure that (a) women and (b) ethnic minorities were represented in shaping the Government's covid-19 response (i) planning and (ii) decision-making.

The Government’s COVID-19 response has been a cross-Government effort, involving thousands of people who have worked tirelessly as the UK faces unprecedented challenges. Planning and decision making has touched almost all of Government, with women and ethnic minorities represented at all levels.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
26th Feb 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) applications were made under the right to ask element of the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) (b) disclosures were made as a result of the DVDS application and (c) proactive disclosures were made under the right to know element of that scheme to people who had not made an application for DVDS in each year since the introduction of that scheme in March 2014 in (a) Lancashire and (b) each police force area.

The information requested falls under the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

26th Feb 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many disclosures made under the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme were made within the 35 day time limit in each year since the introduction of the scheme in (a) Lancashire and (b) in each police force in England and Wales.

The information requested falls under the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

26th Feb 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) men and (b) women were killed by their partner or ex-partner in each of the last three years.

The information requested falls under the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

15th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many subpostmasters in (a) Preston, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West were (i) wrongfully convicted and (ii) quit as a result of the flawed Horizon accounting system.

The Government does not hold the data requested.

95 postmasters in England have had their convictions overturned to date. The Government will fast-track legislation to overturn the convictions of all those convicted in England or Wales.

Our focus is on ensuring that all those who lost their Post Office roles or experienced other losses as a result of the Horizon scandal receive the compensation they deserve.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
15th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the timeline is for ensuring all victims of the Horizon scandal receive the compensation they are due; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure all wrongfully convicted victims are compensated.

The Government wants to see postmasters compensated as quickly as possible. Over £148 million has been paid to 2,700 victims, and we encourage anyone impacted to use the three compensation schemes available.

Last September, we announced an optional fixed sum award of £600,000 to those with overturned convictions as a means to swift settlement. In order to speed the flow of compensation for those in the Group Litigation Order (GLO) scheme, the Government also announced on 10th January that we will offer a fixed sum award of £75,000 which will save them from having to go through a full assessment. If they believe they are entitled to more, they are welcome to continue with the full assessment.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
6th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make it his policy to introduce mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting.

This Government remains committed to tackling all areas of disparities in this country, including in employment.

Ethnicity pay gap reporting is just one type of tool to assist employers in doing this and it may not always be the most appropriate mechanism for some types of organisations. Therefore, as set out in the “Inclusive Britain” report, which was published in March 2022, the Government will not be legislating to make ethnicity pay reporting mandatory at this stage. Government published guidance in April 2023 to support employers who wish to report voluntarily.

Kevin Hollinrake
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
28th Feb 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing home insulation to low-income households who have have poorly insulated homes.

The Government considers energy efficiency as the best way to tackle fuel poverty, contributing to the long-term reduction of energy bills as well as reducing carbon emissions in line with Net Zero. There are multiple targeted schemes in place to deliver energy efficiency measures to low income and fuel poor households. Schemes include the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), the Great British Insulation Scheme and the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
28th Feb 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to reduce the incidence of circulatory and respiratory diseases as a result of poor insulation in (a) Preston and (b) Lancashire.

Insulation is the most common and cost-effective means of improving energy efficiency in people’s homes.

Installers under current government schemes must be registered with TrustMark and comply with Publicly Available Specification 2035, which adopts a whole house approach to ensure appropriate ventilation when retrofit work is being carried out. This minimises the risks of unintended consequences such as mould and damp. Installers must also be PAS 2030 certified.

Should a consumer and a TrustMark registered business have a dispute about the installation which cannot be resolved through their own resolution mechanism then TrustMark provides a further dispute resolution process.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
30th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has made an estimate of the number of people living in fuel poverty in (a) Preston, (b) Lancashire, (c) the North West and (d) England; and what steps she is taking to help tackle fuel poverty.

The latest official Fuel Poverty Statistics for England were published in February 2023 on gov.uk here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-statistics#2022-Statistics

The latest statistics for the number of households in fuel poverty at administrative levels in England, are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sub-regional-fuel-poverty-data-2022

Updated statistics on fuel poverty in England and its regions will be published on 15 February 2024.

The Government sees energy efficiency as a key way to tackle fuel poverty and measures are delivered through targeted schemes including the Energy Company Obligation.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
30th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department has made of the potential of rooftop solar panels to help (a) tackle climate change, (b) cut energy bills, and (c) create jobs.

Rooftop solar panels can play a significant role in helping to mitigate climate change and reducing energy bills, while creating jobs.

That is why the Government is aiming for 70 gigawatts of solar capacity by 2035 and has established a joint Government-industry taskforce, with a subgroup focussed specifically on rooftop solar, to drive forward deployment.

The Government is also working to publish a solar roadmap this spring, setting out a clear step by step deployment trajectory.

Andrew Bowie
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
10th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent steps she has taken with Cabinet colleagues to encourage the creation of green (a) jobs, (b) investment and (c) skills in (i) Preston, (ii) Lancashire, (iii) the North West and (iv) England.

