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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) confirmed and (b) suspected criminal incidents involving Hen Harriers have been recorded in each of the last five years.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Criminal offences against hen harriers are currently not ‘notifiable’. This means police forces are not required to record and report figures on this type of crime to the Home Office for statistical and monitoring purposes. Defra therefore holds no official statistics on the number of confirmed criminal (or suspected) incidents involving hen harriers from the last five years. Any decision to make such offences notifiable sits with the Home Office rather than Defra.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a licensing system for gamebird shooting to deter raptor persecution.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government appreciates that many people hold strong views on the issue of gamebird shooting and there is evidence to suggest a link between it and raptor persecution. It is vital that wildlife and habitats are protected and that the law is respected by those involved in the activity. While Defra has not yet made any formal assessment of the potential merits of licensing gamebird shooting in England, it will continue to work to ensure a sustainable, mutually beneficial relationship between gamebird shooting and conservation.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made with the Secretary of State for the Home Department of the cost to the public purse of prosecutions brought under section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 in relation to members and supporters of Palestine Action, broken down by the costs to (a) the Crown Prosecution Service, (b) the HM Courts and Tribunal Service including (i) the costs of sittings and (ii) ancillary costs including training additional magistrates to hear terrorism cases and (c) counter terrorism police to attend court; and how many court sessions have been held to hear these cases.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Between 5 July 2025 and 20 February 2026 a total of 629 defendants were received at magistrates’ courts in cases flagged as related to the Palestine Action Group. Of these, 562 have had a first hearing at a magistrates’ court, with those hearings taking place over 23 calendar days. It is not possible to identify the exact number of court sittings or to calculate the court sitting costs associated with these specific cases because multiple hearings for other offences and defendants may take place within the same court session or sitting day.

It is not possible to identify the ancillary costs to HM Courts and Tribunals Service that specifically relate to these cases. Information on costs incurred by the Crown Prosecution Service and by police forces is not held by the Ministry of Justice.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has considered the potential merits of aligning the apprentice minimum wage with the National Living Wage, including the potential impact on (a) recruitment, (b) retention and (c) completion rates of apprenticeships.

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

We remain committed to removing the discriminatory adult age band. The latest increase to the NMW of 8.5% continues to close the gap between the minimum wage for 18- to 20-year-olds and the NLW rate, moving towards a single adult rate.

The Department has published an Impact Assessment providing a comprehensive analysis of the 2026 National Minimum Wage rates.

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 merits of aligning the National Minimum Wage with the National Living Wage.

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

We remain committed to removing the discriminatory adult age band. The latest increase to the NMW of 8.5% continues to close the gap between the minimum wage for 18- to 20-year-olds and the NLW rate, moving towards a single adult rate.

The Department has published an Impact Assessment providing a comprehensive analysis of the 2026 National Minimum Wage rates.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of his grey belt policy on Green Belt farmland in London.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 26509 on 5 February 2025 and UIN 67891 on 23 July 2025.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits, feasibility and cost to commercial airlines of regulations mandating the installation of enhanced air filtration systems or the use of alternative engine oils designed to reduce the risk of cabin air contamination.

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

The UK has a well-established regulatory requirement for reporting events that could endanger aircraft outlined in UK Reg (EU) No 376/2014. Fume and smoke events must be reported and are subsequently analysed by specialists working in the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to inform policy.

The scientific literature on toxicology of fume events is under continuous review by colleagues working in the CAA’s Medical Department. The CAA position statement on Cabin Air Quality can be found at this webpage. This includes a detailed overview of the research that has been undertaken on the topic and the conclusions of a recent study commissioned by my department and undertaken by the Committee on Toxicity (COT). This found that levels of the chemical contaminants reviewed in aircraft cabin air are unlikely to cause adverse health effects following acute or long-term exposures.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to require the installation of real-time cabin air quality monitoring sensors on commercial aircraft operating in the UK.

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

The UK has a well-established regulatory requirement for reporting events that could endanger aircraft outlined in UK Reg (EU) No 376/2014. Fume and smoke events must be reported and are subsequently analysed by specialists working in the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to inform policy.

The scientific literature on toxicology of fume events is under continuous review by colleagues working in the CAA’s Medical Department. The CAA position statement on Cabin Air Quality can be found at this webpage. This includes a detailed overview of the research that has been undertaken on the topic and the conclusions of a recent study commissioned by my department and undertaken by the Committee on Toxicity (COT). This found that levels of the chemical contaminants reviewed in aircraft cabin air are unlikely to cause adverse health effects following acute or long-term exposures.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure consistent reporting of fume events by airlines operating flights to and from the UK.

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

The UK has a well-established regulatory requirement for reporting events that could endanger aircraft outlined in UK Reg (EU) No 376/2014. Fume and smoke events must be reported and are subsequently analysed by specialists working in the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to inform policy.

