Written questions by Heylings.

Whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the evidential requirements applied to planning applicants claiming exemption from the mandatory biodiversity gain condition under Article 7 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015.

The Solicitor General has not had any such discussions.

Whether recent developments in Iran will impact the timetable for the introduction of legislation relating to UK energy independence.

In an unstable world, the government is committed to driving for energy sovereignty with clean homegrown power. Conflict in the Middle East is yet another reminder that the only route to energy security and sovereignty for the UK is to get off our dependence on fossil fuel markets we do not control and onto clean homegrown power. Where necessary, and subject to parliamentary time, we intend to pursue the primary legislative changes needed to deliver on our mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower. We will set out our plans in due course.

Whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the potential impact of proposed exemptions to Biodiversity Net Gain requirements on the Government’s statutory environmental targets.

The Solicitor General has had no such discussions.

What his proposed timeline is for the introduction of community benefits applied to energy infrastructure.

In the Clean Power Action Plan, we made it clear that where communities host clean energy infrastructure, they should feel tangible and enduring benefit of doing so. The Government has already announced bill discounts for communities living nearest to new electricity transmission infrastructure and published guidance on community funds from electricity transmission infrastructure and onshore wind in England. Last year, the government published a working paper setting out proposals for mandatory community benefits. We will publish a response to the working paper shortly.

If he will publish the (a) minutes and (b) summaries of meetings held with representatives of the European Union on oil and gas prices since 1 March 2026.

Details of the Secretary of State’s meetings are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Whether recent developments in Iran will affect the Government’s commitment to meeting its existing climate targets, including the UK’s net zero target and carbon budgets.

Making Britain a clean energy superpower is one of this government’s five missions - delivering clean power by 2030 and accelerating progress towards net zero. The government remains committed to meeting its carbon budgets and net zero by 2050, as required by the Climate Change Act. This is the most effective way to reduce our exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets, protect bill payers and strengthen our energy independence.

Whether any Ministers or officials in HM Treasury have met with representatives of oil and gas companies to discuss North Sea oil and gas extraction since 1 March 2026.

Treasury Ministers and officials regularly engage with multiple industry stakeholders. The Chancellor met the UK’s oil and gas sector this month following the events in the Middle East. This included discussing how to navigate this uncertain period and the desire to provide certainty to support jobs in the UK, particularly in Scotland.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of differential treatment of electric and internal combustion engine motorcycles under the proposed electric Vehicle Excise Duty framework on drivers; and whether he has considered extending any VED exemptions to all motorcycles on the basis their road surface impact.

All UK-registered electric and plug-in hybrid cars will pay Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED). Other vehicle types such as vans, buses, coaches, motorcycles and heavy goods vehicles will be out of scope of the tax upon its introduction. This is because the transition to electric for these vehicle types is less advanced than for cars at this stage. With regards to existing VED, the government has no current plans to exempt motorcycles on the basis of their impact on road surfaces. The taxation of motoring is a critical source of funding for our vital public services and investment in infrastructure, including upkeep of the roads.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an estimate of the potential impact to GDP in the UK from nature and biodiversity loss due to climate change.

Defra co-funded a 2024 report on Assessing the Materiality of Nature-Related Financial Risks for the UK, led by the Green Finance Institute working with academic partners. The report found that environmental degradation could lead to a potential reduction in GDP of around 3% and, in certain scenarios, nature-related risks including water shortages and soil reduction could lead to up to a 6% reduction in GDP in the years ahead. In addition, this Government’s recent National security assessment on global ecosystems highlights how global ecosystem degradation and collapse threaten UK national security and prosperity. Nature’s recovery is fundamental to the Government’s approach to economic growth, as set out in our Environmental Improvement Plan.

Whether an assessment has been made of the potential disproportionate impact on the ability of female British National (Overseas) visa holders with childcare responsibilities to attain settlement, should the new income requirement under the earned settlement model be imposed.

