Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that Lukoil is not able to avoid UK sanctions.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We cannot comment on future designations. The UK has targeted Russian oil and those who produce it, by banning its import, implementing the Oil Price Cap, sanctioning two Russian oil majors, and specifying 251 shadow fleet oil tankers. Ships sanctioned by the UK in 2024 collectively carried $1.6 billion less year-on-year in Russian oil and oil products in Q1 2025.
We have also targeted those enabling Russia's illicit oil trade. These include a British national involved in procuring vessels for Russia's shadow fleet on behalf of Lukoil and networks established to enable the trade of Russian oil via the shadow fleet.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the difference between travel concessions for (a) Metropolitan Police Officers and (b) NHS staff working in Central London; and whether she plans to introduce similar subsidised travel schemes for essential medical staff using National Rail services.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Any long-term changes or concessions made to rail fares policy will require balancing against the potential impacts on passengers, taxpayers and the railway.
There are no current plans to review concessions in advance of the transition to Great British Railways, but it will have the opportunity to take a fresh look at the justification of the eligibility and restrictions of concessionary schemes.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the level of regularity of bus services in Hemel Hempstead constituency on the ability of residents to commute to work.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government knows that a modern public transport network is vital to keeping communities connected, and ensuring people can commute to work. The government believes that local transport authorities, working with bus operators, are best placed to determine and design local bus networks in their area. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England.
In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country, of which Hertfordshire County Council has been allocated £12.2 million. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce improvements to bus services to best meet the needs of passengers in their local area, including increasing the frequency of bus services.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish his Department's final delivery plan on myalgic encephalomyelitis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We aim to publish our myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), final delivery plan by the end of June 2025.
The plan will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of the people with this debilitating disease. The responses to the interim delivery plan consultation, along with continued close engagement with other parts of the Government, the National Health Service, and external stakeholders, will inform the development of the final ME/CFS delivery plan.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2025 to Question 38911 on Clothing: Public Places, whether she plans to take steps to help support residents who are scared to leave their homes due to people wearing balaclavas in town centres in Hertfordshire.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government wants town centres to be vibrant, welcoming places where businesses thrive and people feel safe and come to shop, socialise and live. What the Hon Member describes about town centres in Hertfordshire is absolutely unacceptable.
As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, and to support making the country’s streets safer, £66.3 million of Hotspot Action funding has been awarded to all 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales for 2025/26. Hertfordshire will receive £1 million of that funding.
In addition, under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, section 60AA permits officers on patrol to require the removal of face coverings over a 24 hour period, if an authorisation is in place, where there are grounds to believe criminal activity may take place in a particular area, and will last for 24 hours.
Furthermore, stop and search powers permit individuals to be stopped by officers if there are grounds to suspect they are going to commit offences, such as robbery and theft.
The implementation of a new Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee is also key to people feeling safe in their communities. The guarantee includes restoring patrols to town centres and delivering an additional 13,000 neighbourhood policing officers, PCSOs and special constables by the end of this parliament.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the sale of drug paraphernalia in high street retail outlets on levels of drug use among young people.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Under Section 9A of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (“the Act”), a person who supplies or offers to supply any article which may be used (or adapted to be used) in the unlawful administration of a controlled drug, is guilty of an offence.
An exception is made in the Act around the provision of hypodermic syringes, and there are further exceptions in the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, for the provision of certain articles when provided in the context of drug treatment.
Enforcement is a matter for the police.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
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 protect shared ownership leaseholders from excessive administration fees imposed by housing associations during the resale of their share; and whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that such fees are proportionate to the share being sold.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Shared ownership landlords are required to publish clear information about the resales process for shared ownership properties on their websites.
They are also required to outline their current selling fee in a ‘Key Information Document’ provided to prospective shared owners before reservation.
Some shared ownership leases will also state the resale fee which can be charged by shared ownership landlords.
The government is considering what more can be done to improve the experience of shared owners.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps with his international partners to reduce arms sales to warring parties in Sudan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Support from external actors to both warring parties only prolongs the conflict and the terrible human suffering. In our engagement with international partners, the UK continues to emphasise the importance of refraining from activity that prolongs the fighting and rather use their influence to support a peaceful resolution to the conflict. We will continue to work closely with partners at the UN Security Council to enforce the existing UN sanctions regime and arms embargo on Darfur. There is also a longstanding UK arms embargo in place for the whole of Sudan.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he ha made of the potential merits of using swift bricks when building new homes.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Natural England has identified that the lack of nest sites is a pressure on certain bird species, including the swift. Therefore, provision of swift bricks may aid recovery alongside other actions, such as to increase food resources.
The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) in December 2024, included several changes designed to enhance and protect the environment. For example, it expects developments to provide net gains for biodiversity, including through incorporating features such as swift bricks which support priority or threatened species. Defra policy officials are also working with MHCLG colleagues to consider what action may be appropriate to drive up rates of swift brick installation in new build properties.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the police in Hertfordshire on tackling the driving of (a) motorbikes and (b) mopeds on (i) pavements and (ii) other public spaces in Hertfordshire.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Tackling anti-social behaviour involving vehicles is a priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission to take back our streets.
On 25 February 2025, the Crime and Policing Bill was introduced to Parliament. The Bill includes proposals to give the police greater powers to clamp down on all vehicles involved in anti-social behaviour, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing vehicles.
This will allow the police to quickly remove anti-social motorbikes and mopeds from pavements and other public spaces and send a clear message to antisocial drivers that their behaviour will not be tolerated.
Enforcement of the law in Hertfordshire, including in relation to illegal driving of motorbikes, mopeds, on pavements and other public spaces, is an operational matter for Hertfordshire Police.