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 secure public water supplies in areas experiencing drought in winter 2026-27.

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

The Government works with EA and water companies ensuring they take actions required to secure water supplies, including fixing more leaks quickly, optimising and moving water around their networks and holding them accountable if they delay drought plan actions. National Drought Group meets weekly ensuring coordinated action across affected sectors.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential for advanced vehicle safety technology to reduce motor insurance premiums.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

My Department has not made a specific assessment of the potential impact of advanced vehicle safety technology on motor insurance premiums. Motor insurers are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of the policies that they offer and it is for them to decide whether advanced vehicle safety technology would reduce the level of risk that any given applicant poses.

Motor insurers use a wide range of criteria to assess the potential risk a driver poses before issuing a policy. This includes the age of the applicant, the type of vehicle being insured, the postal area where the applicant lives and the driving record and experience of the applicant.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many organisational Blue Badges are currently valid, broken down by local authority.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

As of March 2025, there were 21,440 valid Blue Badges held by organisations in England.

Information on Blue Badges held by organisations and a breakdown by local authority is published on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/blue-badge-scheme-statistics-data-tables-dis#blue-badge-scheme-statistics-data-tables.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress she has made on the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

We are making good progress on the delivery of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. We have removed the requirement for a valid EPC to access the scheme, included air-to-air heat pumps for the first time - capable of providing heating and cooling, and increased the grant to £9,000 for those using heating oil and LPG.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to publish the England Tree Action Plan.

Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We remain committed to publishing the Trees Action Plan by the end of 2026 as set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025.

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 improve data collection of attacks on domestic animals with a) air weapons, b) catapults and c) other weapons.

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

This Government does not collect data on attacks on domestic animals by specific weapon type. The department has no plans to introduce separate data collection for attacks involving air weapons, catapults or other weapons.

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 reduce inappropriate polypharmacy.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Inappropriate polypharmacy is one of the aspects of overprescribing that the Department is seeking to tackle alongside NHS England and other health partners, as set out in the response of 15 September to Question 21812.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is having discussions with her Faroese counterparts on the potential merits of banning dolphin hunting.

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

The UK strongly opposes the hunting of all cetaceans other than some limited activities by indigenous people for clearly defined subsistence needs. Defra officials most recently raised the UK's opposition to Faroese cetacean hunting at official level in June 2026 as part of the UK-Faroe Islands fisheries intersessional. This will be raised again at head of delegation level during formal UK-Faroe Islands bilateral fisheries negotiations in November 2026. Defra officials will attend the next meeting of the Joint Committee established under the UK–Faroe Islands Free Trade Agreement. Ministers and senior officials will continue to raise the issue with the Faroese at every appropriate opportunity.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether officials from her Department will attend the next meeting of the Joint Committee established under the UK–Faroe Islands Free Trade Agreement.

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

The UK strongly opposes the hunting of all cetaceans other than some limited activities by indigenous people for clearly defined subsistence needs. Defra officials most recently raised the UK's opposition to Faroese cetacean hunting at official level in June 2026 as part of the UK-Faroe Islands fisheries intersessional. This will be raised again at head of delegation level during formal UK-Faroe Islands bilateral fisheries negotiations in November 2026. Defra officials will attend the next meeting of the Joint Committee established under the UK–Faroe Islands Free Trade Agreement. Ministers and senior officials will continue to raise the issue with the Faroese at every appropriate opportunity.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were on the transplant waiting list in (a) Bedfordshire (b) Cambridgeshire and (c) Hertfordshire in (i) 2023/24, (ii) 2024/25 and (iii) 2025/26.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for organ donation in the United Kingdom and manages the NHS Organ Donor Register and national transplant waiting list.

NHSBT publishes data on the transplant waiting list at the link below, including breakdowns by transplant centre:

https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/about-organ-donation/statistics-about-organ-donation/transplant-activity-report/

However, NHSBT does not publish waiting list data by patients' place of residence and therefore county-level breakdowns are not available.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps her Department has taken to support the long-term financial sustainability of local newspapers and local journalism.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is concerned about the long-term financial sustainability of local newspapers and local journalism and recognises the vital role they play in scrutinising local institutions and reflecting communities’ views and perspectives. We are committed to ensuring a healthy and plural local media for the benefit of communities and citizens across the UK and published Amplify: The Local Media Action Plan earlier this year.

