Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unused animals originally acquired for scientific procedures were euthanized in 2023 due to (a) a surplus to requirement and (b) any other reason.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2023 was published on the 11 September 2024. The statistics provide full details on the number of licensed procedures carried out, the species of animals and the purposes for which the procedures have been undertaken.

The 2023 Annual Statistics show that 2.68 million scientific procedures involving living animals were carried out in Great Britain in 2023; this is a decrease of 3% on last year and the lowest number since 2001.

In 2017, the Home Office published additional statistics covering the number of non-genetically altered animals that were bred for scientific procedures but were killed or died without being used in procedures; and the number of animals (genetically altered and non-genetically altered) subject to tissue sampling for the purposes of genotyping. That data is available at: Additional statistics on breeding and genotyping of animals for scientific procedures, Great Britain, 2017. The additional statistics are not presently routinely collected. Future publication of this data is under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many animals housed in (a) UK laboratories, (b) breeding centres and (c) universities were not used in scientific procedures in 2023.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2023 was published on the 11 September 2024. The statistics provide full details on the number of licensed procedures carried out, the species of animals and the purposes for which the procedures have been undertaken.

The 2023 Annual Statistics show that 2.68 million scientific procedures involving living animals were carried out in Great Britain in 2023; this is a decrease of 3% on last year and the lowest number since 2001.

In 2017, the Home Office published additional statistics covering the number of non-genetically altered animals that were bred for scientific procedures but were killed or died without being used in procedures; and the number of animals (genetically altered and non-genetically altered) subject to tissue sampling for the purposes of genotyping. That data is available at: Additional statistics on breeding and genotyping of animals for scientific procedures, Great Britain, 2017. The additional statistics are not presently routinely collected. Future publication of this data is under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending the offence of assaulting a retail worker to wholesale workers operating in business-to-business premises.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level with ever greater numbers of offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers as part of their crime. We will not stand for this. Everybody has a right to feel safe at their place of work.

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have therefore introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores, sending a strong message to offenders and would-be offenders that violence against retail workers will not be tolerated. The Bill is making its way through Parliament and committee stage started on 27 March.

As introduced, the definition of a ‘retail worker’ does not include wholesale workers operating in business-to-business premises, but it does include wholesale workers operating in premises that provide retail sales to the public. Keeping a tight definition provides legal clarity and ensures there is less ambiguity for courts in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker and impacted during their job. Workers whose roles are not included are already covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, such as actual bodily harm (ABH) and grievous bodily harm (GBH).

That said, the purpose of the parliamentary process is to scrutinise the provisions in the Bill and we will, of course, consider carefully any proposed amendments and supporting evidence.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to improve access to outdoor sports facilities during school holidays.

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

Everyone, including children and young people, should have the opportunity to play sport and do regular physical activity. The Government has committed to continued funding for grassroots facilities which will ensure that communities have access to high-quality, inclusive facilities, no matter where they live.

The Government recently announced £100 million additional funding for the UK-wide Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme which funds new and upgraded pitches, facilities, and equipment, so that sites can provide a more inclusive and sustainable offer throughout the year, including the school holidays.

More widely, the Government has confirmed more than £200 million of funding for the Holiday, Activities and Food (HAF) programme over the 2025/26 financial year. The HAF programme provides healthy meals, enriching activities and free childcare places to children from low-income families over the school holidays, benefiting their health, wellbeing and learning.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many applications the Land Registry has received in each month since January 2020.

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

The table below outlines the number of applications HM Land Registry has received in each month since January 2020. These include register change applications that are a legal requirement and occur at the very end of a property transaction, after stamp duty land tax has been paid and the property has exchanged hands. The table also shows the number of guaranteed information service requests received each month. These take place before a property has exchanged hands and provide essential information and a state guarantee, offering protection to purchasers, lenders and their professional representatives, which enables the property market to function. HM Land Registry also provides a range of other services that inform the property market, and information about these has been included after the below table for wider context.

In addition, there has been increasing demand for other service types. The table below shows the additional service requests HM Land Registry receives annually as per HM Land Registry’s Annual Report and Accounts.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to (a) recruit more Land Registry caseworkers and (b) reduce backlogs in the Land Registry application system.

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

HM Land Registry (HMLR) has recruited over 3,300 new staff in the last five years. It has made significant progress in reducing waiting times for applicants. The age of outstanding post-completion applications is now under 12 months across all service lines, from a peak of 20 months in February 2023.

HMLR is committed to building on this progress by further expanding its capacity and capability. Through the automation of administrative processes, its staff will be freed to focus on more complex tasks that require their expertise. HMLR is also continually enhancing its digital customer services, with innovations like pre-submission application checks, designed to support customers and improve the quality of applications. Together, these initiatives will drive down delays, reduce the number of outstanding post-completion applications, and provide an overall better experience for customers.

HMLR acknowledges that some customers may not yet feel the full impact of these improvements. If a delay to an application may cause financial, legal, or personal problems or put a property sale at risk, it can be expedited free of charge. HMLR processes nearly 1,400 expedited applications every day, with more than 95% of these processed within 10 working days.

British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme

Ensuring stability for Ukrainian refugees in the UK

Access to football pitches for women and girls

10th anniversary of the reinterment of King Richard III

Chronic urinary tract infections and women's health

Coalfields Regeneration Trust funding

Lichfield Young Farmers' Club Christmas Tractor Run

Found: the meeting Members present: Debbie Abrahams (Chair); Johanna Baxter; Damien Egan; Gill German; Amanda Hack

Found: the meeting Members present: Debbie Abrahams (Chair); Johanna Baxter; Damien Egan; Gill German; Amanda Hack

Found: the meeting Members present: Debbie Abrahams (Chair); Johanna Baxter; Damien Egan; Gill German; Amanda Hack

Found: Debbie Abrahams (Chair); Johanna Baxter; Mr Peter Bedford; Steve Darling; Damien Egan; Gill German; Amanda Hack

Found: Debbie Abrahams (Chair); Johanna Baxter; Mr Peter Bedford; Steve Darling; Damien Egan; Gill German; Amanda Hack

The Work and Pensions Committee is undertaking a short inquiry into the impact of the Government’s proposals to reform the disability and health related benefits system, as set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper.