Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase access to treatment for people with chronic migraine disease.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guideline, Headaches: Diagnosis and management of headaches in young people and adults, updated in December 2021, sets out best practice for healthcare professionals in the care, treatment, and support of people who suffer from headaches, including migraine. It aims to improve the recognition and management of headaches and migraine.

At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with migraine, including the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology, the RightCare Headache and Migraine Toolkit, and the Neurology Transformation Programme. The GIRFT Programme published a National Speciality Report, which makes several recommendations in relation to improving the recognition and diagnosis of migraine by general practitioners. Additionally, the RightCare Headache and Migraine Toolkit sets out key priorities for improving care for patients with migraine, which includes correct identification and diagnosis of headache disorders.

The Royal College of General Practitioners has developed two e-learning modules about migraine and cluster headaches, which aim to raise awareness amongst primary care clinicians about the different types of migraine and their associated symptoms, and how to differentiate between them.

Over the last four years, a new class of drugs, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibitors, has been made available on the National Health Service for the prevention and treatment of episodic and chronic migraines. On 15 May 2024, Atogepant became the latest CGRP inhibitor for which the NICE has published guidance. The NICE recommended Atogepant for use as a preventive medication for the treatment of migraine on the NHS in England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase public awareness of chronic migraine disease.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guideline, Headaches: Diagnosis and management of headaches in young people and adults, updated in December 2021, sets out best practice for healthcare professionals in the care, treatment, and support of people who suffer from headaches, including migraine. It aims to improve the recognition and management of headaches and migraine.

At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with migraine, including the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology, the RightCare Headache and Migraine Toolkit, and the Neurology Transformation Programme. The GIRFT Programme published a National Speciality Report, which makes several recommendations in relation to improving the recognition and diagnosis of migraine by general practitioners. Additionally, the RightCare Headache and Migraine Toolkit sets out key priorities for improving care for patients with migraine, which includes correct identification and diagnosis of headache disorders.

The Royal College of General Practitioners has developed two e-learning modules about migraine and cluster headaches, which aim to raise awareness amongst primary care clinicians about the different types of migraine and their associated symptoms, and how to differentiate between them.

Over the last four years, a new class of drugs, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibitors, has been made available on the National Health Service for the prevention and treatment of episodic and chronic migraines. On 15 May 2024, Atogepant became the latest CGRP inhibitor for which the NICE has published guidance. The NICE recommended Atogepant for use as a preventive medication for the treatment of migraine on the NHS in England.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure support staff in schools are supported in handling the (a) complex medical needs and (b) behavioural issues of children in schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Support staff in schools perform a valuable role and the department is grateful for their important contribution to schools across the country.

The statutory guidance ‘Supporting pupils with medical conditions at school’ makes clear what is expected of schools in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to meet the individual needs of pupils with medical conditions. This guidance is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.

Schools should ensure they are aware of any pupils with medical conditions and have policies and processes in place to ensure these can be well managed. Policies should set out how staff will be supported in carrying out their role to support pupils, including how training needs are assessed and how training is commissioned and provided. Any member of school staff providing support to a pupil with medical needs should have received suitable training.

All schools are required to have a behaviour policy that outlines effective strategies to promote good behaviour and specifies the sanctions for misbehaviour. This policy must be communicated to all pupils, school staff, including support staff, and parents to ensure everyone is aware of the high standards of behaviour expected. The behaviour policy should also reflect the school's culture and be supported by all staff and senior leaders, including the headteacher.

The department is establishing up to 90 new regional improvement for standards and excellence Attendance and Behaviour Hubs. Hubs will be led by schools with excellent attendance and behaviour practice who will work closely with other schools to help improve their approach.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that GP websites using third party contractors for online appointment booking forms uphold patient privacy and security in data sharing.

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

All organisations that have access to National Health Service patient data must use the Data Security and Protection Toolkit to provide assurance that they are practising good data security and that personal information is handled correctly. The toolkit is available at the following link:

https://www.dsptoolkit.nhs.uk/

Third party organisations that use an IT system to make general practitioner appointments for patients must use a system which has been assured by NHS England, for example, through the usage of a Supplier Conformance Assessment List and clinical testing of the system before it is given permission to move to live usage. These checks help us to assure that patient data is managed within General Data Protection Regulation and that systems meet NHS security standards.

There are strong protections in law to ensure that health and care information is used in a safe, secure and legal way. The privacy and confidentiality of people’s health and care data is championed by the National Data Guardian who provides independent advice on the use of such data and holds the Caldicott Principles which provide a framework for the safe and respectful use of data. In addition, every health and care organisation is required to appoint a Caldicott Guardian from within their organisation to advise on the protection of people’s health and care data and ensure it is used properly.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that disabled children have access to (a) effective and (b) suitable schooling.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Schools have a range of duties under the Equality Act 2010 in relation to their disabled pupils, including to make reasonable adjustments and accessibility planning duties. These duties help ensure that all pupils with disabilities are able to access and thrive in their education. The accessibility duties require a planned approach to increasing accessibility so that, over time, pupils with disabilities are more comprehensively included in the whole life of the school and fewer adjustments are needed for individual disabled pupils.

Many children with disabilities also have special educational needs (SEN). The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) sits with local authorities.

We know that many children and young people with SEND struggle to find a suitable school placement that is close to their home and meets their needs. We are committed to addressing this through improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as ensuring special schools cater to those with the most complex needs. Many mainstream settings are already committed to delivering specialist provision locally, including through resourced provision and SEN units.

