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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to limit the import and sale of fur produced from unethical practices overseas.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

As set out in the Government’s Animal Welfare Strategy, Defra will publish the results of the previous government’s call for evidence on the fur trade and publish and consider carefully the report from our independent expert Animal Welfare Committee on the responsible sourcing of fur.

Building on this evidence, Defra will bring together a working group on fur, with involvement from both industry experts and those who support restrictions on the trade in fur, to explore concerns and the different ways in which they could be addressed.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to provide support for people who are disabled and on benefits when their condition deteriorates; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing an assessment mechanism to allow people to change from Limited Capability for Work to Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Individuals claiming Employment and Support Allowance or the health element of Universal Credit are encouraged to report any changes to their health condition to DWP immediately, whether an improvement or deterioration.

If an individual with Limited Capability for Work reports a deterioration or new condition, the mechanism for determining if they have Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity is a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) reassessment.

If, at reassessment, they are found to have Limited Capability for Work and Work-related activity and they are entitled to a higher rate of benefit, that rate will be backdated to the date they notified DWP of the change to their condition.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Mr Ameer Kotecha was given a leave of absence from her Department to (a) run the Platinum Pudding Competition and (b) write the Platinum Cookbook.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

There is no record of Mr Kotecha being granted a period of unpaid leave during his employment with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). His work on producing the cookbook and running the pudding competition over the course of 2021-22 was carried out in tandem with his preparations to take up a new post at the consulate in Ekaterinburg.

The FCDO did not hold any staff events on Sunday 15 August 2021, the day that the Taliban captured Kabul. The event to which Mr Kotecha has referred took place on Wednesday 15 September 2021, a month after the fall of Kabul, and almost three weeks after the UK's final evacuation flight from Afghanistan. It was a lunchtime panel discussion organised by the Civil Service Race Forum panel, and held online for staff networks across Whitehall. The FCDO had no involvement in its organisation, and no FCDO staff were featured on the panel.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether an event was held within her Department to mark World Afro Day in August 2021.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

There is no record of Mr Kotecha being granted a period of unpaid leave during his employment with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). His work on producing the cookbook and running the pudding competition over the course of 2021-22 was carried out in tandem with his preparations to take up a new post at the consulate in Ekaterinburg.

The FCDO did not hold any staff events on Sunday 15 August 2021, the day that the Taliban captured Kabul. The event to which Mr Kotecha has referred took place on Wednesday 15 September 2021, a month after the fall of Kabul, and almost three weeks after the UK's final evacuation flight from Afghanistan. It was a lunchtime panel discussion organised by the Civil Service Race Forum panel, and held online for staff networks across Whitehall. The FCDO had no involvement in its organisation, and no FCDO staff were featured on the panel.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of potential shortfalls in funding for service delivery by hospice providers.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Palliative care services are included in the list of services that an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. To support ICBs in meeting this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. The statutory guidance makes clear that ICBs must work to ensure there is sufficient provision of care services to meet the needs of their local populations, which may include hospice services available within the ICB’s catchment area.

Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing National Health Services. The amount of funding each charitable hospice receives varies both within and between ICB areas. This will vary depending on demand in that ICB area but will also be dependent on the totality and type of palliative care and end of life care provision from both NHS and non-NHS services, including charitable hospices, within each ICB area.

We recognise the significant challenges facing the hospice sector, which is why we are providing £125 million in capital funding for adult and children’s hospices, to ensure they have the best physical environment for care and to free up other funding for patient care. We are also providing approximately £80 million in revenue funding for children and young people’s hospices over the next three financial years, giving them the stability they need to plan ahead.

NHS England continues to work closely with ICBs to support more strategic, data-driven commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, including those delivered by hospices. In February, NHS England wrote to all ICBs requesting an update on the financial stability of hospices in their footprint as a matter of urgency, and the steps being taken to mitigate risks.

We are also considering these as we develop the Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework, which will support strategic commissioning, and help address challenges in access, quality, and sustainability across the sector.

100th anniversary of the birth of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Found: 60 of 66 (90.9%) Fleur Anderson (Labour, Putney) (added 27 Oct 2025) 16 of 16 (100.0%) Alex Ballinger

Found: Emily Thornberry (Labour; Islington South and Finsbury) (Chair) Fleur Anderson (Labour; Putney) Alex Ballinger

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Clive Efford (Chair); Luke Akehurst; Alex Ballinger; Pam Cox; Mr