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, how much funding within the consolidated low income household energy efficiency scheme will be ringfenced for community level low carbon heat technologies, including (a) Shared Ground Loops and (b) heat networks.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government’s Warm Homes Plan includes £5 billion targeted investment for home upgrades for low-income and fuel poor households. As part of this offer, from 2027/28 the Government intends to integrate the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and Warm Homes: Local Grant into a single low-income capital scheme, which will shift toward area-based delivery. The Government will say more about the evolution of our low-income schemes this Spring, including the scope of funded technologies.
In addition to any forthcoming funding from these schemes the Government is investing £1.1bn in low-carbon heat networks over this Parliament, and accelerating their rollout through Heat Network Zoning. We have also taken action to strengthen consumer protection through appointing Ofgem as the Heat Network regulator.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the regulatory and consumer protection implications of the use of AI as financial guidance tools; and what safeguards they are putting in place to protect consumers.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government aims for the UK to be a global leader in AI, using our strengths in financial services and AI to boost growth, productivity and consumer benefits. Safe adoption is central to this.
Organisations must handle personal data fairly, lawfully, transparently and securely, with individuals retaining rights such as access, correction and deletion.
The Financial Conduct Authority is also acting in this space, including publishing guidance for consumers on using AI tools for investment research and highlighting risks like inaccurate or outdated information.
The FCA’s Supercharged Sandbox and AI Live Testing service give firms access to computing, data and safe real‑world environments to support responsible AI use in UK financial markets.
More broadly, the Government recognises that people often lack the support they need when making financial decisions. To improve this, we are introducing a new targeted support regime enabling trusted firms to suggest suitable products or actions based on a customer’s circumstances. Targeted Support will launch in April 2026.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to (a) define and regulate the classification of ocean plastic and related environmental claims and (b) tackle marketing practices where products are marketed as made from ocean plastic or beach clean materials that are sourced from conventional consumer plastic waste or unrelated recycled materials.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA), businesses are prohibited from misleading consumers and must have evidence to substantiate any claims made. Where a business markets a product as made from ocean plastic or beach clean materials, but either does so falsely, or does not have evidence to substantiate the claim, the business may be infringing the consumer protection provisions of the DMCCA and could be subject to enforcement action.
This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. We will soon publish a Circular Economy Growth Plan that sets out how the Government will deliver a more circular and more prosperous economy. The plan will set out the biggest opportunities in sectors right across the economy, including chemicals and plastics.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of compensation for the loss of inflation protection for benefits accrued before 1997 for past members of the AEA Technology pension scheme who were transferred out of the public sector scheme in 1996.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We recognise the challenges members of the AEA Technology pension scheme face and are directly tackling the point you raise about the loss of inflation protection. The Chancellor announced at the Budget that this Government will introduce annual increases on compensation payments from the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme that relate to pensions built up before 6 April 1997. These will be Consumer Prices Index-linked (capped at 2.5%) and apply prospectively (i.e. to payments going forward) for members whose former schemes provided for these increases.
I am pleased to confirm that past members of the AEA Technology pension scheme with pre-97 accrual will benefit from this measure.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of uprating Pension Protection Fund compensation for members who lost indexation from April 1997, to reflect the value their pensions would have held if index-linking had been preserved.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Indexation in the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) on pensions built up on or after 6 April 1997 (post-1997 indexation) broadly reflects the statutory requirements for Defined Benefit schemes more generally, which are in line with the consumer prices index, capped at 2.5%.
This may be different to the increases that would have been provided under the rules of the original scheme. The PPF is a compensation scheme and, as such, was never intended to replicate the benefits of schemes which were unable to secure their liabilities.
Asked by: Lord Butler of Brockwell (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to monitor the impact of the ban on mixed-product promotional offers and the cap on bonus wagering requirements on high-risk gambling behaviour.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to strengthening protections for those at risk of gambling harm. We continue to monitor the best available evidence that assesses the impact of consumer protection measures when making future policy decisions.
Alongside monitoring the best available evidence, we have commissioned a robust evaluation of a subset of the measures introduced through the Gambling Act Review, including socially responsible incentives. We expect the findings of that evaluation to be published by the end of this year. This work will be supported by the statutory gambling levy, which directs 20% of its funding toward independent research to fill critical gaps in the evidence base. This will also include a proportion of funding for the Gambling Commission to direct further research in line with the licensing objectives.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to work with the travel industry to help ensure that package holidays sold to UK consumers meet appropriate health and safety standards, and what action is being considered to protect holidaymakers where there are persistent health concerns linked to particular destinations or resorts.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 set the consumer protection framework for package holidays and linked travel arrangements. They require organisers to meet specific standards and provide protections such as redress for substandard or unperformed services, refunds for cancellations, and assistance if issues arise during the trip. The Department is in regular contact with the industry to support standards across the sector.
Travellers are encouraged to research and plan carefully and consider potential risks, for example by consulting the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office website which provides up-to-date travel advice to help people make informed decisions before booking and travelling overseas.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2026 to Question 104026 on 7 January 2026 on Channel Tunnel: Fares, what discussions she has had with the Office for Road and Rail on (a) consumer protection and (b) customer oversight.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Office of Rail and Road is the independent economic and safety regulator for Britain's railways, including international rail services, and is also responsible for some consumer protection matters.
The Minister of State for Rail recently met with the ORR’s Chair, Declan Collier, and the Board to discuss a range of matters within the ORR’s remit, including facilitating competition within the international rail passenger market given the consumer benefits this is expected to bring for passengers. DfT officials also engage regularly with ORR counterparts to discuss these matters.
Asked by: Ian Roome (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many ECO4 installations are incomplete due to installer insolvency in England the last 12 months; and what consumer protection and redress mechanisms are available to households supported through the ECO4 scheme where an installer has entered administration leaving works incomplete or defective.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Due to the level of non-compliance found for EWI measures, the Government is offering a comprehensive on-site audit to all households where external wall insulation (EWI) was installed under ECO4 or GBIS. This check will be provided at no cost to the consumer.
Should any issues requiring action be found, these should be remediated by the original installer. Where the installer has ceased trading, protections under the installation guarantee policy should be invoked.
All measures installed under current government schemes are covered by a guarantee.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of UK financial oversight arrangements in the context of the rapid adoption of AI tools by banks and insurers; and what are the implications for consumer protection and financial stability.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government’s ambition is to make the UK a global leader in AI, leveraging our dual strength in financial services and AI to drive growth, productivity, and consumer benefits. Encouraging safe adoption is an essential part of realising that ambition.
HM Treasury works closely with the UK financial regulators to monitor evolving risks from new technologies, and ensure that the opportunities AI presents can be realised in a safe and responsible way.