Written questions by Hobhouse.

What guidance and support are provided to schools to meet basic first aid requirements in the curriculum, including CPR and defibrillator awareness.

All state funded schools are required to teach first aid as part of the statutory health education set out in the Relationships, Sex and Health education (RSHE) statutory guidance. Independent schools are required to cover health education as part of their responsibility to provide personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education and it is good practice to follow the statutory Health Education curriculum.The statutory RSHE guidance includes basic first aid for primary school children, for example dealing with common injuries, such as head injuries and pupils. In secondary schools, pupils are taught additional first aid such as how to administer CPR, or the purpose of defibrillators and how to use them.The guidance sets out that it is for schools to decide how they teach RSHE topics, including first aid, including how to draw on expertise available to them locally.The government has commissioned Oak Academy to make lesson materials freely available.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of including heat batteries for central heating on the list of Energy Saving Materials.

Installations of qualifying energy-saving materials (ESMs) in residential accommodation and buildings used solely for a charitable purpose benefit from a temporary VAT zero rate until March 2027, after which they will revert to the reduced rate of VAT at five per cent.The Government assesses whether to add ESMs to this relief by evaluating them against the following tests: the primary purpose of the technology must be to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions; relieving the technology of VAT must be a cost effective lever for encouraging installations; and it must be practical for business to operate and for HMRC to administer.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure school staff have access to training and resources to identify and support pupils at risk of developing an eating disorder.

Education staff’s daily contact with pupils enables them to identify those who may need support and make timely referrals to the appropriate services.To support them, the department provides a range of guidance and practical resources to help them identify children in need of extra support. For example, a resource hub for mental health leads and a toolkit to help choose evidence-based targeted support for pupils.The government has committed to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. Work is also under way to enhance the capability and capacity of MHST staff, including through investing £13 million to pilot enhanced training for staff, so that they can offer more effective support to young people with complex needs such as disordered eating.

When the Nuclear Liabilities Financing Assurance Board last met; and whether the minutes from previous meetings in the last 10 years will be published.

The NLFAB last met on 27 November 2025. Due to commercial sensitivities the NLFAB minutes are not published. However, the full NLFAB report and supplementary Annexes which were issued to the Secretary of State to inform his decision on the Sizewell C Funded Decommissioning Programme has been published on Gov.uk - www.gov.uk/government/publications/sizewell-c-funded-decommissioning-programme-fdp

Whether she will set out the reasons for the reduction in the Fair Access Limit for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund from £5,000 to £3,000 from April 2025; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of this reduction on the provision of therapeutic support for adoptive families and special guardians.

The new criteria for the adoption and special guardianship support fund will enable as many children and families as possible to access support. So far this year, nearly 14,000 applications have been approved. The department continues to monitor and assess the impact of the changes and is engaging with stakeholders.

Food and Rural Affairs, when she intends to publish the Circular Economy Growth Plan; and what opportunity stakeholders will have to formally respond to plan.

This Government remains committed to transitioning towards a circular economy and driving economic growth. This is why we will publish our Circular Economy Growth Plan in the new year that sets out how government will deliver a more circular and more prosperous economy. The Circular Economy Taskforce has undertaken extensive engagement with industry leaders, trade associations, and other key stakeholders to ensure that the circular transition reflects the needs and insights of all. We will engage stakeholders, including through consultation, on the interventions set out in the Growth Plan after publication.

If his Department will publish modelling undertaken by Ofgem on how suppliers may respond to projected Transmission Use of System charge increases over the 2026-31 price control period.

Ofgem, as the independent regulator, sets funding and investment allowances for gas and electricity transmission, and gas distribution networks through its RIIO-3 price control process. Final Determinations for RIIO-3 will be confirmed by Ofgem in December. Ofgem has a statutory responsibility to maintain security of supply while incentivising efficiency and protecting consumers from excessive costs. Following the energy crisis, Ofgem introduced capital adequacy rules to strengthen the financial resilience of suppliers and the stability of the retail market. The Department will continue engaging with Ofgem to ensure RIIO-3 delivers the investment needed to maintain energy security through this period.

Whether they have made an assessment of the adequacy of the four-month notice period given to suppliers to recover additional costs under RIIO-3.

Ofgem, as the independent regulator, sets funding and investment allowances for gas and electricity transmission, and gas distribution networks through its RIIO-3 price control process. Final Determinations for RIIO-3 will be confirmed by Ofgem in December. Ofgem has a statutory responsibility to maintain security of supply while incentivising efficiency and protecting consumers from excessive costs. Following the energy crisis, Ofgem introduced capital adequacy rules to strengthen the financial resilience of suppliers and the stability of the retail market. The Department will continue engaging with Ofgem to ensure RIIO-3 delivers the investment needed to maintain energy security through this period.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of Ofgem’s RIIO-3 draft determinations for the electricity transmission, gas distribution and gas transmission sectors on the (a) financial resilience of energy suppliers and (b) risk of market disruption.

Ofgem, as the independent regulator, sets funding and investment allowances for gas and electricity transmission, and gas distribution networks through its RIIO-3 price control process. Final Determinations for RIIO-3 will be confirmed by Ofgem in December. Ofgem has a statutory responsibility to maintain security of supply while incentivising efficiency and protecting consumers from excessive costs. Following the energy crisis, Ofgem introduced capital adequacy rules to strengthen the financial resilience of suppliers and the stability of the retail market. The Department will continue engaging with Ofgem to ensure RIIO-3 delivers the investment needed to maintain energy security through this period.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of Ofgem’s RIIO-3 draft determinations for the electricity transmission, gas distribution and gas transmission sectors on energy bills from April 2026.

