Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate Ofwat has made of the total cost of South Staffs Water’s universal metering programme; how much of that cost is funded through customer bills; what cost per installation was assumed in the company’s price determination; and what financial consequences will apply if the programme (a) exceeds its approved cost and (b) fails to deliver the forecast reduction in demand.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Ofwat has allowed £55 million for South Staffs Water's metering programme for 2025-30. The company is funded through Ofwat's price control framework. Ofwat monitors delivery against approved commitments and may apply financial incentives where performance falls short.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what protections water companies are required to provide to customers whose bills increase following compulsory meter installation; whether South Staffs Water is required to identify potentially eligible customers proactively for WaterSure, social tariffs and other affordability support; and whether the Department holds data on how many customers affected by South Staffs Water's universal metering programme have received each form of support.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The adequacy of South Staffs Water's metering programme is assessed through the company's statutory Water Resources Management Plan and regulatory oversight arrangements. Defra does not hold a published forecast of household meter installations by local authority and financial year. Detailed delivery assumptions are a matter for the company and regulators.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what requirements apply to water companies undertaking compulsory metering in areas designated as seriously water stressed in relation to (a) advance notice, (b) customer consultation, (c) access to private property, (d) internal installation, (e) reinstatement following works and (f) complaints and redress; and how compliance with those requirements is monitored.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The adequacy of South Staffs Water's metering programme is assessed through the company's statutory Water Resources Management Plan and regulatory oversight arrangements. Defra does not hold a published forecast of household meter installations by local authority and financial year. Detailed delivery assumptions are a matter for the company and regulators.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of South Staffs Water’s compulsory universal metering programme; and how many household meters the company is expected to install in each financial year from 2025–26 to 2034–35, by local-authority area.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The adequacy of South Staffs Water's metering programme is assessed through the company's statutory Water Resources Management Plan and regulatory oversight arrangements. Defra does not hold a published forecast of household meter installations by local authority and financial year. Detailed delivery assumptions are a matter for the company and regulators.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what requirements apply to South Staffs Water’s collection, retention and use of smart-meter consumption data; at what frequency household usage will be recorded; which third parties may receive identifiable or pseudonymised information; and whether customers will be able to access the same level of usage data used by the company for billing, leakage detection and demand-management purposes.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Water companies must comply with applicable data protection and privacy legislation when collecting and processing customer information. The collection, retention and operational use of smart meter data are matters for individual water companies, subject to relevant legal and regulatory requirements.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what reduction in household water consumption South Staffs Water is required to achieve through universal metering; what the evidential basis is for the conclusion that moving an unmetered household to metered charging reduces demand by approximately 13%; and whether she plans to take steps to ensure the company will be required to publish actual consumption reductions separately from savings attributed to the detection of customer-side leaks.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

South Staffs Water's metering programme forms part of its wider demand management activities. Ofwat's PR24 framework sets expectations for demand reduction and monitors delivery against company commitments through its regulatory performance framework.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to require data-centre developers and operators to disclose their expected and actual annual water consumption.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Current evidence suggests existing data centres in England account for just 0.2% of non-household demand. Defra is working across government and with the Environment Agency to better understand the sectors growth and reduce its impact, including by supporting rollout of smart meters in the non-household market.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the projected demand for water from data centres in each water-resource zone.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Current evidence suggests existing data centres in England account for just 0.2% of non-household demand. Defra is working across government and with the Environment Agency to better understand the sectors growth and reduce its impact, including by supporting rollout of smart meters in the non-household market.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment Ofwat has made of South Staffs Water’s progress in reducing leakage; how the reported saving of one million litres per day from leaks repaired in 2025 compares with the company’s total daily leakage; and what proportion of the forecast supply-demand deficit is expected to be addressed through (a) company-side leakage reduction, (b) customer-side leak repairs and (c) reduced household consumption following compulsory metering.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

South Staffs Water has a target to reduce leakage by 17% during 2025-30. Ofwat assesses company performance through its regulatory reporting and performance framework, which includes leakage and demand management measures.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment the Department has made of whether Walsall Council’s Holiday Activities and Food programme allocation for 2026–27 will be sufficient to meet local demand; and whether additional support will be available if the number of eligible children or the cost of delivering holiday provision exceeds the assumptions used to determine that allocation.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Over £600 million has been confirmed for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme over the three financial years from 2026/27. HAF funding is now provided through the Children, Families and Youth Grant, ringfenced to protect programme spend. Local authority allocations, which continue to be calculated using free school meal (FSM) data, have been confirmed for the 3-year settlement, providing local authorities with greater certainty and supporting planning and investment.