The actions we are taking will support local media organisations across the country to innovate and adapt their business models for the online world, while incentivising and encouraging the production of high quality, trustworthy news on which communities depend. As part of the Action Plan, we launched a Local News Fund worth £6m in 2026/27 and up to a further £6m in 2027/28, to help ensure the long term provision of local news. Local media faces a complex range of challenges and funding represents just one aspect of our approach. It will help the industry adapt in the short-medium term, before longer term measures set out in the Plan begin to take effect in helping enable a free, plural and thriving online local media ecosystem. Bids for 2026/2027 have now closed and we will publish a list of successful grantees in due course.

As part of the Action Plan, we have also

• Launched an Inspiring the Future journalism careers campaign in the North West to inspire young people to pursue careers in local media. The campaign will conclude shortly and, subject to funding and evaluation, we hope to roll it out nationwide.

• Uplifted the Community Radio Fund, now worth £1m over each of the next 3 years. The Fund closed for bids for funding in this financial year on 14 October.

• Published our Media Green Paper, which sought views on a range of matters including options to require social media to make news content from commercial local (and national) news publishers as well as public service media, prominent and easily discoverable.

We are also planning to launch a public consultation on statutory notices by the end of this year, we will be responding in due course to our BBC Charter Green Paper including in relation to the role of the BBC in the local news market, and we will shortly publish a refreshed National Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children and young people received speech and language therapy in the area covered by Central East ICB in each of the last three year.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The requested data is not centrally held, but the Hon Member may find useful information on the National Health Services provided in her region at the Fingertips website at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profiles

On the underlying issues raised by these questions, the independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism, led by Professor Peter Fonagy, was published on 9 October. The review provides analysis and makes recommendations across a wide range of issues relating to prevalence and rates of diagnosis, and the current provision of services.

The Government issued an initial response on the day of publication, available at the link below, but we will set out the full action we are taking in response to the review recommendations in our new Mental Health Strategy to be published later this year, including in relation to the issues raised by the Hon Member.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-pledges-earlier-support-to-tackle-mental-health-crises

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) children and young people and (b) adults received an autism assessment in the area covered by Central East ICB in the latest 12 months for which data is available.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The requested data is not centrally held, but the Hon Member may find useful information on the National Health Services provided in her region at the Fingertips website at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profiles

On the underlying issues raised by these questions, the independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism, led by Professor Peter Fonagy, was published on 9 October. The review provides analysis and makes recommendations across a wide range of issues relating to prevalence and rates of diagnosis, and the current provision of services.

The Government issued an initial response on the day of publication, available at the link below, but we will set out the full action we are taking in response to the review recommendations in our new Mental Health Strategy to be published later this year, including in relation to the issues raised by the Hon Member.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-pledges-earlier-support-to-tackle-mental-health-crises

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children and young people accessed NHS mental health support in the area covered by Central East ICB in each of the last three years.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The requested data is not centrally held, but the Hon Member may find useful information on the National Health Services provided in her region at the Fingertips website at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profiles

On the underlying issues raised by these questions, the independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism, led by Professor Peter Fonagy, was published on 9 October. The review provides analysis and makes recommendations across a wide range of issues relating to prevalence and rates of diagnosis, and the current provision of services.

The Government issued an initial response on the day of publication, available at the link below, but we will set out the full action we are taking in response to the review recommendations in our new Mental Health Strategy to be published later this year, including in relation to the issues raised by the Hon Member.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-pledges-earlier-support-to-tackle-mental-health-crises

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how her Department plans to measure the success of the National Year of Reading.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

​An external evaluation of the National Year of Reading will be published in spring 2027. The department will work with the National Literacy Trust to consider the findings, including which interventions, programmes and other aspects of the National Year of Reading have worked well. The findings will help shape future policy decisions.

