Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps have been taken towards Option 2 from Pavement parking options for change: government response.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

On 8 January 2026, I announced the publication of the government’s formal response to the 2020 public consultation 'Pavement parking: options for change' which sets out the legislative measures to tackle pavement parking.

In the first instance we will give local authorities powers this year to issue Penalty Charge Notices for vehicles parked in a way that unnecessarily obstructs the pavement. My officials have begun work on secondary legislation and guidance for this option, and associated stakeholder engagement.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made on recent restrictions placed on humanitarian access in South Sudan.

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

We are deeply concerned by reports of escalating violence and constrained humanitarian access in South Sudan. Alongside international partners, we remain in constant engagement with the Transitional Government to press for de-escalation, sustained aid access, and an inclusive political dialogue, and we have made clear that the Transitional Government, and all those with influence over armed groups, must allow humanitarian operators to operate freely and safely across the country.

The Foreign Secretary raised these issues directly with South Sudanese Foreign Minister Semaya Kumba during a bilateral meeting in Addis Ababa on 1 February, and on 6 February, we joined the US, Norway and other likeminded partners, in a joint statement condemning recent attacks on humanitarian operations and calling for unimpeded humanitarian access.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has made representations to the Rapid Support Forces on the detention of women and children in Nyala Prison in Darfur, Sudan.

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

The UK Special Representative for Sudan continues to engage with both warring parties, pressing for unimpeded humanitarian access, a ceasefire and civilian-led transition, and to urge adherence to international law.

The Foreign Secretary has consistently condemned the violations of international law being committed across Sudan and used the UK's Presidency of the UN Security Council in February to call for international action - including international criminal investigations - into the mounting evidence of atrocities, including findings of mistreatment of detainees.

On 26 February, the UK also launched the Coalition on Atrocity Prevention and Justice in Sudan to empower local peacebuilding and protection initiatives on the ground, lay the foundations for justice, and work to ensure that those who perpetuate atrocities are held to account.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Sudanese nationals with student visas claimed asylum in the UK in the last five years.

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

The Home Office publishes breakdowns of the number of people claiming asylum after entering the UK with a visa or other leave, by nationality and latest leave held prior to claim, for the top five nationalities in Asy_01e. This table does not currently include a full nationality breakdown. The total number of people claiming asylum after entering the UK on a visa or other leave is published in Asy_01d for Sudan.

The Home Office does publish a full nationality breakdown of data on asylum claims and initial decisions, in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. The latest data relates to the year ending December 2025.

A full Impact Assessment has been published for the Visa Brake policy; see Table 1 for historic volumes of asylum claims linked to visa for the relevant nationalities and routes in scope of the Brake.

Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data. These reviews allow us to balance the production of our regular statistics whilst developing new statistics for future release.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Oxford Flood Alleviation scheme on the local area.

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

The Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme will better protect all properties currently at risk of flooding from the River Thames in Oxford. It will also reduce flood risk to the railway, local roads, utilities and services such as broadband which will help to keep Oxford open for business and support the tourist economy. The economic appraisal presents a very high value for money investment, delivering more than £1.8 billion in economic flood risk benefits over 100 years.

The scheme has been designed to bring additional environmental benefits to the area beyond reduced flood risk. It has a nature-based design, creating a new stream and valuable wetland habitat, which will join up with existing wildlife sites.

The Environment Agency recognises that there will be short term impacts on the local communities during construction, but it is working closely with the relevant stakeholders and its contractor to minimise disruption.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of her recent decision on Sudanese student visas on the Chevening Scholarship programme.

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

The decision to introduce a visa brake on the Student visa route for Sudan and the other three nationalities was based on data-driven migration and border security considerations. While we recognise that most people who apply to study in the UK do so genuinely, the evidence is clear that the Student route for these nationalities has been a source of a high number and high proportion of visa-linked asylum claims. We have therefore acted to halt this unacceptable strain on our asylum system, and to ensure that the system remains fair, credible, and sustainable.

This decision may be disappointing to nationals of these countries who wished to join the Chevening Scholarship programme. The visa brake was introduced on account of patterns of visa-linked asylum claims by nationality and we have no plans, at present, to provide exceptions for the Chevening Scholarship programme or any other scholarship programme.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with Ofcom, on the attribution of ultimate authorship of defamatory comments towards humans by autonomous bots.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

A range of rules already apply to AI systems, such as data protection, competition, equality legislation and other forms of sector regulation. The UK has well established defamation laws, and our data protection laws also apply to personal data processed in the context of AI. We continue to monitor developments in the common law in this area.

AI services including chatbots that enable users to share content with one another, or that search the live internet in response to user prompts, are regulated under the Online Safety Act and covered by the illegal content and children's safety duties. The largest user-to-user services will also need to enforce their terms of service, such as where they prohibit AI-generated content which is deceptive. Companies that do not comply can expect to face enforcement action from Ofcom.

The Department meets regularly with technology companies and Ofcom to discuss how they can better protect people in the UK from illegal and harmful content online, including from chatbots. We will continue to work closely with industry and Ofcom to address emerging risks and uphold strong online safety protections.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions her Department has had with AI companies on the publication on the internet of defamatory comments towards humans by autonomous bots.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

A range of rules already apply to AI systems, such as data protection, competition, equality legislation and other forms of sector regulation. The UK has well established defamation laws, and our data protection laws also apply to personal data processed in the context of AI. We continue to monitor developments in the common law in this area.

AI services including chatbots that enable users to share content with one another, or that search the live internet in response to user prompts, are regulated under the Online Safety Act and covered by the illegal content and children's safety duties. The largest user-to-user services will also need to enforce their terms of service, such as where they prohibit AI-generated content which is deceptive. Companies that do not comply can expect to face enforcement action from Ofcom.

The Department meets regularly with technology companies and Ofcom to discuss how they can better protect people in the UK from illegal and harmful content online, including from chatbots. We will continue to work closely with industry and Ofcom to address emerging risks and uphold strong online safety protections.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the implementation of the user identity verification provisions in the Online Safety Act on the Government’s target to halve violence against women and girls.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Ofcom will be consulting on guidance for user identity verification required under the Online Safety Act, following the publication of the categorisation register. The consultation findings will be published as soon as possible, by mid-2027.

The Act requires providers to offer UK adult users features to filter out non verified users; this will help women and girls filter out anonymous abuse more effectively.

The user identify verification requirements will allow users greater protection of their data identity and improves digital inclusion and accessibility.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the implementation of the user identity verification provisions in the Online Safety Act on the uptake of digital identity products and services.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Ofcom will be consulting on guidance for user identity verification required under the Online Safety Act, following the publication of the categorisation register. The consultation findings will be published as soon as possible, by mid-2027.

The Act requires providers to offer UK adult users features to filter out non verified users; this will help women and girls filter out anonymous abuse more effectively.

The user identify verification requirements will allow users greater protection of their data identity and improves digital inclusion and accessibility.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what work her Department has undertaken on the implementation of the user identity verification provisions in the Online Safety Act.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Ofcom will be consulting on guidance for user identity verification required under the Online Safety Act, following the publication of the categorisation register. The consultation findings will be published as soon as possible, by mid-2027.

The Act requires providers to offer UK adult users features to filter out non verified users; this will help women and girls filter out anonymous abuse more effectively.

The user identify verification requirements will allow users greater protection of their data identity and improves digital inclusion and accessibility.

Found: We also met with Anneliese Dodds MP in 2023, then Chair of the Labour Party and Shadow Secretary of