The department has now published allocations for £740 million in High Needs Provision Capital Allocations (HNPCA) for the 2025/26 financial year. Thurrock Council has been allocated just under £2 million and Essex Council has been allocated just under £21 million for high needs capital investment in 2025/26. The funding can be used to adapt schools to be more accessible for children with SEND, to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs, and to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of schools needing to reduce (a) subjects taught, (b) the number of support staff and (c) maintenance of facilities to cover the cost of staff pay rises.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department is providing schools with £615 million in additional funding in the 2025/26 financial year to support them with overall costs, including the costs of the 4% school teacher pay award and the 3.2% local government support staff pay offer in 2025/26. This additional increase in funding means that the overall core schools budget (CSB) will total £65.3 billion in 2025/26 compared to £61.6 billion in 2024/25. This is a year-on-year increase of £3.7 billion.

Schools will, on average, be expected to fund approximately the first 1 percentage point of the teacher and support staff pay awards through improved productivity and smarter spending. That is equivalent to about 0.8% of a school’s overall budget, on average. The pay award will be funded above this level from new and existing funding increases from the government. The department believes that schools can make productivity gains. We know that this is challenging, but this is in line with asks to the rest of the public sector to drive better value from existing budgets to help rebuild public services.

Schools are already making savings and bringing core operating costs down. For example, the 400 schools who participated in the department’s new energy for schools offer will save 36% on average compared to their previous contracts, which will free up vital funding to deliver for children and young people. The department is also making plans to secure better banking solutions for schools, getting them better returns on their cash balances. We will continue to provide schools with additional tools, guidance and support. Those best placed to identify ways for individual schools to operate more efficiently will be headteachers and school business managers.

Budgets for 2026/27 are still to be agreed and this includes the 2026/27 CSB. This will be subject to the multi-year spending review, which we expect to be concluded in June this year. The department will be taking account of the impact of the full year's costs of the teacher pay award.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of staff pay rises on schools in deficit.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department is providing schools with £615 million in additional funding in the 2025/26 financial year to support them with overall costs, including the costs of the 4% school teacher pay award and the 3.2% local government support staff pay offer in 2025/26. This additional increase in funding means that the overall core schools budget (CSB) will total £65.3 billion in 2025/26 compared to £61.6 billion in 2024/25. This is a year-on-year increase of £3.7 billion.

Schools will, on average, be expected to fund approximately the first 1 percentage point of the teacher and support staff pay awards through improved productivity and smarter spending. That is equivalent to about 0.8% of a school’s overall budget, on average. The pay award will be funded above this level from new and existing funding increases from the government. The department believes that schools can make productivity gains. We know that this is challenging, but this is in line with asks to the rest of the public sector to drive better value from existing budgets to help rebuild public services.

Schools are already making savings and bringing core operating costs down. For example, the 400 schools who participated in the department’s new energy for schools offer will save 36% on average compared to their previous contracts, which will free up vital funding to deliver for children and young people. The department is also making plans to secure better banking solutions for schools, getting them better returns on their cash balances. We will continue to provide schools with additional tools, guidance and support. Those best placed to identify ways for individual schools to operate more efficiently will be headteachers and school business managers.

Budgets for 2026/27 are still to be agreed and this includes the 2026/27 CSB. This will be subject to the multi-year spending review, which we expect to be concluded in June this year. The department will be taking account of the impact of the full year's costs of the teacher pay award.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) support and (b) guidance her Department provides to schools on the cost of pay rises for staff.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department is providing schools with £615 million in additional funding in the 2025/26 financial year to support them with overall costs, including the costs of the 4% school teacher pay award and the 3.2% local government support staff pay offer in 2025/26. This additional increase in funding means that the overall core schools budget (CSB) will total £65.3 billion in 2025/26 compared to £61.6 billion in 2024/25. This is a year-on-year increase of £3.7 billion.

Schools will, on average, be expected to fund approximately the first 1 percentage point of the teacher and support staff pay awards through improved productivity and smarter spending. That is equivalent to about 0.8% of a school’s overall budget, on average. The pay award will be funded above this level from new and existing funding increases from the government. The department believes that schools can make productivity gains. We know that this is challenging, but this is in line with asks to the rest of the public sector to drive better value from existing budgets to help rebuild public services.

Schools are already making savings and bringing core operating costs down. For example, the 400 schools who participated in the department’s new energy for schools offer will save 36% on average compared to their previous contracts, which will free up vital funding to deliver for children and young people. The department is also making plans to secure better banking solutions for schools, getting them better returns on their cash balances. We will continue to provide schools with additional tools, guidance and support. Those best placed to identify ways for individual schools to operate more efficiently will be headteachers and school business managers.

Budgets for 2026/27 are still to be agreed and this includes the 2026/27 CSB. This will be subject to the multi-year spending review, which we expect to be concluded in June this year. The department will be taking account of the impact of the full year's costs of the teacher pay award.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of existing levels of funding for secondary schools on (a) class sizes, (b) subject availability and (c) access to support staff in school.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department is providing schools with £615 million in additional funding in the 2025/26 financial year to support them with overall costs, including the costs of the 4% school teacher pay award and the 3.2% local government support staff pay offer in 2025/26. This additional increase in funding means that the overall core schools budget (CSB) will total £65.3 billion in 2025/26 compared to £61.6 billion in 2024/25. This is a year-on-year increase of £3.7 billion.

Schools will, on average, be expected to fund approximately the first 1 percentage point of the teacher and support staff pay awards through improved productivity and smarter spending. That is equivalent to about 0.8% of a school’s overall budget, on average. The pay award will be funded above this level from new and existing funding increases from the government. The department believes that schools can make productivity gains. We know that this is challenging, but this is in line with asks to the rest of the public sector to drive better value from existing budgets to help rebuild public services.

