Written questions by Wrigley.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 May 2025 to Question 52067 on Power Failures, whether the contingency plans include protection from cyber attacks.

The Government takes the security of Great Britain’s energy infrastructure extremely seriously and works closely with industry to continually improve and strengthen cyber security resilience. The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill being introduced this summer will further strengthen cyber security standards for all sectors, including energy. Additionally, industry have well-developed cyber security plans to minimise the risk of disruption and to respond to any emerging issue.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to ensure local authorities are able to require standards in excess of legal minimums as conditions for planning approval.

Planning conditions attached to the grant of planning permission can be used to require development to meet certain standards. However, as the National Planning Policy Framework states, such conditions should only be imposed where they are necessary, relevant to planning and to the development to be permitted, enforceable, precise and reasonable in all other respects. They should also not duplicate the role of other regulatory regimes.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of empty and abandoned homes in Devon.

The government wants to see more empty homes brought back into use across the country, including in Devon.Local authorities have strong powers and incentives to tackle empty homes. They have the discretionary powers to charge additional council tax on properties which have been left unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for one or more years. The maximum premium that a council can apply increases, depending on the length of time that the property has been empty for, with a premium of up to 300% on homes left empty for over ten years.Local authorities can also use powers to take over the management of long-term empty homes to bring them back into use in the private rented sector. Local authorities can apply for an Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) when a property has been empty for more than two years, subject to the production of evidence that the property has been causing a nuisance to the community and evidence of community support for their proposal. More information can be found on gov.uk here.

If his Department will amend section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 to require company directors to balance the duty to promote the success of the company with duties to (a) employees and (b) the environment.

Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 requires company directors to have regard in their decision-making to the interests of their employees and to the impact of the company's operations on the community and the environment. All large companies must report annually on how their directors have fulfilled this duty. Section 172 enshrines in statute the "enlightened shareholder value" principle, which recognises that the long-term success of a company depends in part on the ongoing consideration of wider stakeholder interests. This contrasts with the "shareholder maximisation" principle underpinning directors' duties in some other jurisdictions, in which directors owe their duty only to shareholders.The Government welcomes suggestions on how to ensure companies consider wider stakeholder interests alongside the needs of stakeholders. I look forward to considering the clauses of the Company Directors (Duties) Bill when available.I would be pleased to meet with the Honourable Member for Newton Abbot to discuss his Private Member's Bill.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 29262 on Insulation: Housing, if he will launch an investigation into homes that had spray foam installed under the Green Grant Scheme.

The Government recognises that the system of quality assurance and consumer redress that we inherited needs reform. This work is already underway, with the existing system being tightened, but we will set out plans for root and branch reform as part of the Warm Homes Plan. Under the Green Home Grant Voucher Scheme (GHGVS) the previous Government did not specify which types of insulation should be installed in any particular property, only that the installations should be carried out by TrustMark registered installers in accordance with the relevant standards and consumer protection requirements. If the installation has met the standards required in the GHGVS, we would not expect it to require removal or prevent a mortgage from being issued given the publication of the inspection protocol that surveyors can use to make a judgement.

If she will take steps to increase the number of full time equivalent examiners at the Newton Abbot Driving Test Centre in the 2025-26 financial year.

On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport announced that the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain. Since announcing these measures, DVSA has reintroduced overtime pay incentives for everyone delivering driving tests. The additional testing allowance scheme launched this month (June 2025). The DVSA’s plan to reduce waiting times as set out in December last year, included recruiting and training 450 driving examiners (DE). As with all test centres in Great Britain, DVSA will assess the recruitment needs at Newton Abbot test centre when it launches any future recruitment campaigns.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 29262 on Insulation: Housing, if he will offer support for homes with faulty spray foam installed.

There is no government financial assistance available to have insulation removed. Any measures fitted under government schemes must be fitted to the highest standards with issues promptly and properly rectified. In any instance where insulation is installed improperly under a government-backed scheme, consumers are entitled to remediation by their installer or, failing that, the insurance-backed guarantee at no cost to the consumer. Installations of any insulation under current Government schemes must be installed in accordance with the PAS 2030 and PAS 2035 standards. The TrustMark website contains further guidance on how consumers can complain if things go wrong and the dispute resolution process: https://www.trustmark.org.uk/homeowners/if-things-go-wrong.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 29262 on Insulation: Housing, if he will publish data on the number of homes using the warm homes grant to date.

The Department publishes Household Energy Efficiency Statistics. The detailed annual reports provide breakdowns of measures installed under various government support schemes. These date back to 2015 and are available at GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/household-energy-efficiency-national-statistics). Warm Homes: Local Grant and Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund schemes began in April 2025. Statistics on the delivery of these schemes will be published in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 29262 on Insulation: Housing, if he will take legislative steps to ensure access to mortgage facilities for people purchasing homes with spray foam insulation.

The insulation, lending, and surveying communities published protocols in March 2023 to support surveyors to assess spray foam, provide reassurance to lenders, and inform consumers. We understand from lenders that in general they follow the advice of surveyors and that most no longer have blanket policies. The government cannot comment on the decisions made by individual lenders. However, the presence of spray foam should not automatically prevent lending, and decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis following a survey. Whilst one lender may be unable to offer a mortgage to a customer, this does not prevent them from being offered credit elsewhere.

