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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's consultation entitled Fairer food labelling, which closed on 7 May 2024, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to mandate method-of-production welfare labelling for (a) pork, (b) chicken and (c) eggs.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for York Central, Rachael Maskell, on 8 October 2025, PQ UIN 76016.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to improve transparency in method-of-production welfare labelling for (a) pork, (b) chicken and (c) eggs.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for York Central, Rachael Maskell, on 8 October 2025, PQ UIN 76016.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system: white paper, published on 12 May 2025, whether her Department plans to include employment in the public sector as counting towards the long-term contribution to the country under the points-based system for British National (Overseas) visa holders seeking citizenship.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Government is committed to supporting members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK and those who may come here in future.

We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed plans for citizenship will be set out in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the availability of public transport to (a) Gatwick Airport and (b) other airports for those travelling on the first flights of the day.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government expects airports to work closely with local stakeholders to develop masterplans and surface access strategies to respond to the needs of the airport. The government recommends that masterplans and surface access strategies be updated every five years to meet the evolving requirements of airport. This can include ensuring suitable transport options to support passengers wanting to catch either the first flight of the day or those arriving on the final flight. We continue to work closely with Gatwick and other airports as they develop their plans.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help (a) reduce paediatric surgical waiting times and (b) ensure timely access to treatment for children requiring surgery.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out how the National Health Service will reform elective care services and meet the 18-week referral to treatment standard for all patients, including children and young people, by March 2029.  As a First Step to achieving this, we have exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra 2 million operations, scans and appointments in our first year of government, delivering 5.2 million more appointments.

We have made it easier to track elective waiting times for children and young people through the publication of new demographic data as part of monthly inequalities statistical releases. This was a commitment in the Elective Reform Plan and is a big step forward in improving the transparency of waiting times and will provide accountability for children’s elective waiting lists.

The Plan also sets out several commitments specifically in relation to children and young people, including that integrated care boards and providers should ensure interventions are in place to reduce disparities for groups who face additional waiting list challenges; and primary and secondary care clinicians are to improve e-RS functionality (a national digital platform for referring patients into elective care), by including data to enable better prioritisation of children and young people.

Finally, the clinically-led Getting It Right First Time children and young people programme will continue to work with providers to ensure they are implementing best practice to improve children’s outcomes and waiting times across all medical and surgical specialities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) support available to ambulance staff who attend traumatic callouts and (b) suicide prevention training requirements for ambulance service managers in North East Hampshire constituency.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The mental health of all National Health Service staff is a high priority, including ambulance staff as responders to emergency incidents. Ambulance trusts and the Association of Ambulance Trust Chief Executives have worked closely with NHS England to ensure there is a good range of health and wellbeing support for staff. This includes an ambulance sector specific suicide prevention pathway to provide immediate support 24/7 for staff experiencing suicidal ideation.

Significant work is also underway to strengthen the quality and consistency of suicide training across the health system. NHS England published Staying Safe from Suicide: Best Practice Guidance for Safety Assessment, Formulation and Management to support the Government’s work to reduce suicide and improve mental health services. This is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/staying-safe-from-suicide/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help encourage the take-up of disability nursing courses.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We are working closely with key partners, including higher education providers and employers, to promote learning disability nursing roles and attract people into the profession through various routes including apprenticeships.

We want to remove the barriers to training in clinical roles, which is why in addition to the support available from the Student Loans Company, eligible students studying for a nursing degree receive supplementary non-repayable funding via the Learning Support Fund. This comprises a training grant of £5,000 per academic year and a £1,000 per academic year grant for priority subjects such as learning disability nursing, with further support depending on individual circumstances.

We will publish a refreshed 10-year workforce plan later this year to ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help reduce (a) human rights violations and (b) exploitative labour practices in fast fashion global supply chains.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is committed to rooting out human rights violations and exploitative labour practices in all global supply chains, including in fast fashion.

The UK supports voluntary due diligence approaches taken by UK businesses to respect human rights across their operations and supply relationships, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is undertaking a National Baseline Assessment of the UK's implementation of the UNGPs, which will contribute to the evidence base to inform the UK's approach to tackling business-related human rights abuses.

