Written questions by Cross.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 May 2026 to Question 2387, if he will publish a list of all newspaper work subscriptions held by (a) the Director of Communications, (b) the Press Secretary and (c) other staff at 10 Downing Street since July 2024.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to the Answer of 27 April 2026 to Question 128930 relating to Great British Energy staff numbers, how many people working for Great British Energy are employed as (a) permanent, (b) temporary and (c) contingent labour staff from other public sector roles.

(a) There are currently 30 permanent staff assigned to Great British Energy (GBE).(b) There are 37 temporarily assigned staff from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, with 21 staff on loan to GBE from other departments across government and 12 secondments from various government departments and external organisations(c) There are 23 contingent staff assigned to GBE. GBE has had its Workforce Pay Case agreed and we expect it to significantly ramp up recruitment of permanent roles over the next financial year.

Whether the (a) Director of Communications, (b) Press Secretary and (c) other staff at 10 Downing Street had a work subscription to the Independent newspaper since July 2024.

The Government has access to a range of media outlets.

What discussions she has had with the aviation sector on the (a) potential impact of jet fuel shortage on the industry and (b) distribution of available jet fuel between different parts of the aviation industry.

Awaiting answer.

Further to the Answer of 27 April 2026 to Question 128930 on Great British Energy: Staff, how many people working for Great British Energy are employed as (a) permanent, (b) temporary and (c) contingent labour staff.

Awaiting answer.

Whether any (a) Director of Communications, (b) Press Secretary and (c) other staff at 10 Downing Street has had a work subscription to the Independent newspaper since July 2024.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

How many a) FTE roles there are at GB Energy b) GB Energy roles are permanently located in Aberdeen c) roles are solely GB Energy employees rather than seconded or equivalent from another Government or public sector departments and d) GB Energy employees previously worked in the oil and gas sector.

There are currently over 120 people working for Great British Energy (GBE), including permanent, temporary and contingent labour staff. GBE is expected to recruit significantly more permanent roles in Aberdeen over the next financial year. GBE’s Aberdeen HQ will host GBE's main corporate functions, supply chain activities, and major development projects including ambitions in deep-water offshore wind.

What recent estimate he has made of the backlog of cases at the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is independent of Government and reports directly to Parliament. The PHSO has confirmed that their unallocated queue of complaints at the end of March 2026 was 3,428.

What steps he is taking to reduce barriers faced by households seeking to export surplus renewable electricity to the grid.

The Government recognises the importance of enabling households to export surplus renewable electricity to the grid, in part to ensure that they can realise value from their investments. The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is a government scheme which gives small-scale generators the right to be paid for the electricity they export to the grid. The Government has recently committed to consult on changes to make it quicker and simpler for generators to be paid for the electricity they export to the grid.

What consideration his Department has given of the potential merits of increasing the electricity export limit of 3.68 kW for domestic renewable energy systems without prior approval from the Distribution Network Operator.

The Department recognises that the export threshold may restrict some households seeking to maximise the benefits of generation. Ofgem, as part of its Connections End‑to‑End Review, has proposed to ask DNOs to review the threshold with the view to increase it (page 83 - https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-12/connections-end-to-end-review-next-steps-final.pdf). The Department is engaging closely with Ofgem, network companies and other stakeholders as this work progresses.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are she is taking to implement a ban on the use of snares in England; and when she expects to publish a timeline for this policy.

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation and this included a commitment to bring an end to the use of snare traps in England. This was recently reaffirmed in the Government’s Animal Welfare Strategy, published in December 2025. Defra is now actively looking to bring a ban on snares into force as swiftly as possible.

What steps she is taking to help ensure that data belonging to motorists who have incorrectly received a parking fine, either from a Council, Private Parking Companies, or any other parking provider, is not retained by any such parking provider or the DVLA.

The law allows vehicle keeper information to be released to local authorities and private parking companies to allow them to follow up alleged parking contraventions. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) provides the information as a first point of contact to help the local authority or parking company establish where liability may lie. Controls are in place to help ensure that the information is requested and used appropriately. When a local authority or parking company has been provided with vehicle keeper information, they become the controller of the personal data and are responsible for complying with their data protection obligations. This includes the requirement not to retain data for longer than is necessary. The DVLA also maintains record of disclosures from the vehicle record in order to fulfil its own data protection obligations.

What estimate her Department has made of the compliance costs incurred by businesses to meet Making Tax Digital requirements to date for which the latest data is available.

