Written questions by Niblett.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the systemic risks posed to the UK economy and critical services by reliance on two dominant hyperscale cloud providers, following recent outages on Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) continues to monitor systemic risks to UK critical national infrastructure from reliance on cloud providers, including resilience measures and contingency planning following recent service outages. DSIT works closely with each cloud provider during and after any incident to ensure improved resilience and lessons learnt are shared across Government. For example, following earlier global digital resilience incidents, we are working to strengthen our capability to coordinate this kind of incident across Government.Government recommends that public sector organisations adopt a multi-region approach, in which they make controlled, considered use of regions in a way which is compatible with UK law. This helps improve resilience by removing the reliance on any one region.DSIT will publish the Government Cyber Action Plan this Winter, which sets out a clear approach for Government and the public sector to manage cyber security and resilience incidents impacting Government services.Government also recognises the importance of robust protections for the services essential to our society and economy – that is why we introduced the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill on 12 November.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Competition and Markets Authority accelerates the Digital Markets Unit strategic market status designation process for cloud services.

The Competition and Markets Authority (the CMA) has completed 3 Strategic Market Status investigations this year. The CMA is independent of the Government and decisions on which markets to investigate is for their Board. The CMA has published guidance on its website on how it will prioritise Strategic Market Status designations.

Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to ensure greater competition, interoperability, and diversity in the UK cloud market, in light of successive large-scale outages from Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services.

In July, the Competition and Markets Authority (the CMA) recommended their board prioritise a future Strategic Market Status investigation into competition in the cloud market. The CMA is independent of Government and any decisions on which markets it investigates is for their Board.

Innovation and Technology, what actions she will take to address restrictive software licensing practices by dominant cloud providers, as identified by the CMA, to ensure fair competition in the cloud services market.

The Government is committed to supporting a competitive and innovative digital economy. This is why we prioritised the commencement of the Competition and Markets Authority’s (the CMA) new powers in digital markets. The CMA is independent of Government, and any decisions on which markets it investigates is for their Board.

If he will confirm that holiday lets will have the same Energy Performance Certificate requirements as (a) Hotels and (b) bed and breakfasts.

Hotels in the UK require an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) when they are being sold, leased, or constructed. For short-term holiday lets, an EPC is required if the property is rented for a total of four months or more in a 12-month period. In December 2024, the government consulted on introducing a requirement for short-term rental properties to have a valid EPC at the point of being let, regardless of who is responsible for the energy costs. A response to this consultation will be published in due course.

Communities and Local Government, if he will issue guidance on the proportion of new build homes that must be fully accessible to (a) people with limited mobility and (b) wheelchair users.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 53184 on 27 May 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to protect chalk streams.

Fixing the systemic issues in the water system is essential to address the multiple pressures facing chalk streams. Chalk streams are embedded in our plan to reform the water industry. The Government has announced an ambitious programme of reforms to clean up our rivers, lakes, and seas for good. We are tackling one of the biggest impacts on chalk streams by reducing the risk of harmful abstraction by an estimated 126 million litres daily by 2030, through the amendment of water company abstraction licences, protecting vital water flows to these fragile ecosystems. We are rebuilding the entire water network through one of the largest infrastructure projects in this country’s history with a record £104 billion investment to upgrade crumbling pipes and cut sewage spills, which will help to protect chalk streams. Our protections through the Water (Special Measures) Act will ensure chalk streams are preserved for future generations.

Whether her Department plans to harmonise the number of days EU and UK citizens do not require visas for.

The UK has a generous offer for non-visa nationals (including EU/EEA nationals) to come to the UK for a period of up to 6 months without first applying for a visa. There are no current plans to change the permitted length of stay for visitors. The EU and other countries have their own immigration systems, including the Schengen 90/180-day requirement, which reflect their specific circumstances and policy aims. It is not uncommon for other countries, including our close international partners, to take a different position to the UK on visa free length of stay.

