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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to provide guidance on the collection of plastic plant pots by local authorities under the plastic waste stream, in accordance with Schedule 1, Part 4 of the Separation of Waste (England) Regulations.

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

Part 4 of Schedule 1 to The Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2024 provides a list of plastics which are included in the recyclable plastic waste stream. This includes PE, PET and PP pots which are larger than 40x40mm and do not contain any pigment which prevents them from being near-infrared detectable (e.g. carbon black pigment) within the plastic recyclable waste stream.

^Guidance has already been published to assist local authorities and other waste collectors and workplaces in implementing these requirements.

Defra engages regularly with local authority networks and will raise this matter with them, so they can communicate directly with their members about the legal requirement to collect this material.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of giving pharmacy students studying for MPharm degrees in England access to the NHS Learning Support Fund.

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

For the 2025 to 2026 academic year, the Government extended the Learning Support Fund (LSF) scheme’s Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses provision to pre-registration pharmacy and healthcare science students to ensure they are reimbursed for the additional costs of attending placements. These students cannot currently access other elements of the LSF.

The Government keeps the funding arrangements for all healthcare students under close review. At all times the Government must strike a balance between the level of support students receive and the need to make best use of public funds to deliver value for money.

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 adequacy of recycling rates of farm plastic.

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

This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. This systemic change, with investment in green jobs and vital infrastructure, builds a path to economic growth, progress towards Net Zero, restoration of nature, and a more resilient economy. The Government has convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help map that transition, and agrifood has been selected as one of the six priority areas that presents a significant opportunity for circular interventions to drive innovation, investment, and productivity.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support farmers to recycle farm plastic.

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

This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. This systemic change, with investment in green jobs and vital infrastructure, builds a path to economic growth, progress towards Net Zero, restoration of nature, and a more resilient economy. The Government has convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help map that transition, and agrifood has been selected as one of the six priority areas that presents a significant opportunity for circular interventions to drive innovation, investment, and productivity.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the potential merits inclusion of ponies in grazing densities under Countryside Stewardship schemes.

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

Including ponies in grazing density calculations ensures the total grazing pressure on a site is accurately assessed and aligned with sustainable levels for habitat recovery. This prevents the risk of underestimating grazing impacts, which could otherwise lead to overgrazing and damage to sensitive habitats. Including ponies also improves fairness and transparency, as all grazing animals are accounted for in stocking records. From an ecological perspective, ponies contribute significantly to vegetation management, so excluding them would distort management decisions.

Within Countryside Stewardship, ponies are recognised similarly to cattle and land grazed by them can attract agri‑environment payments, providing an incentive to maintain their presence. The scheme also treats resident ponies as a permanent feature, meaning they are exempt from stock removal requirements. Overall, this approach supports habitat recovery, helps maintain favourable condition on protected sites, and contributes to meeting wider environmental targets.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure local authority recycling schemes accept non-black plant pots.

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

Part 4 of Schedule 1 to The Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2024 provides a list of plastics which are included in the recyclable plastic waste stream. This includes PE, PET and PP pots which are larger than 40x40mm and do not contain any pigment which prevents them from being near-infrared detectable (e.g. carbon black pigment) within the plastic recyclable waste stream.

Defra engages regularly with local authority networks and will raise this matter with them, so they can communicate directly with their members about the legal requirement to collect this material.

We know that some local authorities will need longer to roll out changes beyond 31 March 2026 due to circumstances beyond their control, such as delivery timescales for collection vehicles and containers. In such circumstances, we expect local authorities to be taking all necessary steps within their control to progress and to keep their residents informed on timeframes for service changes. We continue to work with local authority waste networks and the wider industry, providing targeted support to help address the outstanding issues.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department are taking to ensure motorists are not incorrectly pursued for parking penalties as a result of Automatic Number Plate Recognition misreads.

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

The law allows the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to provide vehicle keeper information to those who can demonstrate reasonable cause to receive it.

The electronic release of vehicle keeper information to private parking companies following alleged parking breaches is subject to strict contractual terms. Companies must provide evidence of reasonable cause, ensure the accuracy of the information they submit, and confirm that the DVLA data matches the vehicle’s make, model, type and colour before pursuing the registered keeper.

Errors by parking companies can occasionally result in motorists being pursued incorrectly. Although such cases are rare, the DVLA takes action with the parking company concerned and the relevant Accredited Trade Association where issues arise. The DVLA and the Government Internal Audit Agency also carry out audits to ensure information is requested and used appropriately and that recipients have effective internal controls to protect the data.