The Government’s net zero target depends on having the right workforce with the right skills in the right locations across the country. Over 80,000 green jobs are currently being supported or are in the pipeline across the UK, as a result of new government policies and spending since November 2020.

To tackle emerging and future workforce demands, the Government, working with the Green Jobs Delivery Group, is focused on the creation of a Green Jobs Plan. This plan will provide the actions needed to ensure we have the sufficiently skilled workforce to deliver on the Government’s targets.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
10th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to support homeowners, in the context of the Government's commitment to reach net zero by 2050.

In his speech on 20 September, my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister announced measures which will help avoid imposing significant costs on families.

Details have been announced on an additional £6bn of support, from 2025-2028, to help around a million families and hundreds of businesses to cut their energy use.

The Government has also increased the grants available for heat pumps to £7,500.

Further support is available at: https://helpforhouseholds.campaign.gov.uk/.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
10th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the compatibility of the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill with the UK's 2050 net zero target.

The Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill is consistent with meeting net zero by 2050. Climate Change Committee data shows that the UK will need oil and gas even when it reaches net zero. North Sea Transition Authority analysis shows that domestically produced natural gas is almost four times cleaner than importing liquified natural gas. Even with continued development, oil and gas production is expected to decline by 7% a year and to fall by nearly 90% by 2050. This is faster than the average annual global decline needed to align with UN 1.5°C pathways and the UK's carbon budgets.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
10th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the eligibility criteria for the Warm Home Discount for winter 2024-25.

From winter 2022 the Government extended the Warm Home Discount to support more households in fuel poverty, who have low incomes and live in homes that are costly to heat. This winter we lowered the threshold for a property to be considered costly to heat and we expect over 3 million households to receive the rebate, around a million more households compared with the previous scheme prior to winter 2022.


As the scheme is funded by participating energy suppliers, we have struck a balance between supporting as many households as possible, providing meaningful support, and limiting the impact on wider consumer bills.

Energy prices have significantly fallen in the past year. We are continuing to monitor the situation and will keep options under review, including with respect to the most vulnerable households.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
14th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing companies that meet safety and design criteria for small modular reactors to build those without entering the Great British Nuclear competition for the design of small modular reactors.

GBN is expected to work with the nuclear industry to help achieve our stated ambitions for the sector, including through de-risking early development.

The first priority for GBN is to launch a competitive process to select the best SMR technologies. This will commence in April with market engagement as the first phase. The second phase – the down-selection process - will be launched in the summer, with an ambition to assess and decide on the leading technologies by autumn. This is expected to attract the best designs from both domestic and international vendors.

Andrew Bowie
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
14th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to increase the rate of energy efficiency measure installations in homes in Preston.

The Government is committed to improving the energy performance of homes across the country, including in Preston.

The Government is investing £6.6 billion over this parliament in decarbonising heat and energy efficiency measures and launched the £1 billion Great British Insulation Scheme in March running until March 2026, saving around 300,000 of the country’s least energy efficient homes £300-£400 each year.

In 2022, a zero-rate of VAT was introduced on energy efficiency measures, and a digitally led service ‘find ways to save energy in your home’ (https://www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency) was launched. This site provides guidance helping consumers make their homes greener and cheaper to run, supported by a call centre for assistance.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
14th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of families in fuel poverty.

In 2022, there were an estimated 3.26 million households in fuel poverty in England.

The annual statistics report on fuel poverty in England, published in February 2023, can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-fuel-poverty-statistics-report-2023.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
15th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make it his policy to introduce a fast-track approvals process for applications for new nuclear developments that do not require taxpayer funding.

For planning approvals, the Government announced in February as part of its Nationally Significant Infrastructure Action Plan that it intends to develop a fast track consenting process to enable infrastructure developers, which include nuclear developers, to benefit from a shorter examination timeframe. Provisions to enable this are in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill.

Andrew Bowie
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
15th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support new nuclear developers that do not require any public funding.

As announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Spring Budget on 15th March, the Government is launching Great British Nuclear (GBN) to address constraints in the nuclear market and support new nuclear builds as the government works towards net zero. GBN will enable an ambitious civil nuclear programme and ensure the UK is one of the best places in the world to invest in new nuclear. Our intention is that GBN will launch the first staged competition for Small Modular Reactors. Further details on GBN’s set up, leadership and operations will be announced by the end of March. As the Chancellor also confirmed, subject to consultation the Government intends to include nuclear in the UK Green Taxonomy, facilitating investment into this important technology alongside renewables.

Andrew Bowie
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
15th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to provide further information on the role of Great British Nuclear.

As announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor in the Spring Budget on 15th March, the Government is launching GBN to address constraints in the nuclear market and support new nuclear builds as the government works towards net zero. GBN will enable an ambitious civil nuclear programme and ensure the UK is one of the best places in the world to invest in new nuclear. Our intention is that GBN will launch the first staged competition for Small Modular Reactors. Further details on GBN’s set up, leadership and operations will be announced by the end of March.