HMRC’s published assessment of the potential impact of MTD for Income Tax on taxpayers joining from April 2026 is available at:Extension of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment to sole traders and landlords - GOV.UK

For what reason the application of inflationary increases on pre-1997 defined benefit pension entitlements is limited to schemes within the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme; and whether he plans to extend this policy to other defined benefit schemes.

The Government has brought forward legislation to introduce annual CPI-linked increases, capped at 2.5 per cent, on compensation payments from the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme based on pensions built up before 6 April 1997. These increases will apply prospectively (i.e. to payments going forward) and where the original scheme rules provided for such increases.

What assessment has here department made of the adequacy of safeguards governing the release of motorists’ personal data by the DVLA to private parking companies; and what steps she is taking to ensure that data belonging to motorists who have not committed an offence is not shared inappropriately and deleted within a timely manner.

The law allows the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to release vehicle keeper details in certain limited circumstances, subject to appropriate safeguards. Organisations receiving this data must comply with their obligations under data protection law.Where a private parking management company makes electronic requests for vehicle keeper data, the data is provided subject to strict contractual terms. Data may only be used the purposes set out in the contract and must be deleted once no longer needed.All private parking companies are audited to help ensure that the information is requested and used appropriately. The safeguards in place to protect personal data are kept under review to ensure they continue to provide appropriate protection.

How much public money has been spent to date on the development and roll-out of Making Tax Digital; and what the projected total cost is for completing the programme.

Originally announced at Budget 2015, Making Tax Digital (MTD) supports UK businesses to transact digitally. It encourages timely and accurate record keeping, reducing the part of the tax gap caused by taxpayer error and failure to take reasonable care. The most recent Accounting Officer’s Assessment was published on 4 June 2025 and estimated a public sector lifecycle cost of £1.4 billion for the MTD programme. This assessment also estimated an overall lifecycle monetised benefit of £6.2 billion. These are considerable benefits, providing vital funding for public services, which are expected to continue beyond the 5-year window assessed in the business case. MTD will also generate significant non-monetisable benefits, including through modernising HMRC’s critical national IT infrastructure for the VAT and ITSA regimes.

If his Department will consider the potential merits of including electricity-intensive food and drink manufacturers, such as distillers, in the scope of the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme.

The Government recently closed a consultation on eligibility for the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS) where businesses were invited to share their views on the proposed methodology and an indicative list of eligible sectors. Decisions on eligibility will now be taken to ensure the scheme is properly geared towards boosting growth in the economy; through attracting investment in Industrial Strategy frontier manufacturing sectors and foundational manufacturing industries that supply key inputs to the Industrial Strategy frontier sectors. The Industrial Strategy frontier and foundational sectors were selected following the Government’s consultation of the Modern Industrial Strategy in the autumn of 2024.

Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on support for the life sciences sector.

The Life Sciences Sector Plan, published in July 2025, launched a ten year programme to cement the UK’s position as a global life sciences leader. The Secretary of State is in regular contact with Cabinet colleagues, and we have strengthened the Office for Life Sciences as a trilateral unit across DSIT, DHSC and DBT, bringing together health, industrial strategy and innovation, and appointed an Executive Chair, Steve Bates, to provide leadership and accountability.This collaborative approach is delivering, with the UK securing multibillion pound private investment, building new research infrastructure, scaling manufacturing, streamlining regulation, strengthening clinical trials and driving medical breakthroughs.

What steps his Department taking to support off-grid households to report (a) significant cost increases and (b) cancelled orders of domestic oil.

The Government is closely monitoring heating oil supply and price in light of the instability in the Middle East. We are engaging daily with industry to understand the drivers of recent price movements and order cancelations. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to heating oil distributors today to remind them of their commitments under the UKIFDA Code of Practice, including the need for fair, transparent and justifiable pricing. Ministers have also spoken with the Competition and Markets Authority, who are aware of the issue and are considering the options available to them should concerns arise around unfair practices or anti-competitive behaviour. Off‑grid households continue to benefit from broader Government support, including energy bill reductions announced in the Autumn Budget and the Warm Home Discount, which provides eligible households with £150 off their energy bills until 2030/31.

What discussions she has had with the Equality and Human Rights Commission on guidance to schools on children who are questioning their gender.

The Department engaged with the EHRC as a part of wider stakeholder engagement to inform our policy on gender questioning children. Guidance has now been published for consultation within Keeping children safe in education. Our guidance to schools and colleges is pragmatic and balanced, with the wellbeing of children at its heart, and is clear that no child should be able to access toilets, changing rooms, or boarding or residential accommodation for the opposite sex.