Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to monitor the potential impact of the April 2025 Statutory Sick Pay reforms on low-paid workers.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There were no reforms to Statutory Sick Pay in April 2025 other than annual uprating. From April 2026, we will be removing the Lower Earnings Limit as an entitlement criterion for Statutory Sick Pay and removing the waiting period. This means Statutory Sick Pay will be payable to all employees regardless of their earnings from their first full working day of sickness absence. The Government is committed to conducting a post implementation review of the Statutory Sick Pay measures within five years of implementation, including the impact on those in low paid employment.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of improving access to low-interest loans for councils delivering affordable homes via the Public Works Loan Board.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The government recognises the vital role that local authorities play in delivering affordable homes. The Public Works Loan Board provides councils with cost-effective loans for investment and service delivery, including affordable housing. We will continue to ensure the PWLB continues to meet local authorities’ financial needs and long-term strategies.Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to formalise alternative routes to smart export guarantee eligibility for renewable energy installations that are not certified under the microgeneration certification scheme.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Smart Export Guarantee eligibility criteria are set out in legislation. This requires that an installation and installer are certified through the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) or a scheme accredited as equivalent. There are no plans to review this requirement.
While such certification is required to access the SEG, suppliers may choose to and, in many cases, do offer export tariffs outside the SEG arrangements.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government will consider introducing VAT relief on construction costs for sub-market housing developments.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services; this includes most construction works. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.
To stimulate the construction of new homes, the Government currently maintains a zero rate of VAT on new-build residential buildings. Additionally, residential renovations are subject to a reduced rate of VAT of five per cent if they meet certain conditions. These include conversions of buildings from one residential use to another, conversions from commercial to residential use, and the renovation of properties that have been empty for two or more years. These reliefs apply to all residential buildings, including sub-market housing.
To support the delivery of 1.5 million new homes over the course of this parliament, the Government has confirmed a new 10-year £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme to kickstart social and affordable housebuilding at scale across the country. This is the biggest long-term investment in social and affordable housing in recent memory.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing an electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme for civil service departments.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Currently electric vehicle salary sacrifice schemes are not available for central Civil Service departments. HM Treasury approval would be required for any such scheme to be implemented. HM Treasury keeps all policies under review and will consider carefully any requests which are made for scheme expansion.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase the number of defibrillators at (a) care homes, (b) sheltered housing and (c) warden controlled properties.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The provision of defibrillators is a matter for local communities, working in partnership with local organisations and charities.
Decisions as to whether automated external defibrillators should be fitted is a matter for the owners of those properties, with regard to any legal requirements on the operation of those premises.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of the EV Infrastructure Grant has been (a) spent on and (b) allocated to external parking bays.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In 2025, £2.1 million has been spent on grants for parking bays to date. This represents 37 per cent of total spend on the Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant (EVCG) in 2025. These are estimated figures based on the proportion of parking bays and sockets funded.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will review the adequacy of fire safety guidance on installing EV chargers in car parks beneath blocks of flats.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The safety of electric vehicles (EV) and their charging is of paramount importance to the Government and is kept under regular review.
All EV chargepoint installations are subject to regulations and electrical standards. In July 2023, the department published fire safety guidance for covered car parks, to support car park operators, designers, and owners when installing EV chargepoint infrastructure.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to regulate advertising by direct cremation companies to ensure transparency about the handling and care of the deceased.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 prohibits unfair commercial practices. These include misleading actions and omissions, that are likely to impact the average consumer’s transactional decisions. Traders who engage in commercial practices that are misleading omissions, or misleading actions, may be committing a criminal offence.
In July 2025, the final report of the independent inquiry into the issues raised by the David Fuller case recommended the introduction of a statutory regulatory regime for those caring for the deceased. The Department will publish an interim update on progress in winter 2025 and a final response by summer 2026. This will include updates on the recommendations for the funeral sector which set out that direct cremation businesses should also be considered in this context, and mandatory standards to protect the security and dignity of the deceased should be applied to these businesses and to any emerging new models of delivery of care for the deceased.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department issues to local planning authorities on anonymisation of public comments on planning applications.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has not issued guidance in respect of this matter.
The Planning Advisory Service has published guidance to help local planning authorities adhere to the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation in exercising their planning duties. It can be found here.