Melanie Onn

National government provides support to local areas to decarbonise. This includes funding five regional Local Net Zero Hubs which support local authorities to develop net zero projects and attract commercial investment. In addition, the Local Industrial Decarbonisation Plans competition, run by government in partnership with Innovate UK, is providing up to £6 million in grant funding to 13 projects, supporting dispersed industrial manufacturers not located in the UK’s existing industrial clusters to decarbonise and reduce their emissions.

As the sector has never been regulated, the Department has not collected pricing data for consumers on communal or district heat networks. However, we are bringing in regulation to appoint Ofgem as the heat network regulator and giving them powers to monitor the market and intervene on high heat prices. The Department is also exploring options to protect vulnerable consumers in the upcoming heat network consumer protection consultation. As heat networks can efficiently use waste sources of heat, they are well placed to cut bills, as well as to reduce emissions, and our reliance on imported fossil fuels. In urban areas, heat networks are often the lowest cost low carbon heating option for consumers.

The Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (OREC) is an independent research centre that advances technology innovation for offshore renewable energy. OREC’s capabilities are vital to achieving the government's clean power mission. As part of the Department's Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, OREC’s expertise from its Floating Offshore Wind Centre of Excellence has led to the development of 36 projects focused on technology development and innovation in the offshore wind sector, laying the foundation for increased deployment of floating offshore wind in the UK.

The Department is considering how best to integrate OREC’s capabilities into forthcoming innovation programmes.

This department recognises the valuable and important role that kinship carers play in caring for some of the most vulnerable children.

The department is determined to give every child the opportunities they deserve, and kinship carers play a crucial role in delivering this. We know that many children who receive care from relatives and friends need extra support, including in school. We are working to ensure their needs are met, and that they have the best possible opportunity to succeed.

The government has expanded the role of virtual school heads to include specific responsibilities to promote the education outcomes of children in kinship care and recently announced the appointment of the first National Kinship Care Ambassador.

The government has extended the delivery of over 140 peer support groups across England, available for all kinship carers to access, where they can come together to share stories, exchange advice and support each other. A package of training and support is being delivered to kinship carers across England.

This government is considering how to most effectively transform the children’s social care system to deliver better outcomes for children and families, including how best to support kinship families.

High quality early education has a profound impact on child development, and it particularly benefits disadvantaged children. The government recognises that maintained nursery schools contribute to improving the lives of some of our most disadvantaged children, with around 80% of them being located in disadvantaged areas.

They also have a reputation for excellence and are recognised as high quality providers; in December 2023, 61% of them were judged to be Outstanding by Ofsted and 37% were judged to be Good.

In 2018, the department carried out research on the role and contribution of maintained nursery schools. The report can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5f48d4398fa8f57fb653f840/Frontier_Economics_MNS_report_REVISED_v2.pdf.

Food security is national security, and a sustainable fishing industry is an important part of that. Decisions on any future funding for the fishing industry will be taken through the Spending Review processes. Discussions on the opportunities and challenges facing the industry over the last few months have been helpful in gaining an understanding of what other types of support or government action may be appropriate in the future, including on skills.

It is a duty on water companies to maintain, improve and extend their water supply networks, to account for future water needs. Included within these plans, companies have to make estimates of demands from non-household customers, such as those for industrial users. Last year, regional water resources groups and water companies consulted on their draft water resources plans. These statutory plans set out how each company will secure water supplies sustainably for at least the next 25 years. The draft water resources management plans contain proposals for multiple new water resources schemes by 2050. Further information on the proposals can be found in the Environment Agency’s Summary of England’s draft regional and water resources management plan.

Decarbonising transport is central to the delivery of the UK’s cross-economy climate targets, and directly supports the Prime Minister’s mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower and accelerate our journey to net zero.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s revised 2023 greenhouse gas (GHG) strategy and the upcoming negotiations later this year will be of vital importance to decarbonising the global maritime sector. The measures under consideration include a goal-based marine fuel standard which would drive down the GHG intensity of marine fuels and incentivise the uptake the cleaner zero and near zero GHG emission fuels. The potential impact of these global measures will be considered in a comprehensive impact assessment as part of this negotiation process.

