Written questions by Bowie.

How much funding he plans to allocate to Op Prosper over this Parliament.

The Government is fully committed to delivering for veterans as an integral part of our Armed Forces community. I am leading work across Government to look at the best ways to ensure veterans and their families get access to the health, housing, employment and other support they need. Work is ongoing to determine the spend for Operation PROSPER and Operation FORTITUDE for the current financial year. The budget for the remainder of this Parliament will be determined by the next Spending Review, which has not yet commenced.

If he will make it his policy to support the previous Government’s Op Fortitude campaign.

The Government is fully committed to delivering for veterans as an integral part of our Armed Forces community. I am leading work across Government to look at the best ways to ensure veterans and their families get access to the health, housing, employment and other support they need.

If he will make it his policy to continue the previous Government's work on Op Courage, the veterans' mental health service.

The Government is fully committed to delivering for veterans as an integral part of our Armed Forces community. I am leading work across Government to look at the best ways to ensure veterans and their families get access to the health, housing, employment and other support they need.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of quadrupling offshore wind capacity on communities that will host the necessary transmission infrastructure.

Strategic planning will help ensure the overall impact of network infrastructure is minimised, by considering the impact on communities from the outset, alongside environmental impact, cost and deliverability. However, this will not eliminate the need for new infrastructure. It is therefore important that where communities host clean energy infrastructure, they directly benefit from it. We are currently considering options for this. All projects are subject to the independent planning system, which includes consideration of community impact.

If he will make it his policy to support the previous Government’s Op Restore, the Veterans Physical Health and Wellbeing Service.

The Government is fully committed to delivering for veterans as an integral part of our Armed Forces community. I am leading work across Government to look at the best ways to ensure veterans and their families get access to the health, housing, employment and other support they need.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the removal of the investment allowance in the Energy Profits Levy on private investment into energy transition.

The Government’s tax commitments are set out in the manifesto. HM Treasury are working to deliver them and will set out further details in due course.

Whether she has carried out an economic impact assessment of increasing the Energy Profits Levy.

The Government’s tax commitments are set out in the manifesto. HM Treasury are working to deliver them and will set out further details in due course.

If he will make it his policy that the Veterans Railcard should cost the same as the HM Forces Railcard.

We recognise the contribution of current and former members of the armed forces, with both the HM Forces Railcard and the Veteran’s Railcard offering excellent value for money. The Veteran’s Railcard is managed by the Rail Delivery Group whereas the HM Forces Railcard is administered by the Ministry of Defence. There are no current plans to change the cost of the Veteran’s Railcard.

Whether it is his policy to continue the Operation Prosper campaign.

The Government is fully committed to delivering for veterans as an integral part of our Armed Forces community. I am leading work across Government to look at the best ways to ensure veterans and their families get access to the health, housing, employment and other support they need.

If he will undertake a review of overhead lines; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a presumption in favour of undergrounding where appropriate.

Proposed changes to the energy National Policy Statements (NPSs) were consulted on between 30 March 2023 to 23 June 2023 under the previous administration. Following this, a revised version of the National Policy Statement for electricity networks infrastructure was designated on 17 January 2024. This sets out that overhead lines should be the strong starting presumption for electricity networks developments in general, except in nationally designated landscapes where undergrounding is the starting presumption. The Government will ensure that the National Policy Statements are kept up to date.

What steps he is taking to support veterans with the cost of living.

The Government is fully committed to delivering for veterans as an integral part of our Armed Forces community. I am leading work across Government to look at the best ways to ensure veterans and their families get access to the support they need.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of his decision to not approve new oil and gas exploration licences on the Scottish economy.

This Government will ensure a phased and responsible North Sea transition. We will manage the North Sea in a way that does not jeopardise jobs. The Government is taking action to coordinate our approach to ensure a just transition where workers are able to benefit from the economic opportunities from our transition to net zero, particularly in Scotland. We will share more details on our plans for oil and gas in due course. Any future legislative changes would follow the relevant processes, including an impact assessment where appropriate.

What steps he plans to take with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks to help ensure the resilience of the electricity network in rural areas, in the context of trends in the number of (a) extreme weather events and (b) power cuts.

The Government is working with the industry to continually improve and maintain the resilience of old and new energy infrastructure, networks and assets, to reduce vulnerabilities, and ensure an effective response to actual or potentially disruptive incidents - taking into account future system changes and climate change risks. We are also working with Ofgem to provide funding to Distribution Network Operators to improve the service experienced by those customers who experience the poorest levels of performance. This often occurs where the cost of improving the reliability of a part of the network is particularly high, in part due to the low volume of customers served by that part of the network.