What information his Department holds on the change in population of the 17-19 year old age group in Newton Abbot Constituency in the last five years.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 11th June is attached.

Communities and Local Government, whether future funding settlements for parish and town councils will account for (a) increasing service delivery responsibilities and (b) variations in local need.

The government values the contributions made by town and parish councils to the delivery of local services.Local authorities may wish to collaborate with town and parish councils to determine how they can most effectively contribute to service delivery under future arrangements. In doing so, they should consider the financial and administrative support required by town and parish councils, as well as the potential impact of new responsibilities on local taxpayers through increases to parish precepts. Central government has no role in funding town and parish councils.Town and parish councils are independent organisations local authorities should not rely on them as a substitute for their own meaningful community engagement and local area working. Local Government Reorganisation should facilitate better and sustained community engagement, and I welcome the steps areas are taking to consider how to maintain strong community voice.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has considered including new standards in public life clauses in the English Devolution Bill.

In December 2024, the government launched a consultation seeking views on proposed measures to strengthen the standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England, including the introduction of the sanction of suspension, to empower local authorities of all types and tiers to deal appropriately with member misconduct where it arises. The government response will be issued in due course. After its release, we will continue to work actively with local government on developing the detailed policies for implementation.

Communities and Local Government, whether the forthcoming English Devolution Bill will include provisions to recognise the role of parish and town councils in local service delivery.

The government values the contributions made by town and parish councils to the delivery of local services.Local authorities may wish to collaborate with town and parish councils to determine how they can most effectively contribute to service delivery under future arrangements. In doing so, they should consider the financial and administrative support required by town and parish councils, as well as the potential impact of new responsibilities on local taxpayers through increases to parish precepts. Central government has no role in funding town and parish councils.Town and parish councils are independent organisations local authorities should not rely on them as a substitute for their own meaningful community engagement and local area working. Local Government Reorganisation should facilitate better and sustained community engagement, and I welcome the steps areas are taking to consider how to maintain strong community voice.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take through the English Devolution Bill to involve parish and town councils in restructuring decisions at local government level.

Parish and town councils are not in scope for local government reorganisation and will continue to operate as they do now. As we implement our devolution and local government reorganisation programmes, we will ensure strong community involvement and deliver genuine benefits that can be seen by residents. Local stakeholders will have the opportunity to respond to government consultation on proposals.

Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to encourage greater diversity in parish and town council membership.

The government is committed to supporting councils at all levels of local government to attract talented members who are representative of the communities they serve. We welcome the work of organisations including the National Association of Local Councils and the Society of Local Council Clerks to encourage greater diversity in parish and town council membership.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to include provisions in the English Devolution Bill to standardise ethical conduct and behaviour in (a) parish councils, (b) town councils and (c) other levels of local government.

In December 2024, the government launched a consultation seeking views on proposed measures to strengthen the standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England, including the introduction of the sanction of suspension, to empower local authorities of all types and tiers to deal appropriately with member misconduct where it arises. The government response will be issued in due course. After its release, we will continue to work actively with local government on developing the detailed policies for implementation.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to introduce new funding streams for (a) parish and (b) town councils.

The government values the contributions made by town and parish councils to the delivery of local services.Local authorities may wish to collaborate with town and parish councils to determine how they can most effectively contribute to service delivery under future arrangements. In doing so, they should consider the financial and administrative support required by town and parish councils, as well as the potential impact of new responsibilities on local taxpayers through increases to parish precepts. Central government has no role in funding town and parish councils.Town and parish councils are independent organisations local authorities should not rely on them as a substitute for their own meaningful community engagement and local area working. Local Government Reorganisation should facilitate better and sustained community engagement, and I welcome the steps areas are taking to consider how to maintain strong community voice.

Communities and Local Government, whether the English Devolution Bill will include measures to tackle financial disparities between parish and town councils in the same region.

The government values the contributions made by town and parish councils to the delivery of local services.Local authorities may wish to collaborate with town and parish councils to determine how they can most effectively contribute to service delivery under future arrangements. In doing so, they should consider the financial and administrative support required by town and parish councils, as well as the potential impact of new responsibilities on local taxpayers through increases to parish precepts. Central government has no role in funding town and parish councils.Town and parish councils are independent organisations local authorities should not rely on them as a substitute for their own meaningful community engagement and local area working. Local Government Reorganisation should facilitate better and sustained community engagement, and I welcome the steps areas are taking to consider how to maintain strong community voice.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the his US counterpart on UK citizens with a green card data.

The Foreign Secretary has not had any recent discussions with Secretary of State Marco Rubio about green card data, or UK citizens with green cards.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the establishment of new unitary authorities on levels of (a) effectiveness and (b) autonomy of parish and town councils.

Parish and town councils are not in scope for local government reorganisation and will continue to operate as they do now. As we implement our devolution and local government reorganisation programmes, we will ensure strong community involvement and deliver genuine benefits that can be seen by residents. Local stakeholders will have the opportunity to respond to government consultation on proposals.