Schools are already making savings and bringing core operating costs down. For example, the 400 schools who participated in the department’s new energy for schools offer will save 36% on average compared to their previous contracts, which will free up vital funding to deliver for children and young people. The department is also making plans to secure better banking solutions for schools, getting them better returns on their cash balances. We will continue to provide schools with additional tools, guidance and support. Those best placed to identify ways for individual schools to operate more efficiently will be headteachers and school business managers.

Budgets for 2026/27 are still to be agreed and this includes the 2026/27 CSB. This will be subject to the multi-year spending review, which we expect to be concluded in June this year. The department will be taking account of the impact of the full year's costs of the teacher pay award.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that funding for teacher pay increases does not result in reductions to essential school services.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department is providing schools with £615 million in additional funding in the 2025/26 financial year to support them with overall costs, including the costs of the 4% school teacher pay award and the 3.2% local government support staff pay offer in 2025/26. This additional increase in funding means that the overall core schools budget (CSB) will total £65.3 billion in 2025/26 compared to £61.6 billion in 2024/25. This is a year-on-year increase of £3.7 billion.

Schools will, on average, be expected to fund approximately the first 1 percentage point of the teacher and support staff pay awards through improved productivity and smarter spending. That is equivalent to about 0.8% of a school’s overall budget, on average. The pay award will be funded above this level from new and existing funding increases from the government. The department believes that schools can make productivity gains. We know that this is challenging, but this is in line with asks to the rest of the public sector to drive better value from existing budgets to help rebuild public services.

Schools are already making savings and bringing core operating costs down. For example, the 400 schools who participated in the department’s new energy for schools offer will save 36% on average compared to their previous contracts, which will free up vital funding to deliver for children and young people. The department is also making plans to secure better banking solutions for schools, getting them better returns on their cash balances. We will continue to provide schools with additional tools, guidance and support. Those best placed to identify ways for individual schools to operate more efficiently will be headteachers and school business managers.

Budgets for 2026/27 are still to be agreed and this includes the 2026/27 CSB. This will be subject to the multi-year spending review, which we expect to be concluded in June this year. The department will be taking account of the impact of the full year's costs of the teacher pay award.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that school funding increases are in line with (a) energy prices, (b) inflation and (c) staff salaries.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department is providing schools with £615 million in additional funding in the 2025/26 financial year to support them with overall costs, including the costs of the 4% school teacher pay award and the 3.2% local government support staff pay offer in 2025/26. This additional increase in funding means that the overall core schools budget (CSB) will total £65.3 billion in 2025/26 compared to £61.6 billion in 2024/25. This is a year-on-year increase of £3.7 billion.

Schools will, on average, be expected to fund approximately the first 1 percentage point of the teacher and support staff pay awards through improved productivity and smarter spending. That is equivalent to about 0.8% of a school’s overall budget, on average. The pay award will be funded above this level from new and existing funding increases from the government. The department believes that schools can make productivity gains. We know that this is challenging, but this is in line with asks to the rest of the public sector to drive better value from existing budgets to help rebuild public services.

Schools are already making savings and bringing core operating costs down. For example, the 400 schools who participated in the department’s new energy for schools offer will save 36% on average compared to their previous contracts, which will free up vital funding to deliver for children and young people. The department is also making plans to secure better banking solutions for schools, getting them better returns on their cash balances. We will continue to provide schools with additional tools, guidance and support. Those best placed to identify ways for individual schools to operate more efficiently will be headteachers and school business managers.

Budgets for 2026/27 are still to be agreed and this includes the 2026/27 CSB. This will be subject to the multi-year spending review, which we expect to be concluded in June this year. The department will be taking account of the impact of the full year's costs of the teacher pay award.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the tribunal system in supporting small businesses facing late payments.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government understands the impact late payments has on small businesses and the important role the tribunal system plays in helping to recover late payments, alongside the Office of the Small Business Commissioner which was set up to help small businesses with late payment disputes and which runs a free dispute resolution service. The Government will soon be launching a public consultation seeking views on how we can go further to tackle late payments.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the recent cyberattacks on Marks and Spencer have been investigated by the relevant authorities.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

The National Cyber Security Centre and National Crime Agency are working to fully understand the nature of these attacks, and to provide support and expert advice to the affected organisations, as well as the wider sector.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure families with disabled children have timely access to medical equipment.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, meets regularly with external sector partners on a variety of issues.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) in England are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population, including for disability equipment. Each ICB must have an executive lead for children and young people with special education needs and disabilities (SEND), who will support the board to perform its functions effectively in the interests of children and young people with SEND.

We expect ICBs to follow guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). In 2022, the NICE published the guidance, Disabled children and young people up to 25 with severe complex needs: integrated service delivery and organisation across health, social care and education, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng213/chapter/Recommendations-on-service-organisation-integration-and-commissioning

Local authorities are responsible for providing social care services for disabled children, which can include specialist equipment. The guidance on supporting disabled children and their carers can be found at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/669e7501ab418ab055592a7b/Working_together_to_safeguard_children_2023.pdf

Since July 2015, NHS England has collected quarterly data from clinical commissioning groups, now ICBs, on wheelchair provision, including waiting times, to enable targeted action if improvement is required. NHS England is taking several steps to reduce regional variation in the quality and provision of National Health Service wheelchairs, and to support ICBs to reduce delays in people receiving wheelchair equipment. Data on the length of time taken to provide other equipment for disabled children is not collected centrally.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with representatives of healthcare professions on levels of unmet equipment needs for children with disabilities.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, meets regularly with external sector partners on a variety of issues.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) in England are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population, including for disability equipment. Each ICB must have an executive lead for children and young people with special education needs and disabilities (SEND), who will support the board to perform its functions effectively in the interests of children and young people with SEND.

