Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether funding saved by reducing the cost of hotel accommodation for asylum seekers in the UK will be given to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to spend on international aid overseas.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
At Spring Statement 2025, the government confirmed that ODA budgets across the Spending Review period would be set in cash terms, based on the Office for Budget Responsibility’s spring 2025 forecast of gross national income (GNI). This means the FCDO’s ODA budget will no longer be automatically exposed to the volatility of GNI fluctuations or to ODA spending by other departments, including changes in asylum costs, providing greater predictability.
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 assessment he has made of the potential merits of using automated parking systems to help tackle (a) congestion and (b) parking issues.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government recognises the growth of automated vehicle technologies and services in the UK.
The government is focused on delivering the Private Parking Code of Practice, which is being developed in accordance with the Private Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019. Any technological innovations will need to be compliant with the standards in the Code which will be made public in due course.
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 steps her Department's atrocity prevention specialists have taken in Sudan; and whether they have been surged to the region.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the response provided to the Urgent Question on Sudan: Protection of Civilians on 30 October 2025.
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 she has made of the (a) safety and (b) wellbeing of penguins housed in (i) zoos and (ii) aquariums.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government published new Standards of Modern Zoo Practice for Great Britain on 24 May 2025, which will come into force from May 2027. The new Standards contain the very latest in best practice for caring for animals in zoos and aquariums, including penguins, and will replace the 2012 Secretary of State’s Standards of Modern Zoo Practice.
Local authorities are responsible for licensing zoos and aquariums, enforcing conditions and carrying out inspections to ensure animals are being kept in line with the Standards.
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.