Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure an adequate number of specialist training places for religious education teachers in Hertfordshire.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
There have been noticeable increases in religious education (RE) ITT recruitment recently. Between 2023/24 and 2025/26, postgraduate ITT recruitment for RE increased by 71%. 492 RE trainees started courses in 2025/26, compared to 287 two years ago.
We will publish postgraduate initial teacher training (PGITT) recruitment needs for the 2026/27 academic year in due course. PGITT recruitment need is estimated by the teacher workforce model each year, and is used to monitor and measure recruitment for specific subjects. PGITT trainee need is calculated to account for a broad range of factors including historic recruitment, economic forecasts, teacher retention and wider forms of teacher recruitment. The Find teacher training courses website lists training opportunities in England, including 28 RE courses with placement schools in a 10-mile radius of Hertfordshire.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to introduce a cap on the fees charged by app providers to local authorities for operating the National Parking Platform.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The National Parking Platform is intended to support greater competition and choice by enabling multiple parking app providers to operate across participating local authorities.
While the Government is keen to see this system make parking easier for all, pricing decisions relating to the operation of the National Parking Platform are commercial matters for the National Parking Platform, app providers and local authorities. Both local authorities and app providers are represented on the Board of the National Parking Platform as a part of its not-for-profit governance structure.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 30 March to Question 119469 on Cancer: Vaccination, how many pharmaceutical companies have been contacted by his Department with details of the expansion of eligibility of the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad since May 2025.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) is a platform that is increasing access and speeding up recruitment to clinical trials for personalised cancer vaccines and other immunotherapies for patients who have been diagnosed with cancer. In 2025, the scope of the CVLP was expanded beyond personalised cancer vaccines to also include other immunotherapies. NHS England is responsible for the overall delivery of the CVLP and has contracted the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit to manage the day-to-day delivery of the platform.
The platform is designed to be company and clinical trial agnostic so any company can contact the CVLP to explore how the platform can support their research. NHS England hosted a webinar with interested pharmaceutical companies in 2025 after the expansion of the scope had been agreed, and continues to engage with companies through multiple avenues, including working with the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Vaccine Innovation Pathway.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of replicating the Australian policy of permitting those non-nationals living in the United Kingdom the opportunity to apply for service in the military after one year of residency in the country.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK Armed Forces already accept applications from some nationalities if they are a dual national of a permitted nationality.
Eligible applicants must be either a British Citizen, British Overseas Citizen, British Overseas Territory Citizen, British National (Overseas) Citizen, British Protected Person, British Subject, Irish Citizen or a Citizen of a Commonwealth member country, which includes Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. This can be as a sole or dual national. The British Army also has the Brigade of Gurkhas who are from Nepal.
There is no UK residency requirement for those who are not British or Irish citizens to be eligible to apply to join the Royal Navy or the British Army, but the Royal Air Force normally require eligible candidates to have lived in the UK for between five and ten years prior to application. Members of the Armed Forces are subject to the National Security Vetting process owned by the Cabinet Office, and clearance levels depend on the rank, role and Service applied for. UK (Great Britain and Northern Ireland) residency and nationality are an integral part of that process, and each application is risk assessed. There are no current plans to change nationality or residency requirements.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2025 to Question 71117 on Immigration: Syria, whether a delay of 30 months to ILR applications for a Syrian national is considered to be within the acceptable level of service for UKVI.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
On 11 December 2024, we paused all Syrian asylum interviews and decisions whilst we assessed the country situation. This pause extended to Settlement Protection applications from Syrian nationals
The pause was a necessary step while there was no stable, objective information available to make robust assessments of risk on return to Syria.
On 14 July 2025, we published updated country information which enabled decision making to resume. We are currently processing the large backlog of outstanding applications in line with published policy. For those that were granted refugee status having lodged an asylum claim in the UK, where the basis of the grant of status is affected by the change in circumstances, or where it is unclear, we are writing out to applicants where necessary to gather further evidence to assess these applications, and may interview applicants where necessary to determine if there is an ongoing need for protection.