We expect ICBs to follow guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). In 2022, the NICE published the guidance, Disabled children and young people up to 25 with severe complex needs: integrated service delivery and organisation across health, social care and education, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng213/chapter/Recommendations-on-service-organisation-integration-and-commissioning

Local authorities are responsible for providing social care services for disabled children, which can include specialist equipment. The guidance on supporting disabled children and their carers can be found at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/669e7501ab418ab055592a7b/Working_together_to_safeguard_children_2023.pdf

Since July 2015, NHS England has collected quarterly data from clinical commissioning groups, now ICBs, on wheelchair provision, including waiting times, to enable targeted action if improvement is required. NHS England is taking several steps to reduce regional variation in the quality and provision of National Health Service wheelchairs, and to support ICBs to reduce delays in people receiving wheelchair equipment. Data on the length of time taken to provide other equipment for disabled children is not collected centrally.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of disabled children who do not have the equipment they need.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, meets regularly with external sector partners on a variety of issues.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) in England are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population, including for disability equipment. Each ICB must have an executive lead for children and young people with special education needs and disabilities (SEND), who will support the board to perform its functions effectively in the interests of children and young people with SEND.

We expect ICBs to follow guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). In 2022, the NICE published the guidance, Disabled children and young people up to 25 with severe complex needs: integrated service delivery and organisation across health, social care and education, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng213/chapter/Recommendations-on-service-organisation-integration-and-commissioning

Local authorities are responsible for providing social care services for disabled children, which can include specialist equipment. The guidance on supporting disabled children and their carers can be found at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/669e7501ab418ab055592a7b/Working_together_to_safeguard_children_2023.pdf

Since July 2015, NHS England has collected quarterly data from clinical commissioning groups, now ICBs, on wheelchair provision, including waiting times, to enable targeted action if improvement is required. NHS England is taking several steps to reduce regional variation in the quality and provision of National Health Service wheelchairs, and to support ICBs to reduce delays in people receiving wheelchair equipment. Data on the length of time taken to provide other equipment for disabled children is not collected centrally.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that vacant commercial properties owned by institutional landlords do not inhibit small businesses' access to affordable premises.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

This Government is committed to revitalising our high streets and tackling vacancy. To that end, we have introduced High Street Rental Auctions, new powers for local authorities to bring vacant units back into use by auctioning the lease. We anticipate this will increase cooperation between landlords and local authorities regarding vacant units and make town centre tenancies more accessible and affordable for tenants, including SMEs and local businesses.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of business rates on the viability of small businesses operating on the high street.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to creating a fairer business rates system that supports small businesses and protects the high street.

Over a third of properties (more than 700,000) already pay no business rates as they receive 100 per cent Small Business Rates Relief, with an additional c.60,000 benefiting from reduced bills as this relief tapers.

To deliver our manifesto pledge, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, with rateable values below £500,000 from 2026-27.

This permanent tax cut will ensure that they benefit from much-needed certainty and support. To target support towards smaller RHL properties, the Government intends to give the biggest cut to RHL properties currently paying the small business multiplier – those with a rateable value less than £51,000. The rates for any new business rate multipliers will be set at Budget 2025 so that the Government can take into account the upcoming revaluation outcomes, as well as the economic and fiscal context.

Ahead of these changes being made, the Government recognises that businesses will need support in 2025-26. As such, we have prevented the current RHL relief from ending in April 2025, extending it for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business. We have also frozen the small business multiplier, protecting over a million properties from inflationary bill increases.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of challenges in finding work placements for T-level courses.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

High quality industry placements are an important part of what makes T Levels a success. Overall completion rates on industry placements remain high, with 97.5% of students finishing their T Level last summer successfully completing their placement. However, the department recognises that schools and colleges face challenges securing high quality placements for their students in some sectors and regions.

To address this, we have updated our delivery approaches to allow for greater flexibility in how placements can be delivered, including increasing the number of placement hours that can be completed remotely. We also continue to work closely with stakeholders to increase awareness and engagement on T Levels amongst employers of all types. We recently confirmed additional support for T Levels which includes a targeted Employer Support Fund for the 2025/26 financial year, and the extension of the department’s T Level provider and employer support packages for a further year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to (a) expand and (b) promote non-academic education routes to support young people into employment.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

As part of the government’s plan to ‘Get Britain Working’, we will launch a new Youth Guarantee for young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they are supported to access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work.

The department is investing in and promoting a wide range of non-academic routes to support young people into employment, including:

• T Levels, a high quality technical education option for students aged 16 to 19 which includes a valuable workplace industry placement to prepare young people for work.

• Higher Technical Qualifications, which are occupation-focused level 4-5 qualifications, approved and quality-marked as providing the skills demanded in the workplace by employers.

• Widening the apprenticeships offer into a growth and skills offer which will include new foundation apprenticeships, a work-based offer giving more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working life.

• Skills Bootcamps, giving learners the chance to build sector-specific skills, with a job interview on completion.

