Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to encourage schools to buy food from local food cooperatives through the updated school food standards.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The National Procurement Policy Statement, published in February, underscores the government's commitment to increasing the procurement of food that meets higher environmental standards and upholding ethical sourcing practises across public sector contracts. The department believes our high-quality British producers are well-placed to meet this. It is important that schools have flexibility in how they procure.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will support the establishment of an independent public inquiry into the UK's involvement in Israeli operations in Gaza since October 2023.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The government does not support the establishment of an independent public inquiry into the UK's involvement in Israeli operations in Gaza since October 2023. The government has already set out the role of UK military operations in relation to Gaza. In support of ongoing hostage rescue activity, the Ministry of Defence has conducted surveillance flights over the eastern Mediterranean, including in airspace over Israel and Gaza. Surveillance aircraft are unarmed, do not have a combat role and have been tasked solely to locate hostages in order to uphold the government's primary responsibility: the security of its citizens.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which defence contractors and associated corporate entities were granted sight of the Strategic Defence Review prior to its official presentation to the House.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
For the launch of the Strategic Defence Review, the Government offered embargoed briefings to our people and senior defence leaders, plus certain parliamentarians, trade unions, businesses, allies and media. This was broadly consistent with the approach for previous defence reviews. At no point did stakeholders receive any commercially sensitive information ahead of publication.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many families are receiving Healthy Start in Islington North constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Monthly figures for the number of people on the digital Healthy Start scheme are published on the NHS Healthy Start website, which is available at the following link:
https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthcare-professionals/
The NHSBSA does not hold data on the number of families receiving Healthy Start. The number of people on the scheme in March 2025 in Islington North was 1,763.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2025 to Question 35627 on Strategic Defence Review, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the risks identified by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question 29127 from the hon. Member for Leyton and Wanstead on 14 February 2025.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the red rating of the Core Production Capability programme by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority in its Annual Report on Major Projects 2023-24, published on 17 January 2025, on the Strategic Defence Review.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Infrastructure and Projects Authority delivery confidence assessments reflect a judgement at a particular point in time. They do not represent the likelihood or not of successful delivery but are a representation of the level of risk and what further mitigation may be required in order to reduce such risk. The Infrastructure and Projects Authority has confirmed ongoing actions are appropriate.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to participate in the UN study on the effects of nuclear war.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK voted against the United Nations General Assembly Resolution "Nuclear War Effects and Scientific Research", which proposed establishing an independent scientific panel on the effects of nuclear war, because the devastation that would be caused by nuclear war has been long understood. The UK questioned the benefit of further research in that area, which could not change our collective understanding of the horror of a nuclear war.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what research his Department has undertaken on the consequences of nuclear war since the signature of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 1968.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The devastation that would be caused by nuclear war has been long understood and was written into the preamble of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1968. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's focus since then has therefore been on upholding the NPT and nuclear risk reduction.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the presence of UK troops as part of the NATO’s Exercise Steadfast Dart 25 in Eastern Europe on the risk of escalating tensions in that region.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
In an unpredictable security environment, exacerbated by Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, we must remain ready to deter all threats and to defend all Allies. Exercises like Steadfast Dart enhance our collective defence and deterrence, and are planned and publicised well in advance. NATO’s actions are defensive, transparent and proportionate. NATO and Allies fully respect our international obligations, and abide by both the letter and the spirit of the OSCE’s Vienna Document on military transparency.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to ensure that landlords who are found liable for rent repayment orders in tribunal pay back monies owed.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Rent repayment orders (RROs) are an important and effective tenant-led enforcement tool. They deter landlords from non-compliance and empower tenants to take action against unscrupulous landlords.
The Renters’ Rights Bill includes measures to significantly strengthen and expand RROs. Changes include doubling the maximum amount a landlord can be ordered to pay, extending them to new offences, doubling the period in which tenants and local authorities can apply, making superior landlords and company directors liable and requiring landlords to pay the maximum amount when they have been convicted.
When an RRO is made, the relevant landlord must pay. Where they do not, the tenant or local authority can apply to the county court for a judgment to enable enforcement of the debt through the court. If necessary, the tenant or local authority can, for example, use county court bailiffs to enforce the order and recover the debt.