The scientific literature on toxicology of fume events is under continuous review by colleagues working in the CAA’s Medical Department. The CAA position statement on Cabin Air Quality can be found at this webpage. This includes a detailed overview of the research that has been undertaken on the topic and the conclusions of a recent study commissioned by my department and undertaken by the Committee on Toxicity (COT). This found that levels of the chemical contaminants reviewed in aircraft cabin air are unlikely to cause adverse health effects following acute or long-term exposures.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential health impacts of repeated exposure to contaminated cabin air on aircrew.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In 2024, the UK independent advisory Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) published its latest statement on aircraft cabin air quality following a request from the Department for Transport. This followed a COT statement published in 2007, and a position paper published in 2013.

Overall, the latest COT statement concluded that the concentrations of the chemical contaminants (organophosphates, volatile organic compounds including as mixtures, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide) reported in aircraft cabin air are unlikely to cause adverse health effects in aircrew following acute or long-term exposures.

The 2024 statement on statement on aircraft cabin air quality is available at the following link:

https://cot.food.gov.uk/Statement%20on%20Aircraft%20Cabin%20Air%20Quality

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to increase enforcement action against wildlife crime linked to gamebird shooting.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government takes all wildlife crime seriously, including offences linked to gamebird shooting. There are strong penalties in place for offences committed against wild animals. Most of these crimes incur a penalty of an unlimited fine and/or up to a six-month custodial sentence.

Defra is a principal funder of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), which helps prevent and detect wildlife crime and directly assists law enforcers in their investigations. Defra is providing 494,000 for the NWCU this year. In 2024, the NWCU launched the Hen Harrier Task Force (HTF) – a partnership designed to help tackle the illegal persecution of hen harriers, often associated with grouse shooting. Through the HTF, more efficient channels of communication, cooperation, and data sharing between partners such as Natural England, the RSPB, and the NWCU expedites the coordination of an effective enforcement response. The HTF represents a pivotal shift in combating wildlife crime; it is using innovative technology (such as tracking drones and specialised detection dogs) to overcome logistical challenges and enhance evidence collection in remote areas.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to (a) reopen the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme and (b) introduce a similar scheme for all faiths.

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

Protecting the right of all faith communities to worship in peace and without fear is fundamental. That is why record funding of up to £5 million is available for physical protective security measures through the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme in 2026/27.

The next application window for this scheme will open later this year. Sites of all faiths, except Jewish and Muslim, are already eligible for this scheme. Mosques, synagogues and their associated faith community centres and schools can receive protective security through the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme and the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant – more information on the Home Office schemes can be found on GOV.uk.

Additionally, the Home Office has launched a brand-new scheme, Faith Security Training (FST), to better protect faith communities in England and Wales.

FST, developed in partnership with policing and faith representatives, is a free scheme designed to help faith communities strengthen their security awareness and preparedness.

I would encourage faith communities looking to improve the security of their places of worship to attend the training.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many prosecutions have been brought in relation to offences involving the persecution of birds of prey in each of the last five years.

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

Defra does not hold official data on the number of prosecutions that have been brought in relation to offences involving the persecution of birds of prey. The Ministry of Justice does publish data on prosecutions for a wide range of offences, including offences relating to birds under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, but this is not broken down to a level to identify prosecutions for offences specifically involving birds of prey.

Based on data published by the Ministry of Justice, in the last five years there have been 50 prosecutions for offences relating to birds under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Data relating to specific offences against wild birds under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 can be sourced using the Outcomes by Offences data tool on the Criminal Justice Statistics website: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to introduce the Energy Independence Bill.

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

The government is committed to delivering on our Mission to make the UK a Clean Energy Superpower. Where necessary, and subject to parliamentary time, we intend to pursue the primary legislative changes needed to deliver on this Mission. We will set out our plans in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Government contracts were discussed with Palantir at the Prime Minister's meeting at Palantir's offices in Washington on 27 February 2025.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The visit was part of the Prime Minister's trip to Washington. During this visit the Prime Minister listened to a short presentation about Palantir’s work, followed by a tour of the premises and an introduction to members of staff.

In December 2025, the MOD signed an extension to the Enterprise Agreement with Palantir that had been initially awarded in November 2022, by the previous Government, and via a direct award. This extension covered existing services and ensured there was no drop-off in MOD capability in critical areas.

This contract - and all other contracts for any firm - go through the usual rigorous departmental processes and their decision makers.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will take steps to enable a) old MRI machines and b) other NHS medical equipment no longer in use to be sent to Ghana.

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

NHS medical equipment is owned and managed by individual NHS trusts and organisations, which are responsible for decisions on reuse, disposal or donation under their own governance, safety and regulatory arrangements. Where equipment is donated overseas, this is typically undertaken on a small‑scale basis through direct institutional relationships rather than government‑led schemes.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on re-establishing the role of the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on LGBT+ Rights.

