Written questions by Dixon.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to encourage privatised water companies to increase their financial transparency.

All companies need to submit a single, annual performance report to demonstrate compliance with their separate price controls. Annual performance reports should be accessible to all stakeholders so that they show how the sector is delivering for its customers, environment and wider society. This has been a requirement since 2015-16 and replaced the previous ‘regulatory accounts’. Ofwat plans to consult early next year on requiring companies to publish full details of remuneration received by directors from the regulated, group and parent companies, including explanations of what the remuneration relates to. More broadly, the Government will set out its response to the recommendations proposed by the Independent Water Commission, alongside the Government’s wider vision for the future of the water sector, via a White Paper. Following this, we plan to introduce a new water reform bill, bringing forward root and branch reform to secure better outcomes for customers, investors, and the environment.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the UK will maintain its contribution to the Eighth Replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 31 July to question 69165.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish the (a) evidence base and (b) consultation submissions used to inform the findings and recommendations of the final report of the Independent Water Commission, published on 21 July 2025.

The Independent Water Commission was established to operate independently of Government. It is therefore for the Commission, not the Government, to decide whether to publish the evidence base and consultation submissions that informed its final report. The Independent Water Commission sought to collect a broad range of views on the challenges that the water system faces in England and Wales. As such the Commission ran a Call for Evidence that received over 50,000 responses, from a wide range of individuals, groups and organisations. Further detail on how the Call for Evidence was run and the stakeholders that engaged with it can be found in the Final Summary of Responses in Annex A which is accessible on Gov.uk.

What plans he has to strengthen statutory guidance related to the legal duty to commission palliative care services included in the Health and Care Act 2022.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative care and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.The statutory guidance states that ICBs must work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of care services to meet the needs of their local populations, which can include hospice services, available within the ICB catchment. There are no current plans to update the statutory guidance.The ICBs are expected to follow the statutory guidance in exercising their functions and must pay due regard to it in the planning, commissioning, and delivery of palliative care and end of life care services.Additionally, NHS England has a legal duty to annually assess the performance of each ICB in respect of each financial year and to publish a summary of its findings. This assessment must assess how well the ICB has discharged its functions.

If she will take steps to help people with CIFAS markers to access banking facilities to enable them to receive (a) wages and (b) welfare payments.

CIFAS, the UK’s fraud prevention service, plays a vital role in protecting individuals and the financial system from fraud and financial crime. Its work supports the Government’s broader efforts to tackle fraud and maintain trust in the financial system. The Government also recognises the importance of ensuring that individuals can access banking services to receive wages and welfare payments. Where individuals face barriers when accessing banking services, alternative options may be available. The nine largest personal current account providers in the UK are legally required to offer basic bank accounts to customers who do not have a bank account or are not eligible for a standard current account. These accounts are fee-free and provide essential banking services, though they do not include overdrafts or cheque books. Beyond the high street banks, other options for people to make and receive payments may include payment and electronic money institutions. If someone with a CIFAS marker wishes to further understand the information that CIFAS holds against them, they may wish to make a Data Subject Access Request (DSAR) to CIFAS Furthermore, if an individual believes that a CIFAS marker has been incorrectly assigned, they should first raise it with the organisation that recorded it to the CIFAS database for them to review. If the organisation does not remove the marker then the individual can reach out directly to CIFAS following the process outlined in its complaints procedure.

When she next plans to review the Children (Performance and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014.

The government recognises the need to review the Children (Performance and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014, and we are committed to doing so. This will require careful consideration of how such a review might best be conducted to ensure that children are able to continue to access positive performance opportunities in the future, while also making sure that their safety, wellbeing and best interests are protected.

How much and what proportion of funding for the NHS was spent on (a) legal costs and (b) compensation related to employment tribunals in each of the last five financial years, broken down by NHS Trust.

Neither the Department nor NHS England hold information which breaks down the proportion of National Health Service funding that was spent on legal costs and compensation relating to employment tribunals.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing payment rates for legal aid in family law cases, in the context of his Department's decision to uplift the rates paid for all housing and immigration legal aid work.

This Government is committed to ensuring the long-term sustainability of civil legal aid, including family legal aid, and we are keen to work closely with practitioners and their representative bodies to look at how best we can address this.Between January 2023 and March 2025, the Ministry of Justice undertook a comprehensive review of civil legal aid and concluded a consultation on uplifts to housing and debt, and immigration and asylum legal aid fees, which will inject an additional £20 million into the sector each year once fully implemented.This investment will help the Government deliver commitments to reduce the asylum backlog, end hotel use, increase returns and ensure the most vulnerable can navigate a complex legal system and access justice.Whilst there are no immediate plans to increase the fee rate in family law, the Ministry of Justice is looking at other potential changes that could support providers, for example, (civil) contractual requirements regarding provider offices and limits to the provision of remote legal aid that providers say are burdensome. Any changes would aim to give providers more autonomy in meeting client need, while maintaining effective in-person provision for clients who need this.

If his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of working with regulators to introduce labels for nitrous oxide canisters that can be traced to the point of sale.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has responsibility for the Aerosols Dispensers Regulations 2009 which sets out the requirements for the safety of aerosol cannisters. The Regulations specify the manufacturing, labelling and transport requirements ensuring the safety of aerosol cannisters. DBT has made no assessment regarding point-of-sale labelling for aerosol cannisters containing nitrous oxide as this is not pertinent to the safety of the cannister.

What her planned timetable is for the implementation of airspace modernisation in the north of England.