The Government remains steadfast in its support for members of the Hong Kong community in the UK.BN(O) visa holders will attract a 5-year reduction in the qualifying period for settlement, meaning they will continue to be able to settle in the UK after 5 years’ residence, subject to meeting the mandatory requirements.We sought views on earned settlement through the public consultation A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, which was open between 20 November 2025 and 12 February 2026. We will now carefully review and analyse all responses received, and the findings will support the development of the final earned settlement model, including consideration of any potential exemptions or transitional measures. Once the final model has been decided, the Government will communicate the outcome publicly.Economic and equality impact assessments will be conducted on the final model. They will consider the impacts on different groups and, will be published in due course.In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply.

What estimate has been made of the number of British National (Overseas) visa holders who will not meet the new proposed income requirements due to retirement, early or otherwise.

The Government remains steadfast in its support for members of the Hong Kong community in the UK.BN(O) visa holders will attract a 5-year reduction in the qualifying period for settlement, meaning they will continue to be able to settle in the UK after 5 years’ residence, subject to meeting the mandatory requirements.We sought views on earned settlement through the public consultation A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, which was open between 20 November 2025 and 12 February 2026. We will now carefully review and analyse all responses received, and the findings will support the development of the final earned settlement model, including consideration of any potential exemptions or transitional measures. Once the final model has been decided, the Government will communicate the outcome publicly.Economic and equality impact assessments will be conducted on the final model. They will consider the impacts on different groups and, will be published in due course.In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply.

Whether any estimate has been made on the number of British National (Overseas) visa holders who will not meet the new proposed income requirements due to being in full-time education within the three-year period before they are due to apply for settlement.

The Government remains steadfast in its support for members of the Hong Kong community in the UK.BN(O) visa holders will attract a 5-year reduction in the qualifying period for settlement, meaning they will continue to be able to settle in the UK after 5 years’ residence, subject to meeting the mandatory requirements.We sought views on earned settlement through the public consultation A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, which was open between 20 November 2025 and 12 February 2026. We will now carefully review and analyse all responses received, and the findings will support the development of the final earned settlement model, including consideration of any potential exemptions or transitional measures. Once the final model has been decided, the Government will communicate the outcome publicly.Economic and equality impact assessments will be conducted on the final model. They will consider the impacts on different groups and, will be published in due course.In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply.

If his department will make a formal recommendation to HM Treasury on extending VAT relief to heat batteries for domestic heating.

Tax treatment is the responsibility of HM Treasury and they keep all taxes under review. This government has invested £15 billion in the Warm Homes Plan to help upgrade British homes and cut bills. Whilst we expect heat pumps to be suitable for the vast majority of properties, some may be less suitable and so we are supporting alternative low carbon technologies like heat batteries, air-to-air heat pumps, and biomass boilers. We are also expanding the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to provide more options, including heat batteries.

When Section 16 of the NHS Staff Terms and Conditions (Agenda for Change) handbook was last reviewed in relation to the partial retirement scheme introduced in October 2023; and whether his Department has any plans to update this section to ensure fairness for staff who took partial retirement.

Section 16 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service handbook, also referred to as Agenda for Change, sets out the contractual redundancy provisions for staff covered by these terms and conditions. These contractual redundancy provisions for staff in England were agreed and ratified in partnership by the NHS Staff Council, the collective bargaining structure made up of trade union and employer representatives. Section 16 was last reviewed by the NHS Staff Council in 2015. No changes to the contractual redundancy provisions in England have been made since.Any future changes to the handbook, including changes to this section, would require the Department to issue a mandate to allow negotiations to be undertaken by the NHS Staff Council.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to protect owners of listed buildings from changes in insurance premiums.

Insurance providers make commercial decisions about the terms and price on which they will offer cover following an assessment of the relevant risks. This is usually informed by the insurer’s claims experience and other industry-wide statistics. For listed properties, insurers may consider factors such as the building’s grade and heritage value, alongside the higher costs of specialist materials and skilled labour required for repairs. The Government is working with Historic England, our statutory advisor on heritage matters, to look at the impacts of increased insurance premiums for historic properties.

