Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visas were issued to Russian citizens in each of the last three years.

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

The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas by nationality in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the outcomes of visa applications are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the detailed entry clearance visas dataset. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from January 2005 up to the end of December 2025.

Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has reviewed the UN Secretary-General’s report to the Security Council noting Morocco’s requirement that MINURSO use Moroccan vehicle number plates west of the berm.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government consistently urges all states to uphold international law, and we continue to encourage constructive engagement with the political process led by the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General Mr Staffan de Mistura in support of finding a just, lasting, and mutually agreed resolution to the Western Sahara dispute. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office closely reviews the UN Secretary General's reports on the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has reviewed the UN Secretary-General’s report to the Security Council noting the construction by Morocco of a second additional crossing from occupied Western Sahara into Mauritania.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government consistently urges all states to uphold international law, and we continue to encourage constructive engagement with the political process led by the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General Mr Staffan de Mistura in support of finding a just, lasting, and mutually agreed resolution to the Western Sahara dispute. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office closely reviews the UN Secretary General's reports on the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential risks posed by lithium-ion batteries on public safety.

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

Product safety laws require consumer products containing lithium-ion batteries, and batteries themselves, to be safe when they are placed on the market. Businesses have obligations to ensure the safety of products they manufacturer or import, and regulators have powers to act when products do not comply. In 2024, my department published statutory guidelines covering the safety of lithium-ion e-bike batteries. In 2025 the Office for Product Safety and Standards published research by Warwick Manufacturing Group into e-bike battery safety, which provides new insight into how lithium-ion batteries fail in real-world scenarios, and best practices for safer battery design.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the number of lithium-ion battery-related fire incidents recorded in 2023–24 on the environment.

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

Defra has not carried out a formal assessment of the potential impact on the environment of lithium-ion battery-related fires recorded between 2023 and 2024. Battery-related fire incidents are a significant concern, and we remain engaged with wider Government and with industry, including waste disposal operators, on this issue.

We are currently considering options for reform of the batteries regulations in the UK as a means to address a range of issues, including fires, and we are in the process of engaging further with industry and other stakeholders on those options.

In relation to battery energy storage systems sites, which can use large numbers of lithium-ion batteries, the Government has consulted on the principle of including these within environmental permitting regulations to manage the potential environmental and public health risks from fires at these facilities. The Government response to this consultation will be published at the earliest opportunity.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what interventions she plans to put in place to mitigate the public safety and economic risks posed by batter fires in waste centres.

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

The department is aware from ongoing discussions with industry that the reported costs of battery fires in waste centres are significant, and this is a major concern. Defra is currently considering options for reforms of the batteries regulations that would help to address this issue, and as part of this we will include our own assessment of the cost to the economy of battery fires in waste centres. Defra will continue to work with industry on this matter.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the annual cost to the economy of battery fires in waste centres.

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

The department is aware from ongoing discussions with industry that the reported costs of battery fires in waste centres are significant, and this is a major concern. Defra is currently considering options for reforms of the batteries regulations that would help to address this issue, and as part of this we will include our own assessment of the cost to the economy of battery fires in waste centres. Defra will continue to work with industry on this matter.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to his answer of 27 February 2026 to question 113391 regarding the climate impact of Drax’s burning of wood, how many years it takes for the carbon debt to be paid off by replacement trees.

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

Biomass feedstocks for power production at Drax utilise waste wood and residues from productive forestry for other wood products. The carbon balance of these depends on forest type and management, amongst other variables, and cannot be attributed to the growth of replacement trees alone. The Government only supports the use of sustainable biomass and operators only receive subsidies for biomass that meets our sustainability criteria. UK sustainability criteria include requirements on sustainable forest management in the sourcing region, which applies to both domestically sourced and imported biomass.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to his Answer of 27 February 2026 to Question 113391 on the role of Drax in the power system, including its private sector clients, how many tonnes of wood were burned by Drax in each of the last five years and how many he expects to burned in each of the next five years.

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

Government does not gather or hold information on fuel used by Drax each year, however this data is published by Drax in the company’s annual ESG report, ESG Performance Report - Drax Global. Fuel use is also monitored and assured as part of the operation of subsidy schemes for large-scale electricity generation. This includes Ofgem, for Drax’s units under the Renewables Obligation, and the Low Carbon Contracts Company, for Drax’s unit currently operating on a Contract for Difference.

Future fuel use at Drax will depend on demand at the station, linked to its new dispatchable operation under the Low Carbon Dispatchable Contract for Difference from 2027. Drax will play a much more limited role in the system, providing dispatchable power only when the system really needs it. It will be supported to operate at a maximum load factor of 27%, operating less than half as often as it currently does. Accordingly, we anticipate that fuel use will reduce substantially under the new contract running from 2027-2031.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to his answer of 27 February 2026 to Question 113391 regarding the impact of Drax’s burning of wood on carbon sequestration, what is his calculation for the number of years it takes for the carbon debt to be paid off by replacement trees.

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

Biomass feedstocks for power production at Drax utilise waste wood and residues from productive forestry for other wood products. The carbon balance of these depends on forest type and management, amongst other variables, and cannot be attributed to the growth of replacement trees alone. The Government only supports the use of sustainable biomass and operators only receive subsidies for biomass that meets our sustainability criteria. UK sustainability criteria include requirements on sustainable forest management in the sourcing region, which applies to both domestically sourced and imported biomass.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 of March 2026 to Question 115500 on Private Rented Housing: Repairs and Maintenance, what steps his Department is taking to encourage private landlords to bring properties up to the Decent Homes Standard before the 2035 deadline.

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

The government encourages landlords to consider the benefits and feasibility of bringing properties up to our new Decent Homes Standard (DHS) at the earliest opportunity.

By publishing the standard now, we are providing a clear framework for landlords to do this.

We will begin monitoring rates of compliance with the new DHS ahead of the final deadline and will work with the sector to ensure that landlords are clear about the new requirements the DHS places on them.

Found: Baroness Hamwee; Afzal Khan; Lord Murray of Blidworth; Lord Rook; Lord Sewell of Sanderstead; Alex Sobel

Found: Baroness Hamwee; Afzal Khan; Lord Murray of Blidworth; Lord Rook; Lord Sewell of Sanderstead; Alex Sobel