Written questions by Lewis.

What steps he is taking to prevent non-disclosure agreements from being used to conceal serious misconduct against former employees.

The Government has been clear that non-disclosure agreements should not be misused by employers to conceal misconduct in the workplace. There are already legal limitations as to what NDAs can be used for, meaning the relevant clause would be unenforceable if it attempted to prevent a worker from whistleblowing, require a worker to cover up iniquity, or prevent a worker from doing anything that they may be required to do by law. We continue to look at how to make improvements to ensuring the misuse of NDAs is not used to conceal misconduct in the workplace.

When he plans respond to Question 50047 tabled on 6 May 2025 for answer on 12 May 2025.

With apologies to the Hon. member, a response has now been issued.

What her policy is on the (a) removal and (b) retention of police widows pensions when those in receipt of such pensions (i) cohabit and (ii) remarry.

The 2015 police pension scheme is the scheme currently open to serving police officers. This scheme provides life-long survivor benefits for spouses, civil partners and unmarried partners, including those who remarry or cohabit after losing a spouse. The introduction of the 2006 police pension scheme meant that all eligible police officers were able to join a pension scheme with such survivor benefits.Prior to 2006, the 1987 police pension scheme provides a pension for the widow, widower or civil partner of a police officer who dies. In common with most other public service pension schemes of that time, these benefits cease to be payable where the widow, widower or civil partner remarries or cohabits with another partner. From 1 April 2015, the 1987 Police Pension Scheme was amended to allow widows, widowers and civil partners of police officers who have died as a result of an injury on duty to receive their survivor benefits for life regardless of remarriage, civil partnership or cohabitation.

Communities and Local Government, if she will establish a Green and Decent Homes Programme to bring (a) social and (b) council housing up to acceptable standards.

The government intend to amend building regulations later this year as part of the introduction of future standards that will set more ambitious energy efficiency and carbon emissions requirements for new homes. We will also consult this year on a new Decent Homes Standard for social and private rented sectors and consult on a new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard for social housing.

What steps he plans to take to investigate the security of UK (a) solar and (b) wind farms to ensure that there are no kill switches in Chinese-made inverter units installed in their structures.

The Department works continually with Ofgem and the National Cyber Security Centre to ensure that regulations continue to capture the most critical operators of energy generation systems. Distributed and smaller-scale generation are key components of a smart and resilient energy system.

Communities and Local Government, for what reason (a) housing associations and (b) local councils are not eligible to apply to the (i) Building Safety Fund and (ii) Cladding Safety Scheme set up to defray the costs of remediating faulty cladding; and if she will make it her policy to broaden the application criteria.

Social landlords can apply to the Building Safety Fund and the Cladding Safety Scheme for funding equivalent to (1) the amount which the social landlord would otherwise be entitled to pass on to leaseholders; or (2) the full cost of remedial works where paying those costs would render the social landlord financially unviable.As at end March 2025, government had committed £595m to support remediation of social housing through government schemes, including funding to remove Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding.Social landlords face barriers to accelerating remediation, including access to upfront capital. The Government has increased targeted support for social landlords applying for government remediation funding, and we will this year announce a long-term strategy for accelerating social housing remediation.

When the Prime Minister plans to respond to the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament on its Iran Report, sent to him on 27 March 2025.

The government will respond to the ISC regarding publication of its report on Iran in due course.

If he will take steps to facilitate the circulation of material to General Practitioners advising how to (a) recognise and (b) treat with (i) antibiotics and (ii) anti-inflammatory medications the conditions of (A) Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) and (B) Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus (PANDAS).

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent, expert body that develops evidence-based guidelines for the National Health Service on best practice. While the NICE currently has no plans to issue guidance on paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) and paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcus (PANDAS), should the evidence base develop further, we would look to the NICE to update clinical policy. In the meantime, integrated care systems are responsible for planning care for their populations’ conditions, and clinicians will want to take account of any new research and developments in guidance, such as those being overseen by the PANS PANDAS Steering Group, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to their patients.

If she will publish the findings of the Review of the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme in August 2024; and whether she plans to introduce a statutory requirement on local authorities to include Companion Bus Passes as part of the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as including companion passes, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability. The Department for Transport conducted a review of the ENCTS and is currently considering next steps. The review did not consider adding companion passes to the statutory criteria for the scheme.Currently, local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory obligations under the ENCTS and offer additional discretionary concessions, such as extending the travel time criteria for the ENCTS.The government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Hampshire County Council has been allocated £14 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services for passengers can be used in whichever way they wish. This could include extending the discretionary concessions available in the local area to include companion passes.

