Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help improve accessible transport options for disabled people in rural and coastal communities.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government wants everyone to have access to public transport and is committed to improving the system, so it is more inclusive and enables disabled people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity. We recognise the particular importance of accessible transport in rural and coastal communities, where disabled people can face additional barriers to making the journeys they want and need.

Our Bus Services Act 2025 includes a comprehensive package of measures to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of local transport. Through the Act, we are helping authorities to provide safer and more accessible bus stations and stops; mandating disability awareness and assistance training for bus drivers and passenger-facing staff; and requiring local transport authorities to assess their bus networks and publish Bus Network Accessibility Plans. These plans will support authorities to take a holistic view of how well local bus networks meet the needs of disabled people and identify where improvements are needed.

We recognise that taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) provide a vital door-to-door service for disabled people, including in rural and coastal communities where other transport options may be limited. The Department is continuing to consider, holistically, how the regulation of taxis and PHVs could be reformed. We will be bringing forward a draft taxi and PHV bill for pre-legislative scrutiny. This will set out, amongst other measures, how we intend to deliver more accessible services for disabled passengers, by strengthening existing protections and removing barriers to travel.

We are committed to improving the experience for disabled passengers on rail services and that is why we published the Department’s roadmap to an accessible railway alongside the Railways Bill. It sets out what we are doing now to improve the day-to-day travelling experience for disabled passengers in the lead up to Great British Railways being established.

The Railways Bill will also establish a Passenger Watchdog, protecting the rights of disabled passengers by setting consumer standards including on accessibility, monitoring passenger experience and service delivery, investigating persistent issues, and advocating for improvements. We are also continuing to install accessible routes at stations through our Access for All programme and have completed a programme to install platform edge safety tactiles on every platform in the country.

We are also committed to developing an Accessible Travel Charter. The Charter is a commitment to a shared vision for accessible travel. It will set out what disabled travellers can expect from their journeys, share best practice across organisations and support greater consistency in end-to-end journeys for disabled travellers, including in rural and coastal communities.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has considered extending the proposed 20% business rates reduction for pubs, social clubs and live music venues to post offices.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

The Government recognises the important contribution that post offices make to local economies and communities through the services they provide to residents and businesses.

Businesses continue to benefit from the Government's wider business rates reforms, including permanently lower multipliers for qualifying retail, hospitality and leisure properties and the £4.3 billion support package introduced to support those ratepayers facing large increases in bills following the 2026 revaluation.

In addition, Rural Rate Relief aims to ensure that key amenities are available and community assets protected in rural areas. It provides 100 per cent rate relief for eligible properties in rural areas with populations below 3,000, including post offices that are the only such facility in a village and have a rateable value of up to £8,500.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much is raised annually from Vehicle Excise Duty on motorcycles with owners registered in Wales.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Information on the amount of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) raised annually from motorcycles registered to keepers in Wales can only be retrieved at disproportionate cost as it would require detailed analysis of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s vehicle records.

The table below shows the number of licensed motorcycles registered to addresses in Wales at the end of August 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many individuals in Wales pay Vehicle Excise Duty on motorcycles annually.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Information on the amount of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) raised annually from motorcycles registered to keepers in Wales can only be retrieved at disproportionate cost as it would require detailed analysis of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s vehicle records.

The table below shows the number of licensed motorcycles registered to addresses in Wales at the end of August 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what fire intensity multiplier her Department uses when assessing the impact that higher fuel loads of vegetation will have on the ferocity of wildfires.

Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

MHCLG is the lead department for wildfire. Defra works closely with them on wildfire preparedness and incident response. In England and Wales, the Met Office’s Fire Severity Index is used to evaluate how severe a wildfire could become if one were to ignite under current weather patterns. Defra is undertaking a range of research projects to review new and existing evidence on wildfire and best practice approaches to building environmental resilience and manage this natural hazard.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of Official Veterinarians needed to maintain current export certification volumes through to the point at which dynamic alignment with the EU-UK SPS agreement takes effect.

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

The UK is currently negotiating an SPS Agreement with the EU. These negotiations are at an advanced stage and expected to remove the requirement for Export Health Certificates.    The Agreement will have implications for Official Veterinarians undertaking export certification, including the demand for Export Health Certificate (EHC) services. Defra are working with the veterinary profession and wider industry stakeholders to monitor this capability and ensure an effective and well-managed transition.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the timetable is for implementing dynamic alignment with the EU-UK SPS agreement; and what assessment has been made of whether current certification capacity can be sustained throughout that timetable.

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

The UK is currently negotiating an SPS Agreement with the EU. These negotiations are at an advanced stage and expected to remove the requirement for Export Health Certificates.    The Agreement will have implications for Official Veterinarians undertaking export certification, including the demand for Export Health Certificate (EHC) services. Defra are working with the veterinary profession and wider industry stakeholders to monitor this capability and ensure an effective and well-managed transition.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what contingency plans her Department has in place should Official Veterinarian capacity decline before certification requirements arising from current export arrangements are removed.

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

The UK is currently negotiating an SPS Agreement with the EU. These negotiations are at an advanced stage and expected to remove the requirement for Export Health Certificates.    The Agreement will have implications for Official Veterinarians undertaking export certification, including the demand for Export Health Certificate (EHC) services. Defra are working with the veterinary profession and wider industry stakeholders to monitor this capability and ensure an effective and well-managed transition.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the potential cost to UK exporters of disruption to certification capacity during the period before dynamic alignment with the EU-UK SPS agreement takes effect.

