Written questions by Kearns.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to respond to the consultation entitled The Future Homes and Buildings Standards: 2023 consultation which closed on 27 March 2024.

The Future Homes and Buildings Standards consultation was published in December 2023 and closed in March 2024, and a government response has not yet been issued. We fully support the need for low carbon homes, fit for a net zero future. We are reviewing proposals and feedback from the Future Homes and Buildings Standards consultation and will publish the Government response in due course.

What steps he is taking to (a) help tackle reductions in the effectiveness of loft insulation during its lifetime and (b) increase (i) awareness of and (ii) access to new technologies to help improve energy efficiency within homes.

Loft insulation installed under government schemes must be compliant with the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2030 and 2035 standard documents to reduce the risks and unintended consequences associated with poor-quality installations. The British Standards Institute (BSI), who publish PAS 2030 and 2035, will consider how to address more innovative products that do not fit within existing annexes in their next update. Independent impartial government advice in relation to energy efficiency measures and clean heat technologies is available at https://www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency, a national phoneline and over 30 in-person advice projects across England.

Whether his Departments plans to implement all recommendations in the LGBT Veterans Independent Review, published on 19 July 2023; what his planned timetable is for the implementation of recommendations; and how much compensation he plans to provide to affected people.

The Government acknowledges the historic policy prohibiting homosexuality in the Armed Forces was regrettable, wrong and completely unacceptable. The treatment of LGBT Serving personnel between 1967 and 2000 was wholly unacceptable and does not reflect today’s Armed Forces. All 49 recommendations made in Lord Etherton’s report have been accepted and to date, 32 of the 49 recommendations have already been implemented, demonstrating the Government’s commitment to supporting our veterans and the LGBT+ community. Full details about these recommendations and the non-financial restorative measures already available can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lgbt-veterans-apply-for-restorative-measures Lord Etherton’s report demonstrated the broad range of ways that personnel were impacted by the Ban. The financial redress scheme has been designed with this in mind, intending to provide a sense of closure to all those affected. Defence has worked with experts across Government to design an appropriate scheme where applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis, enabling appropriate distribution of the available funds. Defence cannot confirm the estimated number of applicants, nor the average payment amounts that can be expected. The Government will continue to finalise the details of the scheme and is committed to providing an update as soon as possible. Further updates on the development of the financial redress scheme will be added to the LGBT Veterans: Support and next steps GOV.UK page:   https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/lgbt-veterans-support-and-next-steps I hope this helps explain Defence’s position and reassures you that we are committed to welcoming back LGBT veterans into the Armed Forces community, where they have always belonged.