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 made of the potential impact of agricultural cooperatives on the rural economy.

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

The Government strongly supports the benefits co-operatives can bring and recognises the important role they play in rural communities. For instance, through collaborating farmers and growers can benefit from peer to peer learning, being able to share equipment and being able to act at scale.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on (a) the management of foot and mouth disease and (b) recent restrictions on (i) meat and (ii) dairy imports.

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

Defra and the European Commission regularly exchange information in relation to (a) the management of foot and mouth disease outbreaks in the European Union in 2025 and (b) the import restrictions on meat and dairy products that we put in place to protect UK farmers. This information includes details of surveillance, testing, movements of animals and goods, and other outbreak controls.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 August 2025 to Question 68668 on Israel: Palestinians, if she will have discussions with her Israeli counterparts on (a) releasing children held in administrative detention, (b) the transparancey of information on the number of Palestinian children detained and (c) allegations in relation to the abuse of those children in detention.

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

The UK regularly raises our concerns about Palestinian children in detention with the Israeli authorities. We are clear that children must always be protected, and their rights upheld in accordance with international law. We are horrified by reports of mistreatment or abuse of Palestinian children in detention and call on the Israeli authorities to investigate these urgently and to ensure any perpetrators are held to account. Children must only be detained in line with internationally agreed juvenile justice standards or other applicable international law, and we call for an end to the military detention of Palestinian children where this is incompatible with those principles. We continue to call on Israel to immediately facilitate urgent, unhindered access to all child detainees from the West Bank and Gaza to persons providing legal assistance, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and appropriate experts for the purposes of monitoring and reporting.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the situation in Nepal.

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

The UK and Nepal share a deep historic relationship. We were appalled at the violence that transpired in Kathmandu and across Nepal following protests that were triggered by the Government of Nepal banning a number of social media platforms, as well as public frustrations about levels of corruption and nepotism. The UK supports fundamental freedoms and respect for human rights in Nepal and elsewhere, including the right to protest and peaceful assembly. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) made public statements condemning the violence and calling for accountability and peaceful dialogue.

On 12 September, our Embassy in Nepal welcomed the appointment of Rt Hon Sushila Karki's as interim Prime Minister. As Nepal's oldest friend, we recognise the challenges ahead and affirm our commitment to support Nepali aspirations for accountability and inclusive governance.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of bank lending to (a) individuals and (b) businesses in the key areas reviewed by the Independent Commission for Neighbourhoods.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises that credit, when provided responsibly, supports business growth, and can be crucial for people facing unexpected expenses or managing their cash flow.

The UK has a diverse landscape for credit provision to individuals and businesses, comprising traditional banks, challenger and specialist banks, and non-bank finance providers.

As part of this landscape, Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs) play a vital role in providing affordable credit to underserved consumers and businesses. In November 2024, the British Business Bank launched the Community ENABLE Funding (CEF) Programme, which aims to deploy £150 million over the next two years to ‘not for profit’ lenders, including CDFIs. This will enable these organisations to provide enhanced support to consumers and businesses by broadening access to finance. In 2024, CDFIs and social banks lent £96.7 million to 364 social enterprises, with 67% of this lending directed to the UK’s most disadvantaged areas.

Furthermore, in recognition of the important role responsible credit can play for consumers, the Government’s forthcoming Financial Inclusion Strategy includes a focus on access to credit, among other priority issues, and will seek to ensure people have access to useful products and services for their needs.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an estimate of changes to the cost of trading with the EU for financial services firms based in the UK since the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement came into force.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Trade and Cooperation Agreement remains a cornerstone of our relationship with the EU. The government is committed to its full implementation and to maximising the benefits for UK citizens and businesses. However, it is for the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to provide independent and authoritative analysis and forecasting for the UK public finances.

We have reset our relations with European partners in order to improve our diplomatic, economic, and security cooperation following Brexit. The Prime Minister hosted the inaugural UK-EU Summit on 19 May 2025, where we reached a significant new agreement to build a new strategic partnership with the EU. It was the first of annual summits, that will provide opportunities to strengthen our relationship and ensure that opportunities for cooperation are maximised for years to come.

In financial services, strengthening our relationships with all international partners, including the EU, is a key focus of the government’s Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy published in July.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department has taken with (a) building societies, (b) friendly societies and (c) mutual insurers to grow the size of the mutual sector.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government is committed to supporting the growth of financial mutuals in line with the manifesto commitment to double the size of the mutual and co-operative sector. HM Treasury has already announced measures to support financial mutuals and is currently progressing these.

For building societies, HM Treasury has committed to progressing further amendments to the Building Societies Act 1986 following two statutory instruments being laid in October 2024. This will create a more supportive legislative environment for building societies.

For friendly societies and mutual insurers, HM Treasury is funding the Law Commission’s independent review of Friendly Societies Acts 1974 and 1992, which will put forward recommendations to develop a more modern and supportive legislative environment for relevant societies. The government will carefully consider the findings of the review to understand whether legislative reform is needed.