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

The UK is currently negotiating an SPS Agreement with the EU. These negotiations are at an advanced stage and expected to remove the requirement for Export Health Certificates.    The Agreement will have implications for Official Veterinarians undertaking export certification, including the demand for Export Health Certificate (EHC) services. Defra are working with the veterinary profession and wider industry stakeholders to monitor this capability and ensure an effective and well-managed transition.

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 number of Official Veterinarians currently undertaking export certification on a full-time basis.

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

The UK is currently negotiating an SPS Agreement with the EU. These negotiations are at an advanced stage and expected to remove the requirement for Export Health Certificates.    The Agreement will have implications for Official Veterinarians undertaking export certification, including the demand for Export Health Certificate (EHC) services. Defra are working with the veterinary profession and wider industry stakeholders to monitor this capability and ensure an effective and well-managed transition.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help Syria develop local governance and security structures.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Rt Honourable Member to the answer provided by the former Minister for the Middle East on 4 June in response to Question 5915.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2026 to Question 12794, how the commitment made in the Written Statement of 2 June 2026 to maintain and regularly update the UK National Screening Committee's prostate cancer screening model as new evidence becomes available will operate in practice; and when the Committee expects to assess the recently published evidence on the Stockholm3 test.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Despite some recent misinformed media coverage, I can confirm to the Hon. Members that there has been no change to the policy in respect of prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing for men aged over 50 years old. Any such man who is concerned about prostate cancer, regardless of whether they have symptoms, remains free to make an appointment with their general practitioner, raise their concerns, and ask for a PSA test, exactly as they have done in the past. No impact assessment was therefore made when the guidance in this area was consolidated and updated in June, as there was no change in policy to assess.

The two main studies from the Cochrane review were included in the UK National Screening Committee modelling when they made their most recent recommendation regarding prostate cancer screening, and it should be noted that the Cochrane review came to the same statistical conclusions as the UK National Screening Committee regarding ‘mortality reduction", sometimes called lives saved, from PSA testing and subsequent treatment.

With regard to the next review of prostate cancer screening, I refer the Hon. Members to the article published by the UK National Screening Committee on 11 August 2026, which is available at the following link:

https://nationalscreening.blog.gov.uk/2026/08/11/the-uk-nscs-prostate-cancer-screening-model-will-remain-open-and-under-review/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2026 to Question 12794, what timetable the UK National Screening Committee is working to for (a) reviewing the recently published evidence on the Stockholm3 test, (b) incorporating that evidence into its prostate cancer screening model, and (c) assessing the implications of that evidence for screening policy.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Despite some recent misinformed media coverage, I can confirm to the Hon. Members that there has been no change to the policy in respect of prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing for men aged over 50 years old. Any such man who is concerned about prostate cancer, regardless of whether they have symptoms, remains free to make an appointment with their general practitioner, raise their concerns, and ask for a PSA test, exactly as they have done in the past. No impact assessment was therefore made when the guidance in this area was consolidated and updated in June, as there was no change in policy to assess.

The two main studies from the Cochrane review were included in the UK National Screening Committee modelling when they made their most recent recommendation regarding prostate cancer screening, and it should be noted that the Cochrane review came to the same statistical conclusions as the UK National Screening Committee regarding ‘mortality reduction", sometimes called lives saved, from PSA testing and subsequent treatment.

With regard to the next review of prostate cancer screening, I refer the Hon. Members to the article published by the UK National Screening Committee on 11 August 2026, which is available at the following link:

https://nationalscreening.blog.gov.uk/2026/08/11/the-uk-nscs-prostate-cancer-screening-model-will-remain-open-and-under-review/

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 on the a) effectiveness and b) future of the Common Travel Area between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland of ferry operators requiring passengers travelling between both countries to hold valid passports.

Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

No change has been made to the Government’s operation of the Common Travel Area (CTA) arrangement. The CTA continues to afford British and Irish citizens the ability to move freely and reside in either jurisdiction and enjoy associated rights and privileges, including the right to work, study, etc.

We are committed to maintaining the CTA and preventing abuse of it.

Commemorating victims of the Arandora Star tragedy of 1940

British Wool Month and Baavet, Porthmadog

Cable Street 90th anniversary

Hospitality VAT reduction and the VAT Is The Problem campaign

Consultation on an alternative second chamber

Risk ratings for quarries near legacy mine workings

Prohibiting Members of Parliament from having paid second jobs

Support for retired service animals

Clwb Rygbi Caernarfon UK Rugby Kitchen of the Year

North Wales Police Mountain Rescue Support Team

Contribution of cinemas to local communities

Air Ambulance Week 2026

150th anniversary of the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876

Baby Loss Awareness Week

E1 settlement project and international law

Modern Service Framework for neurological conditions

Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) rescue operations

Royal National Lifeboat Institution

Independent Office for Police Conduct findings on Norman Bettison

Party yn y Parc

Found: North) Simon Hoare (Conservative; North Dorset) Gerald Jones (Labour; Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare) Ben Lake

Found: North) Simon Hoare (Conservative; North Dorset) Gerald Jones (Labour; Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare) Ben Lake

Found: North) Simon Hoare (Conservative; North Dorset) Gerald Jones (Labour; Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare) Ben Lake

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Ruth Jones (Chair); Ann Davies; Simon Hoare; Gerald Jones; Ben Lake

Found: Knight Gardens Ltd Chipping Norton OX7 6YF Agriculture or horticulture Committed South East England Ben Lake