Those who made an in-time application will continue to have their conditions maintained under Section 3C of the Immigration Rules.
Settlement is a privilege, not an automatic right, and provides permission to stay in the UK permanently and freedom from immigration control for those who still require protection. All settlement applications are carefully considered on their individual merits, and this includes assessing whether there have been significant changes in country conditions or personal circumstances, which means that an individual no longer needs our protection.
In line with our international obligations, we will not remove anyone to their own or any other country where they have a well-founded fear of persecution or are at risk of serious harm.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March to Question 118384 on Hybrid Vehicles: Excise Duties, whether she has considered the potential merits of allowing those PHEV drivers who (a) opt in to doing so and (b) have vehicles with the technical means to record miles driven in electric or petrol mode, to submit accurate returns to allow eVED to be paid only on those miles not already subject to fuel duty.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
As announced at Budget 2025, plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) will be subject to a reduced electric Vehicle Excise Duty rate of 1.5 pence per mile upon its introduction in April 2028 – half the rate that will apply to fully electric cars. This approach recognises that PHEVs have the capacity to drive in either electric or petrol mode and strikes the right balance between fairness, protecting motorists’ privacy and minimising administrative burdens on motorists.
The government recognises that the large majority of EVs and PHEVs have in-built vehicle telematics, which monitor various driving activities and are viewable by drivers, vehicle manufacturers, or permitted third parties in some cases.
The government will not mandate use of these telematics for administering eVED; however, it welcomed views in the consultation on how various types of technologies could be used on an opt-in basis in future to simplify the system and reduce administrative burdens on motorists and businesses.
The consultation closed on 18 March 2026. The Government will publish a response in due course.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has considered the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to require large online retailers to provide a choice of courier or delivery company to consumers when placing orders.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The department currently has no plans to require retailers to offer a choice of delivery couriers to consumers. This is a commercial decision for the business to make. Consumers are encouraged to provide feedback and suggestions to businesses directly. This encourages businesses to adapt and fairly compete based on demand.
Under consumer legislation, the trader is liable if anything goes wrong with the consumer’s parcel including goods arriving in a damaged condition and late or lost deliveries.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the timeliness of the Information Commissioners Office's responses to complaints about potential breaches of data protection legislation.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
While DSIT acts as the ICO’s sponsor department within government, it is an independent regulator and accountable to Parliament. The ICO reports annually to Parliament on its complaints and investigations, and the Information Commissioner can appear before select committees to discuss performance.
To address their backlog, the ICO has introduced a new data protection complaints framework that sets out how it assesses each case and determines the extent to which it is appropriate to investigate. This will allow the ICO to review every complaint individually against its criteria, to decide whether they can provide an outcome at this stage or need to investigate it in more detail. This approach is designed to help the ICO focus its resources on the most serious issues, provide more timely outcomes, and support organisations in improving compliance.
We will monitor the impact of the increased number of complaints being received by the ICO as part of our regular sponsorship discussions, to ensure the ICO can meet its statutory obligations effectively.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 review the adequacy of fire risk assessment requirements for retail premises which stock (a) vapes and (b) other small electricals containing lithium-ion batteries.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places a range of legal duties on Responsible Persons (the person in control of a premises which can include building owners, landlords and employers), chief among which is the need to undertake a fire risk assessment. This is to identify any general fire safety precautions that need to be taken to make sure that the premises, and people within it, are safe from fire, and put those precautions in place.
To help Responsible Persons discharge their duties, MHCLG makes available a suite of guidance which it is currently reviewing and updating, including the offices and shops guide, so it better reflects current legislation, practice and emerging risks. This update will give consideration to the risks arising from products such as vapes and other small electrical items containing lithium-ion batteries.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take steps to ensure Royal Mail responds to the Hon Member for St Albans and other Hon Members with regards to constituency casework correspondence.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Royal Mail is an independent business. However, I have been assured that it endeavours to respond to all correspondence in a timely manner and to provide a full response to concerns Honourable Members raise, rather than a standard response. Some concerns can, however, take some time to investigate properly.