Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to Answer of 11 July to Question UIN 65893 on Water Restoration Fund, whether the reinvestment of £100 million in fines and penalties levied against water companies into projects to clean up our waters will be progressed by (a) a second round of the Water Restoration Fund and (b) by other means.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Water Restoration Fund is now delivering on-the-ground improvements for water quality through 51 projects, directly benefiting the communities and the environment which have been harmed by water company rule-breaking. The programme runs for 3 years from FY 2025-26 until 2027-28.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
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 reduce waiting times for urgent pelvic ultrasounds.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We inherited a broken National Health Service, and reducing elective waiting lists is a key part of getting it back on its feet and building an NHS that is fit for the future. To that end we have committed to achieving the NHS Constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by March 2029. Cutting waiting times for diagnostic tests including those for urgent pelvic issues is a crucial step in reducing the elective waiting list.
In the Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced £600 million of capital funding to support the reduction of diagnostic waiting lists, including continued investment in new and expanded Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs), new acute hospital diagnostic equipment, and investment in digital diagnostic capabilities.
Abdomen or pelvic ultrasounds are one of five imaging tests for which general practitioners (GPs) can now make direct referrals, meaning patients can get the scan they need sooner at their local hospital or other NHS facility, whichever offers this service. The General Practice Direct Access Guidance advises how GPs can make the most of GP direct access especially where specific diagnostic tests are under the threshold for referral under the urgent suspected cancer referral pathway.
Patients can also be referred for pelvic ultrasounds for a number of reasons, including suspected urological malignancies, and other gynaecological cancers. Improved performance on the Faster Diagnosis Standard means that 135,000 more people have had cancer diagnosed or ruled out within 28 days between September 2024 and August 2025, compared the same months in the previous year.
We have also already made excellent progress turning the commitments in the Women's Health Strategy into tangible action, including tackling gynaecology waiting lists using the private sector.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that UK-manufactured hydrogen and fuel cell technologies use hydrogen production and usage schemes.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan sets out a clear plan to support the growth of the UK’s manufacturing base for hydrogen technologies, including deployment certainty and timelines for future Hydrogen Allocation Rounds; the launch of the first transport and storage allocation round and hydrogen to power business model; establishing the UK’s first regional hydrogen network from 2031; exploring options to expand the Contracts for Difference (CfD) Clean Industry Bonus to hydrogen; working with projects to deliver events connecting developers and suppliers; and a comprehensive public financial institution offer including the £1 billion Great British Energy supply chain fund.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
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 the UK hydrogen supply chain on (a) creating skilled jobs and (b) supporting regional growth.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The hydrogen industry will create investment and jobs across the UK’s industrial heartlands. The UK is well placed to be a global leader in hydrogen supply chains, further supporting regional growth. Our forthcoming Hydrogen Strategy will include the latest jobs estimates and plans to optimise economic benefits delivered by the UK hydrogen economy. We will continue to engage with stakeholders across the hydrogen value chain; working together with industry and unions to identify actions that support the skills and workforce needs of the UK’s low carbon hydrogen economy.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
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 potential merits of adopting a EU-style carding system to (a) warn and (b) sanction states that are not sufficiently combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK’s Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Regulation (1005/2008) includes provisions that support a carding system, to warn and sanction states identified as non-cooperative in combating IUU fishing. Currently, the UK bans imports of seafood from Cambodia, Comoros and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to increase nature-rich spaces by rivers to (a) reduce agricultural pollution and (b) protect and (c) enhance chalk streams.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Fixing the systemic issues in the water system is essential to addressing the multiple pressures facing chalk streams and restoring them to better ecological health. This Government has announced an ambitious programme of reforms to clean up our rivers, lakes, and seas for good: we will ensure that chalk streams benefit from this era of reform.
Our Environmental Land Management schemes funding will increase by 150% to £2 billion by 2028/2029, providing incentives for farmers and land managers to farm more sustainably – six of our Landscape Recovery projects are being developed in chalk stream catchments.
Additionally, we have committed to a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan which will set out how Defra will deliver our legally binding targets. The Government will develop a new, statutory plan to protect and restore our natural environment with delivery plans to meet each of our ambitious Environment Act targets.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will publish a timetable for launching a consultation on financial support for parents of seriously ill children.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government has already committed to publish a terms of reference and timeline for its ongoing review of employment rights for unpaid carers this autumn. This will also outline the scope and include a timeline for consulting on employment rights for parents of seriously ill children.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what is the potential scope of their proposed consultation on financial support for parents of seriously ill children.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government has already committed to publish a terms of reference and timeline for its ongoing review of employment rights for unpaid carers this autumn. This will also outline the scope and include a timeline for consulting on employment rights for parents of seriously ill children.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what plans his Department has to support exports of UK-manufactured hydrogen and fuel cell technologies to international markets.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As a frontier sector in the Industrial Strategy, the government has committed targeted support to boost exports of world leading hydrogen technologies into new and established markets, by increasing the visibility of UK capabilities to projects and investors and unlocking greater participation in international supply chains. The Trade Strategy also commits to supporting exports through building on existing and exploring new and deeper clean energy sector agreements.
Officials in my department will continue to showcase UK capabilities through our global network, increasing access to international supply chains. UK Export Finance can offer a range of support for overseas sales, aims to deliver £10bn in clean growth financing by 2029.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had discussions with industry stakeholders on growing UK-based manufacturing of hydrogen and fuel cell equipment by 2030.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government announced a public finance offer for clean energy industries to crowd private investment into sustainable UK supply chains. This includes: a £1bn Clean Energy supply chain fund; £5.8bn for the National Wealth Fund to invest across this Parliament in clean industries including low-carbon hydrogen; and a £4bn British Business Bank Industrial Strategy Growth Capital scale up and start up financing package.
My officials in the UK and overseas are working closely with UK-based companies to showcase the UK's leading capabilities and unlock opportunities across the hydrogen value chain both at home and overseas. I look forward to working with the industry on these shared ambitions.