Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with ecommerce sites on the online sale of human remains.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the response given to her on 25 March 2025 from the Department for Business and Trade in response to PQ 38667.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to stop the sale of human remains on ecommerce sites.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the response given to her on 25 March 2025 from the Department for Business and Trade in response to PQ 38667.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of real human remains being advertised for sale on ecommerce sites.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the response given to her on 25 March 2025 from the Department for Business and Trade in response to PQ 38667.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of historical UK-linked deforestation and extractive industries on biodiversity loss in the Global South; and whether her Department supports global ecological restoration initiatives.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Global deforestation rates peaked in the 1980s at around 15 million hectares per year, driven by a range of factors, including global demand for agricultural commodities, timber and wood products. Deforestation rates have since declined to around 10 million hectares a year but much more needs to be done to protect forests, which are a vital refuge for biodiversity, support the livelihoods of over one billion people worldwide and are crucial to limiting the damaging effects of climate change.
The UK is supporting efforts to restore critical global ecosystems and is on track to deliver £3 billion in International Climate Finance for nature and biodiversity by March 2026. This includes funding to international initiatives such as the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, which aims to restore 30 per cent of degraded ecosystems globally by 2030.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her department plans to provide Local Authorities with extra funding to support training of social workers and council workers to improve understanding of home education.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department ran a public consultation on the proposed duties and measures for Children Not in School in 2019. The consultation was open to all to contribute, including academic experts in educational pedagogy, and the department responded in 2022. We have continued to engage with home education experts since then as part of development of the measures for inclusion in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill and on plans for implementation of these post-Royal Assent.
Funding and training will be provided to support local authorities to fulfil their new duties under the Children Not in School measures.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the projected cost of the planned infrastructural improvements at Rosyth Dockyard; whether the improvements will require the removal from the dockyard of radioactively contaminated equipment.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The preliminary plans for infrastructure upgrades at Rosyth Dockyard have been approved and industry has been engaged to begin processing the scheme design. Once the scheme design is complete, final costs for the project will be negotiated. The work will include the requirement to deliver a contingent docking facility for HMS Dreadnought during its sea trials at Rosyth Dockyard.
As part of the Submarine Dismantling Project, infrastructure upgrades at Rosyth will enable the removal and processing of all legacy radioactive waste, including radioactively contaminated equipment, from dismantled submarines. Activity at Rosyth has begun, with HMS Swiftsure being dismantled and a further six decommissioned nuclear-powered submarines awaiting disposal.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her department consulted academic experts in pedagogy in home education on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department ran a public consultation on the proposed duties and measures for Children Not in School in 2019. The consultation was open to all to contribute, including academic experts in educational pedagogy, and the department responded in 2022. We have continued to engage with home education experts since then as part of development of the measures for inclusion in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill and on plans for implementation of these post-Royal Assent.
Funding and training will be provided to support local authorities to fulfil their new duties under the Children Not in School measures.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the projected cost of the infrastructural improvements at HMNB Devonport, Plymouth; when is the expected completion date; and whether the improvements involve the removal of radioactively contaminated equipment from the base.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Current capabilities which would be used to defeat cruise missiles, drone swarms and ballistic missiles include existing Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force capabilities. Type 45 destroyers, Ground Based Air Defence, Combat Air platforms and supporting air defence sensing and command and control, as well as Counter-Uncrewed Air System capabilities would all play a part in a response.
His Majesty’s Government announced a £1 billion UK spend on Integrated Air and Missile Defence in the Strategic Defence Review which will shape future Integrated Air and Missile Defence capability. Further announcement on Integrated Air and Missile Defence investment will be made within the Defence Investment Plan.
We have also recently approved £318 million for dragonfire which will help support protection against air threats with the first system being installed on a type 45 destroyer in 2027.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if the new Establishment Management Plan at HMNB Clyde will address and remedy radioactive leaks into the loch.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Establishment Management Plan at His Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde does not include actions to monitor and manage any potential discharges of radioactive material into surrounding environments. Its focus is on maintaining safe, secure, and high-quality estate, buildings, and infrastructure. Whilst the Establishment Management Plan is not a nuclear safety document it will be informed by, and take into consideration, regulatory requirements.
While the treatment of radioactive material is outside of the scope of the Estate Management Plan, I can confirm handling radioactive substances safely and securely at HMNB Clyde are of the utmost importance. HMNB Clyde engages frequently with regulators to ensure it is discharging its responsibilities in compliance with regulations concerning the treatment of radioactive materials. There are extant Defence and independent monitoring programmes in place also.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the review made of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) methodology as mentioned has been undertaken last year in the Defence Nuclear Enterprise 2025 annual report.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The United Kingdom has no plans to publish its Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) methodology. The methodology revalidated our approach to warhead design and certification which is, and will remain, in compliance with the CTBT. We ratified the CTBT in 1998 and we are committed to our voluntary moratorium on nuclear test explosions, having ceased nuclear testing in 1991.