The Government is also currently reviewing its approach to responsible business conduct (RBC) policy. Focusing on the global supply chains of businesses operating in the UK, this review will be a neutral and objective appraisal of the UK's current RBC policy approach and alternative options which aim to enhance RBC.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support legitimate number plate suppliers in (a) stopping cloning and (b) upholding legal standards.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime, including the use of cloned number plates.

The law requires that anyone who supplies number plates for road use in the UK must be registered with the DVLA. It is a legal requirement for number plate suppliers to carry out checks to ensure that number plates are only sold to those who can prove they are entitled to the registration number. Number plate suppliers must also keep records of the plates they have supplied. Selling a number plate without carrying out these required checks carries a maximum penalty of a fine of £1,000 and the potential removal from the Register of Number Plate Suppliers (RNPS).

Officials are also considering options to ensure a more robust, auditable RNPS process which would enable tighter checks on number plate suppliers. On-road enforcement for offences relating to the display of number plates is a matter for the police. The DVLA assists the police and Trading Standards in their enforcement against number plate suppliers, including those who trade illegally. When notified, the DVLA will investigate and pass on intelligence to the police who are responsible for investigating this criminal matter.

Anyone who thinks their number plate may have been cloned should contact the police immediately. Any fines received should be returned to the issuing authorities. The DVLA can provide customers with letters that can be used as supporting evidence and can also provide a replacement registration number where appropriate.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to protect NHS (a) staff and (b) volunteers from (i) verbal abuse, (ii) threats, (iii) unauthorised sharing of personal information and (iv) other forms of abuse; whether he plans to extend zero tolerance policies to cover digital harassment; and what steps his Department is taking to provide (A) guidance and (B) support to NHS providers for affected (1) staff and (2) volunteers.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Everyone working or volunteering in the National Health Service has a fundamental right to be safe and work in an environment free from all forms of harassment, bullying and violence, including digital harassment.

Individual employers are responsible for the health and safety of their staff and volunteers and put in place many measures to do this including appropriate security, training, and emotional support for those affected by violence. Additionally, NHS England have developed an NHS Civility and Respect programme which provides national guidance, training and resources to help organisations build positive workplace cultures, tackle bullying and harassment, and ensure staff and volunteers feel safe and supported in all work environments.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the level of hateful language targeting MPs on (a) X and (b) other social media platforms.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Illegal abuse is completely unacceptable. The Online Safety Act requires services to prevent and remove illegal content online, including illegal anonymous abuse and hate speech. The Act also introduced the threatening communications offence, which captures communications which convey a threat of serious harm or death.

Category 1 services will be required to remove content that is prohibited in their terms of service and provide users access to tools which reduce exposure to content from non-verified users. Users will also have increased control over the content they see, including hate-inciting content.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he is taking steps to encourage consumers to shop ethically.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The government recognises the importance of ethical consumption choices. Through initiatives like the Green Claims Code, we're providing clear guidance to businesses on environmental claims, helping consumers make informed ethical choices. The Competition and Markets Authority's enforcement actions against greenwashing protect consumers who wish to shop ethically.

The UK supports voluntary due diligence approaches taken by UK businesses to respect human rights and the environment, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises. As part of the Trade Strategy, we have announced a review of our approach to ensuring responsible business conduct, focusing on the global supply chains of businesses operating in the UK.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of introducing method of production labelling on (a) the economy and (b) farm incomes.

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

We are considering the potential role of method of production labelling reform as part of the ongoing development of the Government’s wider animal welfare strategy.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of (a) recording of attempted suicides attended by the police services, (b) support available to police staff who attend traumatic callouts and (c) suicide prevention training requirements for managers in police forces in North East Hampshire constituency.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office do not collect information centrally on the number of attempted suicides attended by police.

This Government has been clear that the health and wellbeing of our police workforce is a priority, and that all those who have faced traumatic incidents in the line of duty receive the support they need.

We continue to fund the National Police Wellbeing Service, who have developed an evidenced-based trauma support model which is now available to forces. The Service has also introduced a Trauma Tracker tool to help forces better understand exposure to traumatic incidents and ensure timely support for officers and staff.

A National Action Plan for Suicide Prevention and Postvention in policing has been launched, which aims to reduce rates among the police workforce as well as enhancing data recording.

