Written questions by Foxcroft.

How the Timms Review plans to engage with disabled people reliant on both personal independence payment and means-tested benefits.

The Timms Review is committed to a wide programme of participation and engagement, drawing on a broad range of evidence and voices. The Terms of Reference state the Review must be “co-produced with disabled people, along with the organisations that represent them, carers, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, so a wide range of views and voices are heard”. The Review’s steering group will set out shortly its initial plans for engagement.

How many community energy schemes in England are projected to make up the Local Power Plan's target of supporting over 1,000 local and community projects to 2030.

Backed by up to £1 billion, Great British Energy (GBE) has committed to support at least 1000 local and community energy projects by 2030. GBE will prioritise smaller projects across the country and the communities that benefit from them. GBE will account for different levels of demand across regions when designing its funding offer.

How community energy organisations will be included in supporting the Warm Homes Plan.

Government has allocated up to £5 billion to the new Warm Homes Fund (WHF) to make investments in and loans to the home upgrade sector. We will launch a Call for Evidence early in 2026 to identify where in the market the WHF can deliver the greatest impact, which could include supporting local energy cooperatives or community-led home upgrade schemes. As part of our proposed partnership approach with local government for the delivery of home upgrades, community energy groups and other local stakeholders will play an important role in area-based delivery. Additionally, the new Warm Homes Agency, which will be operational from 2027, will play a pivotal role in supporting local partnerships.

How community energy organisations will be involved in the development of the Community Energy in a Box Toolkit.

In developing the Local Power Plan, DESNZ and Great British Energy (GBE) engaged with Local Government and the community energy sector. GBE will continue to use these existing forums and build their own relationships, such as through conferences, events, workshops.GBE will produce a “community energy in a box” toolkit to support people – including those new to community energy – by providing guidance on awareness raising, project origination and project development support as well as standardised documents and templates.

What the terms of the concessional loans to community energy organisations will be, as announced in the Local Power Plan.

Great British Energy (GBE) is currently developing its schemes and projects for 2026/27 and beyond, which includes criteria for upcoming grants and loans. GBE will set out further funding options in summer 2026.

How much and what proportion of the Local Power Plan funding will be made up of concessions loans.

Great British Energy (GBE) is currently developing its schemes and projects for 2026/27 and beyond, which includes criteria for upcoming grants and loans. GBE will set out further funding options in summer 2026.

How much and what proportion of the Local Power Plan funding will be directed to the GB Energy Community Fund.

Great British Energy (GBE) is currently developing its schemes and projects for 2026/27 and beyond, which includes criteria for upcoming grants and loans. GBE will set out further funding options in summer 2026.

What is the planned generating capacity of the Local Power Plan's target of supporting over 1,000 local and community projects by 2030.

As set out in its Strategic Plan in December 2025, Great British Energy (GBE) has a 15GW clean energy target over the next 5 years. This will allow GBE to unlock the potential of emerging technologies while supporting the continued build out of more established technologies, like solar, wind and hydro. Backed by up to £1 billion, GBE has committed to support at least 1000 local and community energy projects by 2030. These projects will form an integral part of that overall ambition to deliver at least 15GW.

Communities and Local Government, what steps the Department is taking to help ensure that housing in the private rented sector is maintained to the appropriate standards.

Every tenant deserves to live in a decent, warm, and comfortable home. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 will extend Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector and introduce a Decent Homes Standard for privately rented homes for the first time. A summary of the measures in the Act which can be found on gov.uk here and a roadmap for implementation can be found on gov.uk here. Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) already apply in the private rented sector, requiring landlords to ensure their properties meet at least an EPC rating of E. Local authorities have powers to enforce these standards. Under the updated PRS MEES framework, this minimum standard will rise to EPC C by 2030. This change will help tenants benefit from lower energy bills and warmer, healthier homes that are less prone to damp and mould, contributing to reduced fuel poverty.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of expediting implementation of the Decent Homes Standard to improve maintenance practices in privately rented properties.

The government consulted on both the content and implementation of a new, modernised Decent Homes Standard and has published a full impact assessment setting out the rationale for implementing the standard in 2035. The consultation outcome can be found on gov.uk here and the impact assessment on gov.uk here. Private rented sector landlords should address non-decency wherever it exists. While we are giving landlords until 2035 to implement our new Decent Homes Standard, we have made clear they should not wait until 2035 to improve their properties. We are also acting in other ways to ensure private tenants have safe, warm, and decent homes including introducing new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for the sector; strengthening local authority enforcement in respect of unremedied hazards; and applying Awaab’s Law Act to the PRS through the relevant provisions in the Renters’ Rights Act.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department is taking steps to extend Awaab's Law to private rented sector housing.

I refer the hon. Member to the roadmap for implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025 published on 13 November 2025 which can be found on gov.uk here.

What plans his Department has to engage with a) disabled people and b) disabled people's organisations during next the phase of reform for the Disability Confident scheme.

The Department is committed to ensuring that the next phase of Disability Confident reform is shaped by the lived experience of disabled people and disabled people’s organisations. As set out in the Disability Confident Reform Delivery Plan the reformed scheme will embed disabled people’s voices throughout design, testing and evaluation. This includes planned engagement through qualitative interviews, surveys, and employee feedback mechanisms, ensuring that reforms reflect the real experiences of disabled employees and those with long-term health conditions. We will also work directly with disabled people and disabled people’s organisations as part of our stakeholder engagement work. Their expertise will inform the development and testing of strengthened standards, verification processes and tools, with opportunities to contribute through engagement sessions, workshops and ongoing feedback loops. Taken together, these measures will ensure that disabled people and the organisations representing them have clear and meaningful opportunities to shape the next phase of Disability Confident reform.