Ofgem, as the independent regulator, sets funding and investment allowances for gas and electricity transmission, and gas distribution networks through its RIIO-3 price control process. Final Determinations for RIIO-3 will be confirmed by Ofgem in December. Ofgem has a statutory responsibility to maintain security of supply while incentivising efficiency and protecting consumers from excessive costs. Following the energy crisis, Ofgem introduced capital adequacy rules to strengthen the financial resilience of suppliers and the stability of the retail market. The Department will continue engaging with Ofgem to ensure RIIO-3 delivers the investment needed to maintain energy security through this period.

What steps his Department has taken to ensure that participants in the Contracts for Difference auction process do not source solar panels or components linked to forced labour in the Uyghur Region.

The Government is committed to tackling forced labour in solar supply chains, including in Xinjiang. The Government is strengthening due diligence requirements through the implementation of the Procurement Act 2023 and by reviewing Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act. In addition, the Solar Roadmap, published in the summer, outlines actions to build ethical, resilient supply chains, including support for the Solar Stewardship Initiative, which is conducting independent audits of manufacturers. CfD Projects over 300MW must submit a Supply Chain Plan demonstrating steps to prevent modern slavery and labour exploitation, which the Department monitors throughout delivery.

Which Minister in his Department is responsible for eating disorder services.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Women’s Health and Mental Health (Baroness Merron) has ministerial responsibility for eating disorder services.

If he will take steps to establish a (a) clear pathway and (b) timeframe for transition plan disclosure to become mandatory for large UK companies.

The government ran a consultation seeking views on how to implement transition plan requirements ran from June to September 2025 which has now closed. We are reviewing responses and will respond in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the lack of sorting requirements of collected materials under Simpler Recycling on recycling rates.

As part of the Simpler Recycling reforms, the Government has made an exemption in regulations to allow local authorities and other waste collectors to co-collect plastic, metal and glass in the same container. This applies in all circumstances without the need to produce a written assessment, based on the evidence that co-collection does not significantly affect the potential for those materials to be recycled. The decision to allow dry materials to be co-collected has been taken based on evidence to indicate that simplifying the number of bins can help increase participation in recycling. Evidence also suggests that fully co-collecting systems (with one mixed dry recycling bin) have the highest levels of contamination (for example, broken glass stuck on paper or soggy paper from the liquid from bottles and cans), and that paper and card are particularly vulnerable to cross-contamination, which will affect the recycling rate. By default, therefore, paper and card should be separately collected from all other dry materials so their potential to be recycled is not reduced.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential for private investment in the circular economy.

This Government’s commitment to transitioning towards a circular economy builds a path to economic growth, progress towards Net Zero, restoration of nature, and creates a more resilient economy with investment in green jobs and vital infrastructure. The UK’s existing circular industries deliver £67 billion to the economy, and industry estimates indicate that the ongoing reforms in the packaging sector alone have the potential to support an estimated 21,000 new jobs and stimulate over £10 billion of investment in recycling capability over the next ten years. We will publish a plan for delivering the Government’s circular economy ambitions in the coming months and the action plan will set out the biggest opportunities to support growth in sectors right across the economy, including: agri-food; built environment; chemicals and plastics; electrical and electronic equipment; textiles; and transport. We also convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help us with this – they have undertaken extensive engagement with industry leaders, trade associations, and other key stakeholders to ensure that the needs and opportunities for all are considered.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with PackUK on the role of the Producer Responsibility Organisation in setting expectations for (a) the sorting of collected materials and (b) mechanisms which could support consistent recovery across different local authorities and MRFs.

The Department is working with PackUK to appoint a Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) which will be responsible for administering certain elements of the pEPR scheme. The sorting of collected materials and consistent collections is not within PackUKs remit, so no discussions have taken place so far on the involvement of the PRO in this area. We are working with WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) and waste industry representatives to support MRF (Materials Recovery Facility) readiness for the Simpler Recycling requirements in England.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on the potential impact of the circular economy on local economic growth.

This Government’s commitment to transitioning towards a circular economy builds a path to economic growth, progress towards Net Zero, restoration of nature, and creates a more resilient economy with investment in green jobs and vital infrastructure. The UK’s existing circular industries deliver £67 billion to the economy, and industry estimates indicate that the ongoing reforms in the packaging sector alone have the potential to support an estimated 21,000 new jobs and stimulate over £10 billion of investment in recycling capability over the next ten years. We will publish a plan for delivering the Government’s circular economy ambitions in the coming months and the action plan will set out the biggest opportunities to support growth in sectors right across the economy, including: agri-food; built environment; chemicals and plastics; electrical and electronic equipment; textiles; and transport. We also convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help us with this – they have undertaken extensive engagement with industry leaders, trade associations, and other key stakeholders to ensure that the needs and opportunities for all are considered.

Whether he plans to accept the recommendation by the Office of Value for Money to lay a Command Paper with a Strategy and Delivery Plan for specific mega projects before Parliament.

Where projects within the Department are designated as megaprojects, the recommendations of the Office for Value for Money study will be considered as appropriate. Having been defined a mega project by the study, a Strategy and Delivery Plan for Sizewell C will be laid as a Command Paper in Parliament in the coming months.

Whether he has a completion date for Sizewell C.

Sizewell C Ltd plan to begin operating the power plant in the mid- to late-2030s.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the reduction of ODA budget on UK (a) jobs and (b) trade income.

The overall economic impact of policy measures is set out in the OBR’s economic and fiscal forecast. The OBR’s March 2025 outlook provides details of the impacts of policy changes including the ODA reduction.