Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to restore Official Development Assistance allocations in this Parliament; and if he will set out a path to do so.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government is committed to returning to spending 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) on Official Development Assistance (ODA) as soon as fiscal circumstances allow.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what percentage of applicants were accepted for the current funding round for the Ending Homeless in Communities Fund.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government is providing £47 million through the Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund, the largest multi-year commitment to the voluntary, community and faith sector on homelessness. The fund is helping organisations strengthen community-based support, transform day services, help people live independently and prevent homelessness and rough sleeping.

The fund operated through a competitive grant application process which closed on 31 March 2026. A total of 712 applications were received and, following assessment and moderation, 11.52% of applicants (82 organisations in total) were awarded funding through the programme.

The level of funding made available through the Fund reflects the Government's commitment to supporting voluntary, community and faith sector organisations to play a central role in preventing and addressing homelessness and rough sleeping.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing funding for the Ending Homeless in Communities Fund.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government is providing £47 million through the Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund, the largest multi-year commitment to the voluntary, community and faith sector on homelessness. The fund is helping organisations strengthen community-based support, transform day services, help people live independently and prevent homelessness and rough sleeping.

The fund operated through a competitive grant application process which closed on 31 March 2026. A total of 712 applications were received and, following assessment and moderation, 11.52% of applicants (82 organisations in total) were awarded funding through the programme.

The level of funding made available through the Fund reflects the Government's commitment to supporting voluntary, community and faith sector organisations to play a central role in preventing and addressing homelessness and rough sleeping.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people supported through the LGBT+ Financial Recognition Scheme; and what further steps he plans to take to ensure all eligible LGBT+ veterans are able to access this scheme.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

As of 1 September 2026, the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme had received 1,716 applications and paid out more than £58 million. With fewer than 100 days remaining before the Scheme closes, Defence has intensified its awareness campaign to reach as many veterans affected by the Ban as possible. This includes the launch of a new campaign website, refreshed Ally Pack and promotional materials, and continued engagement with local authorities, the NHS, veterans’ organisations, employers, regimental associations and charities to maximise awareness and encourage applications. We encourage organisations and individuals to help raise awareness of the Scheme by downloading and sharing the Ally Pack available at www.gov.uk/affected-by-the-ban.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Pakistani authorities concerning the detention and wellbeing of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

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

While Pakistan's judicial processes are a domestic matter, we are clear that the Pakistani authorities need to respect fundamental freedoms, including the right to a fair trial, due process, humane detention and access to appropriate medical treatment. This applies to Imran Khan as it does to all Pakistan's citizens. I met Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dar on 27 August to discuss a range of issues, including matters relating to Imran Khan.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps his Department is taking to support pubs and the hospitality sector.

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

The Government recognises the value pubs and hospitality venues bring and the challenges they face. As such, the Government has announced a 20% cut to business rates bills for pubs from April 2027. This is in addition to the 15% relief off 2025/2026 bills, with bills frozen in real terms for a further two years. When taken together, these packages are worth nearly £250 million next year and will benefit around 32,000 pubs, social clubs and live music venues.

Separately, on 24 August 2026, the Government announced a review of pub and hotel business rates valuations to build a fairer system for the future.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress she has made on plans to improve and upgrade the A259 coast road.

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

The proposed A259 South Coast Road Corridor scheme, promoted by East Sussex County Council (ESCC), is part of the Department’s Major Road Network/Large Local Majors (MRN/LLM) Programme and is currently at Strategic Outline Case (SOC) stage.

The Department is currently waiting for further work on the SOC to be completed by ESCC, and for further funding details. Officials are in regular contact with ESCC and continue to support them with the development of the SOC for this scheme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration she has given to establishing a new NHS community health hub in Peacehaven.

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

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 14 July to Question 17076.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps he is taking to improve Royal Mail delivery performance, including in Saltdean and Rottingdean.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The government has been clear that Royal Mail’s quality of service has not been good enough.

The government has discussed Royal Mail’s performance with the company and Ofcom, as the independent regulator, and they know there is more to do to improve stability and reliability for customers, but it is welcome that the most recently released quality of service figures, for Q1 26/27, show an improvement.

Ofcom is investigating Royal Mail’s 2025-26 quality of service performance, and Royal Mail has published a service improvement plan alongside a £500 million investment into frontline resourcing.

The government will continue to press Royal Mail for improvements in service quality.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support universities.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The Government recognises the vital role that universities play in delivering opportunity, supporting skills, driving innovation and contributing to economic growth across the country.

While higher education providers are responsible for managing their own finances, the Government remains committed to creating a secure future for the sector so it can continue to deliver for students, taxpayers, workers and the economy.

We increased tuition fee caps in line with inflation in academic year 2025/26. We are also increasing tuition fee caps in line with forecast inflation in 2026/27 and 2027/28 and will legislate, when parliamentary time allows, to increase tuition fee caps for future academic years. Over the next five years, these uplifts could generate around £6 billion of additional income for the sector.

The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper also sets out the Government’s commitment to placing higher education on a more sustainable footing, supporting providers to drive efficiency, strengthen financial resilience and adopt more effective operating models.

We continue to work closely with the Office for Students, the independent regulator of higher education providers in England, to understand the sector’s changing financial landscape and ensure that the interests of students and taxpayers are protected.

More broadly, the White Paper sets out how we will support the sector to become more specialised and efficient, and better aligned with the needs of the economy.

Found: Letter from Chris Ward MP, Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office on the Intergovernmental Relations

Found: Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (unpaid) (from 3 March 2026 until 22 July 2026) Chris Ward

Found: Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (unpaid) (from 3 March 2026 until 22 July 2026) Chris Ward