What steps he is taking to ensure commitments to grid upgrades and decarbonisation are not overlooked due to the demand for data centres to be rapidly connected to the grid.

Government is working closely with Ofgem, NESO and network companies to ensure network capacity is available to support data centre growth, in a way that balances the needs of the energy system and ensures delivery of clean power. This includes taking actions announced in the November 2025 ‘Delivering AI Growth Zones’ publication to manage speculative data centre demand and ensure the most strategic and credible projects are prioritised for connections. Government expects to consult on these measures in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to respond to feedback from frontline GPs to the NHS 10-Year Health Plan consultation; and whether this feedback will result in changes to its policy approach to general practice.

Participants shared their experiences of using and/or working in or with the National Health Service and their views on what it should look like in the future, which were used to shape the 10-Year Health Plan. A report detailing the views of members of the public and health and care staff as gathered through the Change NHS engagement process that contributed to the development of the 10-Year Health Plan for England is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/engagement-insight-report-10-year-health-plan-for-englandThe Department currently has no plans to respond to specific individual feedback from frontline general practitioners (GPs).The 10-Year Health Plan, shaped by engagement, set out the need for reform within GPs. This includes increasing capacity, delivering on the recommendations of the Red Tape Challenge, and rolling out the technology to enable more appointments and better continuity of care for those with complex needs.As part of the shift from hospital to community, the plan also sets out more fundamental reform that will see GPs lead new neighbourhood providers that convene teams of skilled professionals to provide personalised care for groups of people with similar needs.We have now concluded the 2026/27 GP Contract consultation. The final package reflects commitments in the 10-Year Health Plan, including ending the 8:00am scramble, improving timely access to care, tackling GP unemployment, and supporting a shift towards prevention. Overwhelmingly, participants in the public deliberative events identified access to care, and prioritising GP access, as the most immediate priority the 10-Year Health Plan should address.We are investing an additional £485 million into GPs, taking total contract investment to over £13.8 billion in 2026/27. This builds on last year’s £1.1 billion of investment.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the level of need to urgently implement the Forest Risk Commodities regulation.

and reverse deforestation and forest degradation by 2030 while supporting sustainable development. The UK helped lay the foundation for the 2030 forest commitment through our own COP26 Presidency, including by rallying over 140 partners behind the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use. We recognise the urgency of taking action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation and are working across government to determine the most effective way to reduce the impact of the UK’s consumption of forest risk commodities on deforestation. We will set out our approach to addressing this in due course.

What assessment he has made of the impact of new online consultation requirements on patient access to GP care.

General practices (GPs) are independent businesses contracted by the National Health Service to deliver essential services, and as part of these contracts they are required to provide modern telephony systems, online consultation tools, and ensure that receptions are open during core hours. In the 2025 contract negotiations with the General Practitioners Committee England, an agreement was reached to ensure online consultation systems are available throughout core hours. These changes are designed to improve access to GPs, end the 8:00am scramble, and ensure parity across all access options. In January 2026, there has been an increase of 4.1 million online consultation submissions compared to January 2025. Office for National Statistics data from January 2026 shows that 76.8% of patients found it “easy” to contact their GP, up from 60.9% in July 2024. In the year to January 2026, including COVID-19 vaccinations, an additional six million appointments were delivered compared with the previous 12 months.

What steps he is taking to ensure that new neighbourhood health centres will be led by trusted local GPs.

General practice (GP) is the cornerstone of the Neighbourhood Health Service. GPs have a deep understanding and experience of their local population needs and a key role to play in maintaining the health and wellbeing of their neighbourhoods. We will encourage GPs to work over larger geographies by leading new neighbourhood providers. These providers will convene teams of skilled professionals, to provide truly personalised care for groups of people with similar needs. These teams of professionals and partners, nurses, doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, health visitors, employment support, children’s services, and more, will work together to support people and places to improve their health and wellbeing.We also envisage GPs playing an important role in supporting the shift of more planned care out of hospital, for example through working directly with consultants to support people with complex conditions closer to home, without the need for a hospital referral.