Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps she has taken to secure the release of Jimmy Lai from detention in Hong Kong.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Jimmy Lai's case remains a high priority for the Government. We continue to call on the Hong Kong authorities to end their politically motivated prosecution and immediately release him. The Prime Minister, and Ministers across Government, have urged the Chinese authorities to release Mr Lai. The Government has discussed the case with our international partners; and we welcome President Trump's public commitment to Mr Lai's release.

Diplomats from our Consulate-General in Hong Kong attended Mr Lai's court proceedings throughout. We continue to press for consular access to our citizen.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will review the (a) screening procedures, (b) trauma training and (c) other mental health support for the police.

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

The Home Office recognises that the police, through the nature of their work, are often exposed to traumatic incidents that can have a lasting impact on their mental health. That is why we are committed to the Police Covenant, ensuring the mental health and wellbeing of the workforce is fully supported throughout their careers and beyond.

The Home Office works closely with policing partners, including the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council, to ensure appropriate psychological risk assessments, trauma management training, and wider wellbeing support are in place, including regularly reviewing force performance against agreed standards. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) assess forces’ performance on wellbeing through its annual PEEL inspections.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to remove VAT from defibrillator sales to help improve the levels of affordability for (a) community groups and (b) small businesses.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.

The Government currently provides VAT reliefs to aid the purchase of defibrillators. For example, when an Automated External Defibrillator is purchased with funds provided by a charity and then donated to an eligible body, no VAT is charged. Furthermore, all state schools in England have been fitted with AEDs.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many carers have a Carer’s Allowance overpayment debt as a result of breaching the earnings limit in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland (i) for which the latest data is available and (ii) in July 2025.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Liz Sayce OBE was commissioned to lead an Independent Review into overpayments of Carer’s Allowance (CA). The Government is carefully considering the recommendations of this Review which investigated how overpayments of CA related to earnings occurred, how we can best support those who have accrued them, and how to reduce the risk of these problems occurring in future. We will publish both the review and the Government’s response by the end of this year.

We do not publish the requested information as part of any official statistics release.

Local government and social care