The National Literacy Trust’s 2026 Annual Literacy Survey, published this June, showed the first increase in children’s reading enjoyment in five years. The emerging interim findings also indicate that the National Year of Reading is having a meaningful impact: one in five adults recognise the campaign, and of those, three in five say it has influenced their reading. Additionally, the findings also show that seven million adults report that the campaign has positively changed their reading behaviours.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many disclosures have been made under the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme in (a) Bedfordshire, (b) Cambridgeshire and (c) Hertfordshire in each of the last three years.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme sets out procedures for sharing information about a person’s known history of violence or abuse to members of the public to prevent further crime.

The DVDS has two procedures for disclosing information:

• “Right to ask” – a member of the public applies to the police for a disclosure.
• “Right to know” – the police make a proactive decision to disclose information.

Data on the number of disclosures under the schemes is collected by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and published by the Office for National Statistics at Domestic abuse and the criminal justice system - Office for National Statistics.

Data on the number of disclosures under these schemes by the police in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire in the last three years, are shown in the below tables. Note that these data are not classified as accredited official statistics and caution should be taken when comparing data between years due to differences in completeness and recording practices over time.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason coach operators are not included in the one-off uplift to the Bus Service Operators Grant diesel reimbursement rate.

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

The temporary fuel uplift was targeted at local bus services and eligible community transport operators through the existing Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG). The uplift is intended to help protect essential local transport links facing increased fuel costs, including services relied upon by rural communities, vulnerable passengers and people travelling to work, education and healthcare appointments. Coach services are not generally eligible for BSOG and were therefore not included within the scope of the uplift.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish a definition of Critical National Growth Infrastructure.

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

Critical National Growth Infrastructure (CNGI) is a designation used in the draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS) that recognises Heathrow expansion as infrastructure of importance to national growth. The draft HENPS, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a3923ed0bea238415c9a3a9/proposed-draft-revision-to-the-anps-to-be-known-as-the-henps.pdf, explains why the Government consider Heathrow expansion to be CNGI and sets out how this designation should be applied in the assessment of any application for development consent. We have consulted on this approach and are now considering the responses received.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when her Department plans to bring forward reforms to enable community energy schemes to sell electricity directly to local households and businesses.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government recognises the barriers community energy schemes face in selling their energy directly to local households and businesses. The Government is exploring policy and regulatory options that will enable better market access for community energy groups, including enabling routes to directly supply local households and businesses.

The Government is monitoring Ofgem’s developments relating to code modification P441, which is intended help community energy groups and other local renewable energy projects identify and understand different routes to selling energy in their local markets.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to review restrictions on the consumption of alcohol within sight of the pitch at designated football matches.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

This is a matter for the Home Office to consider. The Government keeps alcohol-related issues at football matches under review, however there are currently no plans to change the law.

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 ensure equitable access to community eye care services across England.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 10 September in response to Question 26133.

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 improve the detection and management of hypertension in primary care.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF), published on 7 July, sets out 12 immediate priorities for the next three years to drive measurable improvements in outcomes and reduce inequalities. This includes a priority on hypertension treatment to target for people without cardiovascular disease. A delivery plan to support the system to implement the CVD MSF will be published later this year. More information about the CVD MSF is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cardiovascular-disease-modern-service-framework

The Quality and Outcomes Framework incentivises general practitioners to identify, monitor and manage patients with hypertension, while the CVD Prevention Audit helps practices improve blood pressure detection and control through data-driven quality improvement. The framework and audit are available respectively at the following two links:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/hypertension/goals-outcome-measures/qof-indicators/

https://www.cvdprevent.nhs.uk/

The National Health Service outcomes and oversight architecture supports better hypertension outcomes by creating national accountability for cardiovascular outcomes and, through the NHS Oversight Framework 2026/27, by holding systems to account for improving blood pressure control among people with diagnosed hypertension. This framework is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-oversight-framework-2026-27/

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many metal theft offences were recorded in (a) Bedfordshire, (b) Cambridgeshire and (c) Hertfordshire in each of the last five years.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 9th October is attached.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with Central Bedfordshire Council on the delayed timetable for completing its transition from a three-tier to a two-tier school system; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of completing that transition on education in that area.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Officials hold scheduled fortnightly meetings with Central Bedfordshire Council officers, which include regular updates on progress towards completing the three-tier to a two-tier transition. A dedicated meeting was held on 7 October, during which Central Bedfordshire officials provided an update on the programme. The local authority is working with stakeholders to develop a revised plan.