HAF remains a targeted programme to support children facing the greatest disadvantage. Local authorities have flexibility to use a proportion of their allocation to support other children who may benefit from the programme in line with local needs and priorities.

From September 2026, FSM eligibility expanded to include all households in receipt of Universal Credit, creating two categories of FSM: targeted and expanded. HAF eligibility remains aligned with the targeted FSM threshold. The department is monitoring implementation of these changes and will continue to gather relevant data. No definitive constituency level estimates currently exist due to unavailability of the necessary data. We will continue to work with local authorities to monitor HAF participation, engage eligible families and support delivery. The government has also committed to a full evaluation of FSM expansion, which will consider its impact and uptake.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in Walsall Borough are expected to (a) become eligible and (b) cease to be eligible for the Holiday Activities and Food programme as a result of the changes to eligibility taking effect from September 2026; and whether the Department will publish the methodology used to calculate those estimates.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Over £600 million has been confirmed for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme over the three financial years from 2026/27. HAF funding is now provided through the Children, Families and Youth Grant, ringfenced to protect programme spend. Local authority allocations, which continue to be calculated using free school meal (FSM) data, have been confirmed for the 3-year settlement, providing local authorities with greater certainty and supporting planning and investment.

HAF remains a targeted programme to support children facing the greatest disadvantage. Local authorities have flexibility to use a proportion of their allocation to support other children who may benefit from the programme in line with local needs and priorities.

From September 2026, FSM eligibility expanded to include all households in receipt of Universal Credit, creating two categories of FSM: targeted and expanded. HAF eligibility remains aligned with the targeted FSM threshold. The department is monitoring implementation of these changes and will continue to gather relevant data. No definitive constituency level estimates currently exist due to unavailability of the necessary data. We will continue to work with local authorities to monitor HAF participation, engage eligible families and support delivery. The government has also committed to a full evaluation of FSM expansion, which will consider its impact and uptake.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Department is taking to support Walsall Council and local voluntary, community and private-sector providers during the transition to funding the Holiday Activities and Food programme through the Children, Families and Youth Grant; and what assessment has been made of the potential impact of that transition on providers’ ability to plan provision, retain staff and offer places across successive school holidays.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Over £600 million has been confirmed for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme over the three financial years from 2026/27. HAF funding is now provided through the Children, Families and Youth Grant, ringfenced to protect programme spend. Local authority allocations, which continue to be calculated using free school meal (FSM) data, have been confirmed for the 3-year settlement, providing local authorities with greater certainty and supporting planning and investment.

HAF remains a targeted programme to support children facing the greatest disadvantage. Local authorities have flexibility to use a proportion of their allocation to support other children who may benefit from the programme in line with local needs and priorities.

From September 2026, FSM eligibility expanded to include all households in receipt of Universal Credit, creating two categories of FSM: targeted and expanded. HAF eligibility remains aligned with the targeted FSM threshold. The department is monitoring implementation of these changes and will continue to gather relevant data. No definitive constituency level estimates currently exist due to unavailability of the necessary data. We will continue to work with local authorities to monitor HAF participation, engage eligible families and support delivery. The government has also committed to a full evaluation of FSM expansion, which will consider its impact and uptake.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support manufacturing employers to establish employer-led apprenticeship academies in partnership with further education colleges; whether Growth and Skills Levy funding may be used for employer-designed training modules that meet the requirements of an approved apprenticeship standard; and what financial support is available for the equipment, facilities and staff required to establish such academies.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

This Government is transforming the apprenticeships levy into a new growth and skills levy in England, giving employers greater flexibility, creating more opportunities for young people, and directly supporting Industrial Strategy sectors, including engineering and manufacturing.

