Through the Warm Homes Plan (WHP), the Government is rolling out cost-effective, clean energy technologies that reduce bills including solar, batteries, and heat pumps.

Low-income households can access fully-funded grant support through the Warm Homes: Local Grant and the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund where the grants will cover the full cost of measures installed including heating system upgrades. A total of £4.4 billion has been put aside for low-income schemes up to 2030.

Additionally, universal grants of up to £9,000 are available for heat pump installations through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, and the WHP also committed to a brand-new scheme offering low interest, government-backed consumer loans supported with £2 billion of public funding.

We’re also taking direct action to reduce energy bills including removing VAT charges on electricity bills, removing policy costs at the last Budget worth an average of £150 per year, and expanding the Warm Homes Discount to six million households last winter and confirming that level of support for the rest of the decade.

Independent external audits of local authorities are mandatory. Under Section 4 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014, all ‘relevant authorities’ must have their accounts externally audited. All local authorities in England are relevant authorities in line with Schedule 2 to that Act.

All requests made to the Employer Checking Service (ECS) that could result in a Negative Verification Notice are checked and approved before issue. Where an employer believes that a Negative Verification Notice has been incorrectly issued, they should contact ECS to challenge the decision and a Positive Verification Notice will be issued if appropriate.

The Government has no plans to introduce a separate physical or standalone digital document to evidence section 3C status.

People whose permission is extended under section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 can generally use Home Office online services to evidence their immigration status and associated rights. Where they are unable to do so, employers, landlords and public bodies can use the relevant Home Office checking service to verify their status and rights.

The Government is clear that the professions protected in law must be the right ones and that the level of regulatory oversight must be proportionate to the risks to the public. The National Cancer Plan set out a commitment to review the evidence and engage stakeholders on the potential benefits of independent statutory regulation for sonographers. That work is ongoing and any decisions will be announced in the usual way in due course.

The Government is clear that the professions protected in law must be the right ones and that the level of regulatory oversight must be proportionate to the risks to the public. The National Cancer Plan set out a commitment to review the evidence and engage stakeholders on the potential benefits of independent statutory regulation for sonographers. That work is ongoing and any decisions will be announced in the usual way in due course.

The Government is clear that the professions protected in law must be the right ones and that the level of regulatory oversight must be proportionate to the risks to the public. The National Cancer Plan set out a commitment to review the evidence and engage stakeholders on the potential benefits of independent statutory regulation for sonographers. That work is ongoing and any decisions will be announced in the usual way in due course.

Data centres will be an important source of low-carbon heat for heat networks. DESNZ has agreed to fund several projects across England where heat is being recovered from data centres because they can offer very low-cost heat which would otherwise go to waste. Through heat network zoning, certain types of buildings and low-carbon heat sources can be required to connect to a network, helping unlock low-cost waste heat from sources such as industry and data centres.

As set out in the Warm Homes Plan, heat network zoning in England (and the establishment of local Zone Coordination Bodies) will help to lay the groundwork for a more place-based approach to heat. Zoning gives local government greater certainty on where district heat networks will be the cheapest option in their area, and the tools to designate and drive these zones into delivery.

We thank the ADE for their research. The government is clear that zoning will support the development of low-cost, low-carbon heat networks across England. We recognise that some heat networks will need time to meet the zoning emissions limits that will be required to develop in zones; that is why we have set the emissions limit to come into force from 2030. Funding is available through the Green Heat Network Fund to support the development of new low-carbon heat networks, or the decarbonisation of existing heat networks.

`

As we set out in the Warm Homes Plan, we will need to go further to reduce electricity prices for heat networks. The government intends to consult on options to reduce costs and make electrification an economically rational choice for a wider range of businesses and organisations.

This Government is committed to supporting the growth of the UK’s video games sector which brings economic, cultural and social benefits across the UK.

DCMS estimates the UK video games sector generated £4.4bn in GVA in 2024, a 5.1% increase from 2023 when adjusted for inflation.

We are aware that these figures may not fully capture the impact of video games, and DCMS has worked closely with the Office for National Statistics on the UK Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes, which have now been updated to better reflect the games sector.

In terms of the consumer market, UK consumers spent £8.76 billion on video games in 2025, a 7.4% increase on the previous year. Digital console spending rose 9.2% to £2.49 billion, spending on mobile games grew 7.9% to £2.07 billion, and digital PC software reached £1.15 billion.

The consultation was an opportunity for students with disabilities, stakeholders and suppliers to provide evidence to inform future policy. The responses are currently being analysed and no final decisions have been made.

The Government has noted and is considering the recommendations in the Association for Decentralised Energy's report, Powered by People, Powered by Place.

Responsibility for the development of Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESPs) and the associated governance arrangements sits with the National Energy System Operator (NESO), under Ofgem's policy framework and guidance. Following their consultation, NESO is currently finalising the RESP methodology. DESNZ Secretary of State and Ofgem are due to review and approve the methodology in due course.

RESPs are intended to support whole-system planning across electricity, gas, heat and hydrogen networks at the distribution level, and consider industrial energy demand, heat networks, storage and flexibility.

The Government has noted and is considering the recommendations in the Association for Decentralised Energy's report, Powered by People, Powered by Place.

Responsibility for the development of Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESPs) and the associated governance arrangements sits with the National Energy System Operator (NESO), under Ofgem's policy framework and guidance. Following their consultation, NESO is currently finalising the RESP methodology. DESNZ Secretary of State and Ofgem are due to review and approve the methodology in due course.

RESPs are intended to support whole-system planning across electricity, gas, heat and hydrogen networks at the distribution level, and consider industrial energy demand, heat networks, storage and flexibility.

The Government has noted and is considering the recommendations in the Association for Decentralised Energy's report, Powered by People, Powered by Place.

Responsibility for the development of Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESPs) and the associated governance arrangements sits with the National Energy System Operator (NESO), under Ofgem's policy framework and guidance. Following their consultation, NESO is currently finalising the RESP methodology. DESNZ Secretary of State and Ofgem are due to review and approve the methodology in due course.

RESPs are intended to support whole-system planning across electricity, gas, heat and hydrogen networks at the distribution level, and consider industrial energy demand, heat networks, storage and flexibility.

Proportionality is a core principle of the Online Safety Act and is in-built into its duties. Ofcom must consider the size and risk level of different types of services when recommending steps providers can take to comply with their duties.

Ofcom has communicated with in-scope services about Act regulations, including working with them to ensure compliance is as easy as possible. Ofcom is providing support resources and tools to online services to make it easier for them to understand – and comply with – their responsibilities under the Act.

The Heathrow Expansion Appraisal Report estimates monetised disbenefits of noise to be approximately -£1.6 billion (2024 prices) over a 60-year appraisal period. This reflects the estimated increased noise exposure causing health, annoyance and sleep disturbance impacts.

The Department does not routinely monetise the costs of noise from existing noise sources and has not made an estimate of such costs for communities under Heathrow flight paths exposed to noise above 43dB.

The Home Ownership for People with Long-term Disabilities (HOLD) scheme is a specialist form of Shared Ownership. The government has confirmed that HOLD will continue to be funded through the Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) where proposals meet programme requirements and deliver value for money.

To support housing association participation in the scheme, my Department, in collaboration with Homes England, has published guidance on HOLD eligibility and delivery, which can be found on gov.uk here.

Information on landlords currently offering HOLD homes can be found using a search tool on gov.uk here.

The steps taken to support participation in HOLD, including programme funding and published guidance, apply across England, including in Leeds.