Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of increasing pension fund investment in private markets and infrastructure on the economy.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

In May, 17 of the largest workplace pension providers signed the Mansion House Accord and voluntarily committed to invest at least 10 per cent of their defined contribution main default funds in private markets by 2030, with at least half of that invested in the UK.

This is expected to unlock £50 billion of additional private market investment by 2030, including £25 billion in the UK. As providers work towards meeting these commitments, they will be investing more in private assets such as infrastructure projects.

Additionally, the measures in the Pension Schemes Bill, introduced in July, will ensure pension schemes have the scale and expertise to access these types of investment.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor for the Exchequer, whether the Office for Investment is taking to update its infrastructure pipeline portal; and whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential lessons learned from the (a) Australian, (b) New Zealand and (c) other international models of infrastructure pipeline portals.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The NISTA Infrastructure Pipeline was launched in July and plans to update the pipeline are outlined here: https://pipeline.nista.grid.civilservice.gov.uk/future. In developing the design of the Pipeline, NISTA drew on a broad range of industry feedback and examples, including from those outside the UK such as Australia and New Zealand. The Pipeline team will continue its active engagement of users to steer its design and ensure it improves through forthcoming iterations.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will take steps to help reduce administration for businesses required to complete declarations for goods staying in Northern Ireland under trusted trader schemes.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

On 1 May, the Government introduced important new arrangements for freight and parcel movements to ensure that goods can continue to move smoothly from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

The new arrangements ensure that parcels sent to or from consumers will not be subject to customs declarations or duty.

We have also introduced a range of schemes to support businesses by removing unnecessary checks and paperwork on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland; over 15,000 businesses are already signed up to the UK Internal Market Scheme.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what engagement his Department has had with institutional investors to identify barriers to investment in green infrastructure; and what steps his Department is taking to address those barriers through policy or regulatory reform.

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

The Department engages regularly with institutional investors and industry associations through bilateral meetings, roundtables and targeted events to better understand and address investment barriers. Insights from these interactions inform policy and regulatory reform to best mobilise private investment into the Clean Energy Mission. For example, investors were actively engaged in the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements. Engagement also informs planning reform, and changes to investment mechanisms such as recent Contracts for Difference reform. The Department works alongside public finance institutions to develop targeted interventions that crowd in private investment.

Found: Vehicles As I promised the Committee when we met, my officials have passed onto DfT the query from Mike Reader

Submit Evidence (by 7 Jan 2026)

Following an initial evidence session in Parliament on the role of the UK’s refinery industry in the energy transition, the Committee is launching a new inquiry and call for evidence on the future of UK oil and gas.