Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with his Australian counterpart on lessons learned from Australia’s introduction of a law to ban under-16s from social media platforms.

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

The UK and Australia signed an Online Safety and Security Memorandum of Understanding in February 2024 to share learnings and approaches to online safety.

The government is looking at what is happening in Australia. The Australian government plans to monitor the impact of their ban and we are engaging closely with them on this. Both the Secretary of State and the Minister for Online Safety hope to visit Australia soon.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether Natural England has enacted byelaws under Section 28R of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 for the (a) protection and (b) management of Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Natural England has not enacted any byelaws under section 28R since the provision’s introduction in 2001. A set of Model SSSI Byelaws for this purpose was agreed with Defra in 2020 and was published by Natural England at https://consult.defra.gov.uk/natural-england/byelaws-for-sssis/.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to revise his Department’s autism strategy when the current one expires in July 2026, in the context of the provisions of section 1 of the Autism Act 2009.

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

On 23 January 2026, we published our response to the House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Inquiry Committee’s report Time to deliver: The Autism Act 2009 and the new autism strategy. We welcomed the committee’s report, and are carefully considering its recommendations, as well as our approach to developing a new national autism strategy, and we will set out a position, including our plans to engage with stakeholders, in due course.

We recognise that a large amount of evidence was gathered by the committee and we will consider this evidence, along with evidence from various other reviews, papers, and reports. We recognise that meaningful engagement will take time, so a balance will need to be struck as to what level of further engagement is required. The current strategy will remain in effect until a revised strategy is published.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data her Department collects on the reasons given for the issuing of Penalty Fares on the rail network.

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

Deliberate fare evasion reduces the revenue needed to support the railway and disadvantages passengers who pay the correct fare. We are making fares easier to understand, so that passengers can buy tickets with confidence, knowing they are getting the right fare every time.

The Department does not collect data on reasons given for the issuing of Penalty Fares on the rail network; however, Train Operating Companies are required to conduct surveys to determine the percentage of passengers carrying a valid ticket. This data enables the Department to understand revenue at risk.

The Department will shortly be publishing its formal response to the Office of Rail and Road’s review of revenue protection practices.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Great British Railways will record and publish standardised data on the causes of Penalty Fares.

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

This Government’s vision for the railways will see the creation of a unified and simplified rail system with a single public rail body, Great British Railways (GBR) focused on delivering for passengers. Under GBR, passengers will enjoy a consistent, reliable offer across the entire network.

The Department cannot confirm whether GBR will publish standardised data on the causes of Penalty Fares.

Found: Uttoxeter) Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat; Didcot and Wantage) Katie Lam (Conservative; Weald of Kent) Alex Mayer

Found: Uttoxeter) Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat; Didcot and Wantage) Katie Lam (Conservative; Weald of Kent) Alex Mayer

Found: Uttoxeter) Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat; Didcot and Wantage) Katie Lam (Conservative; Weald of Kent) Alex Mayer