• Free courses for jobs, giving eligible learners the chance to access high value level 3 qualifications for free, which can support them to gain higher wages or a better job.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help protect (a) private businesses and (b) public bodies from cyberattacks.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The cyber security of the UK is a priority for the Government. This year we will introduce the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill to improve UK cyber defences and better secure our essential services and the IT infrastructure they rely upon. The Government offers free guidance, tools and training to help businesses and organisations improve their cyber resilience. This includes a new Cyber Governance Code of Practice to help boards and directors manage digital risks, and the Cyber Essentials scheme which is highly effective in protecting businesses against cyber attacks. The PSTI Act, along with Codes of Practice on AI, Software and Apps, are helping protect organisations at scale by making technology secure by design.

The Government Cyber Security Strategy (2022-2030) sets a clear target for all public bodies to be resilient to known vulnerabilities and common attack methods by 2030. To date we have delivered GovAssure as our new cyber assurance regime and the Government Cyber Coordination Centre to support cross-government incident response.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase research into (a) the causes of and (b) treatment options for chronic migraine disease.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) into a range of conditions, including chronic migraine. The NIHR promotes participation in research through the Be Part of Research service, which features chronic migraine research studies seeking participants. Further information is available at the following link:

https://bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk/

The NIHR also invites proposals for new research into the causes and treatment of conditions through its website, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/get-involved/suggest-a-research-topic

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the quality of mental health services in (a) England and (b) Essex.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England uses the Oversight Framework to assess the quality and safety of all mental health inpatient services in England, including services in Essex. Risks and issues are escalated nationally using the quality risk and escalation framework.

National Health Service commissioners in England are responsible for ensuring that mental health services are safe, effective, sustainable and meet the needs of the population.

In addition, the Care Quality Commission carries out monitoring and assessments of providers in England to ensure they are providing safe and quality care to people using their services. The Care Quality Commission has a duty under the Mental Health Act 1983 to monitor how services exercise their powers and discharge their duties when patients are detained in hospital or are subject to community treatment orders or guardianship.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to review the unauthorised payments charge applied to pension schemes that rent commercial property below market value.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of tax disincentives that prevent pension property owners from letting units at reduced rates on (a) high street regeneration and (b) town centre vacancy rates.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to help ensure that pension investment rules (a) safeguard pensions and (b) encourage greater occupancy of vacant commercial properties.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of provisions in the Employment Rights Bill on (a) statutory sick pay and (b) dismissal procedures on small businesses.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government has published a robust set of Impact Assessments on all aspects of the Employment Rights Bill, available here: Employment Rights Bill: impact assessments - GOV.UK. These include assessments on the impacts to small and micro businesses in line with the Better Regulation Framework.

New dismissal procedures and statutory sick pay measures will apply to all businesses regardless of size. Whilst it is recognised that smaller businesses could potentially face disproportionate challenges due to their limited resources, the broader societal benefits of increased job security, productivity and fairness in the labour market justify the policies scope.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of increased operating costs on the (a) employment retention and (b) pay levels of small businesses.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government recognises the need to protect the smallest employers.

The Government has doubled the Employment Allowance, meaning that more than half of businesses with NIC liabilities will either gain or will see no change this year. As well as this, a Business Growth Service will make it easier for businesses across the UK to get the advice they need.

The National Minimum Wage increases that came into effect on the 1^st April 2025 follow the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission. To inform its recommendations, the Low Pay Commission considered the impact on business, competitiveness and the labour market, and undertook extensive research and stakeholder engagement. The Government’s Impact Assessment¹, includes a detailed assessment of the impact of the rates on small and micro businesses, including the increase in pay levels and possible wider impacts on competitiveness and employment.

¹The National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Regulations 2025 - Impact Assessment

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that children and young people with autism have access to (a) tailored support and (b) empowering learning environments.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to achieve and thrive in their education and as they move into adult life.

In November 2024, the department established the Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group, which includes clinicians, scientists, academics, education experts and third sector organisations. The group will make recommendations on the best ways to support and meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people in mainstream education settings, including those with autism.

The Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is a national programme, backed by £22 million of investment. PINS deploys specialists from both health and education workforces to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and better meet the needs of neurodivergent children. In the 2024/25 financial year, PINS delivered to over 1650 mainstream primary schools. In the 2025/26 financial year, PINS will be extended to a further cohort of around 1,200 mainstream primary schools.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 28 May to Question 53448 on Carbon Capture and Storage, (a) how the levy will be structured and (b) who will be responsible for paying it.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

There is a mixture of funding routes to support carbon capture and storage projects in the UK, including levies placed on energy suppliers and gas shippers.

There are two levies relevant to the CCUS programme. Firstly, the Electricity Supplier Obligation, which is placed on licensed electricity suppliers who may then pass this cost on to their consumers. This levy supports renewable and low carbon electricity production. The second is the Gas Shipper Obligation, which is intended to be an obligation placed on gas shippers to fund certain hydrogen production projects. The Government has recently consulted on the design of the Gas Shipper Obligation and design considerations are ongoing.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 28 May to Question to 53448 on Carbon Capture and Storage, how the the funding models will be evaluated to ensure value for money.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Detailed and robust Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Plans have been developed for the various CCUS funding models. The M&E plans map out the evaluation activities, methodology, data sources and resource needed for the various types of evaluations, including value-for-money (VfM) assessments. The VfM assessments across the CCUS programme will assess the extent to which public funds were used in the most cost-effective way possible to deliver results. Robust VfM evaluation methodologies that are relevant and suitable for the CCUS programme will be used, including Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and the National Audit Office 4Es VfM approach, to allow a rigorous and systematic analysis of the costs and benefits. These methods will demonstrate VfM by evaluating whether the CCUS programme is cost-effective, impactful, and equitable.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 28 May to Question 53448 on Carbon Capture and Storage, what steps his Department is taking to safeguard against over-subsidisation of specific (a) projects and (b) technologies.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The CCUS Cluster Sequencing Process, which is the selection of the initial carbon dioxide transport & storage networks and projects, and the CCUS business models, under which individual awards for projects are made, have been developed to align with the UK subsidy control regime as per the Subsidy Control Act 2022 and are subject to mandatory referral to the Subsidy Advice Unit, part of the Competition Markets Authority. These business models support the development of transport and storage CO2 networks, as well as the deployment of CCUS in the power, industrial and hydrogen sectors.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the Environment Agency in (a) investigating and (b) prosecuting incidents of large-scale waste crime.

