Written questions by Moon.

What processes were in place to verify that accredited installers participating in government heat pump schemes held the required seven-year Insurance Backed Guarantee cover; how many installers were found to have inadequate cover; and what steps his Department is taking to help resolve cases where consumers have been left without recourse due to installer insolvency.

The Government requires installers participating in government heat pump schemes to be certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS). MCS has required installers to provide a minimum of two years’ cover through Insurance Backed Guarantees, increasing to six years under the reformed MCS.MCS holds information on installer insurance and checks are carried out to ensure that installers hold appropriate cover. The Government is closely monitoring the implementation of MCS’ scheme reforms, which will include measures to support consumers even if installers are no longer trading.

Communities and Local Government, what criteria his Department plans to use to select areas eligible for the £15 million programme to address long term rough sleeping; and whether Cornwall Council will be considered for inclusion.

On Thursday 26 February the government published allocations for the Long-Term Rough Sleeping Innovation Programme. All councils in England were considered for inclusion, with funding allocated to areas with the greatest long-term rough sleeping pressures. You can find details of allocations on gov.uk here.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme for civil servants on the decarbonisation of the public sector.

The Civil Service has had a history of providing benefits that are attractive and value for money and that support green policies such as season ticket and bike loans to help manage travel costs as well as the Cycle to Work Scheme. As part of work on the future Civil Service Reward Strategy, a wide range of approaches and benefits are currently under consideration. Officials continue to work closely with government departments and other key stakeholders as this work develops.

Whether her Department has access to real time data on attendance and exclusions at academies.

Improving attendance and tackling school exclusion early is central to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. High-quality, timely data enables early identification of need and delivery of a support-first approach.Thanks to our world-leading data collection, the department has access to near real-time attendance data for schools, including academies. For each morning and afternoon session, schools must record the relevant attendance and absence code for each pupil. This includes Code E, which is used when a pupil is absent due to suspension or permanent exclusion. Code E is recorded as absence but not classified as unauthorised absence.Using this attendance data, key actors can take a curious approach to identify patterns in pupil movement that could suggest off-rolling or other concerning practices, including off-site direction and managed moves, and will follow up on a targeted basis with responsible bodies to understand and challenge where there are possible concerns.Formal data on suspension and permanent exclusion is also collected through the termly school census, which is published two terms in arrears.

Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria her Department will apply when deciding which organisations are invited to participate in the forthcoming consultation on banning trail hunting; and whether bodies which have disregarded existing hunting law will be ruled out of playing a role in shaping future hunting law.

The Government intends to hold a consultation on its plans to ban trail hunting. Defra will be guided by the Government's consultation principles in shaping the proposed consultation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UK Port Waste Reception Facilities regime in supporting the disposal of fishing gear; and whether he plans to strengthen or standardise requirements across ports.

Defra engages with ports, the fishing sector and Devolved Governments on a range of marine litter and waste issues. Defra has not made an assessment of UK Port Waste Reception Facilities, which are managed by the Department for Transport and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The international Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) sets international regulations covering the various sources of ship-generated waste pollution within individual Annexes of the Convention. To protect the marine environment further and to strengthen the prohibition requirement under the Merchant Shipping Regulations implementing MARPOL, the Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Port Waste Reception Facilities) Regulations 2003 set requirement for ports and terminals to provide adequate reception facilities for the delivery of ships-generated waste. The UK is working collaboratively at the International Maritime Organisation to address actions that have been identified under its 2025 Action Plan and 2021 Strategy on marine plastic litter from ships, in particular abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of compound interest on the long-term balances of student loan borrowers including those with intermittent or low earnings.

It is important that student loans are subject to interest, to ensure that those who can afford to do so contribute to the full cost of their degree. Lower earning borrowers, and those who do not go on to repay their loan in full, are protected. The regulations provide that at the end of the loan term any outstanding loan debt, including interest accrued, will be cancelled at no detriment to the borrower. Debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.Borrowers on intermittent incomes are also protected as repayments are based on earnings, not on the rate of interest or the size of debt. This means if their income drops, so do their repayments. Interest rates do not have an immediate cash impact on the cost of living for borrowers, as interest rates do not affect monthly student loan repayments.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to (a) define and regulate the classification of ocean plastic and related environmental claims and (b) tackle marketing practices where products are marketed as made from ocean plastic or beach clean materials that are sourced from conventional consumer plastic waste or unrelated recycled materials.

Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA), businesses are prohibited from misleading consumers and must have evidence to substantiate any claims made. Where a business markets a product as made from ocean plastic or beach clean materials, but either does so falsely, or does not have evidence to substantiate the claim, the business may be infringing the consumer protection provisions of the DMCCA and could be subject to enforcement action. This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. We will soon publish a Circular Economy Growth Plan that sets out how the Government will deliver a more circular and more prosperous economy. The plan will set out the biggest opportunities in sectors right across the economy, including chemicals and plastics.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment has she made of the potential impact of the changes to the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands on the protection of the marine environment of the Chagos Archipelago.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 21 November 2025 in response to Question 90684.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of requirements relating to safe and suitable flooring within the reformed Decent Homes Standard for social and privately rented homes; and whether further guidance will be issued to ensure flooring standards support (a) tenant safety, (b) accessibility and (c) overall housing quality.

My Department published its response to the Decent Homes Standard consultation on 28 January 2026. It can be found on gov.uk here. Following analysis of the evidence received, we decided that floor coverings should not be included as a mandatory requirement within the new standard. This reflects the need to balance the costs of improving existing stock with the investment required to increase the supply of social and affordable housing, alongside the wider projected costs of delivering the new standard. Increasing supply will help move people, including many vulnerable children, out of unsuitable temporary accommodation. Recognising that the absence of appropriate floor coverings can affect tenant safety, accessibility and overall housing quality, particularly for families with young children, older people and disabled tenants, the government intend to issue strengthened best practice guidance encouraging social landlords to retain good quality floor coverings between tenancies. We are also establishing a working group and pilot with the sector to identify cost effective ways for tenants most in need to access essential floor coverings and wider furnishings.

Whether additional support will be made available to schools to help meet staffing costs as a result of the launch of the new free breakfast club programme in April 2026.

The government is committed to its pledge to provide a free breakfast club in every state funded school with primary-aged children and the department has successfully delivered 7 million meals so far through our 750 early adopter schools.Having listened to schools and taken onboard feedback from the early adopter phase, we have increased the mainstream funding rate from April to help schools in areas including staffing.Schools have the discretion to identify the most appropriate workforce to deliver free breakfast clubs, depending on their school’s context, existing staff contracts and arrangements and the mix of skills and experience required.Free breakfast clubs can be led by various individuals, including teaching assistants, school catering staff, private, voluntary or independent providers, or others specifically hired to deliver the role.

What hardship protections are available to student loan borrowers experiencing financial pressure, and what assessment the Department has made of the potential impact of the absence of interest freezes or repayment relief during such periods.

The student finance system is designed to function differently to a commercial loan. Borrowers are protected if they see a reduction in their income for any reason. Weekly or monthly student loan repayment amounts are based on a borrower’s monthly or weekly income, not the interest rate or amount borrowed, and no repayments are made for earnings below the relevant student loan repayment threshold. Any outstanding debt, including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower. No commercial loans offer this level of protection.

What proportion of funding in the consolidated low income household energy efficiency scheme will be allocated to (a) private sector homes and (b) social housing properties.

The Government’s Warm Homes Plan includes £5 billion targeted investment for home upgrades for low-income and fuel poor households. This will initially be delivered via the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF) and the Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG), which support social housing tenants and low-income homeowners respectively. The WH:SHF has been allocated up to an extra £295 million for 2026/27, in addition to the £1.3billion previously committed. £500 million has been allocated for the WH:LG. From 2027/28 onwards the Government intends to integrate these schemes into a single low-income capital scheme, shifting towards area-based delivery. The Government will say more about the evolution of our low-income schemes in Spring 2026.

How much funding within the consolidated low income household energy efficiency scheme will be ringfenced for community level low carbon heat technologies, including (a) Shared Ground Loops and (b) heat networks.

The Government’s Warm Homes Plan includes £5 billion targeted investment for home upgrades for low-income and fuel poor households. As part of this offer, from 2027/28 the Government intends to integrate the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and Warm Homes: Local Grant into a single low-income capital scheme, which will shift toward area-based delivery. The Government will say more about the evolution of our low-income schemes this Spring, including the scope of funded technologies. In addition to any forthcoming funding from these schemes the Government is investing £1.1bn in low-carbon heat networks over this Parliament, and accelerating their rollout through Heat Network Zoning. We have also taken action to strengthen consumer protection through appointing Ofgem as the Heat Network regulator.

What support is available to customers whose energy efficiency improvement works were due to begin under the ECO4 scheme but are unable to proceed before the scheme ends.

