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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the turn around time for results on livestock samples at the Pirbright lab has been in the latest period for which data is available.

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

The Pirbright Institute is the UK national reference laboratory and provides a commercial testing service five days a week. Results from submissions from private vets are reported within three working days from the time samples are received at the lab, as stated on Pirbright’s website.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has considered including lipedema as a relevant condition for NHS prescription of (a) Mounjaro injections and (b) other weight loss treatments.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Semaglutide, brand name Wegovy, tirzepatide, brand name Mounjaro, and liraglutide, brand name Saxenda, are approved for the management of obesity. They are recommended as cost-effective for use on the National Health Service for people who have a body mass index (BMI) over a certain threshold, and one or more weight-related comorbidities.

The marketing authorisations for tirzepatide and other weight loss medicines do not include an exhaustive list of qualifying comorbidities, and it is for the prescriber to apply their clinical judgement in determining whether a patient meets the eligibility criteria.

The exact causes of lipoedema are not clear, and the NHS.UK website states that it’s not caused by being overweight, and that it is a separate condition to obesity.

The NHS is currently rolling out tirzepatide in primary care, using a phased approach based on clinical need. Approximately 220,000 individuals are expected to be eligible over the next three years. NHS England worked with clinical experts, NHS integrated care boards, patient and public representatives, healthcare professionals, charities, and royal colleges on its prioritisation approach, which it set out in its interim commissioning guidance, at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/interim-commissioning-guidance-implementation-of-the-nice-technology-appraisal-ta1026-and-the-nice-funding-variation-for-tirzepatide-mounjaro-for-the-management-of-obesity/

At the current time, patients will be eligible for treatment in primary care if they have a BMI of at least forty, and four or more out of five ‘qualifying' conditions. The qualifying conditions for tirzepatide treatment are cardiovascular disease, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, obstructive sleep apnoea, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if Pirbright lab will prioritise blood samples from sheep farmers in northern England ahead of the Kelso ram sales on 12 September 2025.

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

All pre-movement tests for bluetongue virus performed at Pirbright are reported within three working days of receipt, with no prioritisation given to particular samples. Pirbright has the provisions to expand its testing capacity, if required, to meet higher demand.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support children who arrive at school by (a) state-provided buses and (b) taxis to make use of free breakfast clubs.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The government is committed to offering every primary aged child a free breakfast club and is currently working with 750 early adopter schools to test how best to implement this policy ahead of national rollout. Transport will be considered as part of this.

Free breakfast clubs should be at least 30 minutes immediately before the start of the compulsory school day. Further information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/breakfast-clubs-early-adopter-guidance-for-schools-and-trusts-in-england/breakfast-clubs-early-adopter-guidance-for-schools-and-trusts-in-england.

Local authorities’ statutory duty requires them to arrange free travel to enable an eligible child to travel to school for the beginning of the school day, and to return home at the end of the school day. While local authorities are not required to make travel arrangements to enable eligible children to attend breakfast clubs, we encourage them to work with schools to find solutions wherever possible.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of Iran about the increasing targeting of religious minorities, including reports of unlawful deaths, arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances; and what steps they are taking to ensure protection for religious minorities across Iran.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

The UK strongly condemns the repression of religious minorities in Iran. On 18 March, the UK highlighted the continued systematic targeting and repression of religious minorities at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). We were integral to the delivery of a UNHRC resolution on human rights in Iran on 3 April, which renewed and expanded the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran to investigate a wider breadth of violations, and to establish the facts, circumstances and structural causes of such violations, including discrimination on grounds of religion or belief. On 23 April, the UK Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, David Smith MP, hosted an event in Parliament on Freedom of Religion or Belief violations in Iran in partnership with Open Doors and Christian Solidarity Worldwide. Our Ambassador in Iran and the Foreign Secretary continue to raise human rights directly with the Iranian government.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports of attacks against Christian communities in Sudan; and what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure the (a) protection of places of worship and (b) promotion of religious freedom in that country.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is committed to championing Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. The Government's strategy on FoRB was published in July and is firmly rooted within our overall approach to human rights and governance. The Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith, made a statement at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on 4 March, highlighting our concerns regarding the coercion of non-Muslims in Sudan to change their beliefs through denial of work, food aid, and education. He has also visited Port Sudan three times since December 2024 to press the parties to comply with the Jeddah Declaration of Commitments to Protect Civilians from continued atrocities. We will be raising this issue again at the UNHRC next month when, as part of the Sudan Core Group, we push for a renewal of the UN Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan's mandate - an impartial mechanism that investigates human rights violations and abuses. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Officials have also spoken with representatives from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on different occasions since the start of the conflict. We have used these exchanges to request that their leadership make every effort to protect civilians and cease atrocities.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Iranian counterpart on (a) the illegal obtention of (i) property and (ii) assets of and (b) other attacks on the Baha’i community; and what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure the (a) protection of that community and (b) promotion of religious freedom in that country.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Our Ambassador in Iran and the former Foreign Secretary raised have human rights directly with the Iranian government and we regularly highlight Iran's repression of Baha'is in multilateral fora, including at the UN Human Rights Council in March. We were integral to the delivery of an Iran human rights resolution, adopted by the UN Human Rights Council on 3 April, which renewed and expanded the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran to investigate a wider breadth of violations, and to establish the facts, circumstances and structural causes of such violations, including discrimination on grounds of religion or belief. On 3 July, the Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, David Smith MP, met Baha'i International Community UN Representative, Simin Fahandej, to discuss the current and historic repression of Baha'is in Iran, and on 8 July, the Special Envoy delivered a speech where he highlighted Baha'is acute vulnerability to scapegoating, incitement and threats of violence from authorities.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports of attacks against churches in Vietnam; and what diplomatic steps he is taking to help (a) ensure the protection of the Christian community and (b) promote religious freedom in that country.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Our Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief, David Smith MP, closely follows events in Vietnam including restrictions of the freedom for religion and belief of Christians. We are aware of credible reports indicating that members of unregistered religious groups continue to face harassment and intimidation. The UK raises concerns about freedom of religion or belief with the Vietnamese authorities, both bilaterally through the annual UK-Vietnam Strategic Dialogue and through multilateral forums including Vietnam's 2024 Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council. Our Embassy in Hanoi engages with civil society and the diplomatic community to monitor developments and support dialogue on religious freedom. We continue to urge the Vietnamese government to uphold its international human rights obligations, including those under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and to ensure that all individuals, including members of the Christian community, can practise their faith freely and without fear of persecution.

Found:

Found: 2025-06-09 London Tech Week Dinner No Eleanor Taylor Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return David Smith

Found:

Found:

Submit Evidence (by 7 Nov 2025)

2026 marks 25 years since the establishment of the PSNI following the recommendations of the Patten review on policing. This inquiry will examine how far the objectives and aspirations of the Patten review have been realised, and explore the key challenges facing policing and security in Northern Ireland today—particularly in areas that remain under UK Government co-ordination and funding. Read our call for evidence [here] for more detail about the inquiry and how to contribute your views.