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

The Environment Agency (EA) is responsible for disrupting and stopping illegal activity through tough enforcement action and prosecution. Defra works closely with the EA to ensure it is equipped to carry out its functions effectively and deliver for the public and the environment. The EA’s total budget for 2025-26 financial year has increased to £2,274 million. This includes £10 million for waste crime enforcement, and for this financial year an additional £5.6 million to tackle waste crime.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to take steps to help ensure that small businesses receive funding through initiatives funded by the National Business Crime Centre.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

We are investing £2 million over three financial years (25/26 – 27/28) in the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) which provides a resource for both police and businesses to learn, share and support each other to prevent and combat crime. We are currently working with the NBCC to agree details of how the funding will be used.

Funding will be provided through the usual Government funding process, via a grant agreement. This includes an agreed delivery plan and Key Performance Indicators, and ongoing monitoring throughout the period of the grant. An evaluation will be undertaken to ensure the aims of the funding are delivered, and it represents appropriate use of public money.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions has she had with retail industry representatives on the (a) design and (b) implementation of the training funded through the National Police Chiefs' Council.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

We are providing over £7 million over the next three years to support the police tackle retail crime, including continuing to fund a specialist policing team – in partnership with the retail sector - to better understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders.

We work closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the College of Policing and the retail industry on the design of training funded by the Home Office, to ensure it delivers what is needed to help prevent and tackle crime and is an appropriate use of public money.

Furthermore, I am committed to chairing the Retail Crime Forum which brings together the retail sector, security providers and law enforcement agencies to ensure we understand the needs of all retailers and to promote collaboration, share best practice and to work collectively to tackle the serious issue of retail crime. This includes the development of a new strategy to tackle shop theft published by policing, retail sector representatives and industry as part of collective efforts to combat shop theft – Tackling Retail Crime Together.

The strategy builds on previous progress made by police and retailers but provides a more comprehensive and intelligence-led approach to tackle all perpetrators of shop theft – not just organised criminal gangs.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council have an operational Retail Crime Action Plan, which has been in place since October 2023. This plan contains a commitment for police across England and Wales to prioritise attendance at the scene where violence has been used towards shop staff, where an offender has been detained by store security, and where evidence needs to be secured and can only be done by police personnel.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to publish annual performance metrics for the National Business Crime Centre to assess the effectiveness of additional funding.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

We are investing £2 million over three financial years (25/26 – 27/28) in the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) which provides a resource for both police and businesses to learn, share and support each other to prevent and combat crime. We are currently working with the NBCC to agree details of how the funding will be used.

Funding will be provided through the usual Government funding process, via a grant agreement. This includes an agreed delivery plan and Key Performance Indicators, and ongoing monitoring throughout the period of the grant. An evaluation will be undertaken to ensure the aims of the funding are delivered, and it represents appropriate use of public money.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to improve the Child Maintenance Service's procedural safeguards within paternity disputes.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Parentage disputes can be raised at any point in the life cycle of a child maintenance case.

If parentage is disputed before the initial maintenance calculation is made, the CMS will need to decide whether an assumption of parentage can be made. The circumstances on which the CMS can make an assumption about parentage are prescribed in legislation, such as the paying parent being registered as the father on the child’s birth certificate. If none of the assumption grounds apply, then a maintenance calculation cannot be made until the parentage dispute is resolved. If parentage cannot be assumed, all parties will be invited to take a DNA test.

If parentage is disputed after the initial maintenance calculation is made, including instances where the maintenance is collected via wage deductions, the CMS will decide whether there is conclusive evidence to confirm that the paying parent is not the parent of the child in question. Conclusive evidence is either a DNA test result from an approved tester or a court declaration of parentage or non-parentage.

Where a DNA test is requested by the paying parent, the cost is paid by the paying parent. If the DNA test shows that they are not the parent, they will no longer be liable for child maintenance payments and will receive a refund for the cost of the DNA test. The CMS will also consider an application for a refund of any maintenance paid to date.

The DWP keeps all policies under review. Whenever the DWP does announce an intention to make significant policy changes then the Department will invite views and perspectives – including those of paying parents - through a process of consultation.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of child maintenance deductions before paternity was disproven on the finances of men who were subsequently shown to have been wrongly identified as fathers.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Parentage disputes can be raised at any point in the life cycle of a child maintenance case.

If parentage is disputed before the initial maintenance calculation is made, the CMS will need to decide whether an assumption of parentage can be made. The circumstances on which the CMS can make an assumption about parentage are prescribed in legislation, such as the paying parent being registered as the father on the child’s birth certificate. If none of the assumption grounds apply, then a maintenance calculation cannot be made until the parentage dispute is resolved. If parentage cannot be assumed, all parties will be invited to take a DNA test.

If parentage is disputed after the initial maintenance calculation is made, including instances where the maintenance is collected via wage deductions, the CMS will decide whether there is conclusive evidence to confirm that the paying parent is not the parent of the child in question. Conclusive evidence is either a DNA test result from an approved tester or a court declaration of parentage or non-parentage.