What discussions he has had with Ofgem on the potential impact of changes to electricity standing charges on SMEs.

Standing charges predominantly recover ‘fixed’ costs that do not vary by energy use. This includes supplier’s operational costs for serving each customer and the cost of essential network maintenance and upgrades, which are necessary to keep all consumers connected, minimise constraint costs, meet the capacity needed to deliver clean power by 2030, and help bring down bills for households and businesses for good. However, we know that too much of the burden of the bill is placed on standing charges, and we are committed to ensuring that standing charges are fair to all consumers, including SMEs. As part of this, Ofgem have launched a Cost Allocation and Recovery Review (CARR) to consider how energy system costs can be recovered from consumers, including from SMEs, in a fairer and more efficient way and DESNZ will continue to engage closely with Ofgem on the work.

What recent discussions he has had with Ofgem on seeking seeking redress for affected customers of A Shade Greener.

Ministers regularly engage with Ofgem on a range of issues covering the full breadth of the energy system.

Communities and Local Government, if he will amend the Localism Act 2011 to allow parish councillors to withhold personal contact details from open publication without the need to show threat.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 75866 on 16 September 2025. We intend to remove the requirement for home addresses to be published when parliamentary time allows. This would apply to all local government members, not just parish councillors.

Whether the Child Maintenance Service plans to pause (a) enforcement and (b) judicial review while recalculations are made.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) enforcement powers are designed to get money flowing quickly, prevent the build-up of arrears and ensure children get the financial support they deserve.  There are already some exceptional circumstances where enforcement action may be placed on hold pending the outcome of an appeal/review. In general, whilst a case is under review the CMS continue to encourage paying parents to pay their maintenance on time, to avoid accrual of arrears. Where parents fail to take responsibility for paying for their children, the CMS can use the range of enforcement powers available. The CMS is committed to using these powers fairly and in the best interests of children and separated families.A judicial review is generally raised by a parent against CMS. Where this happens any action on the case would be reviewed and decisions made on a case-by-case basis regarding whether they should continue.

Whether he plans to ensure parity in the pension contributions made by employers.

The Pensions Act 2008 sets out the legal minimum requirements for workplace pension contributions under automatic enrolment (AE). The total minimum level of contributions required is 8% of an eligible employee’s qualifying earnings, of which at least 3% must come from the employer.Although the Pensions Act 2008 sets these statutory minimums, some employers may choose to pay contributions at a higher rate.The Government have recently revived the Pensions Commission which will consider the broader questions of adequacy, fairness, and sustainability to guide the long-term future of our pensions system.

If he will issue guidance to the Child Maintenance Service on recognising up to six months of prior payments made by a paying parent to a receiving parent when calculating new payment plans.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operates through broad rules set out in child support legislation which aim to provide the best overall outcome for all parents who use the CMS. We have to allow for sensible decision-making across a large range of cases. When a change happens that means the amount of money to be paid rises or falls, until a new maintenance calculation is completed and a replacement payment schedule issued, the Paying Parent is required to continue to make payments in accordance with the existing payment schedule. Once the calculation is finalised, any overpayments or underpayments will be adjusted for in the updated payment schedule.

