Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made any requests to interview any diplomats from the People's Republic of China following allegations embassy staff pointed taser and stun guns at protestors on 3rd July 2026.

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

The Metropolitan Police are actively investigating this matter. As the investigation remains ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further or speculate on the outcome. However, the Government is clear that any attempt by a foreign state to coerce, intimidate, harass or harm individuals on UK soil will not be tolerated.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consideration her Department has given to the potential merits of amending the conditions of use of the Veterans Railcard to allow the named adult companion and up to four eligible children to travel without the primary cardholder while retaining their entitlement to the associated rail fare discounts.

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

The Government recognises the value of the Veterans Railcard in supporting former members of the Armed Forces and their families. Any proposed changes to eligibility or discount arrangements would need to be considered alongside wider ticketing and revenue implications. No such assessment has been conducted by the Department for Transport.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, A) which organisations and individuals were informed which date the Sustainable Farming Incentive would launch, and B) when they were told.

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

The launch of the Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 was published on the Defra Farming Blog and on GOV.UK. On 2 June 2026, Defra published a blog update stating that SFI26 Window 1 was expected to open on 30 June 2026 for 2 groups:

• small farms
• farms without an existing Environmental Land Management (ELM) revenue agreement

The scheme then opened on 30 June 2026, with scheme guidance online. Defra also published the Defra Farming Blog on 29 August 2026 that the second application window was expected to open on 22 September 2026 for all farmers and land managers.