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

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office works closely with relevant Ministers across government on the UK's international work to promote human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the protection of LGBT+ people from violence and persecution. The Government is currently reviewing its approach to Special Envoy roles as part of its wider consideration of how best to advance its international human rights priorities.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he intends to respond to Question 111829 tabled by the hon. Member for Clapham and Brixton Hill.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer the Hon Member to my answer on 5th March (PQ 111829).

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of barriers preventing women from accessing the full range of contraceptive methods, including long-acting reversible contraception, and what steps he is taking to address those barriers.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to ensuring equitable access to a range of contraceptive methods including long-acting reversible contraception.

The renewed women’s health strategy will set out how the Government will take the next steps to improve women's healthcare as part of the 10-Year Health Plan and create a system that listens to women, including consideration of barriers to access. Steps to improve access to contraception are being considered as part of the renewal.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that commitments within the Women’s Health Strategy refresh are implemented equitably to improve access to contraception at a local level.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to ensuring equitable access to a range of contraceptive methods including long-acting reversible contraception.

The renewed women’s health strategy will set out how the Government will take the next steps to improve women's healthcare as part of the 10-Year Health Plan and create a system that listens to women, including consideration of barriers to access. Steps to improve access to contraception are being considered as part of the renewal.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to review existing animal welfare legislation following the withdrawal by companies from voluntary commitments to improve chicken farming conditions.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

As set out in the animal welfare strategy, the Government remains committed to supporting a move away from the use of fast-growing breeds of meat chickens. The Government welcome the fact that those supermarkets who made Better Chicken Commitment pledges have fulfilled them, but it is disappointing to hear of the decision of various restaurant groups to withdraw their commitments to improve animal welfare in this way.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of fast growing broiler breeds on welfare conditions.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The welfare implications of fast-growing breeds of meat chickens was considered as part of the Defra funded Systematic Review of Evidence on Livestock Breeding conducted by Queen’s University Belfast. The Government also commissioned the Animal Welfare Committee to conduct a review of livestock breeding and we expect their report to be published this summer.

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 adequacy of the sustainable Chicken Forum.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Department remains firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to continue working closely with all stakeholders to deliver high standards.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department made of the potential impact of planned immigration changes, including the extension of qualifying period for settlement, on abuse victims and their ability to leave their abuser.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The consultation for the earned settlement model, as proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, was open to the public between 20 November 2025 and 12 February 2026. Contributions will now be analysed, and the findings will support the development of the final model.

We specifically consulted on victims of domestic abuse and how an earned settlement system may be tailored for this group considering their vulnerability. We will continue to have pathways to settlement for domestic abuse victims.

Economic and equality impact assessments will be conducted on the final model and published in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure victims and survivors of human trafficking and modern slavery criminalised as a result of exploitation are not deported.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

We want to ensure that all victims of modern slavery, regardless of nationality or residency status, are quickly identified and can access support through the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), which is the UK’s system for identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery and human trafficking.

Section 45 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (MSA 2015) provides a statutory defence against prosecution for victims of modern slavery who were compelled to carry out criminal offences as a result of their exploitation (adults); or committed offences as a direct consequence of being a victim of modern slavery (children). Schedule 4 to the MSA 2015 contains a list of serious offences to which the section 45 defence does not apply. The list includes the most serious crimes such as sexual offences, some terrorism offences, modern slavery offences and serious violence offences. In cases where the section 45 defence does not apply, prosecutors can take into account other non-punishment principles, such as duress and the public interest test when determining whether to pursue charges against an individual.

Potential victims are entitled to a recovery period in the National Referral Mechanism, unless disqualified on grounds of public order or bad faith. This recovery period protects individuals (who have a Reasonable Grounds decision) from potential removal from the UK for a minimum of 30 days, or until a Conclusive Grounds decision is made on their case, whichever is the longer.

The Nationalities and Borders Act 2022 set the threshold for Public Order Disqualification (POD) on grounds including criminality and national security threats. POD decisions require a balancing of public order risk against the individual’s need for modern slavery specific support, taking account of factors such as relevant convictions and potential exploitation linked to those offences. Decision-making on POD is currently paused.

Adult and child victims of modern slavery with a Conclusive Grounds decision, and where applicable their dependent children, may be considered for Temporary Permission to Stay (TPS) in the UK if they do not already have status in the UK. Individuals granted TPS may still apply for a more advantageous form of leave if eligible. TPS does not lead to settlement in the UK.

Transition of rail workers into Great British Railways

World Social Work Day 2026

Closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan

Payment of employment tribunal awards

Industrial relations at Carlisle Support Services

Trade union de-recognition at GB Railfreight

Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules (No. 2)

King's Guard's ceremonial bearskin caps

British couple detained in Iran

Report on conditions and treatment at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre

Driver-only trains on East West Rail

New United Nations Convention on the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals

Football ticket prices (No. 2)

Use of catapults against wildlife

Escalation of conflict with Iran

Rosebank oil field