Written questions by Cane.

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on industrial lithium-ion battery storage safety.

My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions with Ministerial Colleagues on a number of issues.

If she will provide additional funding to help support kinship carers.

The government recognises the important role that kinship carers play in caring for some of the most vulnerable children. On 27 October 2024, the government announced a £40 million package to trial a new Kinship Allowance in up to ten local authorities to test whether paying an allowance to cover the additional costs of supporting the child can help increase the number of children taken in by family members and friends. The announcement is accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-protects-education-priorities-in-face-of-inherited-22-billion-blackhole. The department will share further details on the process for selecting local authorities in due course. This is the single biggest investment made by government in kinship care to date. This investment could transform the lives of vulnerable children who can no longer live at home. The programme will begin in 2025 and decisions about future national rollout will be informed by the findings of the evaluation. The department will share further detail on the timetable and delivery of the programme in due course.

What assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the (a) number and (b) proportion of people in fuel poverty in Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency.

The latest statistics for the number and proportion of households in fuel poverty in parliamentary constituencies in England can be found in the published sub-regional fuel poverty Official Statistics, in Table 5: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sub-regional-fuel-poverty-data-2024-2022-data.There are targeted schemes to deliver energy efficiency measures, and bill support through the Warm Home Discount scheme, available to eligible low-income and fuel poor households. The Warm Homes Plan includes an initial £1.8 billion to support fuel poverty schemes over the next 3 years. The 2021 fuel poverty strategy, which sets out how we will reach our fuel poverty targets, is currently under review.

When she plans to decide whether her Department will provide funding for the Ely area capacity enhancement scheme.

This government is committed to delivering economic growth, and projects such as the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement have the potential to contribute to this. While the previous government made public statements of support for the project, no funding was provided to allow it to progress.The Chancellor has been clear about the state of the nation's finances and has launched a multi-year Spending Review. Decisions and timescales about individual projects will be informed by the review process and confirmed in due course.