Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of policy options to deliver adequately sized, high-quality gardens of 200 square metres as part of the Government's pledge to build 1.5 million new homes by 2030.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The National Planning Policy Framework emphasises the importance of a network of high quality, open spaces for the health and wellbeing of communities and the environment. This is supported by national design guidance, which explains the contribution of private and communal gardens to well designed places, in the context of health, well-being, privacy and the natural environment. Through draft updates to national design guidance, we will continue to promote the use of design codes by local planning authorities to set minimum requirements on back-to-back distances, overlooking and front garden sizes for new housing.
We do not otherwise have any current plans to mandate minimum garden sizes for new developments.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of redundant oil and gas assets following installation of new heating technologies such as heat pumps on the environment.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
When replacing a fossil fuel heating system with a heat pump or other low carbon technology, the expectation and rules for waste disposal are the same as like-for-like replacements.
Guidance for the disposal of appliances varies by product categorisation. Advice on waste management can be found on gov.uk.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of waste created as a result of consumers changing heating technologies.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
When replacing a fossil fuel heating system with a heat pump or other low carbon technology, the expectation and rules for waste disposal are the same as like-for-like replacements.
Guidance for the disposal of appliances varies by product categorisation. Advice on waste management can be found on gov.uk.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2026 to questions 99362 and 99361, what further consideration her department has given to implementing public awareness campaigns regarding a) biosecurity threats from, and b) legality of, personal imports of risk items.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has subsequently secured up to £1.2m from the Cabinet Office's Integrated Security Fund to deliver a UK Border Biosecurity Campaign in 2027/28, in partnership with other government departments.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
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 will take steps to introduce an official, categorised level-rating for biosecurity risk to the UK.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government’s National Risk Register provides a structured assessment of the most serious risks facing the UK, including for biosecurity. The latest version is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-risk-register-2025
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
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 biosecurity threat posed by personal imports.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra monitors animal disease outbreaks worldwide and assesses the risk of them entering Great Britain, including via personal imports. Preliminary outbreak assessments and qualitative risk assessments are available at www.gov.uk/government/collections/animal-diseases-international-monitoring
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
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 support the safe storage and disposal of oil and gas assets removed following a change in heating technology, in the context of the aim to deploy 450,000 clean heating systems annually by 2030.
Answered by Mary Creagh
The Environment Agency does not oversee the deployment of clean heating systems. However, where oil tanks, boilers etc. are removed, waste producers and contractors must comply with their legal Waste Duty of Care and ensure waste is managed appropriately, including any hazardous wastes from decommissioning activities. Further information here Waste duty of care code of practice - GOV.UK and Dispose of business or commercial waste: Your responsibilities - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve GP services in rural areas.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
This government is improving GP access across the country, including in rural communities.Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consideration her department has given to the merits of implementing amnesty bins for prohibited personal imports prior to customs clearance.
Answered by Mike Tapp
The Home Office works internally and with Government departments who own policy responsibility for the importation of specific types of prohibited and restricted goods. Border controls are implemented in line with legislation and government policy and initiatives.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
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 adequacy of access to high-quality green spaces across the UK.
Answered by Nesil Caliskan
The government is committed to ensuring everyone lives within a 15-minute walk of a green or blue space. In response to this commitment, earlier this year Defra published official statistics in development showing that 80% of people are within this range, in urban areas the figure is 78%.ith this figure at 78% in urban areas. Progress towards meeting the commitment is being made through work happening across government to both increase available natural space and make it more accessible, such as the MHCLG's National Planning Policy Framework reform and the Green Flag Award scheme, Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Framework and Defra’s Accessibility funding.