Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment her Department has made of the (a) prevalence and (b) level of passenger drop-off charges at UK airports with major international airports overseas.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department has not made a comparative assessment of the prevalence or level of drop-off charges at UK airports with major international airports overseas. Decisions on the provision and pricing of airport parking are commercial matters for individual airport operators. Many airports across the UK offer free drop-off alternatives, either within walking distance of the airport or via a complementary shuttle bus service. The Department will continue to engage with operators to help ensure that, where airports choose to charge, they are implemented in a way that is fair and transparent.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department collects data on the annual revenue generated by UK airports from passenger drop-off charges.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Decisions on drop-off charges are commercial matters for individual airport operators to set and justify to their customers. The Department does not routinely collect data on revenue generated from these charges.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate she has made of the average time taken to process compensation payments to the estates of deceased infected blood victims; and what steps she is taking to processing times in cases where the estate was previously registered with an infected blood support scheme.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The delivery of compensation is a matter for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA). With regards to estates of deceased infected people, IBCA has asked each registered estate where there is a beneficiary who is nearing the end of their life, to start their claim, and is now contacting estates with beneficiaries aged 75 or over. This is in line with the prioritisation criteria recommended by the Infected Blood Inquiry in its July 2025 Additional Report.

As of 25 August 2026, 1,099 people acting on behalf of a deceased infected person have been asked to start their claim, with over £65 million paid. Where the deceased infected person was registered with an Infected Blood Support Scheme, IBCA is using all the information they have already provided to handle their claim, and only asks for additional information if there is any necessary information missing, such as date of diagnosis.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of replacing Council Tax with a Proportional Property Tax.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government remains committed to ensuring the council tax system is fair for taxpayers and local authorities and will continue to keep all parts of the system under review. The Chancellor makes announcements about tax policy at the Budget.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, how many of the projects listed on the UKRI Gateway to Research portal awarded funding within each of the last five years involve the use of live animals under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The UKRI Gateway to Research portal does not record whether projects involve the use of live animals under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. Information is held separately by individual research councils and is not available as a UKRI-wide figure. The Medical Research Council identified 181 relevant grants in 2022, 166 in 2023, 155 in 2024 and 116 in 2025. Equivalent data for 2021 are unavailable. These figures exclude relevant research supported through MRC units and institutes, which is not reportable by calendar year. The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council identified 74 relevant awards in 2021, 58 in 2022, 76 in 2023, 68 in 2024 and 56 in 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether any arms export licences for Israel which could materially contribute to the occupation of Palestine have been revoked since 8 September 2026.

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 has concluded that Israel’s ongoing occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful.

We have already suspended licences for equipment that might be used by the IDF in Gaza. This suspension remains in place. Additionally, we will now refuse all applications for exports that materially contribute to the occupation.

We have also reviewed all extant licences for exports to Israel on the same basis. All licences are maintained under careful and continual review, and we can and will suspend or revoke any that we assess materially contribute to the occupation.

No additional licences have been revoked or suspended since 8 September 2026. This is largely because licences for items that might materially contribute to the occupation have already been suspended because of Israel’s conduct in the Gaza conflict. We now have in effect an additional lock on relevant licences.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether there are any extant arms export licences for Israel that could be used to materially contribute to the occupation of Palestine.

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 has concluded that Israel’s ongoing occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful.

We have already suspended licences for equipment that might be used by the IDF in Gaza. This suspension remains in place. Additionally, we will now refuse all applications for exports that materially contribute to the occupation.

We have also reviewed all extant licences for exports to Israel on the same basis. All licences are maintained under careful and continual review, and we can and will suspend or revoke any that we assess materially contribute to the occupation.

No additional licences have been revoked or suspended since 8 September 2026. This is largely because licences for items that might materially contribute to the occupation have already been suspended because of Israel’s conduct in the Gaza conflict. We now have in effect an additional lock on relevant licences.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of existing legal protections for victims of domestic abuse in preventing economic abuse through the disposal, transfer or occupation of property.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government recognises that there is clear evidence of challenges faced by victim-survivors of domestic abuse in financial proceedings on divorce, including in relation to enforcement of financial orders, such as property adjustment orders. Enforcement is a critical issue within the wider context of domestic abuse, including economic abuse, as failures to secure compliance can perpetuate harm and undermine the intent of court orders. As outlined in the Government’s recent consultation, A Fairer End to Relationships, we recognise the importance of this issue and will give further careful consideration to how it might best be addressed.

The Government also recognises concerns about the adequacy of existing legal protections in preventing economic abuse through the disposal, transfer or occupation of property. Whilst protections exist for divorcing couples, the law does not currently provide a specific legislative framework giving financial rights and protections for cohabitants who separate. Our consultation proposed new framework of protections for cohabitants, and also asked for views on how domestic abuse, including economic abuse, could be taken into account in financial proceedings on divorce and in any future cohabitation proceedings. The consultation has now closed and the Government is considering the responses before finalising its policies.

The Department does not collect data on cases in which domestic abuse survivors are unable to access or occupy property awarded to them through family court proceedings.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of mechanisms for enforcing family court property adjustment orders.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government recognises that there is clear evidence of challenges faced by victim-survivors of domestic abuse in financial proceedings on divorce, including in relation to enforcement of financial orders, such as property adjustment orders. Enforcement is a critical issue within the wider context of domestic abuse, including economic abuse, as failures to secure compliance can perpetuate harm and undermine the intent of court orders. As outlined in the Government’s recent consultation, A Fairer End to Relationships, we recognise the importance of this issue and will give further careful consideration to how it might best be addressed.

The Government also recognises concerns about the adequacy of existing legal protections in preventing economic abuse through the disposal, transfer or occupation of property. Whilst protections exist for divorcing couples, the law does not currently provide a specific legislative framework giving financial rights and protections for cohabitants who separate. Our consultation proposed new framework of protections for cohabitants, and also asked for views on how domestic abuse, including economic abuse, could be taken into account in financial proceedings on divorce and in any future cohabitation proceedings. The consultation has now closed and the Government is considering the responses before finalising its policies.

The Department does not collect data on cases in which domestic abuse survivors are unable to access or occupy property awarded to them through family court proceedings.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, how much funding his Department has provided to Government research councils for (a) animal-based research and (b) the development of non-animal experimentation methods in each of the last five years.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is not possible to provide an overall funding figure for research councils funding for animal-based research and the development of non-animal methods, as funding is not generally allocated to UKRI based on specific research approaches. UKRI funds research on the basis of scientific excellence and need. Through its standard funding processes, UKRI only supports research involving animals where no scientifically acceptable non-animal alternative exists and where researchers have properly considered and applied the principles of replacement, reduction and refinement (the 3Rs). UKRI also supports non-animal approaches, including through investment in the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs).

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department collects on cases in which domestic abuse survivors are unable to access or occupy property awarded to them through family court proceedings.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government recognises that there is clear evidence of challenges faced by victim-survivors of domestic abuse in financial proceedings on divorce, including in relation to enforcement of financial orders, such as property adjustment orders. Enforcement is a critical issue within the wider context of domestic abuse, including economic abuse, as failures to secure compliance can perpetuate harm and undermine the intent of court orders. As outlined in the Government’s recent consultation, A Fairer End to Relationships, we recognise the importance of this issue and will give further careful consideration to how it might best be addressed.

The Government also recognises concerns about the adequacy of existing legal protections in preventing economic abuse through the disposal, transfer or occupation of property. Whilst protections exist for divorcing couples, the law does not currently provide a specific legislative framework giving financial rights and protections for cohabitants who separate. Our consultation proposed new framework of protections for cohabitants, and also asked for views on how domestic abuse, including economic abuse, could be taken into account in financial proceedings on divorce and in any future cohabitation proceedings. The consultation has now closed and the Government is considering the responses before finalising its policies.

The Department does not collect data on cases in which domestic abuse survivors are unable to access or occupy property awarded to them through family court proceedings.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's press release of 26 August 2026 entitled New counter-terror hub launched to protect British communities, when she plans to publish (a) the name, (b) the terms of reference and (c) any guidance or operating framework of the diversion programme discussed therein.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

At the Five Country Ministerial in Sydney, August 2026, Five Eyes partners agreed to the Home Office proposal to establish a Countering Violent Extremism Hub in London. This was agreed as a practical way to strengthen our existing cooperation on shared countering violent extremism challenges. The detailed design of the Hub is now being developed with Five Eyes partners, including its Terms of Reference.

The Home Office also announced the development of a new online interventions programme, beginning with a pilot to develop and test a rights-compliant, safeguarding-led approach to identifying and supporting individuals vulnerable to online radicalisation at an earlier stage. The detailed design of the programme remains under development. Decisions on matters such as consultation, publication of programme documentation and any longer-term delivery arrangements will be considered as that work progresses

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to consult publicly on the design of the diversion programme announced on 26 August 2026.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

At the Five Country Ministerial in Sydney, August 2026, Five Eyes partners agreed to the Home Office proposal to establish a Countering Violent Extremism Hub in London. This was agreed as a practical way to strengthen our existing cooperation on shared countering violent extremism challenges. The detailed design of the Hub is now being developed with Five Eyes partners, including its Terms of Reference.