What his policy is on new offshore licensing applications.

We do not intend to issue new licences to explore new fields because they will not take a penny off bills, cannot make us energy secure, and will only accelerate the worsening climate crisis. The government does not intend to revoke existing licences, and we will partner with business and workers to manage our existing fields for the entirety of their lifespan. We will embrace the future of energy production and storage, which will make use of existing offshore infrastructure and the skills of our workforce.

When he plans to announce the location of the headquarters for GB Energy.

Scotland plays an incredibly important role in the energy industry in Great Britain and in recognition of the leading role that it plays in the UK’s clean energy revolution, Great British Energy will be headquartered and run from Scotland. We will set out further detail on Great British Energy, including announcing the location in Scotland of its headquarters, in the coming weeks.

Whether he has carried out an economic impact assessment on banning new oil and gas exploration licences.

This Government will ensure a phased and responsible North Sea transition. We will manage the North Sea in a way that does not jeopardise jobs. The Government is taking action to coordinate our approach to ensure a just transition where workers are able to benefit from the economic opportunities from our transition to net zero. We will share more details on our plans for oil and gas exploration in due course. Any future legislative changes would follow the relevant processes, including an impact assessment where appropriate.

What plans he has to reduce veteran homelessness.

The level of homelessness, including for our veterans, is too high. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is working across Government to ensure veterans have access to the support they need on housing, as well as mental health, employment and other areas. The Government will develop a new cross-Government strategy, working with Mayors and Councils across the country, to put Britain back on track to ending homelessness. The MOD will work with other departments to take a long term approach and to tackle the root causes of homelessness.

Whether he plans to bring pensions for Gurkha soldiers who retired before 1997 in line with the standard British Army pension.

The Government greatly values the service of all members of the Armed Forces, including the Gurkhas, who have a long and distinguished history of Service to the UK, both here and overseas. The Government takes its responsibilities to our Gurkha veterans very seriously and is committed to providing Gurkha veterans with a fair pension. The 1948 Gurkha Pension Scheme is different to other Armed Forces Pension Schemes, but these differences are objectively and reasonably justified. The legal basis for Gurkha pensions has been upheld by three Judicial Reviews since 2003, including a case that went to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The Government maintains that the 1948 Gurkha Pension Scheme continues to provide a good income for our Gurkha veterans living in Nepal, in accordance with the original scheme design. As a Minister new to the Gurkha Pension issue, I look forward to meeting with the Ambassador of Nepal and the Gurkha veteran representatives in due course.

If she will take steps to ensure that (a) War Pensions and (b) Armed Forces Compensation Scheme awards are not counted as income for the purpose of calculating (i) benefits and (ii) pensions.

There are no plans to change the ways in which War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards interact with State Pensions and benefits. They are already fully ignored in the State Pension and in Universal Credit. The first £10 per week of a War Pension or AFCS award is disregarded in: income-related Employment and Support allowance; income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance; and, Income Support. Armed Forces Independence Payments are fully disregarded in these benefits, and can also allow the recipient to qualify for an additional disability amount. Furthermore, these are legacy benefits, in the process of being replaced by Universal Credit, in which War Pensions and AFCS are ignored. By default, the first £10 per week of a War Pension or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme is disregarded in Housing Benefit. Furthermore, a discretionary scheme allows local authorities to fully disregard them. In relation to Pension Credit, the first £10 of any War Pension payments or AFCS award made due to injury or disablement is disregarded. Four additions to the War Disablement Pension are completely disregarded: Constant Attendance Allowance; Mobility Supplement; Severe Disablement Occupational Allowance; and dependency increases for anyone other than the applicant or her/his partner. War Pensions and AFCS awards are a qualifying income for the Savings Credit element of Pension Credit, which is available to those who reached State Pension age before April 2016. Armed Forces Independence Payments are fully disregarded in Pension Credit and can also allow the recipient to qualify for an additional disability amount.

With reference to the oral contribution of the then Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero of 23 May 2024, Official Report, column 1122, if he will make it his policy to conduct a review of the presumption for overhead power lines in the context of the comparative merits and costs of (a) undergrounding and (b) offshore energy cabling.

Proposed changes to the energy National Policy Statements (NPSs) were consulted on between 30 March 2023 to 23 June 2023 under the previous government. Following this a revised version of the National Policy Statement for electricity networks infrastructure was designated on 17 January 2024. This sets out that overhead lines should be the strong starting presumption for electricity networks developments in general, except in nationally designated landscapes where undergrounding is the starting presumption. The government does not make assessments for specific projects until they come to the Secretary of State for final planning decision.