Chief Constables have a responsibility to manage their workforce effectively and this includes ensuring appropriate training provision for all officers and staff and ensuring their wellbeing.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) legal and (b) ethical business practices are followed when firms undertake redundancies.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

I refer the hon. Member to my response to Question 80529, issued on 15^th October 2025: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to fully implement the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) a nationwide implementation of a digital verification tool to ensure only qualified professionals can purchase gas critical products or parts and (b) a UK inventory register of gas critical products and parts to support this.

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

The Gas Safe Register (GSR) operates under an agreement with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to maintain the register of businesses and operatives who are competent to undertake gas work in the UK. It is a requirement under GSR’s Rules of Registration for engineers to carry an in-date, valid ID card which displays who the holder is, and what gas work they are competent to perform. HSE continues to advise consumers to always verify the identity and credentials of engineers or persons entering their property.

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations (1998) requires gas-fuelled appliances to be installed by a competent and Gas Safe Registered engineer. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has no power to restrict online or physical sale of gas appliances or parts. HSE strongly advises that gas appliances, flues and pipework are installed, regularly maintained and serviced at least annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring all operatives entering a UK home to undertake gas work to display their Gas Safe Register accreditation and ID.

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

The Gas Safe Register (GSR) operates under an agreement with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to maintain the register of businesses and operatives who are competent to undertake gas work in the UK. It is a requirement under GSR’s Rules of Registration for engineers to carry an in-date, valid ID card which displays who the holder is, and what gas work they are competent to perform. HSE continues to advise consumers to always verify the identity and credentials of engineers or persons entering their property.

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations (1998) requires gas-fuelled appliances to be installed by a competent and Gas Safe Registered engineer. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has no power to restrict online or physical sale of gas appliances or parts. HSE strongly advises that gas appliances, flues and pipework are installed, regularly maintained and serviced at least annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what legislative steps his Department is taking to ensure that GP practices assess shared care requests on a case-by-case basis; and whether he plans to introduce legislation to improve consistency and equity in shared care arrangements for patients with mental health diagnoses.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are currently no plans to introduce legislation for shared care arrangements.

Shared care arrangements between a general practitioner (GP) and a specialist are voluntary agreements and are not a part of the GP Contract. GPs do not receive additional funding for taking part in shared care agreements and are able to refuse participation if they think they do not have capacity, or it is not clinically appropriate.

The General Medical Council’s guidance helps GPs decide whether to accept shared care responsibilities. In deciding whether to enter into a shared care arrangement, a GP will need to consider a number of factors to determine whether it is within their sphere of competence, and therefore safe and suitable for their patient’s needs. This includes being satisfied that any prescriptions or referrals for treatment are clinically appropriate.

These processes apply to all shared care requests, including those involving patients with a mental health diagnosis.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of early morning rail connectivity from North East Hampshire to (a) Gatwick Airport and (b) East Croydon.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Rail services between North East Hampshire and Gatwick Airport are provided by Great Western Railway (GWR) via the North Downs Line between Reading and Gatwick Airport via Guildford and Redhill. There are no direct services from North East Hampshire to East Croydon.

Passengers for East Croydon on this route or from North East Hampshire would need to change trains at Redhill or Gatwick Airport for services to East Croydon via the Brighton Main Line. The Department for Transport is open to proposals for service enhancements that provide improvements for passengers, improve performance, and reduce net subsidy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) assess the needs of and (b) provide appropriate support for parents of twins.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There is a wide network of universal services and tailored information that parents of twins are able to access.

When babies are delivered safely, parents will likely have them beside them on the postnatal ward, where they will be supported to care for and feed their newborn. In the case that infants are born very early, they may need to spend some time in special (neonatal) care, which is not uncommon in the case of twin births.

The National Health Service website, Your newborn twins, provides expectant parents of twins advice on how to prepare for twins being born early, taking twins home and getting twins into a routine. This is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/baby/newborn-twins-and-multiples/your-newborn-twins/

Additionally, health visiting services are offered to all families, including five health and development reviews, information, support and intervention at key stages for parents and children. Where additional needs are identified, the health visiting service can either provide additional support directly or refer to NHS or local services as required.