If he will publish a list of the countries from which the coking coal required for the Scunthorpe blast furnaces will be purchased; and if he will publish the estimate of the carbon footprint which will be created by transporting the required total from each source country.

British Steel closed its coke ovens in 2023, so is now reliant on imports of coke, a processed coal product. Since the passage of the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act, British Steel has received coking coal from the United States of America, Colombia, and Australia. The company will keep its supply chains under review. The Department for Business & Trade has not produced an assessment of the carbon footprint from the transportation of the coking coal required for the blast furnaces. However, the carbon footprint associated with transporting the coking coal to the UK can be calculated using publicly available data [such as the CarbonCare CO2 emissions calculator].

Communities and Local Government, if she will publish a list of the responsibilities that Town and Parish Council will be expected to take over from District Councils following the creating of new Unitary Authorities; how she plans to fund these changes; and what steps she is planning to take to (i) simply the procedures for small Parish Councils to merge and (ii) increase staff support for Town and Parish Councils.

The government has no intention to require town and parish councils to deliver functions as part of local government reorganisation. It is for those councils that have received the statutory invitation to consider the delivery of public services as they develop robust and sustainable proposals that are in the best interests of their whole area. Principal local authorities have the power to restructure town and parish councils through the existing Community Governance Review process. Town and parish councils operate independently of central government and are best placed to understand and fulfil their staffing needs, ensuring that this approach delivers strong value for money for local precept payers.

Innovation and Technology, what privacy safeguards exist to prevent identifiable peoples' sequenced DNA being passed to third parties when companies which offer family or other research services to members of the public (a) are sold and (b) go into liquidation; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing stronger safeguards.

The UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) already require organisations to process personal data lawfully, fairly, transparently and securely, unless certain limited exemptions apply. Organisations are also required to meet additional conditions and safeguards when processing ‘special category’ data, or data that is more sensitive, such as DNA data.The UK’s data protection legislation does not automatically prohibit the selling or sharing of personal data with third parties. Instead, it sets out a framework within which data sharing may safely take place.The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s Data Protection Regulator, has published a statutory Code of Practice on data sharing which contains practical guidance for organisations on how to share data fairly and lawfully, available at: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/data-sharing/data-sharing-a-code-of-practice/.The ICO has also published guidance to help organisations processing special category data, available at: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/lawful-basis/a-guide-to-lawful-basis/special-category-data/.

With reference to the Fifty-seventh Report of the Committee of Public Accounts of Session 2022-23 on AEA Technology Pension Case, HC 1005, published on 14 June 2023, and to Questions 329 and 330 of the oral evidence given by the Minister for Pensions to the Work and Pensions select committee on 10 January 2024, HC 144, what steps she is taking to implement a redress scheme.

In its response to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on the AEA Technology case, the department agreed to consider the PAC recommendation to ‘ensure that people have an adequate route of appeal when considering complaints about their occupational and personal pensions, through a review of the Ombudsman’. Progress on the PAC and subsequent WPC recommendations were paused due to the General Election. The department remains committed to providing the PAC with an update once the Cabinet Office has considered how it would like departments to scope and schedule a new series of reviews for public bodies.

What her policy is on Ukrainian families invited to the UK following the Russian invasion wishing to seek (a) employment, (b) rental agreements, (c) educational continuity for their children and (d) indefinite leave to remain; and whether time already spent in the UK counts towards qualifying for such leave.

The UK’s Ukraine visa schemes (including the new Ukraine Permission Extension scheme) provide full access to the right to work, rent, access benefits, healthcare, and education in the UK.The Ukraine Visa Schemes provide temporary sanctuary and do not lead to settlement in the UK. We recognise the Ukrainian government’s desire for the future return of its citizens to Ukraine. It is important our approach respects these wishes. Similarly, time spent in the UK with permission granted under the Ukraine Schemes cannot be relied upon towards the continuous qualifying period for the purposes of a Long Residence application. There are other routes available for those who wish to settle in the UK permanently, if they meet the requirements.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential effectiveness of landmines in enabling the defence of land borders against conventional armed attack.

I hope the right hon. Gentleman will understand that the Ministry of Defence can’t comment publicly on operational matters. All anti-personnel landmines present an enduring risk to civilians in the wake of conflict. It is for this reason the UK remains a committed State Party to the Ottawa Treaty. The UK has successfully operated without anti-personnel landmines for fifteen years.

