Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when she last raised the case of Karim Ennarah with her Egyptian counterpart.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK regularly raises human rights and civil society issues with the Egyptian authorities. We are aware of Mr Karim Ennarah's case, and our Ambassador in Egypt met Mr Ennarah and his wife in October this year.
We are committed to supporting human rights defenders, who play a vital role and should be able to work freely in Egypt, consistent with rights guaranteed under the Egyptian Constitution.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what evidential basis she decided to include fiscal incentives for electric cars but not for low or zero-emission motorcycles, mopeds, or other L-Category vehicles in the Autumn Budget 2025.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
At Budget, Government announced the electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED), which will ensure electric car drivers contribute fairly to using the roads and protect the long-term fiscal sustainability of the country. Alongside this, Government committed to providing £1.3 billion of additional funding for the Electric Car Grant, meaning more motorists can benefit from a discount of up to £3,750, reducing the upfront costs of these vehicles for consumers.
The Government's plug-in motorcycle grant is available until the end of financial year 2025/26 or when budgets have been exhausted, whichever comes first.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of updating the collection of STATS19 national collision statistics to allow for differentiation between motorcycles and mopeds.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The STATS19 collection already provides a differentiation for motorcycles by engine capacity, including a category for motorcycles under 50cc, with a breakdown as shown in the published statistics in data table RAS0502 available on the gov.uk website (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/reported-road-accidents-vehicles-and-casualties-tables-for-great-britain#vehicles-and-drivers-ras05)
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will review the Plug-in Motorcycle Grant and extend it beyond April 2026.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Plug-in Motorcycle Grant will continue at the same price threshold. The grant will close at the end of the 2025/26 FY or when budgets have been exhausted, whichever comes first.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2025 to Question 91898, if the MOD produces any drones for non-military purposes with Chinese components.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
All drones or Uncrewed Air Systems (UAS) procured as Programmes of Record under Ministry of Defence (MOD) commercial frameworks are deemed for military use, regardless of function.
The UK MOD does not operate Chinese-manufactured drones. We review our supply chains regularly to identify and mitigate risk to national security.
For drones procured outside frameworks, such as small unit purchases for training, procurement officers must consult the Defence Uncrewed Systems Design Authority for guidance to ensure that all uncrewed systems acquired for the UK military are integrated, interoperable, safe, secure, and provide value for money across the entire defence enterprise.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will review the £10,000 price threshold applied to electric motorcycles for the Plug-in Motorcycle Grant.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Plug-in Motorcycle Grant will continue at the same price threshold. The grant will close at the end of the 2025/26 FY or when budgets have been exhausted, whichever comes first.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what mechanisms his department uses to ensure integrated care boards commission children’s palliative care services effectively and in accordance with national quality standards.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework for England. I refer the Hon. Member for Leicester South and the Rt. Hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green to the Written Ministerial Statement HCWS1087 I gave to the House on 24 November 2025.
We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are providing £80 million for children’s and young people’s hospices over the next three financial years, giving them stability to plan ahead and focus on what matters most, caring for their patients.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
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 potential merits of modelling how much integrated care boards should spend on the health elements of children's palliative care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework for England. I refer the Hon. Member for Leicester South and the Rt. Hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green to the Written Ministerial Statement HCWS1087 I gave to the House on 24 November 2025.
We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are providing £80 million for children’s and young people’s hospices over the next three financial years, giving them stability to plan ahead and focus on what matters most, caring for their patients.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2025 to Question UIN 43405, whether he or Ministers in his Department have visited the Old British Cemetery in Girne, Northern Cyprus; and whether he plans to do so.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Whilst the Ministry of Defence continues to recognise and value the sacrifice of the 371 UK Service personnel who gave their lives during the ‘Cyprus Emergency’, Parliamentary and Ministerial commitments mean there are no plans to visit the memorial at The Old British Cemetery at Girne (Kyrenia).
Whilst the cemetery is located in the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is not recognised by this Government, the British High Commission in Nicosia regularly honours those Service personnel who died, including through the annual laying of a wreath at the official Remembrance Day Service at the Nicosia War Cemetery where British soldiers are buried.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, under what legal power the Government seized the property belonging to Rifaat al-Assad in Mayfair, London following his conviction for money laundering and embezzling public funds in France in 2020.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) provides law enforcement agencies with a wide range of powers to freeze, seize and recover criminal assets, such as property.
These include restraint orders, property freezing orders, recovery and confiscation orders. Over 250 agencies have had POCA powers extended to them, including the National Crime Agency, police forces, HMRC and the Serious Fraud Office.