Written questions by Hayes.

How many agency staff were employed by his Department in each of the last three years.

Awaiting answer.

Whether his Department has appointed anyone from outside the civil service other than special advisers since July 2024.

Awaiting answer.

How many political appointees have been made by his Department since July 2024.

Awaiting answer.

Whether his Department has hired external public relations consultants since July 2024.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has not engaged any external public relations consultants since July 2024.

What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of energy efficiency schemes in reducing fuel poverty in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

The latest statistics on fuel poverty at the national level, published in March 2026, estimate that between 2024 and 2025, improvements in the energy efficiency of households reduced fuel poverty by around 153,000 households, driven by a combination of en...

Whether his Department permits civil servants employed in the UK to work from overseas on a regular basis.

The Department does not permit civil servants employed in the UK to work overseas on a regular basis. In a small number of cases, staff may be permitted to work overseas for a short, defined period and for limited reasons, including where urgent work requ...

Whether his Department permits (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials to use (i) Chat GPT, (ii) Google Gemini, (iii) Claude, (iv) Deepseek and (v) Grok as part of their officia

The Government is committed to harnessing the benefits of artificial intelligence to improve the productivity of the Civil Service and the quality of public services.Departments provide officials, Ministers and special advisers with access to secure, ente...

How much his Department has spent on advertising on podcasts in each of the last three years.

This detail of information is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

What assessment his Department has made of recent trends in levels of (a) petrol and (b) diesel prices in Lincolnshire.

Fuel markets are overseen by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The Government and the CMA are closely monitoring fuel prices in light of instability in the Middle East, and I have raised reports of localised price spikes directly with the CMA. ...

What fiscal steps he is taking to help reduce the cost of household energy bills for people in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

The Government acted in the Autumn Budget to reduce electricity costs to the benefit of all households with a domestic electricity meter, including those not on the gas grid. By scrapping the ECO home insulation scheme and moving 75% of the domestic costs...

If he will publish a list of training programmes used by civil servants in his Department since 2023.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) provides training for civil servants through a combination of cross‑government, departmental and locally procured learning. Since 2023, this has included learning accessed through Civil Service Learn...

If he will publish a list of training programmes used by civil servants in his Department since 2023.

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

Whether his Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the last 12 months.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) uses artificial intelligence (AI) to support activities including corporate and administrative activities, drafting and analysis. AI is used in accordance with all relevant departmental and government guidelines, to ensure transparency, accountability and responsible and ethical use and data protection. AI tools in DESNZ are not used for decision-making, and civil servants remain fully accountable for decisions based on AI products and outputs. All drafting of policy and legislation is conducted in accordance with government and departmental guidelines and all legislation and policy is finalised and decided upon by an expert in accordance with government and departmental guidelines.

What estimate he has made of the number of renewable energy projects awaiting grid connection in (1) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (2) Lincolnshire.

Information on projects holding connection agreements is available at TEC Register | National Energy System Operator for transmission projects and, for distribution projects, at National Grid - Embedded capacity register (Central and Southern Lincolnshire) and Northern Powergrid - Embedded capacity register (Northern Lincolnshire). Data is categorised by grid connection point, not geographic location of generation projects.

Whether his Department has paid for followers on social media platforms it uses.

The department has not paid for followers on any of the social media platforms it uses.

How much his Department has spent on special severance payments in each of the last three years.

The total value of severance payments for the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero is set out in the department’s Annual Report and Accounts, which are available for the last three years.

What steps his Department is taking to support (a) households and (a) businesses reliant on heating oil in Lincolnshire.

The Government understands that many households, particularly in rural and off‑gas‑grid areas, rely on heating oil as their primary source of heat. Unlike gas and electricity, heating oil is bought on the spot market, making it more exposed to short-term volatility in global oil prices, which we recognise is a significant concern for those reliant on it. The Chancellor has announced £53m for low income families, who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices. This funding is allocated as part of the Crisis Resilience fund, and will be distributed by Local Authorities. More information can be found here: Over £50 million to help families struggling with soaring heating oil costs - GOV.UK. In addition, the measures taken in the Autumn Budget reduce the cost of electricity and therefore benefit all households with a domestic electricity meter, including those not on the gas grid. On 30 January, we also announced the continuation of the Warm Home Discount scheme until 2030/31, providing around 6 million eligible households with the £150 rebate on their energy bills each winter.

Whether any civil servants hired by his Department were recruited over another person on the basis of a protected characteristic in each of the last three years.

Civil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010, which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition. Compliance with CRaGA is overseen by the independent Civil Service Commission, which publishes Recruitment Principles setting out the detailed rules departments must follow. For departments who use Civil Service Jobs to manage their recruitment, applicants are asked to provide diversity data on a voluntary basis only and no details are shared with hiring managers. The positive action measures in the Equality Act 2010 allows employers to take proportionate action that aims to reduce disadvantage, meet different needs and increase participation. More information on this can be found on gov.uk.

How many staff in his Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

There are 70 members of staff in the Department that hold a visa which permits them to work in the United Kingdom. This figure includes staff on work and other visa routes. It does not include individuals granted pre or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. All staff are required to demonstrate a valid right to work in accordance with Home Office requirements.

What steps he is taking to support (a) consumers and (b) businesses in South Holland and the Deepings constituency with (1) petrol and (2) diesel costs.

The Government is committed to ensuring fair fuel prices for consumers and businesses. Following the Competition and Markets Authority’s 2023 Road Fuel Market Study, we introduced statutory powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 to monitor pricing and identify anti-competitive behaviour in the fuel market. We are also implementing Fuel Finder, an open data scheme providing real-time petrol and diesel prices to improve transparency and competition, helping drivers and businesses find the best deals. These measures aim to reduce costs and protect consumer interests across the UK, including South Holland and The Deepings.