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 adequacy of animal welfare practices in slaughterhouses.

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

The legislation sets out strict requirements to protect the welfare of animals when slaughtered and official veterinarians of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are present in all approved slaughterhouses to monitor and enforce welfare requirements. When the FSA identifies breaches, they are fully investigated, and proportionate action is taken to protect animal welfare. It carries out a rigorous programme of annual audits in approved slaughterhouses.

Post-implementation reviews of the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015, the most recent of which was published earlier this year, have confirmed that the legislation has met its objectives of improving welfare and providing assurance that slaughterhouses operate to high welfare standards.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions his Department in cooperation with other departments has had with private sector organisations on the standardisation of their bereavement notification processes, in order to reduce the level of distress caused to bereaved families.

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

Internal policies relating to bereavement are a matter for individual businesses, but we expect companies to treat consumers with compassion in such circumstances, with many organisations having specialist bereavement advisors to support consumers during such times.

Under consumer legislation, businesses are required to carry out their services with reasonable care and skill, and within a reasonable time. Businesses in regulated sectors may have additional obligations, such as financial organisations which are bound by the Consumer Duty.

My department has not had any recent discussions with organisations about improving bereavement processes. However, we do engage with businesses more generally on consumer protection matters.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department assessed the adequacy of existing consumer protection regulations in ensuring that companies treat bereaved customers with appropriate sensitivity and consistency.

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

Internal policies relating to bereavement are a matter for individual businesses, but we expect companies to treat consumers with compassion in such circumstances, with many organisations having specialist bereavement advisors to support consumers during such times.

Under consumer legislation, businesses are required to carry out their services with reasonable care and skill, and within a reasonable time. Businesses in regulated sectors may have additional obligations, such as financial organisations which are bound by the Consumer Duty.

My department has not had any recent discussions with organisations about improving bereavement processes. However, we do engage with businesses more generally on consumer protection matters.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had any recent discussions with industry bodies representing (a) banks, (b) insurers, and (c) utility companies on improving bereavement processes for customers.

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

Internal policies relating to bereavement are a matter for individual businesses, but we expect companies to treat consumers with compassion in such circumstances, with many organisations having specialist bereavement advisors to support consumers during such times.

Under consumer legislation, businesses are required to carry out their services with reasonable care and skill, and within a reasonable time. Businesses in regulated sectors may have additional obligations, such as financial organisations which are bound by the Consumer Duty.

My department has not had any recent discussions with organisations about improving bereavement processes. However, we do engage with businesses more generally on consumer protection matters.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the feasibility of extending the Tell Us Once service to include private sector organisations including banks, insurance companies, and utility providers, in order to reduce the administrative burden on bereaved families.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Discovery and analysis work on both modernising the Tell Us Once service and considering its scope is due to commence in summer 2026.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data the Government holds on the number of complaints made to financial services and utility companies relating to the handling of bereavement notifications.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Tell Us Once is used by public sector bodies only, and does not collect data on the number of complaints made to financial services and utility companies relating to the handling of bereavement notifications.

Climate Change Committee's seventh Carbon Budget

Seven-year anniversary of the mixed-aged couples’ rule

UK-EU Youth Mobility Scheme

Free-to-air coverage of European finals

Rebuilding UK defence ties with Europe

National Emergency Briefing

State of our Beaches report 2025

A UK-EU customs union to help tackle the cost-of-living crisis

Holding Iran’s regime to account and proscribing the IRGC

Issuing defence bonds to help restore Britain’s military

Two-state solution in Israel and Palestine

UK arms sales to Israel

Access to banking services

Mental Health Awareness Week

Redress for people impacted by surgical mesh, sodium valproate and Primodos

Health and Social Care

Social media for under-16s

Meta and YouTube and legal liability for addictive design and online harms

Found: ; Leeds South West and Morley) Peter Swallow (Labour; Bracknell) Chris Vince (Labour; Harlow) Caroline Voaden

Found: Members The following Members made oral representations: Steff Aquarone: Coastal Communities Caroline Voaden

Found: Asato; Sureena Brackenridge; Darren Paffey; Manuela Perteghella; Mark Sewards; Peter Swallow; Caroline Voaden

Found: Asato; Sureena Brackenridge; Darren Paffey; Manuela Perteghella; Mark Sewards; Peter Swallow; Caroline Voaden

Found: ; Leeds South West and Morley) Peter Swallow (Labour; Bracknell) Chris Vince (Labour; Harlow) Caroline Voaden