The government recognises that some households may be unable to proceed with planned works before ECO4 ends. Support for eligible households will continue through the Warm Homes Plan, including £1.5 billion of additional low‑income grant for funding energy efficiency upgrades and low-carbon heating, to be delivered via the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and Warm Homes: Local Grant schemes. Further details on scheme eligibility and delivery will be provided in Spring 2026.

Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to publish its response to the consultation on a reformed Decent Homes Standard for social and privately rented homes.

My Department published a response to our consultation on a reformed Decent Homes Standard for social and privately rented homes on 28 January 2026. It can be found on gov.uk here.

Whether his Department has made a comparative assessment of the clinical and administrative workload required to deliver QOF indicators in (a) practices serving highly deprived populations and (b) other practices.

The Department consults with the profession to ensure that the Quality and Outcomes Framework’s (QOF) proposals are reasonable and deliverable for practices in England, using the relevant available performance data to inform the setting of achievement thresholds.There are high achievement rates in the majority of practices, for instance in the 2024/25 contract year, 83.2% of practices achieved over 90% of the available QOF points.

Whether he plans to publish the outcome of the review of surplus sharing in the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme.

I am meeting the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme Trustees next month to discuss future surplus sharing arrangements. The outcome will be published once agreement is reached.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of transport, housing instability, language barriers and digital exclusion on patient engagement with QOF requirements in high-deprivation areas.

In the 2024 to 2025 contract year, 83.2% of practices achieved over 90% of the available Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) points. General practices (GPs) servicing populations in areas of higher deprivation face greater levels of unmet need and barriers to patient engagement, which can affect delivery against contractual frameworks, such as QOF.The indicators and thresholds included in the QOF are developed in accordance with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines and are underpinned by a robust evidence base. Thresholds are designed to be attainable, reflecting the potential challenges involved with delivering the intended outcomes for certain interventions or care practices, while encouraging and incentivising practices to provide the best possible care. Thresholds are aspirational rather than a contractual obligation.We recognise the importance of ensuring funding for core services is distributed equitably between practices across the country. This is why we are currently reviewing the way GP funding is allocated across England (the Carr-Hill formula). The review will look at how health needs are reflected in the distribution of funding through the GP Contract.To ensure that patients are not digitally excluded, the GP Contract is clear that patients should always have the option of telephoning or visiting their practice in person, and all online tools must always be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels for accessing a GP. Practice receptions should be open so that patients without access to telephone or online services are in no way disadvantaged.In 2025, NHS England published an improvement framework for community language, translation, and interpreting services to support the provision of consistent, high-quality community language translation and interpreting services by the National Health Service to people with limited English proficiency. In primary care, the framework supplements the existing guidance for commissioners on interpreting and translation services.NHS England’s statement on information on health inequalities sets out details on the recording of housing status. This can enable a better understanding of how social risk factors such as insecure housing or homelessness affects health outcomes and health inequalities. The statement is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/nhs-englands-statement-on-information-on-health-inequalities/

What research his Department has commissioned on the drivers of lower QOF attainment in deprived areas.

In the 2024 to 2025 contract year, 83.2% of practices achieved over 90% of the available Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) points. General practices (GPs) servicing populations in areas of higher deprivation face greater levels of unmet need and barriers to patient engagement, which can affect delivery against contractual frameworks, such as QOF.The indicators and thresholds included in the QOF are developed in accordance with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines and are underpinned by a robust evidence base. Thresholds are designed to be attainable, reflecting the potential challenges involved with delivering the intended outcomes for certain interventions or care practices, while encouraging and incentivising practices to provide the best possible care. Thresholds are aspirational rather than a contractual obligation.We recognise the importance of ensuring funding for core services is distributed equitably between practices across the country. This is why we are currently reviewing the way GP funding is allocated across England (the Carr-Hill formula). The review will look at how health needs are reflected in the distribution of funding through the GP Contract.To ensure that patients are not digitally excluded, the GP Contract is clear that patients should always have the option of telephoning or visiting their practice in person, and all online tools must always be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels for accessing a GP. Practice receptions should be open so that patients without access to telephone or online services are in no way disadvantaged.In 2025, NHS England published an improvement framework for community language, translation, and interpreting services to support the provision of consistent, high-quality community language translation and interpreting services by the National Health Service to people with limited English proficiency. In primary care, the framework supplements the existing guidance for commissioners on interpreting and translation services.NHS England’s statement on information on health inequalities sets out details on the recording of housing status. This can enable a better understanding of how social risk factors such as insecure housing or homelessness affects health outcomes and health inequalities. The statement is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/nhs-englands-statement-on-information-on-health-inequalities/