It is the responsibility of the local authority to plan education provision in its area and to undertake any impact assessments necessary to inform and support those plans.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support language learning in schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government recognises the value of language learning and is committed to supporting modern foreign languages throughout schools and across the languages pipeline. In our response to the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, we committed to working with the sector to identify successful approaches, including effective local models.

This work will begin in primary schools through curriculum reform and will seek to increase take-up at GCSE and demand at A level and degree level, helping to meet the country’s future social and economic needs. We will support teachers to implement curriculum changes through continued investment in the National Consortium for Languages Education, which provides high-quality professional development and comprehensive support for language teachers across the country.

The UK will also join Erasmus+ in 2027, opening up world class opportunities for pupils, teachers and other school staff across the UK. With Erasmus+, schools will be able to access funding for visits to partner schools abroad. These trips have a profound impact on children, raising their aspirations and opening their minds to different cultures.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Stalking Protection Orders have been (a) applied for and (b) granted in (i) Bedfordshire, (ii) Cambridgeshire and (iii) Hertfordshire in each of the last three years.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Stalking Protection Orders were introduced in January 2020. The Government is strengthening the use of Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs) by enabling courts to impose them on both conviction and acquittal of their own volition.

The total number of SPO applications received and SPOs issued in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire in each of the last three years can be found in the table below.

Total Number of SPO Applications¹ received and SPO Results Issued² between 1st April 2023 and 31st March 2026

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of steps being taken to support NHS trusts to meet the Faster Diagnosis Standard for urgent referrals for suspected breast cancer in (a) Bedfordshire, (b) East of England and (c) England.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Cancer Plan sets a clear ambition to meet all cancer waiting time standards by the end of this Parliament, ensuring patients get faster diagnosis and treatment, including those with breast cancer. We will achieve this through a modernised, more productive cancer pathway, expanding diagnostic capacity, harnessing technology, and giving the most challenged trusts intensive support to deliver the improvements patients rightly expect.

The Department and NHS England continue to monitor performance against the faster diagnosis standard (FDS) nationally and regionally and are supporting local systems to improve performance where required. We are taking a range of steps to increase diagnostic capacity and improve access to imaging, including expanding capacity through community diagnostic centres, which are providing millions of additional tests, in convenient settings.

Additionally, we have committed to creating 5,000 learning and training opportunities per year for people in cancer-critical roles, including radiology and other diagnostic professions, to help ensure the NHS has the workforce it needs to deliver timely diagnosis and treatment.

Following a clinically led review of cancer waiting times standards, the FDS replaced the two-week wait standard because it better reflects modern diagnostic pathways and ensures the focus remains on what matters most to patients, specifically receiving a cancer diagnosis, or having cancer ruled out, within 28 days of referral.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the number of radiology staff to enable the Faster Diagnosis Standard for urgent referrals for suspected breast cancer to be met in (a) Bedfordshire, (b) East of England and (c) England.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Cancer Plan sets a clear ambition to meet all cancer waiting time standards by the end of this Parliament, ensuring patients get faster diagnosis and treatment, including those with breast cancer. We will achieve this through a modernised, more productive cancer pathway, expanding diagnostic capacity, harnessing technology, and giving the most challenged trusts intensive support to deliver the improvements patients rightly expect.

The Department and NHS England continue to monitor performance against the faster diagnosis standard (FDS) nationally and regionally and are supporting local systems to improve performance where required. We are taking a range of steps to increase diagnostic capacity and improve access to imaging, including expanding capacity through community diagnostic centres, which are providing millions of additional tests, in convenient settings.

Additionally, we have committed to creating 5,000 learning and training opportunities per year for people in cancer-critical roles, including radiology and other diagnostic professions, to help ensure the NHS has the workforce it needs to deliver timely diagnosis and treatment.