Employers can choose the training provider best suited to deliver the apprenticeship training that will meet their skills needs and the government provides a range of financial support for employers and providers to offer apprenticeships. We are now fully funding apprenticeships for eligible young people under 25 and from October we are introducing a £2,000 hiring payment for non-levy paying employers, typically SMEs, that recruit apprentices under 25. We also continue to pay £1,000 to both employers, of all sizes, and providers for eligible young apprentices, including 16-18-year-olds.

To give businesses greater flexibility and help them quickly respond to emerging skills gaps, we have launched new apprenticeship units in priority sectors such as artificial intelligence, digital, and engineering. These are built from the knowledge and skills within existing employer-led occupational apprenticeship standards, ensuring high-quality, targeted training that meets real business needs. Levy payers can use their levy funding for apprenticeship units and they will also be fully funded for non-levy paying employers, typically SMEs.

While capital projects are ineligible for apprenticeship funding, apprenticeship provision will benefit from significant capital funding announced in the Infrastructure, Industrial, and Education Estates strategies, including £200 million via the Skills Mission Funds to expand Technical Excellence Colleges across England to priority sectors.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answers to Questions 16435 and 16436 on 15 July 2026, on Taxation: Debt Collection, what safeguards are being considered in relation to (a) a minimum protected balance, (b) affordability assessments, (c) independent or human review, (d) notice and appeal periods, (e) errors caused by disputed liabilities and (f) people with additional support needs.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

The proposals aim to maintain fairness in the tax system and address a gap in existing debt enforcement tools, by collecting lower value tax debts from taxpayers who can pay but do not engage. The consultation on proposals to tackle lower value tax debts closed on 28 August. The Government is currently analysing responses received and will use this to inform next steps, including whether and how the proposal should be taken forward.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer to Question 16436 on 15 July 2026, on Taxation: Debt Collection, whether HM Revenue and Customs has received legal advice on the compatibility of the proposed powers with the European Convention on Human Rights and data-protection law; and whether a (a) programme risk register and (b) contingency plan exist.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

The proposals aim to maintain fairness in the tax system and address a gap in existing debt enforcement tools, by collecting lower value tax debts from taxpayers who can pay but do not engage. The consultation on proposals to tackle lower value tax debts closed on 28 August. The Government is currently analysing responses received and will use this to inform next steps, including whether and how the proposal should be taken forward.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer to Question 16435 on 15 July 2026, on Taxation: Debt Collection, whether HM Revenue and Customs has prepared a (a) preliminary equality impact assessment and (b) screening assessment for the proposed lower-value debt recovery powers.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

The proposals aim to maintain fairness in the tax system and address a gap in existing debt enforcement tools, by collecting lower value tax debts from taxpayers who can pay but do not engage. The consultation on proposals to tackle lower value tax debts closed on 28 August. The Government is currently analysing responses received and will use this to inform next steps, including whether and how the proposal should be taken forward.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answers of 15 July 2026 to Questions 16435 and 16436 on Taxation: Debt Collection, what proportion of lower-value debts returned unsuccessfully by debt collection agencies relate to taxpayers in each income decile; what proportion have previously been identified by HM Revenue and Customs as requiring extra support; and whether anonymised distributional data will be published alongside the consultation response.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

The proposals aim to maintain fairness in the tax system and address a gap in existing debt enforcement tools, by collecting lower value tax debts from taxpayers who can pay but do not engage. The consultation on proposals to tackle lower value tax debts closed on 28 August. The Government is currently analysing responses received and will use this to inform next steps, including whether and how the proposal should be taken forward.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether receipt of (i) support and (ii) priority access to an electricity-grid connection by a data-centre development will be conditional on compliance with minimum standards for (a) energy efficiency, (b) water efficiency, (c) the use of low-carbon electricity, (d) demand flexibility and (e) the recovery and reuse of waste heat.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)