Whether her Department has made any assessment of the potential merits of introducing a basic income for people working in the arts, similar to the Basic Income for the Arts recently introduced in Ireland.

The government recognises the important role of supporting the arts. This support is primarily delivered through Arts Council England, which invests over £440 million annually, supporting the creation and promotion of new artistic work and talent.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the careers advice in (a) schools, (b) further education settings and (c) higher education settings for young people wishing to pursue a career in the creative industries.

The department grant funds the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) to support schools and colleges to deliver high quality careers programmes. CEC’s support includes training for school and college-based careers leaders, connecting employers to schools and colleges through 44 careers hubs and delivering this government’s commitment to offer two weeks of meaningful and varied workplace experiences throughout key stages 3 and 4. The careers hub network includes 96% of secondary schools and colleges, 400+ leading employers and over 3,500 business volunteers across all sectors including creative industries.CEC continues to work with Discover Creative Careers and has produced a range of resources on careers in the creative sector including technical pathways into the sector. Higher education providers are autonomous institutions and are responsible for designing and delivering their own careers advice and employability support for students.

What recent progress his Department has made towards the publication of the Local Power Plan; and when he plans to publish that plan.

On 10 February 2026, Great British Energy and the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero published the Local Power Plan which sets out the UK’s largest ever public investment in locally owned clean energy. Backed by up to £1 billion, the Local Power Plan aims to support more than 1,000 local and community energy projects by 2030.

When he plans to respond to the letter of 24 October 2025 from the hon. Member for Lewisham North.

We apologise for the delay in responding to this case. A reply was issued on 27 January 2026. MP casework is handled by the Department’s complaints and correspondence teams as a priority, with a target response time of 15 working days. However, increased volumes of complaints and a rise in more complex cases have led to some delays. To address this, the Department has recruited additional staff to improve the timeliness and efficiency of responses.

When her Department will announce funding arrangements for Violence Reduction Units for future financial years.

Crime prevention is key to the government’s Safer Streets mission and ambition to halve knife crime. Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) play an important role by uniting local partners to collectively identify and address the underlying drivers of serious violence within their communities.This financial year (2025/26), we have allocated £47m to a network of 20 VRUs, in the areas experiencing the most severe challenges, to support their valuable work. In addition, we have provided further funding to enable the roll out of Young Futures Panels in the first year of their establishment.The most recently published independent evaluation demonstrates that VRUs, in combination with additional hotspot police patrols, are reducing hospital admissions, with a clear impact on their target cohort of young people under 25. There were statistically significant reductions in hospital admissions for violence amongst this age group. In addition, VRUs continue to demonstrate progress and show signs of maturing and becoming embedded in local responses to prevent violence.Allocations decisions on Violence Reduction Units and the wider policing system will be finalised early this year.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Violence Reduction Units in reducing youth violence.

Crime prevention is key to the government’s Safer Streets mission and ambition to halve knife crime. Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) play an important role by uniting local partners to collectively identify and address the underlying drivers of serious violence within their communities.This financial year (2025/26), we have allocated £47m to a network of 20 VRUs, in the areas experiencing the most severe challenges, to support their valuable work. In addition, we have provided further funding to enable the roll out of Young Futures Panels in the first year of their establishment.The most recently published independent evaluation demonstrates that VRUs, in combination with additional hotspot police patrols, are reducing hospital admissions, with a clear impact on their target cohort of young people under 25. There were statistically significant reductions in hospital admissions for violence amongst this age group. In addition, VRUs continue to demonstrate progress and show signs of maturing and becoming embedded in local responses to prevent violence.Allocations decisions on Violence Reduction Units and the wider policing system will be finalised early this year.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of central Government funding for Violence Reduction Units.

Crime prevention is key to the government’s Safer Streets mission and ambition to halve knife crime. Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) play an important role by uniting local partners to collectively identify and address the underlying drivers of serious violence within their communities.This financial year (2025/26), we have allocated £47m to a network of 20 VRUs, in the areas experiencing the most severe challenges, to support their valuable work. In addition, we have provided further funding to enable the roll out of Young Futures Panels in the first year of their establishment.The most recently published independent evaluation demonstrates that VRUs, in combination with additional hotspot police patrols, are reducing hospital admissions, with a clear impact on their target cohort of young people under 25. There were statistically significant reductions in hospital admissions for violence amongst this age group. In addition, VRUs continue to demonstrate progress and show signs of maturing and becoming embedded in local responses to prevent violence.Allocations decisions on Violence Reduction Units and the wider policing system will be finalised early this year.

Whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of providing longer term funding for violence reduction units, beyond the current one year settlement.

Crime prevention is key to the government’s Safer Streets mission and ambition to halve knife crime. Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) play an important role by uniting local partners to collectively identify and address the underlying drivers of serious violence within their communities.This financial year (2025/26), we have allocated £47m to a network of 20 VRUs, in the areas experiencing the most severe challenges, to support their valuable work. In addition, we have provided further funding to enable the roll out of Young Futures Panels in the first year of their establishment.The most recently published independent evaluation demonstrates that VRUs, in combination with additional hotspot police patrols, are reducing hospital admissions, with a clear impact on their target cohort of young people under 25. There were statistically significant reductions in hospital admissions for violence amongst this age group. In addition, VRUs continue to demonstrate progress and show signs of maturing and becoming embedded in local responses to prevent violence.Allocations decisions on Violence Reduction Units and the wider policing system will be finalised early this year.