Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with her Kosovan counterparts on a bilateral security agreement.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Home Secretary met with her Kosovan counterpart as part of the Western Balkans Summit Interior Ministers meeting.
They discussed a range of issues in the bilateral relationship, including the UK’s support for Kosovo’s security. The UK remains committed to its close and longstanding partnership with Kosovo.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taken to reduce the time taken for processing of Disclosure and Barring Service checks.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
As an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body of the Home Office, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is operationally independent and responsible for the service it provides.
It currently operates to formalised service standards of completing 85% of Basic check applications within 2 days, 85% of Standard check applications within 3 days, and 80% of Enhanced check applications within 14 days.
Its latest performance against these service standards is available at DBS dataset 1: DBS checks, DBS Update Service, and disputes - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department is working with (a) EU and (b) G7 partners to coordinate the release of (i) frozen Russian-linked assets and (ii) the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club; and which body holds final authority over the (A) release and (B) allocation of those funds.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Chancellor is actively engaging with EU and G7 partners through regular discussions with G7 finance ministers to explore all viable legal avenues to make use of Russia’s sovereign assets for the benefit of Ukraine, in line with international law.
Separately, the Government is working hard to ensure that the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club are directed towards humanitarian causes in Ukraine as swiftly as possible. These proceeds are not sovereign Russian assets, but rather funds owned by a private entity (Fordstam Ltd), which is itself owned by a Designated Person under UK sanctions regulations – Mr Abramovich.
In common with all other frozen funds, the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club remain the property of the Designated Person. Agreement must be given by Fordstam Ltd for these funds to be transferred to a new independent charitable foundation for humanitarian assistance in Ukraine. To date, they have not provided this agreement.
While the door for negotiating an agreement remains open, the Government is fully prepared to pursue this matter through the courts if required.
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 recent discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders on an asylum processing hub in Kosovo.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 9th June to question 56153.
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, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policies of the report by Action on Smoking and Health entitled At risk? Tobacco dependence treatment in the NHS, published on 28 August 2025.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the 10 Year Health Plan, the Government remains committed to ensuring that all hospitals integrate ‘opt-out’ smoking cessation interventions into routine care. This is an important part of our ambition for a smoke-free United Kingdom. We assess that continued investment into National Health Service tobacco dependence services at a local level is important to realise this ambition. We note the risks highlighted in this report and we will continue to monitor investment of NHS tobacco dependence services.
Integrated care boards have access to funding to support the rollout of tobacco dependency treatment services in hospital settings, including acute and mental health inpatient settings and maternity services, within their 2025/26 allocations. Future funding decisions, including any decision to expand tobacco dependency treatment services to additional settings beyond routine care, are subject to the Spending Review process.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to tackle number plate cloning; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of vehicle cloning on (a) the finances, (b) the legal position and (c) other factors for motorists in Hertfordshire incorrectly pursued for offences committed by others.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime, including the use of cloned number plates.
The law requires anyone who supplies number plates for road use in the UK to be registered with the DVLA. It is a legal requirement for suppliers to carry out checks to ensure that number plates are only sold to those who can prove they are entitled to the registration number and suppliers must also keep records of the plates they have supplied.
The DVLA assists the police and Trading Standards in their enforcement against number plate suppliers, including those who trade illegally. When notified, the DVLA will investigate and pass on intelligence to the police who are responsible for investigating this criminal matter.
Anyone who thinks their number plate may have been cloned should contact the police immediately. Any fines received should be returned to the issuing authorities. The DVLA can provide customers with letters that can be used as supporting evidence and can also on request provide a replacement registration number free of charge, to help victims of number plate cloning. This helps the police to identify the vehicle concerned and prevent the receipt of any fixed penalties for that vehicle registration number.
The specific information requested about the potential impact of this issue on motorists in Hertfordshire is not available.
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 the Government is taking to improve the Building Safety Regulator's processes to ensure the statutory eight-week timeframe for work to existing buildings is consistently met for all unsafe high-rise buildings in the remediation programme.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has a prominent role in supporting delivery of the Remediation Acceleration Plan (RAP), from monitoring through to enforcement, and accelerating the pace of remediation. The department published a further update to the RAP on 17 July.
On 30 June, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced significant changes marking a new phase of operations for the BSR, including governance changes, new leadership and a new operating model which aims to speed up the processing of both new build and remediation applications. In addition to the new model, the BSR is setting up a standalone enforcement unit for remediation cases which is expected to be operational in autumn.
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 progress has been made on the creation of the Western Forest.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In March 2025, the Government launched the first new National Forest in 30 years, the Western Forest. The forest will see 20 million trees planted across the West of England and create at least 2,500 hectares of new woodland, bringing nature closer to people, helping to prevent flooding, supporting wildlife, and contribute to our nature and legal environment targets.
As the accountable body for the Western Forest, the Forest of Avon Trust is working with the National Forest Company and regional partners, recruiting a strong team to mobilise the project, scoping the most suitable sites for the creation of the forest’s foundations, and raising awareness of the project across the region.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to provide exemptions to Developing Countries Trading Scheme countries for Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK has no current plans for an exemption from the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) for least developed countries (LDCs). UK imports from LDCs make up a very small proportion of total CBAM imports, approximately 0.03% (HMRC origin data 2023). Using a range of sources the Government estimates that, on average, less than 1% of LDCs’ total exports of goods from CBAM sectors are exported to the UK.
The UK will continue to engage with its trade partners, including LDCs, ahead of the introduction of the CBAM.
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 his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) the International Finance Facility for Education and (b) other innovative finance models on delivering value for money in education spending.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is too early to assess the impact of the International Finance Facility for Education (IFFEd) which was established only in 2024. The first investment cases will be approved by IFFEd's Board at the end of 2025 and projects will then begin implementation by the Asian Development Bank. An evaluation of IFFEd will take place over the next three years to understand impact.
The value for money assessments of our Results-Based Finance pilots through the Education Outcomes Fund (EOF) in Ghana and Sierra Leone are ongoing. Early analysis suggests the approach, which pays only for results achieved, leads to greater impact on children's learning outcomes. The final analysis will be available in 2026.
The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Multiplier was externally evaluated in 2023. The Multiplier was found to be an effective mechanism for unlocking additional education finance, including from new philanthropic and private sector sources, of which 30% has been non-Official Development Assistance.