The Government is committed to supporting the sustainable growth of the UK's data centre sector reflecting their critical importance to the economy, public services and national security. A limited number of strategically important data centres may be supported through the Connections Accelerator Service (CAS) subject to the CAS Project Selection Process. The selection process includes due diligence from DBIST and an evaluation of the project alignment to government priorities including economic growth, jobs and net zero objectives. CAS provides enhanced engagement with network companies to identify opportunities to accelerate connections where possible, but it does not guarantee an earlier connection date.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much of the additional £340 million announced on 20 July 2026 to address long-term rough sleeping will be allocated to (a) Walsall Council and (b) the West Midlands; and how many of the proposed 1,200 homes and 3,000 supported places will be provided in each area.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The £340 million announced on 20 July formed part of the £442 million subsequently announced for the Rough Sleeping Programme on 19 August. This investment will help ensure that people sleeping rough have a route off the streets this winter, while delivering longer-term settled homes and intensive support for people who have experienced long-term rough sleeping.

West Midlands Combined Authority has been allocated £5,527,534 for 2026-27. This includes funding calculated in respect of its constituent local authority areas, including Walsall. It will be for the Combined Authority to determine how the funding is managed across the West Midlands in partnership with its constituent local authorities. Allocations for later years remain provisional.

Local areas will have flexibility to shape accommodation and support around local circumstances and the needs of people sleeping rough.

Details of funding allocations are available in the published Rough Sleeping Programme allocation tables, which may be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rough-sleeping-programme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when HPV self-sampling kits will become available through the NHS in the Black Country; how many people in Walsall Borough are expected to be eligible; and what steps will be taken to prevent differences in local commissioning decisions from creating unequal access to home testing.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Human papillomavirus (HPV) self-testing was launched in a gradual roll out nationally through the NHS Cervical Screening Programme from 25 August 2026. Individuals aged 30 to 65 years old who have been identified nationally as falling behind in their screening will be specifically invited by the programme to order an HPV self-test kit.

Currently, approximately 71% of people in Walsall eligible for cervical screening are up to date with their screening. People from the Walsall area who have been identified nationally to receive self-testing invitations will be starting to receive them now, as part of the gradual roll out.

NHS England is working with relevant partners to support awareness and understanding among those invited to take part in the programme. In addition, a community engagement project will be undertaken by the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board, which may act as a basis for similar initiatives in other parts of the country.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the cumulative effect on UK downstream manufacturers of (a) the 50 per cent out-of-quota tariff applying under the steel trade measure introduced on 1 July 2026 and (b) existing anti-dumping duties on imports of corrosion-resistant steel and welded steel tubes originating in China; and whether he will publish that assessment.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The steel trade measure strikes a balance between securing the future of UK steel production and the impact on steel-using industries. The Government took, trade flows and existing trade remedies on relevant steel products into account when designing the measure. Explanatory Memoranda published alongside the legislation implementing the measure set out the expected impacts across the supply chain.

The TRA concluded both reviews referred to in March 2025 and August 2026 respectively, publishing their findings online. Neither included an assessment of the steel trade measure as there was either no data or insufficient data available. Existing trade remedy measures can also be reviewed if industry or the TRA believe there is sufficient evidence to warrant doing so.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the availability from UK producers of the grades and specifications of aluminised steel coil and tube used by downstream manufacturers; and if he will establish a process through which businesses can seek an exclusion, product-specific quota or other relief where an equivalent product is not manufactured in the UK in sufficient quantities.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The measure will apply only to product categories that can be made in the UK. In some instances, product codes contain both steel products that can and cannot be made domestically for technical reasons. Where this is the case, quotas have been designed to allow availability of these goods without unnecessary additional costs. Explanatory Memoranda published alongside the implementing legislation set out the expected impacts across the supply chain. We are closely monitoring the impacts, will continue to engage with businesses, and will review the full measure after 12 months.

Found: social enterprise Committed London Wendy Chamberlain MP London SW1A 0AA Other Committed London Wendy Morton