Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that the border control post at Stansted Airport which facilitates the movement of animals for breeding purposes and horse racing will not be at risk of closure.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is confident that existing and new BCP infrastructure has sufficient capacity and capability to handle the volume of expected checks outlined in the Border Target Operating Model, with robust, dynamic, and effective operational measures ready to call upon if needed. Defra will continue to work with existing BCP operators to ensure they remain operational

It is worth noting that commercial ports are responsible for determining and setting their own rates for recovering costs at their facilities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how the National Cancer Plan will reduce waiting times for cancer treatment and reduce the length of time from referral to diagnosis.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As we set out in our new plan for reforming elective care, we are committed to improving performance on cancer waiting times to meet national targets. Further details are available in the National Health Service’s annual operational planning guidance.

Meeting these targets for cancer will ensure no patient waits longer than they should for diagnosis or treatment, and we have started by delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, to support faster diagnosis and access to treatment.

NHS Planning Guidance set stretching targets for cancer. By March 2026, approximately 100,000 more people every year will be told whether they have cancer or not within 28 days, and 17,000 more people will begin treatment within two months of a referral.

To achieve this, we have launched a National Cancer Plan call for evidence, seeking contributions from individuals and organisations to help shape this plan, including ideas on how to meet national targets. The call for evidence is available on the GOV.UK website, in an online only format.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what border control posts are available across the UK for the movement of animals for breeding purposes and horse racing.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Border Control Post (BCP) facilities and suitability for receiving any given commodity are

dependent on designation and facilities. The following ports are currently listed as LA-E designated (suitable for equine movements):

• Heathrow Animal Reception Centre, Prestwick Airport, Stansted Airport,

To check the details of available BCPs for any commodity, details can be found at GOV.UK (see attachments).

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in negotiating a sanitary and phytosanitary agreement with the EU, and when they expect such an agreement to be concluded.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to resetting our EU relationship, including by seeking to negotiate a SPS agreement. We have been clear that an SPS agreement could boost trade and deliver significant benefits on both sides. We will not be providing a running commentary on discussions with the EU. We cannot provide further information at this stage whilst negotiations are continuing.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to publish Great British Energy’s framework document; and what parliamentary scrutiny the framework document will be subject to.

Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The creation of the Framework Document is linked to the set-up of Great British Energy (GBE) and the document itself will be published in 2025, following Royal Assent, to ensure it reflects the final form of the legislation.

Regarding progress and parliamentary scrutiny, following the requirements of Managing Public Money, the Framework Document will be agreed between the Secretary of State and GBE itself, as well as HM Treasury and Cabinet Office. It will then be published on both the Department and GBE’s website.

Once published, the relevant select committees will be free to scrutinise GBE’s governance arrangements alongside any other matters they consider appropriate.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure their plans for clean energy (1) meet sustainable development targets, and (2) protect the environment; and how they plan to make their plans and progress transparent to the public.

Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

As set out in the Clean Power Action Plan, we are committed to nature restoration and to ensuring joined up delivery of our climate and nature targets. We are considering how to use clean energy development to fund nature recovery unlocking a win-win outcome for the economy and for nature. We will be launching an engagement exercise this year to invite communities, civil society and wider stakeholders to submit their ideas on how government can best encourage nature‑positive best practice into energy infrastructure planning and development.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to regulate the use of automated robots used for supermarket deliveries to ensure their safety, particularly regarding (1) pedestrians, (2) motorists, and (3) other road users.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Government has no current plans to legislate in this space. However, we are determined to seize the opportunities of emerging micromobility and tackle any negative impacts which may arise. We are actively monitoring the industry, new vehicle types, and new business models, and we will keep under review the case for legislative change.

Found: When responding to the question from Baroness McIntosh of Pickering, regarding waiting times for cancer