The Home Office also announced the development of a new online interventions programme, beginning with a pilot to develop and test a rights-compliant, safeguarding-led approach to identifying and supporting individuals vulnerable to online radicalisation at an earlier stage. The detailed design of the programme remains under development. Decisions on matters such as consultation, publication of programme documentation and any longer-term delivery arrangements will be considered as that work progresses

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to introduce legislation to give the diversion programme announced on 26 August 2026 a statutory basis.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

At the Five Country Ministerial in Sydney, August 2026, Five Eyes partners agreed to the Home Office proposal to establish a Countering Violent Extremism Hub in London. This was agreed as a practical way to strengthen our existing cooperation on shared countering violent extremism challenges. The detailed design of the Hub is now being developed with Five Eyes partners, including its Terms of Reference.

The Home Office also announced the development of a new online interventions programme, beginning with a pilot to develop and test a rights-compliant, safeguarding-led approach to identifying and supporting individuals vulnerable to online radicalisation at an earlier stage. The detailed design of the programme remains under development. Decisions on matters such as consultation, publication of programme documentation and any longer-term delivery arrangements will be considered as that work progresses

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which organisations her Department has consulted to date on the diversion programme announced on 26 August 2026.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

At the Five Country Ministerial in Sydney, August 2026, Five Eyes partners agreed to the Home Office proposal to establish a Countering Violent Extremism Hub in London. This was agreed as a practical way to strengthen our existing cooperation on shared countering violent extremism challenges. The detailed design of the Hub is now being developed with Five Eyes partners, including its Terms of Reference.

The Home Office also announced the development of a new online interventions programme, beginning with a pilot to develop and test a rights-compliant, safeguarding-led approach to identifying and supporting individuals vulnerable to online radicalisation at an earlier stage. The detailed design of the programme remains under development. Decisions on matters such as consultation, publication of programme documentation and any longer-term delivery arrangements will be considered as that work progresses

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 10 September 2026 to question UIN 27117, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of further international co-ordination on Public Country by Country Reporting.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 10 September 2026 to Question UIN 27117.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will review the decision to exclude trainer aircraft components from arms export suspensions on Israel.

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

We assess that trainer aircraft are not used in Gaza and that they do not materially contribute to Israel's illegal occupation. We keep all licences under continuous and careful review.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether any goods, software, technology or equipment exported from the UK to Israel under extant export licences have been identified by his Department as being used for the operation, security, surveillance or management of Israeli prisons or detention facilities holding Palestinian detainees.

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)

This Government would not issue or maintain an export licence where there is a clear risk the goods might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of Internal Humanitarian Law (IHL), including with respect to the treatment of detainees. Additionally, in light of the unlawful occupation, we will now refuse all licence applications to Israel for exports that materially contribute to the occupation.

We have also reviewed all extant licences for exports to Israel on the same basis. All licences are maintained under careful and continual review, and we can and will suspend or revoke licences where we assess them to be no longer compliant.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of placing sanctions on (a) Pearson Engineering Limited and( b) other UK-based companies that are (i) owned and (ii) partially controlled by the Israeli ministry of finance.

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

The Government does not comment on individual companies or speculate on potential designations. When developing any sanctions we consult with a range of key stakeholders, including international partners, other government departments, and enforcement agencies to ensure maximum effectiveness.

As the Foreign Secretary said in his statement on 8 September, new measures will be carefully designed to target trade with illegal settlements or those aiding and abetting their expansion and protect legitimate trade between the UK and Israel.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on improving protections for domestic abuse survivors.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice works closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to improve protections and support for victims and survivors of domestic abuse. Through our cross-government approach to tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, we are strengthening access to safe accommodation, improving support for victims with complex needs, and delivering a more joined-up response across housing, justice and local services.

Through the Social Housing Bill, which my Department is supporting, MHCLG is introducing stronger protections for social housing tenants experiencing domestic abuse, including measures to help victims remain safely in their homes, transfer joint tenancies into their sole name where appropriate, and prevent perpetrators from using housing arrangements to continue abuse. Alongside this, MHCLG is providing £499 million over the next three years through the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Duty to help ensure victims fleeing abuse can access safe accommodation, while my Department is investing over £550 million over the same period in victim support services, and working to improve victims’ experiences of the justice system.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to respond to my Office's correspondence, dated 29 April 2026, on behalf of SKT Welfare.

