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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure continuity of Post Office services in communities affected by the closure of franchised branches located within retail premises.

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

The Government recognises the importance of maintaining access to Post Office services for local communities. Post Office Ltd is responsible for the day-to-day management of the network and works to maintain service provision where branches close, including through seeking replacement provision where appropriate. The Government protects access to Post Office services through minimum access criteria, including a requirement that 99% of the UK population live within three miles of a Post Office branch.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what support is available to local small businesses seeking to take on Post Office services in areas where branches are closing.

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

Post Office Ltd is responsible for identifying and supporting suitable operators to deliver Post Office services where branches close. Businesses interested in operating a Post Office branch can access information and guidance through Post Office's recruitment website. Applicants are supported by Post Office through the application process and successful applicants receive free training and support from a dedicated project manager when setting up a branch. Once appointed, operators can access a package of ongoing support from Post Office, including relationship management, specialist advice and guidance resources.

More broadly, local businesses can access support through the Business Growth Service, including business.gov.uk, the Business Support Service, Business Academy and local Growth Hubs, which provide advice, signposting and tailored support to help businesses start, grow and succeed.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of convenience store closures on access to essential services, including Post Office provision, in (a) towns and (b) neighbourhood centres.

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

The Government recognises the important role that convenience stores and Post Office branches play in supporting local communities and providing access to essential services. Many Post Office branches are co-located with retail premises, including convenience stores, and Government fully appreciates that the closure of such premises can have an impact on local access to services. Government protects access to Post Office services through minimum access criteria, including a requirement that 99% of the UK population live within three miles of a Post Office branch.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to the Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain 2025, published in July 2026, what steps he is taking to replace the use of dogs in science with human-specific technologies.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 30 June 2026 in response to Question 11617.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain 2025, published in July 2026, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the 2.54 million scientific procedures involving living animals which were carried out in Great Britain in 2025.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The 2025 figure of 2.54 million represents a decrease from 2.64 million procedures in 2024 and is the lowest number recorded under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA).

The Government remains committed to reducing and replacing the use of animals in science. The statutory principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement require animals to be used only where there is no scientifically satisfactory alternative, in the minimum numbers necessary, and with procedures refined to minimise suffering.

In November 2025, DSIT published its Replacing Animals in Science strategy, backed by £75 million, to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods. The 2025 statistics do not alter that policy approach. Where scientifically satisfactory alternatives are not yet available, carefully regulated animal use may continue where necessary to protect human and animal health and the environment.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support or expedited oversight her Department provides to leaseholders in buildings where remediation completion dates have been projected past 2029 due to regulatory and developer delays.

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

Nine years on from the Grenfell tragedy, there is no justification for any building to remain unsafe. The Government is committed to ensuring that residents are at the heart of the remediation process and that buildings with unsafe cladding are made safer as quickly as possible.

Our Remediation Acceleration Plan set out measures to speed up remediation, strengthen oversight and improve support for residents. We have laid the groundwork to ensure every priority residential building with unsafe cladding is remediated. The Remediation Bill will give regulators additional powers to compel those blocking remediation to act or risk criminal prosecution.

To support affected residents, we work with the Building Safety Regulator, building owners, developers, and other responsible parties to address barriers to remediation and minimise avoidable delays.

Residents should be kept informed of progress on remediation and expected timelines, in line with the Code of Practice for the Remediation of Residential Buildings. In addition, the Remediation Acceleration Plan announced plans to introduce a Legal Duty to Remediate and other measures intended to ensure remediation is completed to clear timescales and that residents are supported throughout the process

The Building Safety Regulator has implemented improvements to accelerate processing of gateway applications for 18m+ buildings, including increasing operational capacity, targeted support for applicants and engagement with applicants. These changes are contributing to faster assessments while maintaining robust regulatory oversight.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to reduce processing and decision lead times at the Building Safety Regulator for high-rise residential cladding remediation applications.

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

In April 2026, the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) published a plan to reduce remediation delays and improve application handling. Since then, BSR has increased capacity through a dedicated remediation multidisciplinary team, drawing on the successful dedicated team adopted for New Build applications in August 2025. BSR has also introduced Remediation Account Managers, redeployed staff to priority areas, and strengthened internal processes.

BSR has worked with industry to improve application quality through new remediation guidance, targeted communications, improved data sharing, and greater transparency on application progress. These measures have delivered significant improvements. Between April and August 2026, the proportion of remediation applications approved within 42 weeks increased from 72% to 89%, while average assessment times reduced from 42 weeks to 33 weeks. Assessment times are expected to reduce further as recent applications are being determined more quickly.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of developer supply chain issues and contractor liquidations on building safety remediation timelines for affected leaseholders.

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

Progress of remediation projects can be delayed by a range of factors, including supply chain issues and contractor liquidations. Government actively supports remediation projects to consider and account for disruptive factors in their remediation plans. We engage and monitor major suppliers and contractors, including ongoing pressures stemming from disruption in the Middle East. Our monitoring indicates that across the sector as a whole, supply chain and contractor stress are not currently a major bottleneck to remediation.

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Found: Barbara Taylor 08/10/1999 London W2 BV2025615/1 Bertie Edward Taylor 06/11/2002 Bristol BV2076550/1 David Taylor

Found: Barbara Taylor 08/10/1999 London W2 BV2025615/1 Bertie Edward Taylor 06/11/2002 Bristol BV2076550/1 David Taylor

Found: Barbara Taylor 08/10/1999 London W2 BV2025615/1 Bertie Edward Taylor 06/11/2002 Bristol BV2076550/1 David Taylor

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