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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on resilience against hostile attacks on energy infrastructure of (a) domestic renewable generation, (b) community and distributed energy, (c) grid-scale storage and (d) reduced gas dependency.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on resilience against hostile attacks on energy infrastructure of (a) domestic renewable generation, (b) community and distributed energy, (c) grid-scale storage and (d) reduced gas dependency.
Great Britain has a highly resilient energy system with a diverse mix of supplies. Government takes the protection of energy infrastructure incredibly seriously, working closely with the National Protective Security Authority, regulators, industry and other partners to strengthen the security and resilience of energy infrastructure.
Domestic renewable generation enhances resilience by reducing reliance on imported fuels and increasing the diversity of electricity supply. Geographically distributed renewable assets also reduce risks from disruption to individual sites.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the (a) cutting or damaging of subsea gas pipelines and electricity interconnectors and (b) time needed to repair them energy security; and what contingency plans are in place...
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the (a) cutting or damaging of subsea gas pipelines and electricity interconnectors and (b) time needed to repair them energy security; and what contingency plans are in place...
Great Britain has a highly resilient energy network with diverse sources of supply, including the UK Continental Shelf, Norwegian Continental Shelf, liquefied natural gas imports and European interconnectors, alongside additional flexibility provided by gas storage.
The Government is confident that the gas and electricity system operators have the tools necessary to balance supply and demand across a wide range of scenarios, including following damage or disruption to infrastructure.
The Government works closely with industry, regulators and system operators to assess risks to critical energy infrastructure, including subsea gas pipelines and electricity interconnectors, and to maintain robust arrangements to respond to disruptive incidents.
Repair times depend on the nature and location of the damage, its complexity, vessel availability and permitting requirements.
Government plans for all eventualities and works with industry to prepare and exercise robust contingency plans. The National Emergency Plan for Downstream Gas and Electricity sets out the established arrangements between Government, industry and regulators for the safe and effective management of gas and electricity supply emergencies.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what powers and resources DESNZ and Ofgem will have to enforce cyber security standards on energy operators under the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, including smart energy controllers, battery storage optimisers and large load controllers; and what the...
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what powers and resources DESNZ and Ofgem will have to enforce cyber security standards on energy operators under the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, including smart energy controllers, battery storage optimisers and large load controllers; and what the...
The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will introduce load control as an essential service under the Network and Information Systems Regulations. DESNZ and Ofgem will jointly regulate load controllers managing at least 300MW across relevant energy smart appliances, including battery storage, electric vehicles, heating appliances and virtual power plants. Operators must take appropriate and proportionate security measures and report significant incidents. Compliance and enforcement will be supported by tailored Cyber Assessment Framework profiles and guidance, on which the Government recently consulted. The consultation response will be published in late November. Implementation will follow Royal Assent and secondary legislation.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking, with the National Cyber Security Centre and the security services, to prioritise cyber protections for electricity generation and grid infrastructure; and how many energy sector operators have been assessed against the NCSC...
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking, with the National Cyber Security Centre and the security services, to prioritise cyber protections for electricity generation and grid infrastructure; and how many energy sector operators have been assessed against the NCSC...
The UK has a diverse and resilient energy system, supported by world class expertise across government, regulators and industry. Cyber security is a continuous effort, and our Energy Sector Cyber Security Strategy sets out how we are strengthening our capabilities to stay ahead of potential threats alongside partners like NCSC.
Energy operators have well-developed plans to minimise disruption and respond to emerging issues, underpinned by the Network and Information Systems Regulations 2018, requiring robust security measures, risk assessments and reporting of significant incidents. The government and NCSC work closely with industry to share threat intelligence and ensure incident management plans are in place including through robust inspections which measure compliance against the NIS Regulations.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) cyber and (b) physical resilience of (i) power stations, (ii) the National Grid transmission network, (iii) distribution networks and (iv) interconnectors to attack by hostile state actors;...
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) cyber and (b) physical resilience of (i) power stations, (ii) the National Grid transmission network, (iii) distribution networks and (iv) interconnectors to attack by hostile state actors;...
Great Britain has a highly resilient energy system, supported by diverse sources of gas and electricity supply. The Government is confident that system operators have the tools necessary to balance supply and demand across a wide range of scenarios, including following damage or disruption to infrastructure.
The Government assesses the resilience of subsea energy infrastructure and works closely with industry, regulators and system operators to understand vulnerabilities, repair capability and the potential consequences of disruption. Repair times are highly dependent on the nature, location and complexity of the damage and the availability of the specialist resources required.
Government and industry maintain and exercise contingency arrangements for gas and electricity supply emergencies, providing established arrangements for managing disruption and maintaining security of supply.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to review the use of compromise and settlement agreements in schools where disciplinary proceedings relate to safeguarding concerns, misconduct or professional standards.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to review the use of compromise and settlement agreements in schools where disciplinary proceedings relate to safeguarding concerns, misconduct or professional standards.