The Government remains firmly committed to delivering the benefits of airspace modernisation. The Department for Transport is working closely with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), NATS, and the airports across the north of England to develop a robust and credible plan to implement airspace change in the region. Progress is encouraging, and the airports involved are shortly expected to move forward to public consultation on their plans as the next stage of the CAA’s airspace change process.

If he will apply the forthcoming revised sustainability criteria for biomass to any new Contracts for Difference being developed for post-2027 generation at (a) Drax and (b) Lynemouth power stations.

Revised sustainability criteria for large-scale biomass electricity generators, such as Drax and Lynemouth, were published on 10 February 2025 following a consultation.https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/transitional-support-mechanism-for-large-scale-biomass-electricity-generators These criteria will apply to any potential contracts awarded under this mechanism.More broadly, the Government plans to consult later this year on the development of a Common Biomass Sustainability Framework. The timeline for publication and implementation of the framework will depend on the outcomes of that consultation.

What recent discussions he has had with the Climate Change Committee on whether the UK is on track to stay within its carbon budgets from 2025 until 2042.

My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State regularly engages with the Climate Change Committee (CCC). This year, the CCC published their independent advice to government on Carbon Budget 7 (2038-2042) and their annual progress report to government, which found that the government has made “bold policy decisions” in the last year to deliver progress in key areas to reduce emissions. We are considering their independent advice to government and will respond in due course.

When he plans to publish the revised sustainability criteria for biomass.

The Government plans to consult later this year on the development of a Common Biomass Sustainability Framework. The timeline for publication and implementation of the framework will depend on the outcomes of that consultation.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding to local authorities to support the (a) improvement and (b) adoption of unadopted roads.

Should local highway authorities see fit, they are free to adopt unadopted roads under sections 37, 38 and 228 of the Highways Act 1980.The Government has already provided £500 million of additional funding for local highway maintenance this year, bringing the total to a record investment of almost £1.6 billion.

What progress his Department has made in producing a climate action plan by 29 October 2025.

We will deliver an updated plan that sets out the policy package out to the end of Carbon Budget 6 in 2037 for all sectors of the economy later this month. This will outline the policies and proposals needed to deliver Carbon Budgets 4-6 on a pathway to net zero.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending eligibility for (a) energy support schemes and (b) the Warm Home Discount to people whose homes are not connected to electric or gas networks.

For schemes such as the Winter Fuel Payment, which helps pensioner households with heating costs, and the Cold Weather Payment, which offers additional support during periods of very cold weather to those on certain income-related benefits, households do not need to be connected to the gas or electricity networks. To be eligible for the Warm Home Discount a consumer must be named on an energy account with an obligated supplier and be in receipt of a relevant means tested benefit. In February 2025 the Government consulted on broadening the scheme to include households without a direct relationship with an energy supplier, however it was not feasible to take this forward without increasing the cost of the scheme for all consumers.

If he will ensure that revised sustainability criteria for biomass are in place before new Contracts for Difference are finalised for (a) Drax and (b) Lynemouth power stations.

Revised sustainability criteria for large scale biomass generators, such as Drax and Lynemouth, were published on 10 February 2025 following a consultation.https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/transitional-support-mechanism-for-large-scale-biomass-electricity-generators These criteria will apply to any potential contracts awarded under this mechanism.

What the current average time taken was for a DWP-initiated PIP review to be completed in West Yorkshire in each of the last 12 months.

The table below provides information on the median number of weeks taken to complete a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Award Review (AR) for claimants living in West Yorkshire local authority districts. The time taken is measured from the date of AR registration to the date of completion. Figures are presented for each month in which ARs were completed, covering the 12-month period up to and including July 2025. Table 1: Median time in weeks from PIP Award Review registration to completion, by month of completion, for the West Yorkshire local authority area.Month AR completedAug-24Sep-24Oct-24Nov-24Dec-24Jan-25Feb-25Mar-25Apr-25May-25Jun-25Jul-25Median time in weeks585046464541403838383732 Our aim as always is to make an award decision as quickly as possible, taking into account all available evidence, including that from the claimant. We are taking steps to improve the service by prioritising new claims, to ensure new claimants are paid as soon as possible whilst safeguarding claimants awaiting award reviews, who have returned their information as required, to ensure their payments continue until their review can be completed. Notes:- Figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number of weeks.- Figures are for the following West Yorkshire local authorities: Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield.

What steps she has taken to support representations of developing nations in international discussions on global sovereign debt.

The UK government is committed to supporting and working closely with developing nations in international discussions on global sovereign debt. The UK government engages with our partners through various multilateral fora, including the G20, the Paris Club and the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable. Through the G20, we participate collaboratively in the Common Framework, helping to deliver coordinated and sustainable solutions for low-income countries facing debt vulnerabilities. We are committed to strengthening Global South voices across the Global Financial System in relation to sovereign debt. This was exemplified our support of the outcome document from the Fourth International Conference on Financing For Development (Compromiso de Sevilla) in July of this year, which called for the establishment of a platform for borrower countries with support from existing institutions.

Which organisations will be represented at The London Coalition on Sustainable Sovereign Debt.

The Steering Committee includes representatives from the banking sector, asset managers and legal experts, alongside members of the official sector from institutions such as the World Bank, IMF and African Union. The Committee is co-chaired by the UK Economic Secretary to the Treasury, who leads on the UK’s financial services policy, reform and regulation, and José Vinals, former Chairman of Standard Chartered Bank, who serves in his personal capacity bringing vast experience from both the public and private sectors.