The Family Hubs and Start for Life programme is also supporting parents and carers of children of all ages, with a strong focus on conception to age two. Family hubs provide a wide range of universal services that could help parents of twins, such as support with infant feeding, perinatal mental health, and parent-infant relationships. We know that some local areas are offering more targeted support for parents of twins and multiples through their family hub networks.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the revised covid-19 autumn 2025 vaccination eligibility criteria on vulnerable patients with underlying health conditions.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government’s policy on groups eligible for vaccination programmes is based on the advice of the independent expert body, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Over time, the risk from COVID-19 has reduced across the United Kingdom population, through exposure to the virus, changes in the virus and vaccination.

The JCVI carefully considered the latest evidence on the risk of illness, serious disease in specific groups, as well as cost-effectiveness analysis, to provide the Government with advice on the autumn 2025 programme. The evidence indicates that whilst the risk from COVID-19 is now much lower for most people, adults aged 75 years old and over, residents in care homes for older adults, and those who are immunosuppressed are those at highest risk of serious COVID-19 disease. A more targeted vaccination programme, aimed at individuals, with a higher risk of developing serious disease, and where vaccination was considered potentially cost-effective, was advised for autumn 2025.

Whilst current COVID-19 vaccines provide good protection against hospitalisation and/or death for those at highest risk, they provide very limited protection against acquiring COVID-19 infection or mild illness, meaning any potential public health benefit of reducing transmission is much less evident.

Long term health consequences following COVID-19 infection, including post-COVID syndromes, such as long COVID, have been discussed at meetings of the JCVI. It remains uncertain whether getting extra COVID-19 vaccine doses has any effect on the chances of developing long COVID, how it progresses, or how it affects people.

The JCVI has proactively published an updated list of Research Recommendations, encouraging future investigations on the exploration of data and evidence on the benefit of vaccination amongst post-COVID syndromes, and those with underlying medical conditions who are not currently eligible.

The JCVI keeps all vaccination programmes under review. Accordingly, the Government will consider any additional advice from the JCVI in due course. Further information on the details of the modelling and analysis considered are within the 2025 and spring 2026 advice, on the GOV.UK website.

Information is collected on hospital bed occupancy and on the reason for hospital admissions. It is, however, not possible to determine which admissions associated with COVID-19 were for individuals who were eligible for vaccination in autumn 2024 but no longer eligible in autumn 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) parish and (b) district councils to improve access to disabled toilet facilities in rural communities.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local authorities are best placed to assess and manage toilet provision and location.

However, through our £30.5 million Changing Places Toilet programme, we have supported the installation of 483 new disabled toilet facilities across 220 local authority areas in England. This targeted investment helped address gaps where provision was limited or non-existent, particularly in rural towns and coastal areas.

Although this programme closed on 31 March 2025, changes to building regulations have made it mandatory to include Changing Places facilities in new public buildings (or those undergoing major redevelopment) that fall above a certain size threshold. This aims to significantly increase the availability of these vital facilities over time and makes accessibility a mainstream consideration in how we plan and build our public spaces.

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 ensure that (a) vulnerable adults and (b) adults with learning difficulties are adequately supported in managing rent payments under Universal Credit in cases where direct payments to landlords have been cancelled and individuals are unable to manage the new arrangements independently.

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

Housing costs can be paid direct to landlords at any point during a Universal Credit claim where the claimant is vulnerable or has rent arrears or there is a risk of eviction. The need for such an arrangement may be identified by DWP staff or requested by the claimant, their appointee, caseworker or landlord.

Landlord payments are only removed where claimants are able to manage their own affairs or where they ask for this and we are satisfied that it’s in their best interests.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Home Office's document entitled Statement of changes in immigration rules, published on 1 July 2025, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that vacancies in social care settings can be filled.

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

Although overseas recruitment for adult social care ended as of 22 July 2025, for a transition period until 2028, in-country switching for those already in the country and working legally for their employers will be permitted. This means, for example, that care providers will continue to be able to recruit those who want to switch from student or graduate visas, who we know have provided a vital role in workforce capacity in recent years. This approach will be kept under review.

International workers who are already sponsored to work legally in the sector by the end of the transition period will be able to continue to extend their stay, change sponsors and when qualified, apply to settle. These arrangements include those who need to switch employers following a sponsor licence revocation. The Department is providing up to £12.5 million this financial year to 15 regional partnerships to help support workers affected by licence revocation into alternative, ethical employment.