To support all financial mutuals, HM Treasury has also asked the Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority to produce a report on the current landscape of the sector. This is expected to be published before the end of 2025. The government also welcomed the establishment of the Mutual and Co-operative Sector Business Council to provide a voice for the mutuals sector to support government policy. Representatives from major building societies, mutual insurers, and relevant trade bodies sit on the Council. The government also published the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, which will support all organisations in the financial services sector and encourages the sector to continue to work in partnership with government to deliver growth.

The government welcomes its regular engagement with financial mutuals, including through the Council, to understand how best to support growth. This includes ministerial meetings and roundtables. For example, representatives from building societies, mutual insurers, and credit unions recently contributed their views at roundtables on the Growth & Competitiveness Strategy. Additionally, from November 2024 to March 2025 HM Treasury ran a call for evidence to collect formal responses on potential reform of the credit union common bond in Great Britain. Responses to this are now being considered and next steps will be communicated in due course.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department plans to formally consult with financial mutual businesses on doubling the size of the mutual sector.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government is committed to supporting the growth of financial mutuals in line with the manifesto commitment to double the size of the mutual and co-operative sector. HM Treasury has already announced measures to support financial mutuals and is currently progressing these.

For building societies, HM Treasury has committed to progressing further amendments to the Building Societies Act 1986 following two statutory instruments being laid in October 2024. This will create a more supportive legislative environment for building societies.

For friendly societies and mutual insurers, HM Treasury is funding the Law Commission’s independent review of Friendly Societies Acts 1974 and 1992, which will put forward recommendations to develop a more modern and supportive legislative environment for relevant societies. The government will carefully consider the findings of the review to understand whether legislative reform is needed.

To support all financial mutuals, HM Treasury has also asked the Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority to produce a report on the current landscape of the sector. This is expected to be published before the end of 2025. The government also welcomed the establishment of the Mutual and Co-operative Sector Business Council to provide a voice for the mutuals sector to support government policy. Representatives from major building societies, mutual insurers, and relevant trade bodies sit on the Council. The government also published the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, which will support all organisations in the financial services sector and encourages the sector to continue to work in partnership with government to deliver growth.

The government welcomes its regular engagement with financial mutuals, including through the Council, to understand how best to support growth. This includes ministerial meetings and roundtables. For example, representatives from building societies, mutual insurers, and credit unions recently contributed their views at roundtables on the Growth & Competitiveness Strategy. Additionally, from November 2024 to March 2025 HM Treasury ran a call for evidence to collect formal responses on potential reform of the credit union common bond in Great Britain. Responses to this are now being considered and next steps will be communicated in due course.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department plans to take to encourage the growth of (a) building societies and (b) mutual insurers.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government is committed to supporting the growth of financial mutuals in line with the manifesto commitment to double the size of the mutual and co-operative sector. HM Treasury has already announced measures to support financial mutuals and is currently progressing these.

For building societies, HM Treasury has committed to progressing further amendments to the Building Societies Act 1986 following two statutory instruments being laid in October 2024. This will create a more supportive legislative environment for building societies.

For friendly societies and mutual insurers, HM Treasury is funding the Law Commission’s independent review of Friendly Societies Acts 1974 and 1992, which will put forward recommendations to develop a more modern and supportive legislative environment for relevant societies. The government will carefully consider the findings of the review to understand whether legislative reform is needed.

To support all financial mutuals, HM Treasury has also asked the Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority to produce a report on the current landscape of the sector. This is expected to be published before the end of 2025. The government also welcomed the establishment of the Mutual and Co-operative Sector Business Council to provide a voice for the mutuals sector to support government policy. Representatives from major building societies, mutual insurers, and relevant trade bodies sit on the Council. The government also published the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, which will support all organisations in the financial services sector and encourages the sector to continue to work in partnership with government to deliver growth.

The government welcomes its regular engagement with financial mutuals, including through the Council, to understand how best to support growth. This includes ministerial meetings and roundtables. For example, representatives from building societies, mutual insurers, and credit unions recently contributed their views at roundtables on the Growth & Competitiveness Strategy. Additionally, from November 2024 to March 2025 HM Treasury ran a call for evidence to collect formal responses on potential reform of the credit union common bond in Great Britain. Responses to this are now being considered and next steps will be communicated in due course.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department plans to take to enable credit unions to offer mortgages.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has made clear its strong support for the credit union sector, recognising the value that credit unions bring to their members in local communities across the country in providing savings products and affordable credit.

Credit unions in Great Britain are already permitted to offer mortgages.

It is the choice of individual credit unions whether they choose to offer mortgages, and some have chosen to do so. Credit unions who offer mortgages may be subject to additional regulatory requirements from the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to account for the increased risk in providing such services.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) pubs and (b) other hospitality businesses with outstanding covid-19 loans.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

This information is not held centrally by the Department for Business and Trade.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the top 10 UK service export destinations were in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 10th October is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the level of (a) exports and (b) imports trade (i) to the nearest billion pounds and (ii) by share with the (A) EU, (B) US and (C) rest of the world in the last period for which data is available.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 10th October is attached.

Found: following the publication of Volume 1 of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry report, my predecessor, Gareth Thomas

Found: following the publication of Volume 1 of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry report, my predecessor, Gareth Thomas