Where a DNA test is requested by the paying parent, the cost is paid by the paying parent. If the DNA test shows that they are not the parent, they will no longer be liable for child maintenance payments and will receive a refund for the cost of the DNA test. The CMS will also consider an application for a refund of any maintenance paid to date.

The DWP keeps all policies under review. Whenever the DWP does announce an intention to make significant policy changes then the Department will invite views and perspectives – including those of paying parents - through a process of consultation.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to make paternity DNA testing mandatory in all disputed child maintenance cases before deductions begin.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Parentage disputes can be raised at any point in the life cycle of a child maintenance case.

If parentage is disputed before the initial maintenance calculation is made, the CMS will need to decide whether an assumption of parentage can be made. The circumstances on which the CMS can make an assumption about parentage are prescribed in legislation, such as the paying parent being registered as the father on the child’s birth certificate. If none of the assumption grounds apply, then a maintenance calculation cannot be made until the parentage dispute is resolved. If parentage cannot be assumed, all parties will be invited to take a DNA test.

If parentage is disputed after the initial maintenance calculation is made, including instances where the maintenance is collected via wage deductions, the CMS will decide whether there is conclusive evidence to confirm that the paying parent is not the parent of the child in question. Conclusive evidence is either a DNA test result from an approved tester or a court declaration of parentage or non-parentage.

Where a DNA test is requested by the paying parent, the cost is paid by the paying parent. If the DNA test shows that they are not the parent, they will no longer be liable for child maintenance payments and will receive a refund for the cost of the DNA test. The CMS will also consider an application for a refund of any maintenance paid to date.

The DWP keeps all policies under review. Whenever the DWP does announce an intention to make significant policy changes then the Department will invite views and perspectives – including those of paying parents - through a process of consultation.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to review the child maintenance service policy to ensure there are no wage deductions before paternity is (a) legally and (b) biologically confirmed.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Parentage disputes can be raised at any point in the life cycle of a child maintenance case.

If parentage is disputed before the initial maintenance calculation is made, the CMS will need to decide whether an assumption of parentage can be made. The circumstances on which the CMS can make an assumption about parentage are prescribed in legislation, such as the paying parent being registered as the father on the child’s birth certificate. If none of the assumption grounds apply, then a maintenance calculation cannot be made until the parentage dispute is resolved. If parentage cannot be assumed, all parties will be invited to take a DNA test.

If parentage is disputed after the initial maintenance calculation is made, including instances where the maintenance is collected via wage deductions, the CMS will decide whether there is conclusive evidence to confirm that the paying parent is not the parent of the child in question. Conclusive evidence is either a DNA test result from an approved tester or a court declaration of parentage or non-parentage.

Where a DNA test is requested by the paying parent, the cost is paid by the paying parent. If the DNA test shows that they are not the parent, they will no longer be liable for child maintenance payments and will receive a refund for the cost of the DNA test. The CMS will also consider an application for a refund of any maintenance paid to date.

The DWP keeps all policies under review. Whenever the DWP does announce an intention to make significant policy changes then the Department will invite views and perspectives – including those of paying parents - through a process of consultation.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has undertaken a recent review of the Child Maintenance Service's approach to paternity disputes.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Parentage disputes can be raised at any point in the life cycle of a child maintenance case.

If parentage is disputed before the initial maintenance calculation is made, the CMS will need to decide whether an assumption of parentage can be made. The circumstances on which the CMS can make an assumption about parentage are prescribed in legislation, such as the paying parent being registered as the father on the child’s birth certificate. If none of the assumption grounds apply, then a maintenance calculation cannot be made until the parentage dispute is resolved. If parentage cannot be assumed, all parties will be invited to take a DNA test.

If parentage is disputed after the initial maintenance calculation is made, including instances where the maintenance is collected via wage deductions, the CMS will decide whether there is conclusive evidence to confirm that the paying parent is not the parent of the child in question. Conclusive evidence is either a DNA test result from an approved tester or a court declaration of parentage or non-parentage.

Where a DNA test is requested by the paying parent, the cost is paid by the paying parent. If the DNA test shows that they are not the parent, they will no longer be liable for child maintenance payments and will receive a refund for the cost of the DNA test. The CMS will also consider an application for a refund of any maintenance paid to date.

The DWP keeps all policies under review. Whenever the DWP does announce an intention to make significant policy changes then the Department will invite views and perspectives – including those of paying parents - through a process of consultation.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what mechanisms are in place to assess the effectiveness of the Hotspot Action Fund in reducing (a) anti-social behaviour and (b) serious violence.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Hot Spot Action Fund for 25/26 is being evaluated for effectiveness using the same approach as for hot spot policing programmes funded by the Home Office since 21/22.

Details of the evaluation method along with previous results can be found within published reports on the Home Office research section of the GOV.UK website. including impact on anti-social behaviour) and to be published in 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle trophy hunting imports.

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

The Government committed to banning the import of hunting trophies in its manifesto and we will deliver on this. Defra continues to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can deliver a ban on the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern in the most effective way.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of trends in levels of reports of waste crime in the East of England in the last two years.

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

The Environment Agency (EA) recently published new heatmaps showing the densest areas of waste crime reports in England. Through our Plan for Change, this Government will crack down on the waste cowboys, seize and crush fly-tippers’ vans, and clean up Britain.

Reports of waste crime to the EA for their East Anglia area over the last 2 years are shown in the table below.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to publish financial modelling for Essex devolution proposals, in the context of projected levels of funding gaps.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Combined County Authorities (CCA) do not replace the councils in the area – and services such as social care, libraries and education that are provided by the local authorities would continue to be provided by them. The finances of constituent members such as Essex County Council will remain separate from the proposed Greater Essex Combined County Authority.