All schools and colleges must have regard to the Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) statutory safeguarding guidance. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2.
Part four provides clear guidance on how safeguarding concerns and allegations against staff should be managed, including reporting, investigations, referrals and record keeping.
KCSIE is clear that safeguarding responsibilities apply regardless of any settlement or compromise agreement. Paragraphs 492 to 497 state that such agreements should not be used where disciplinary proceedings relate to safeguarding concerns or allegations that may meet the harm threshold. They must not prevent employers from carrying out appropriate investigations, maintaining accurate records, providing factual references or fulfilling statutory duties, including referrals to the Disclosure and Barring Service and, where appropriate, the Teaching Regulation Agency.
The department keeps KCSIE under review to see where clarification or strengthening is needed.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support, guidance and training her Department provides to school leaders and governing bodies on managing disciplinary proceedings involving school staff where there are safeguarding concerns.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support, guidance and training her Department provides to school leaders and governing bodies on managing disciplinary proceedings involving school staff where there are safeguarding concerns.
All schools and colleges must have regard to the Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) statutory safeguarding guidance. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2.
Part four provides clear guidance on how safeguarding concerns and allegations against staff should be managed, including reporting, investigations, referrals and record keeping.
KCSIE is clear that safeguarding responsibilities apply regardless of any settlement or compromise agreement. Paragraphs 492 to 497 state that such agreements should not be used where disciplinary proceedings relate to safeguarding concerns or allegations that may meet the harm threshold. They must not prevent employers from carrying out appropriate investigations, maintaining accurate records, providing factual references or fulfilling statutory duties, including referrals to the Disclosure and Barring Service and, where appropriate, the Teaching Regulation Agency.
The department keeps KCSIE under review to see where clarification or strengthening is needed.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential safeguarding implications of settlement agreements which conclude disciplinary proceedings involving school staff before those proceedings are completed; and whether her Department plans to issue updated guidance on references in such cases.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential safeguarding implications of settlement agreements which conclude disciplinary proceedings involving school staff before those proceedings are completed; and whether her Department plans to issue updated guidance on references in such cases.
All schools and colleges must have regard to the Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) statutory safeguarding guidance. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2.
Part four provides clear guidance on how safeguarding concerns and allegations against staff should be managed, including reporting, investigations, referrals and record keeping.
KCSIE is clear that safeguarding responsibilities apply regardless of any settlement or compromise agreement. Paragraphs 492 to 497 state that such agreements should not be used where disciplinary proceedings relate to safeguarding concerns or allegations that may meet the harm threshold. They must not prevent employers from carrying out appropriate investigations, maintaining accurate records, providing factual references or fulfilling statutory duties, including referrals to the Disclosure and Barring Service and, where appropriate, the Teaching Regulation Agency.
The department keeps KCSIE under review to see where clarification or strengthening is needed.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many referrals were made to the Teaching Regulation Agency relating to safeguarding concerns involving teachers in each year since 2017; and how many of those referrals followed the use of a settlement agreement.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many referrals were made to the Teaching Regulation Agency relating to safeguarding concerns involving teachers in each year since 2017; and how many of those referrals followed the use of a settlement agreement.
The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) considers allegations of serious misconduct by individuals undertaking teaching work, in accordance with The Teachers’ Disciplinary (England) Regulations 2012. Upholding teaching standards and safeguarding children and young people within regulated establishments are core principles of TRA’s work and referrals made to TRA may have safeguarding implications.
TRA does not record the behaviour type of referrals received, unless it progresses to a formal investigation. The number of referrals received by TRA in each financial year since 2017/18 is set out in the table below:
Financial year | Referrals received |
2017/18 | 891 |
2018/19 | 606 |
2019/20 | 900 |
2020/21 | 628 |
2021/22 | 714 |
2022/23 | 1019 |
2023/24 | 1695 |
2024/25 | 1852 |
2025/26 | 1429 |
TRA does not collect data on settlement agreements that may have been reached between teachers and their employing establishments. The department is therefore unable to determine how many referrals to the TRA followed the use of a settlement agreement.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of adopting the Republic of France’s system of issuing advance public warnings and recommending emission reductions during forecast pollution episodes, including the Ile-de-France ozone warnings of 17 and...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of adopting the Republic of France’s system of issuing advance public warnings and recommending emission reductions during forecast pollution episodes, including the Ile-de-France ozone warnings of 17 and...
Defra continuously keeps the way it communicates air quality information under review, including considering international examples.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2026 to Question 30769 on Air Pollution: Warnings, if she will set out the difference between (a) proactive air quality warnings and (b) alerts and forecasts; and if she will set...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2026 to Question 30769 on Air Pollution: Warnings, if she will set out the difference between (a) proactive air quality warnings and (b) alerts and forecasts; and if she will set...
