Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing (a) transitional protections and (b) alternative arrangements for long-serving NHS employees who retired, accessed their NHS pension and subsequently returned to NHS employment in circumstances where they were not made aware that doing so could substantially reduce their contractual redundancy entitlement.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No assessment has been made of the potential merits of introducing transitional protections or alternative arrangements for staff who have previously claimed pension benefits.

Redundancy terms for National Health Service staff on the Agenda for Change contract in England are set out under Section 16 of the NHS Staff Terms and Conditions of Service handbook, a set of terms collectively agreed by national collective bargaining structures including the NHS Staff Council. This also applies to other NHS staff whose redundancy terms refer to Section 16 of the Agenda for Change contract in England.

Claiming pension benefits, such as via retire and return, does not mean that NHS staff are ineligible for redundancy payments. However, taking pension benefits may change the way in which contractual redundancy payments are calculated.

The handbook states that service used for the purposes of calculating previous pension benefits will not count for the calculation of a contractual redundancy payment. Statutory redundancy entitlements are unaffected.

The Department commissions NHS Employers to provide guidance for employers on a range of topics, including NHS redundancy arrangements and retirement options, which they can then use to communicate with their staff.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance her Department provides to (a) NHS employees considering retire-and-return arrangements regarding the potential effect of accessing their NHS pension on their future contractual redundancy entitlement and (b) to NHS employers on ensuring that staff are informed of any significant reduction in redundancy protection before making a decision to retire and return.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No assessment has been made of the potential merits of introducing transitional protections or alternative arrangements for staff who have previously claimed pension benefits.

Redundancy terms for National Health Service staff on the Agenda for Change contract in England are set out under Section 16 of the NHS Staff Terms and Conditions of Service handbook, a set of terms collectively agreed by national collective bargaining structures including the NHS Staff Council. This also applies to other NHS staff whose redundancy terms refer to Section 16 of the Agenda for Change contract in England.

Claiming pension benefits, such as via retire and return, does not mean that NHS staff are ineligible for redundancy payments. However, taking pension benefits may change the way in which contractual redundancy payments are calculated.

The handbook states that service used for the purposes of calculating previous pension benefits will not count for the calculation of a contractual redundancy payment. Statutory redundancy entitlements are unaffected.

The Department commissions NHS Employers to provide guidance for employers on a range of topics, including NHS redundancy arrangements and retirement options, which they can then use to communicate with their staff.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent profiteering on the sale of road fuel and off-grid fuel prices.

Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government will not tolerate profiteering or unfair practices in fuel markets.

For road fuel, we are supporting greater competition and transparency through Fuel Finder, which requires retailers to share live prices. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) also continues to monitor retailer behaviour, including passive pricing strategies that may contribute to sustained high margins.

For heating oil, the CMA has proposed stronger consumer protections, including supplier registration and minimum standards, improved price transparency, independent dispute resolution and better support for vulnerable households. It has also secured compensation for customers affected by cancelled orders. The Government welcomes this work, is carefully considering the CMA’s recommendations and intends to respond formally in due course.

Vulnerable households facing immediate financial difficulties because of rising heating oil prices are encouraged to contact their local authority to find out what support may be available to them through the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) which has over £50million to help low-income families tackle surging prices.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what his Department is doing to ensure manufacturing businesses have access to high strength alloys in the context of a change to steel import tariffs.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government recognises the importance of high strength alloys and other specialist steel products to UK manufacturing. The steel trade measure is designed to protect the long-term viability of UK steelmaking and supply chain resilience, while ensuring continued access to essential imports.

The measure applies only to steel categories that can be made in the UK. In some instances, technical constraints mean that some product codes cover both UK-produced and non-UK-produced grades and sizes. In these cases, quotas have been sized accordingly. We continue to engage closely with businesses and will review the measure after 12 months.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of steel goods manufacture being offshored on the cost of goods manufactured in the UK.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government recognises that a strong domestic steel sector and a competitive manufacturing base depend on one another and our approach seeks to support both.

We are closely monitoring impacts across the supply chain, including on downstream manufacturers and trade flows, and we will continue to hear from businesses on the impact of the measure. We will review it after 12 months to ensure it remains effective and the balance is right for both producers and downstream users. Additionally, Explanatory Memoranda to the legislation that implemented the measure were published setting out the expected impacts on different sectors and businesses across the supply chain.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the level of availability of steel grades subject to import tariffs but not manufactured by UK steel mills.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The steel trade measure applies only to product categories that can be made in the UK. In some instances, technical constraints mean that some product codes cover both UK-produced and non-UK-produced grades and sizes. In these cases, quotas have been sized accordingly.

We have engaged extensively with UK industry, including through a Call for Evidence in 2025 and extensive official and ministerial engagement across the steel supply chain. We are closely monitoring the implementation of the trade measure, continuing to engage with businesses and will review the full measure after 12 months.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made on the next steps laid out in the Animal Welfare Strategy for England, published on December 2025.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Animal Welfare Strategy sets out the priority issues that this Government will address, focusing on the changes and improvements that Defra aim to achieve by 2030 to improve the lives of millions of animals across the UK. The Government is determined to deliver these reforms and has already undertaken a number of consultations on phasing out cages for laying hens, improving lamb welfare and trail hunting. Defra are now analysing the responses to these consultations.

This Government has published Animal Welfare Committee Opinions on breeding in commercial livestock and responsible sourcing of fur. We have also held the first meeting of the fur working group to explore concerns and the different ways in which they could be addressed.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency has been commissioned to conduct a review of the evidence relating to mole traps; corvid traps; and the spring traps listed on the Spring Trap Approval Order as it applies in England. This review is underway and is expected to conclude by April 2027.

As set out in the strategy we are working with industry, keepers and farmers to improve resilience to a changing climate. This summer, the department met with the pig sector on this and also with the meat chicken industry to discuss the impact of the heatwaves and to hear from them about the effectiveness of the mitigations they have put in place since the 2022 heatwave.

Defra is continuing to progress implementation of the strategy in a phased way.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the treatment of Palestinian healthcare workers in detention.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK government regularly engages with Israeli counterparts to express concern about the detention of Palestinian doctors and other detainees. We have been consistently clear that all detainees, including doctors, must be treated with dignity and in full accordance with international law, and that any allegations of torture or mistreatment must be thoroughly investigated. The UK continues to urge the Government of Israel to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) immediate and unfettered access to all detention facilities and detainees.

Devon maternity services

Barbering and hairdressing

Royal National Lifeboat Institution (No. 2)

Battle of Britain Day 2026

Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) rescue operations

Contribution of women to the Bayeux Tapestry

World Suicide Prevention Day 2026

Support for hospices

Publication of Legal Advice on Local Government Reorganisation

Somerset Armed Forces Hub

Cosmetic specifications for fresh produce and national food security

Society lottery limits

Enhertu for metastatic breast cancer patients

2026 Sustainable Farming Incentive

Submit Evidence (by 4 Nov 2026)

This inquiry will consider the role of UK Defence in the Gulf region. It will examine the UK’s defence interests and objectives, force posture, and defence partnerships. It will cover the implications of recent crises, including the 2026 conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States, for the UK’s future defence presence.