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

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the response provided on 10 September to Question 24715.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he will respond to the letter of the Hon. Member for Dewsbury and Batley originally sent 29th of April, and if he will outline the Department's guidelines regarding anticipated response times.

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

I apologise to the HM for the delay in responding. We will issue a response in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the reasons cited by parents for absences that subsequently resulted in Fixed Penalty Notices.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

In the 2024/2025 academic year, 93% of penalty notices were issued for unauthorised family holidays. This is an increase of 4% compared to the previous year.

A further 0.3% were issued for lateness and the remaining 7% for other unauthorised circumstances.

This distribution is in line with the government‘s requirement that penalty notices should only be issued for unauthorised absences and only where support has been ineffective, not engaged with or would be inappropriate. Penalty notices must be considered on an individual basis and schools must not have blanket rules. All schools have the discretion to grant leave of absence in exceptional circumstances, allowing the leave to be authorised and not fined.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the evidential basis is for concluding that Fixed Penalty Notices for school attendance offences improve long-term pupil attendance.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The causes of school absence are complex and penalty notices are one part of a wider toolkit to help ensure children receive the education they are entitled to. The government remains committed to a support-first approach, with enforcement only used in cases where support is not appropriate, has not been engaged with or is not proving effective.

Recent data suggests this approach is having a positive impact. In the 2024/2025 academic year, the rate of absence due to unauthorised holidays fell from 0.53% to 0.48%, equating to around 1.3 million fewer missed sessions compared with 2023/2024. Penalty notices are primarily targeted at term-time holidays, which accounted for 93% of notices issued in 2024/2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of school attendance Fixed Penalty Notices issued in the most recent year for which data is available were preceded by documented support interventions under the Department's support first approach.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not collect data on the support interventions undertaken before individual penalty notices are issued.

The government’s approach is that schools and local authorities should work with families to understand and address the barriers to attendance before considering legal intervention.

Statutory guidance makes clear that a penalty notice should normally be considered only where support has not worked, has not been engaged with or is not appropriate, as is usually the case for an unauthorised term-time holiday. Such holidays accounted for 93% of penalty notices in the latest year for which data are available.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of replacing Business Rates with a Land Value Tax.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

The Government is committed to creating a fairer business rates system over the course of this Parliament that protects the high street, supports investment, and is fit for the 21st century.

The Government has already started the work of reforming our business rates system by introducing new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These provide nearly £1 billion per year of support to the RHL sector and benefit over 750,000 properties.

The Government is continuing to review the wider business rates system to ensure it better supports high streets, local economies and small businesses, and further decisions on business rates reform will be set out in the normal way at the Budget.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of replacing Council Tax with a Proportional Property Tax.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

Council Tax is a vital source of income for Local Authorities, which the OBR forecasts will raise £50.9 billion across England in 2025/26.

The new High Value Council Tax Surcharge (HVCTS) makes the Council Tax system fairer by adding charges to high value property.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing Public Country by Country Reporting.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what taxation powers his Department is considering devolving to local authorities.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

The government’s vision for devolution in England was set out in the joint cabinet statement, ‘Rewiring the state’ published in July. This committed to replacing grants from central government with a share of local income tax for every mayor beginning in 2028 and greater retention of the revenue from business rates for local councils and strategic authorities. Strategic authorities will also have the power to introduce an overnight visitor levy as a way to raise money to support growth in their regions, including the visitor economy. The long-term certainty of funding via taxation will provide more flexibility and enable greater investment to fund interventions that will deliver a return.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what conversations he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero regarding the UK's approach to negotiations on the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

HM Treasury as the lead department for tax policy has been working closely with other government departments, including the Department of Energy, Security and Net Zero, since the start of the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation negotiations.

The UK continues to engage constructively in the discussions and remains committed to supporting inclusive and effective international tax cooperation. A future UN Framework Convention could have a role in supporting that aim, but it will only be successful if it seeks to build upon existing initiatives, and seeks to secure the broad support and participation of members.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what conversations he has had with the Treasury regarding the UK's approach to negotiations on the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Secretary of State has not spoken with His Majesty's Treasury (HMT), however, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has been working closely with HMT, as the lead department for tax policy, since the start of the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation negotiations.

The UK continues to engage constructively in the discussions and remains committed to supporting inclusive and effective international tax cooperation. A future UN Framework Convention could have a role in supporting that aim, but it will only be successful if it seeks to build upon rather than reinvent existing initiatives, and seeks to secure the broad support and participation of members.

National Suicide Memorial Day for Health and Care Workers

Deported Chinese seafarers

Modern Service Framework for neurological conditions

Support for hospices

50th Anniversary of the Grunwick Strike