Following a clinically led review of cancer waiting times standards, the FDS replaced the two-week wait standard because it better reflects modern diagnostic pathways and ensures the focus remains on what matters most to patients, specifically receiving a cancer diagnosis, or having cancer ruled out, within 28 days of referral.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department plans to reinstate the two-week timeframe for urgent suspected breast cancer referrals.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Cancer Plan sets a clear ambition to meet all cancer waiting time standards by the end of this Parliament, ensuring patients get faster diagnosis and treatment, including those with breast cancer. We will achieve this through a modernised, more productive cancer pathway, expanding diagnostic capacity, harnessing technology, and giving the most challenged trusts intensive support to deliver the improvements patients rightly expect.

The Department and NHS England continue to monitor performance against the faster diagnosis standard (FDS) nationally and regionally and are supporting local systems to improve performance where required. We are taking a range of steps to increase diagnostic capacity and improve access to imaging, including expanding capacity through community diagnostic centres, which are providing millions of additional tests, in convenient settings.

Additionally, we have committed to creating 5,000 learning and training opportunities per year for people in cancer-critical roles, including radiology and other diagnostic professions, to help ensure the NHS has the workforce it needs to deliver timely diagnosis and treatment.

Following a clinically led review of cancer waiting times standards, the FDS replaced the two-week wait standard because it better reflects modern diagnostic pathways and ensures the focus remains on what matters most to patients, specifically receiving a cancer diagnosis, or having cancer ruled out, within 28 days of referral.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support the use of vacant commercial properties by businesses and organisations in the creative industries.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The government agrees that unused buildings can play an important role in supporting cultural, community and economic activity, including where appropriate through temporary use as live and electronic music spaces.

We are already providing local authorities and communities with new tools to support this. Through the new £10 million funding for High Street Rental Auctions (HSRA), we gave local authorities the power to auction the lease of long-term vacant commercial properties, putting tools in local hands to take action on empty properties.

Through MHCLG’s £5.8 billion Pride in Place Programme, local authorities and independent Neighbourhood Boards can use targeted funding to bring vacant premises back into use and support community stewardship. And the government has announced a £210m package to reinvent high streets with new shops, public services, and community spaces.

DCMS has provided £150 million to six priority Mayoral Strategic Authorities to deliver initiatives to drive growth in their areas, as part of the Creative Places Growth Fund. Initiatives include refurbishing underused spaces for the creative sector, such as the West of England Creative Workspace Fund.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases of cancer were detected through NHS screening programmes in the area covered by Central East ICB in the latest year for which data is available, broken down by cancer type.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The requested data is not centrally held, but the Hon Member may find useful information on cancer services provided in her region at the Fingertips website at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profiles

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken as a result of its call for evidence on decapods, published on 5 July 2023.

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

The Government has committed to a phased, proportionate and evidence-based approach to developing arrangements for decapod crustaceans used in science.

Existing industry led welfare standards and evidence of current practice will inform this work. The initial phase includes considering and supporting appropriate baseline welfare standards, alongside voluntary reporting and further work to address evidence and technical gaps. This will support welfare improvements while building the evidence needed to inform any future consideration of including decapods as protected animals under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

The Government will engage with scientific and industry representatives, animal welfare organisations and other relevant stakeholders as the work progresses. This engagement will assure that the approach reflects the scientific evidence, existing good practice and the practical implications for those using decapods in research.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is is taking to ensure that pupils have access to opportunities to develop skills in the use of artificial intelligence.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The world in which young people are growing up is changing rapidly, and we want every pupil to develop the knowledge and skills needed to thrive in life and work.

Following the Curriculum and Assessment Review, our refreshed curriculum will equip pupils with essential technological and digital skills, including the knowledge needed to engage with artificial intelligence (AI) safely, responsibly and in an age-appropriate way. All proposed content will be subject to public consultation.

To support the teaching of AI, the department-funded National Centre for Computing Education delivers a range of free and flexible online courses, including a course supporting teachers to understand generative AI, use it for asset creation, and promote its effective and safe use.

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 support farmers and landowners affected by fly-tipping on private land.