This work goes hand in hand with the need to unlock investment in maritime decarbonisation technologies; zero and near zero GHG emission vessels; and green port infrastructure within the UK.

We are working with industry to address the timetabling, financial, operational, and infrastructure issues that need to be resolved before a service to Cleethorpes can be introduced; once the East Coast Mainline timetable change has been implemented.

We are considering proposals put forward, with final approval subject to a thorough business case process.

Recent assessments of road noise on the A180 were undertaken by National Highways near Stallingborough in May 2024 ahead of proposed works linked to future concrete repairs. The noise levels recorded were between 65.9dB and 82.0dB and this is comparable to a 5- to 10-year-old asphalt road surface.

Other environmental assessments include ecological surveys of the adjacent species rich grasslands to assess biodiversity, and CCTV surveys of drainage assets to check their condition and inform future work.

Under the Functional Assessment Service (FAS) contracts which went live on 9 September 2024, assessment suppliers will deliver the Health Assessment Advisory Service on behalf of the department. These FAS contracts are central to the improvements we are making to health assessments.

Individuals now only need to deal with one supplier for the assessment of their health condition or disability, providing a simpler and more straightforward service. Each supplier including Maximus, will be held accountable to the same service delivery performance standards set by the department. Over the longer term, this will enable us to introduce a new integrated Health Assessment Service, which is being developed and built by the DWP Health Transformation Programme.

The department conducted an open and transparent procurement under the Public Contract Regulations in line with Government policies and considered the quality of assessments, the experience for individuals, as well as the value for money offered by each of the bids.

This is a local issue and resolution should be the product of local employer and trade union negotiations. It is for employers to correctly and consistently implement the NHS Job Evaluation scheme.

Cash continues to be used by many people across the UK and is a legitimate means of paying for goods and services. It is the choice of a business whether to accept or decline any form of payment and is based on factors such as customer preference and cost.

Like all other businesses, those which only or primarily accept cash must ensure they meet their legal obligations regarding tax, including that they register for and pay the right taxes at the right time.

Most taxpayers pay what they owe, but a small minority fail to register with HMRC or only declare a portion of their earnings. This small minority deprive our vital public services of funding, affect fair competition between businesses, and place unfair burdens on everyone else. The Government is committed to creating a level playing field for all by ensuring that everyone pays the right amount of tax at the right time. Closing the tax gap and making sure that more of the tax that is owed is correctly paid is one of the Government’s top priorities for HMRC. It is vital these revenues are collected to fund our essential public services.

HMRC is making it increasingly difficult for businesses to hide their earnings and have an extensive range of powers, including information gathering powers, that help build a picture of risk and identify those who are trying to abuse the system. HMRC’s approach to tax evasion aims to tackle current non-compliance and change future behaviours. Their activities include national campaigns and specialist task forces that incorporate intensive bursts of activity in targeted high risk trade sectors and locations across the UK. This includes providing customer education highlighting the importance of keeping accurate records.

The Government is committed to rolling out a new Young Futures programme, including a network of Young Futures Hubs which will bring together services to help improve the way young people can access the support they need.

We will be engaging with local communities, the police, charities, and other key partners to support the design of the hubs and explore options for their delivery. This will include considerations of the most suitable locations as well as how best to engage with those young people who would benefit most from their support.

Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) is also a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

We will put thousands of neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities, to tackle the crimes blighting our town centres and high streets, with tough new powers for the police to crack down on resistant offenders. This will be also key to disrupting youth ASB through engaged and visible neighbourhood officers.

The Home Office does not hold data on the impact of youth services on the number of reports of ASB.

The Government has not historically collected data on the individual characteristics of residents of households receiving a single person council tax discount.

This Government is committed to transferring power out of Westminster and into local communities, with landmark legislation to expand devolution across England, devolve further powers to local leaders, those with local knowledge and those with skin in the game, to drive economic growth, and empower local communities.

International evidence shows that, if done correctly, devolution can lead to economic growth and increased productivity. That is why we have committed to introducing an English Devolution Bill, which will give mayors and combined authorities the powers they need to implement local growth plans - setting a clear and bespoke direction for each local economy across the country.