More broadly, we recognise the scale of reform needed to make adult social care attractive as a career and are determined to ensure those who work in care are respected as professionals. That is why we are introducing new Fair Pay Agreements for adult social care workers, with legislation currently going through Parliament, implementing the first universal career structure for adult social care. We are also providing £12 million this year for staff to complete training and qualifications. These changes will help attract staff to the sector, providing proper recognition and opportunities for them to build their careers.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the penalty for driving without (a) a license and (b) L plates.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

This Government takes road safety seriously. We are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads.

We are considering a range of policies under the new Road Safety Strategy, the first for 10 years. This includes the case for changing motoring offences.

More details will be published in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will hold discussions with the National House Building Council on protecting homeowners from registered property developers who repeatedly set up new businesses and fail to complete property builds.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department engages regularly with the National House Building Council and is committed to improving upon existing means of redress for new build homebuyers for when things go wrong. This includes bringing into force a statutory New Homes Ombudsman scheme with accompanying Code of Practice.

We are also changing incentives in the housing market and giving local authorities the tools they need to speed up delivery.

On 25 May, we published the Speeding Up Build Out working paper, which sets out proposals to increase build out rates. This includes incentivising and supporting models of development that build out faster, giving local authorities tools to agree and monitor build out rates and potentially giving local authorities the ability to charge developers a ‘Delayed Homes Penalty’.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what transport support is available for SEND families (a) in cases where a child is placed in a specialist setting but is not yet of compulsory school age and (b) in other instances.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

​​The Education Act 1996 requires local authorities to arrange free home to school travel for eligible children. A child is eligible if they are of compulsory school age, 5 to 16, attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there because of the distance, their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem, or because the nature of the route means it would be unsafe for them to do so. There are extended rights to free travel for children from low-income families.

​Local authorities have the discretion to arrange travel for other children, such as those below compulsory school age attending a specialist setting, but are not required to do so. It is for each local authority to decide whether and how to exercise their discretionary power.​

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to help ensure that military families looking to foster a child have adequate housing to meet the criteria required by fostering organisations.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Defence continually reviews its accommodation policies to ensure they are suitable for modern families. All Service personnel who are active foster carers are entitled to accommodation as necessary to support them fostering children. Families wanting to foster a child for the first time are eligible to apply for suitable accommodation where it is available.

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation is committed to providing personnel and their families with high quality, modern and well-maintained accommodation.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the time taken in Certificate of Sponsorship allocations for Skilled Worker visa holders in cases where (a) a compliant sponsor with an A-rated licence has submitted a valid request with supporting evidence and (b) delay risks causing a lawful worker to fall out of immigration status.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

It is the responsibility of individual businesses to monitor the visa expiry dates of their overseas employees and to take appropriate action to ensure continuity of employment.

The published service standard for non-complex Undefined Certificate of Sponsorship (UCoS) allocations and renewals is 18 weeks, as outlined on GOV.UK. Businesses may also opt to use the priority service, which aims to process requests within 5 working days.

Responsibility for submitting timely applications or updates lies with the sponsoring business.

Where necessary, the Home Office conducts additional checks to maintain the integrity of the immigration system, which may delay the processing of applications to assure ourselves that requests are genuine and full time work and employment will be given to a prospective employee, for their own protection.

UK visa sponsorship for employers: Your responsibilities - GOV.UK

The Home Office is currently operating within the published service standards for all Sponsorship applications.

President Trump’s 20-point peace plan

Britain’s canals and rivers

Release of Alaa Abd El-Fattah and the plight of British nationals arbitrarily detained abroad

Conduct of Sir Robbie Gibb and the independence of the BBC Board

Local government and social care

Fairtrade tea campaign

UK-US Trade Deal and animal welfare and farming

US trade and impact assessments

Greyhound racing

Water bills

National Cancer Plan

Warm Homes Plan

Contribution of legal immigrants

40th anniversary of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

National inquiry into child sexual exploitation

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Sarah Owen (Chair); Alex Brewer; David Burton-Sampson; Christine

Found: Current membership Sarah Owen (Labour; Luton North) (Chair) Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat; North East

Found: Current membership Sarah Owen (Labour; Luton North) (Chair) Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat; North East

Submit Evidence (by 9 Jan 2026)

This inquiry will examine whether women donating and freezing their eggs do so with sufficient information about the process, health impacts and consequences and whether the current regulatory framework provides sufficient safeguards to people who go through these procedures.