Andrew Bowie
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
25th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions officials in her Department have had with social media companies on safeguarding users from scams; and what steps she is taking to protect users from scam content.

My department has regular meetings with online platforms on a number of issues. The Government is committed to protecting users from online scams and fraud, which is why new regulations were introduced through the Online Safety Act.

The Act gives user-to-user and search service providers new duties for tackling fraudulent content. They will need to conduct risk assessments and ensure they put in place systems and processes that proactively tackle it. The largest user-to-user and search service providers have additional duties to proactively tackle fraudulent advertising.

Ofcom will set out details about how providers can comply with their duties in codes of practice.

Saqib Bhatti
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
23rd Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of customers with older prepayment meters that redeem energy bills vouchers.

Customers with traditional prepayment meters should have received their first and second Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) discount vouchers. These have been sent by SMS text, email or post.

Suppliers are reporting to BEIS on scheme delivery, including the redemption of traditional prepayment meter vouchers. Data for October indicates all vouchers have been dispatched by suppliers and take up so far is over 60%. The Government will continue to issue communications via a broad range of channels and stakeholders, seeking to increase awareness of the vouchers and how to redeem them and will address any issues identified with redemption.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
1st Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help (a) tackle gender disparities and (b) increase female representation in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce.

The Government funds programmes, delivered by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), to support STEM and the creation of a more diverse STEM workforce now and in the future.

STEM Inspiration programmes such as STEM Ambassadors particularly focus on engaging with under-represented groups, including young women, to develop their skills and interest in STEM careers.

UKRI is also working with funders and the wider sector to co-design a joined-up talent offer that is open to the full diversity of people in the UK across all career stages.

28th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps he has taken to support small and medium businesses to recruit and retain suitably qualified employees.

Throughout the pandemic the Government provided historic levels of support to the economy – a total of £370 billion. At the heart of this was the Plan for Jobs programme – a comprehensive and ambitious plan to help people back into work and develop the skills they need to thrive.

The Plan for Jobs supported people throughout the pandemic and continues to do so as we see sustained economic improvement with unemployment returning to pre-pandemic levels. Accompanied with this recovery were record levels of vacancies and as a result, the Government launched the new Way to Work campaign in January 2022 to focus on supporting unemployed and work-ready claimants into work quickly.

14th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterparts in (a) Europe, (b) the Middle East and (c) Asia on procurement of the (i) Eurofighter Typhoon and (ii) other defence aircraft which were designed and manufactured in the UK.

The procurement of defence equipment by other countries is a matter for the Ministry of Defence, and the Department for International Trade. Matters relating to these subjects should be directed to those Departments.

Lee Rowley
Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
14th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on the supply of (a) steel, (b) zinc and (c) other metals necessary for the aerospace industry in the UK.

The invasion of Ukraine has created uncertainty in the global economy. The sanctions and strong response by the UK and its allies are vital in supporting the Ukrainian people, but these decisions will inevitably have an impact on the supply of goods, both in the UK and in other economies.

We have been in close contact with the UK aerospace sector to understand the implications of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia on the supply of metals, and their timelines for finding alternative sources where needed. We are aware of the sector’s priorities and are looking to work with them whilst, at the same time, ensure HM Government’s policy stance reflects the unacceptability of Russia’s action towards Ukraine.

The resilience of critical supply chains is a priority for the Government. The UK benefits from an open international trading system and our priority is to work with allies and international partners, including Japan, to promote it.

Lee Rowley
Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
14th Apr 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much the Government is (a) paying and (b) receiving for Feed-in Tariffs (FiT) by (i) KWh, (ii) total payments and resale, (iii) various forms of FiT renewables and (iv) commercial and domestic generation.

Feed in Tariffs is a scheme designed to promote the uptake of small-scale renewable and low-carbon electricity generation technologies. The scheme is funded through Energy suppliers who levy the costs onto consumers.

In Year 11 (20/21) of the FiT scheme, the overall capacity was approximately 6.43 GW, which generated 9.14 TWh of renewable electricity with the annual value of the scheme costing £1.76 billion.

Eligible technologies for FiT include photovoltaic, onshore wind, anaerobic digestion, hydro and Micro CHP. Installed microgeneration (0 – 50 kW) accounted for an installed capacity of 3,484 MW with larger installations (>50 kW) totalling an installed capacity of 2,942 MW.

Details of the tariff structure for each technology can be found here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/feed-tariff-fit-tariff-table-1-april-2022.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
23rd Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans extend the warm home discount.

The Government consulted on expanding and reforming the Warm Home Discount Scheme from 2022 until 2026 in the Energy White Paper. Under the plans, the total spending will increase from around £350 million to £475 million per year, and the value of the rebates will increase to £150. As a result of the additional funding, 780,000 more low-income and vulnerable households will receive rebates on their energy bills every winter, with the majority receiving the money automatically and without having to apply.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)