Defra’s new air quality alert system brings together previously separate systems for communicating high air pollution levels. This alerting system proactively sends out alerts to users when air pollution is forecast to be high. If pollution levels later measure high, then an additional alert will be sent.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason her Department's document entitled Air quality compliance results summary 2025, published on 9 October 2026, stated that the ozone population information threshold had not been exceeded given the threshold was reported as exceeded by her...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason her Department's document entitled Air quality compliance results summary 2025, published on 9 October 2026, stated that the ozone population information threshold had not been exceeded given the threshold was reported as exceeded by her...
The original ‘Air quality compliance results summary 2025’ did not accurately summarise the information contained within the ozone 2025 compliance assessment. This has now been updated.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she used external consultations in the production of her Department's report entitled Air pollution in the UK 2025, published on 9 October 2026.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she used external consultations in the production of her Department's report entitled Air pollution in the UK 2025, published on 9 October 2026.
Yes, external consultants were used in the production of the report, including Air Quality Consultants Ltd, WSP UK Ltd, and Imperial College Projects Ltd. The UK Health Security Agency were also part of the review process.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason her Department's document entitled Air pollution in the UK 2025, published on 9 October 2026, was not published in pdf format.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason her Department's document entitled Air pollution in the UK 2025, published on 9 October 2026, was not published in pdf format.
Compared with HTML content, information published in a PDF is harder to find, use and maintain, often being bad for accessibility and rarely complying with open standards. GOV.UK allows you to ‘print this page’, to save as a PDF if preferred.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Environment Agency's key performance indicator that 97% of permitted waste sites should be in compliance bands A, B or C is calculated including sites that have not been inspected; and what assessment she has made of...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Environment Agency's key performance indicator that 97% of permitted waste sites should be in compliance bands A, B or C is calculated including sites that have not been inspected; and what assessment she has made of...
The Government accepts the Office for Environmental Protection’s recommendation for the review of the performance indicators. Defra will work with the Agency to ensure these are robust and appropriately ambitious.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the latest estimated capital cost is for each of the nine planned reservoirs; how much of Ofwat’s £2 billion of development funding has been allocated to them so far; and what assessment she has made of the...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the latest estimated capital cost is for each of the nine planned reservoirs; how much of Ofwat’s £2 billion of development funding has been allocated to them so far; and what assessment she has made of the...
Cost estimates are refined as designs develop and, where available, are published by water companies. Ofwat and RAPID scrutinise costs, affordability, and value for money. Customers will contribute through water bills, with future bill levels determined through PR29. Protecting customers remains an important consideration throughout this process.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made on legislating so that water resilience projects are automatically treated as nationally significant; and which of the other planned reservoirs in Somerset, Suffolk, Kent, East Sussex and the West Midlands she expects to...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made on legislating so that water resilience projects are automatically treated as nationally significant; and which of the other planned reservoirs in Somerset, Suffolk, Kent, East Sussex and the West Midlands she expects to...
Projects meeting the Planning Act 2008 thresholds, or designated under section 35 direction, enter the Development Consent Order regime. The Suffolk reservoir proposals are proceeding under this process. The Somerset, Kent, East Sussex and West Midlands schemes could also do so if developers seek and obtain a section 35 direction.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the timetable is for the White Horse Reservoir (formerly the South East Strategic Reservoir Option) to move from pre-application to a submitted application; what role her Department has played in progressing it; and whether it will be...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the timetable is for the White Horse Reservoir (formerly the South East Strategic Reservoir Option) to move from pre-application to a submitted application; what role her Department has played in progressing it; and whether it will be...
White Horse Reservoir would provide up to 271 million litres of water per day, strengthening water security across the South-East. It passed RAPID Gate 3 and is preparing a planning application expected later in 2026. Defra supports delivery through programme coordination and resolving delivery issues. It remains a government priority.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to improve catch accounting in English waters, including to ensure that catches of all species, including all bycatch, are accurately recorded and accounted for.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to improve catch accounting in English waters, including to ensure that catches of all species, including all bycatch, are accurately recorded and accounted for.
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
The Government is taking steps to improve catch accounting for English vessels as part of its wider reforms to discards management. This includes developing an approach to catch accounting where total catches, fish landings and discards, are accounted for against quota. These measures contribute to the achievement of the Fisheries Act 2020 bycatch objective.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of existing measures in incentivising compliance with the landing obligation, and what further measures are planned to ensure compliance.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of existing measures in incentivising compliance with the landing obligation, and what further measures are planned to ensure compliance.
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
The Government keeps the effectiveness of fisheries management measures under review, including those that support compliance with the landing obligation. Compliance is supported through monitoring, inspection and enforcement activity undertaken by the Marine Management Organisation, alongside measures to encourage more selective fishing practices.
Reducing unwanted catches is a complex challenge and the Government is continuing work on wider discards reform, including measures to improve catch recording and support sustainable fisheries management.