What (a) mechanisms exist and (b) steps he is taking to ensure that integrated care boards are accountable for their commissioning of children’s palliative care.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the commissioning of palliative and end of life care services, including for children and young people, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.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 include how well the ICB has discharged its functions.

Whether it is her policy that pre-sentence reports to inform judges prior to passing sentences on offenders should be requested in light of (a) their individual circumstances only and (b) any specific groups to which they belong.

Pre-sentence reports can be vital tools for judges and for all offenders, regardless of their membership of a certain cohort. Courts are required to obtain and consider them unless, in the circumstances of the case they consider them unnecessary.We are clear that decisions relating to sentencing of individuals are a matter for the independent judiciary.Equality before the law is a guiding principle of our justice system. It is this Government’s policy to protect this and to ensure that there is no differential treatment on the basis of race or ethnicity in our courts. That is why, on 01 April, we introduced legislation which has the effect of removing the specific reference to cohorts in the Imposition guidelines - and the Sentencing Council has agreed to pause the guidelines while we do so.The Bill does not prevent the guidelines from advising that pre-sentence reports are sought in cases where the court would benefit from an assessment of an offender’s personal circumstances, such as pregnancy, if someone is a young offender, or a victim of domestic abuse.

If he will list the (a) domestic and (b) foreign sources of high-grade steel on which his Department will rely for the manufacture of (i) warships, (ii) armoured vehicles and (iii) jet aircraft (A) for the remainder of the parliament and (B) subsequently.

The Defence Industrial Strategy will carefully consider the Ministry of Defence’s approach to steel, as a sub-sector within Defence and a critical element of the UK’s Defence industrial base. This will include consideration of the MOD’s use of specialist steel and the potential for Defence procurements to support the steel sector, noting capability and value for money considerations. The Defence Industrial Strategy will have a remit extending to 2035. The Government will also bring forward a Steel Strategy that will ensure a sustainable future for UK steelmaking. The Steel Strategy will establish a long-term vision for the industry, promoting long-term growth, that aligns with wider priorities including Invest 2035, the upcoming Industrial Strategy. Defence programmes have some requirements for specialist steel which cannot currently be sourced from UK manufacturers. Steel therefore sometimes needs to be sourced from overseas suppliers. UK steel is utilised where feasible including in both shipbuilding and armoured vehicles manufacture. As part of the Department for Business and Trade (DBT)’s Steel Procurement Pipeline, the MOD publishes information on the steel required for current Defence projects such as shipbuilding and armoured vehicles. As part of the Department for Business and Trade’s Steel Public Procurement release the MOD also provides details on the country of origin for steel used in various Defence projects: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/steel-public-procurement

What steps she plans to take to ensure that the cost of loans advanced to (a) overseas and (b) domestic applicants subsequently found not to have seriously participated in higher education courses will not be borne by UK taxpayers; and what safeguards she plans to introduce to prevent student loan fraud in future.

As a general rule, students are eligible for fee and maintenance loans only if they have settled status in the United Kingdom and have been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland for three years. Students resident overseas are not eligible for loans.The department and the Office for Students (OfS) have a programme of investigations underway. Where these investigations have found abuse of the student finance system, there will be serious consequences. We have now also asked the Public Sector Fraud Authority to tackle this threat and take forward this work across government. The department will always take steps to recover student loans that have been paid to students who have not been attending their courses. Depending on the precise circumstances, recovery has been and will continue to be pursued either from the institution or the student.The department is consulting until 4 April on subcontracted provision. The consultation proposes changes to the requirements for courses to attract student finance that will necessitate subcontracted providers with specific numbers of students to be registered and regulated by the OfS. Together with the work of the OfS, which is currently consulting on reforms to its registration requirements, the department’s consultation will ensure subcontracted provision is better protected from poor quality and the risk of the misuse of public funding.The department will also take immediate action on the use of agents to recruit students. The government can see no legitimate role for domestic agents in the recruitment of UK students. We are taking urgent steps to prevent any further abuse of the system.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2025 to Question 37979 on Natural Gas: Imports, what the minimum safety criteria are with which a shale gas company must comply when plugging an unused well; and who monitors compliance with safety standards.

The Heath and Safety Executive and the North Sea Transition Authority are the relevant regulators for onshore shale gas extraction. They regulate compliance with the criteria set for plugging and abandoning wells at the end of their useful life.