What steps the Child Maintenance Service is taking to support paying parents with intermittent long-term disabilities.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to ensuring it delivers a safe service which is sensitive to the needs of all customers that use it. In line with the Equality Act 2010, DWP staff from all areas of the department have a legal duty to make sure every customer can access our services. This means ensuring they have access to the appropriate channel of communication to suit their needs. The CMS completes Equality Impact Assessments on all changes which covers all protected characteristics.Through the Service Modernisation Programme, we are ensuring customers have a greater choice of how they communicate with us and access our service. The CMS has made significant improvements to customer communications, through more use of SMS text and email, and a full review of its letters making them easier for customer to understand. The online digital service 'Get Help Arranging Child Maintenance ' through GOV.UK is open to any parent who needs unbiased advice and support to make an arrangement. My Child Maintenance Case (MCMC) offers customers the ability to update their information and request changes, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.Although online communication is the preferred option CMS fully recognise digital is not suitable for all customers. For those customers who have to contact us by telephone steps have been taken to update the service through efficient call routing. We have freed up resources to deliver a more responsive service which allows caseworkers more time to better assist customers who need to reach out to us via telephone. The CMS telephony opening hours are regularly reviewed based on the demand requirements, CMS have extended their telephony service to 6pm on weekdays to meet this demand. The Customer Experience Strategy equips caseworkers with the tools, skills and support to respond quickly and effectively if we become aware the mental health and wellbeing of any customer is at risk. Caseworkers have received extensive training and follow a well-managed process with clear steps, support tools and procedures to support vulnerable customers. This includes the National District Provision Toolkit and Affordability Hub which provides invaluable information to allow caseworkers to signpost to national and local support organisations for debt help and mental health assistance across the UK.The maintenance calculation is designed to be affordable for paying parents and is based on their personal income. It uses income information from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to quickly set up new cases and allows us to capture a wide range of income types, including income from property, savings and investments (including dividends) and other miscellaneous income. A flat rate of £7.00 per week protects those paying parents on the lowest incomes, for example, those claiming disability benefits. We also take into account if there is a 25% different than the income figure held, the assessment can be updated to reflect the paying parents most up to date income information.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on sites intended for building that have previously been used as dumps for fly ash.

The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should ensure that a site is suitable for its proposed use taking account of ground conditions and any risks arising from land instability and contamination. This includes risks arising from natural hazards or former activities such as mining, and any proposals for mitigation including land remediation (as well as potential impacts on the natural environment arising from that remediation). My Department continues to work closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on matters relating to meeting our shared ambition to deliver 1.5 million new homes in this Parliament while improving and protecting the environment.

Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department has issued to builders on building on historic dump sites for fly ash.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has issued the following guiding principles on how planning can deal with all forms of land contamination: Land affected by contamination - GOV.UK. In addition to this, the Environment Agency publishes guidance on land contamination risk management, which can be found here: Land contamination risk management (LCRM) - GOV.UK. Technical guidance on investigating and remediating land affected by contamination is often issued by industry as well as by Government. Much industry-led guidance can be found online, such as through the CL:AIRE Water & Land Library.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of sites previously used to dump fly ash now used for house building on public health.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has not undertaken any overarching assessment of the potential impact on public health from housebuilding on sites previously used to deposit fly ash.Assessments of potential land contamination used for housing are governed at national level by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs under contaminated land legislation and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government under planning legislation. Local authorities assess land within their areas with respect to contaminated land, and Local Planning Authorities address legacy contamination through local plans and development management.In England and Wales, local authorities are required to assess their areas to identify and remove unacceptable risks to public health and the environment, and act as a regulator to ensure that contaminated land is made suitable for its current use. Specific development sites brought into use for housing should be adequately risk-assessed, and any required remediation overseen, within the planning process.

Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department has issued to builders when building on historic dump sites of fly ash.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has issued the following guiding principles on how planning can deal with all forms of land contamination: Land affected by contamination - GOV.UK. In addition to this, the Environment Agency publishes guidance on land contamination risk management, which can be found here: Land contamination risk management (LCRM) - GOV.UK. Technical guidance on investigating and remediating land affected by contamination is often issued by industry as well as by Government. Much industry-led guidance can be found online, such as through the CL:AIRE Water & Land Library.

Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department has issued on sites previously used for the dumping of fly ash.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has issued the following guiding principles on how planning can deal with all forms of land contamination: Land affected by contamination - GOV.UK. In addition to this, the Environment Agency publishes guidance on land contamination risk management, which can be found here: Land contamination risk management (LCRM) - GOV.UK. Technical guidance on investigating and remediating land affected by contamination is often issued by industry as well as by Government. Much industry-led guidance can be found online, such as through the CL:AIRE Water & Land Library.