The CCA would instead benefit from devolution of both powers and funding in the areas of transport, housing and adult skills, as well as attracting a Mayoral Capacity Fund to assist with setting up and a thirty-year Investment Fund for both revenue and capital spending.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with Essex County Council on the financial sustainability of local services under the proposed devolution deal.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Combined County Authorities (CCA) do not replace the councils in the area – and services such as social care, libraries and education that are provided by the local authorities would continue to be provided by them. The finances of constituent members such as Essex County Council will remain separate from the proposed Greater Essex Combined County Authority.

The CCA would instead benefit from devolution of both powers and funding in the areas of transport, housing and adult skills, as well as attracting a Mayoral Capacity Fund to assist with setting up and a thirty-year Investment Fund for both revenue and capital spending.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure (a) transparency and (b) local accountability in areas where local elections have been cancelled as part of planned devolution arrangements.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Accountability for decisions in all local authorities whose elections were postponed remains with the elected members, whose terms of office were extended by one year.

The government ran public consultations in the areas on the Devolution Priority Programme. We are now carefully considering the evidence collected, in order to decide whether statutory tests have been met to proceed with the legislation required to establish the proposed devolution institutions. Government will share conclusions from the consultation responses once a decision has been made.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the ability of (a) county and (b) unitary councils to set balanced budgets for the next financial year.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We have delivered a Settlement for 2025-26 that begins to fix the foundations of local government by providing significant investment redirecting funding towards the services and places that need it most. The Settlement makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25.

Councils are responsible for managing their budgets locally and setting a balanced budget. Any council that has concerns about its ability to set or maintain a balanced budget should approach the Ministry in the first instance where we will treat all discussions in confidence, with respect and determination to find a solution together.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help educate (a) the public and (b) landowners on their legal obligations in relation to badger protection.

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

The UK Badger Persecution Priority Delivery Group, of which Defra is a member, recently re-launched its Operation Badger initiative. Operation Badger aims to increase awareness of the many types of criminal activity such as illegal trapping, poisoning, and sett disturbance that threaten badgers and to educate and encourage reporting of suspected crimes against badgers.

Advice on badger protection, legislation and planning is also available on GOV.UK.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many prosecutions have been brought for offences related to waste crime in the last five years.

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

In the five years up to March 2025 the EA has brought 341 prosecutions against companies and individuals for waste crime offences.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to support leaseholders who cannot (a) sell their properties and (b) re-mortgage due to ground rent charges.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government remains firmly committed to its manifesto commitment to tackle unregulated and unaffordable ground rents, and we will deliver this in legislation.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to protect leaseholders from ground rent charges.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government remains firmly committed to its manifesto commitment to tackle unregulated and unaffordable ground rents, and we will deliver this in legislation.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to provide long-term protections for badger populations.

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

The Protection of Badgers Act 1992 prohibits the deliberate killing, injuring or capturing of a wild badger and any interfering with badger setts; and The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 prohibits certain methods of control. Additionally, badger persecution is one of the seven UK wildlife crime priorities, and a UK Badger Persecution Priority Delivery Group is in place. This is police led and comprises a range of members including Defra who meet regularly to tackle offences such as badger baiting which is rightly illegal in this country. The government’s view is that anyone found guilty of these offences should be subject to the full force of the law.

We have also started work on a comprehensive new bovine TB eradication strategy to drive down TB rates to save cattle and farmers’ livelihoods and to end the badger cull by the end of this parliament. As part of this, we have launched the first badger population survey in over a decade to estimate badger abundance and population recovery and are developing a national wildlife surveillance programme to unlock a data-driven approach to deploying TB vaccines and other eradication measures. We are also establishing a Badger Vaccinator Field Force to rapidly scale up vaccination efforts, helping to reduce TB rates and protect badgers.

Mauritius Treaty

Found: _NC31 Nigel Farage Richard Tice Lee Anderson James McMurdock Sarah Pochin .

Found: _NC33 Nigel Farage Richard Tice Lee Anderson James McMurdock Sarah Pochin .

Found: _NC109 Nigel Farage Richard Tice Lee Anderson James McMurdock Sarah Pochin REPORT STAGE Monday 9

Found: _NC109 Nigel Farage Richard Tice Lee Anderson James McMurdock Sarah Pochin .

Found: _NC33 Nigel Farage Richard Tice Lee Anderson James McMurdock Sarah Pochin .

Found: _NC109 Nigel Farage Richard Tice Lee Anderson James McMurdock Sarah Pochin .

Found: _NC33 Nigel Farage Richard Tice Lee Anderson James McMurdock Sarah Pochin .

Found: _NC109 Nigel Farage Richard Tice Lee Anderson James McMurdock Sarah Pochin ★.

Found: _NC33 Nigel Farage Richard Tice Lee Anderson James McMurdock Sarah Pochin ★.

Found: _NC16 Jim Allister Sir Desmond Swayne Nigel Farage Richard Tice Lee Anderson James McMurdock Sammy

Found: _NC16 Jim Allister Sir Desmond Swayne Nigel Farage Richard Tice Lee Anderson James McMurdock Sammy

Found: _NC16 Jim Allister Sir Desmond Swayne Nigel Farage Richard Tice Lee Anderson James McMurdock Alex

Freight and Logistics APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Grahame Morris MP - Easington Greg Smith MP – Mid Buckinghamshire Ian Roome MP – North Devon James McMurdock