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

Available support includes advice and good practice provided through the National Fly-tipping Prevention Group, EA awareness raising activities, insurance products that can cover clearance costs. We encourage councils to investigate fly-tipping and prosecute offenders. Where convictions are secured, courts can order offenders to reimburse landowners' clearance costs.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what plans he has to introduce environmental protections and animal welfare provisions as part of (a) future; and (b) existing Free Trade Agreements.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government continues to seek fair and balanced trade deals that protect the environment; uphold high animal welfare standards; and provide new export opportunities to grow the UK’s world class agri-food and drinks sector.

We continue to advance ambitious environmental and climate objectives, including net zero, through our FTAs, and the UK has secured precedent-setting provisions on animal welfare in several of its deals. We remain committed to maintaining high levels of environmental protection and upholding high animal welfare standards in new trade agreements.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, how many projects relating to (a) coaches and (b) coach manufacturing have received funding through the DRIVE35 programme; and what the value of funding awarded to those projects is.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

DRIVE35 is providing £4 billion of capital and research and development funding to 2035 to support innovation, commercial scale-up and the industrialisation of zero-emission vehicle manufacturing. As part of this, two projects with relevance to coach manufacturing have been awarded DRIVE35 funding, with grant awards totalling £1,048,957.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the average saving on home insurance premiums is for households whose policies are supported through Flood Re.

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

Prior to Flood Re’s inception, the average home insurance quote for a householder with a flood claim was around £4,400. As at March 2026, this was approximately £1,316. This comparison does not isolate the saving attributable specifically to the flood element of the insurance premium.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of releasing suspects under investigation on the time taken to reach a charging decision.

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

The Government published its response to the Independent Review of Criminal Courts on 12^th October, within which Recommendation 11 makes reference to release upon investigation (RUI). As is set out in response to that recommendation, we agree that we can go further in relation to safeguards for RUI. Further work is needed to fully understand the operational implications of any such changes. This would require full engagement with the NPCC and College of Policing to ensure any approach is workable and carefully implemented.

Section 37 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) allows for a suspect who is not charged to be released from custody. The Policing and Crime Act 2017 has since amended PACE, to make release without bail the default position unless the statutory test for pre-charge bail is met.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Auror crime intelligence platform in supporting police forces to tackle shoplifting and repeat retail offending.

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

The Home Office has not undertaken a formal assessment of the effectiveness of the Auror crime intelligence platform. Retail crime reporting platforms are commercial products procured and operated independently of government.

Digital reporting platforms can, however, support retailers and police by improving the sharing of evidence and intelligence, including information that can help identify repeat and organised offenders. We are working with policing and retailers to improve digital retail crime reporting, with a platform-agnostic approach focused on improving evidence quality, reducing duplication and enabling information to be acted on more efficiently.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support local enforcement action against the illegal use of off-road bikes and antisocial vehicle use in Bedfordshire.

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

The Government is clear that the illegal and anti-social use of off-road bikes causes significant nuisance to communities.

The Crime and Policing Act 2026 strengthens the powers available to police to tackle anti-social behaviour, including making it easier for officers to seize vehicles used anti-socially. These measures will help police respond more quickly and robustly to the anti-social use of off-road bikes and other vehicles and help prevent reoffending.

The Home Office continues to work closely with policing partners to support them in taking effective enforcement action. Decisions on operational activity and the deployment of resources in Bedfordshire, including action against the illegal use of off-road bikes, are matters for the Chief Constable of Bedfordshire Police, who is best placed to assess and respond to local concerns.

Found: present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Steff Aquarone; Dr Scott Arthur; Jacob Collier; Daniel Francis; Alex Mayer

Found: present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Steff Aquarone; Dr Scott Arthur; Jacob Collier; Daniel Francis; Alex Mayer

Found: Cadbury (Chair); Steff Aquarone; Dr Scott Arthur; Jacob Collier; Daniel Francis; Olly Glover; Alex Mayer

Found: Cadbury (Chair); Steff Aquarone; Dr Scott Arthur; Jacob Collier; Daniel Francis; Olly Glover; Alex Mayer