Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the UN Human Rights Council’s recent urgent call for an inquiry into violations in El Fasher, Sudan.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the statements on Sudan made by the Foreign Secretary on 18 November, and by the Minister of State for International Development and Africa in the House of Lords debate on 27 November. We will provide further updates to the House in due course, including on our efforts to ensure that there is proper accountability for all atrocities committed in this conflict.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to teach young people from disadvantaged backgrounds about (a) finance, (b)employment and (c) other life skills.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

On 5 November, the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review published its final recommendations for a refreshed curriculum and assessment system in England.

The government’s response to the report includes a commitment to commits to strengthening pupils’ foundational understanding of financial education in maths and citizenship, with digital resources to support teaching. New statutory citizenship at key stages 1 and 2 will also ensure that primary aged children are introduced to key content on media literacy, financial literacy, law and rights, democracy and government and climate education. These principles will be extended to the secondary core content to reflect the age range of pupils and will focus on more complex content, particularly digital elements of financial literacy.

The department expects schools to develop and improve their careers provision to be inclusive for all young people in line with the world-class Gatsby Benchmarks, including benchmark 3, which focuses on addressing the individual needs of each pupil.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps are being taken to ensure police officers are trained to identify and help tackle instances of online abuse.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The College of Policing sets standards for police training and development, including the national policing curriculum and accreditations for those who work in high risk or specialist roles. It also works with police forces to support standards of ongoing training and development.

On 2 February 2025, we announced a step-change in approach to the way that policing responds to VAWG crimes, through a new National Policing Centre for VAWG and Public Protection. The new centre launched in April 2025, and we are investing £13.1 million pounds this financial year (25/26). This funding includes an uplift of nearly £2 million to enable policing to better target these crimes – including online VAWG - demonstrating the government’s steadfast commitment to halving violence against women and girls in a decade.

The new Centre provides coordinated, national leadership within policing to tackle VAWG and child sexual abuse. Centralising policing expertise to tackle these crimes will drive national coordination, with the development of strengthened specialist training for officers across the country ensuring they offer consistent protection for victims and relentlessly pursue of these vile crimes.

Under the Online Safety Act, platforms are required to take steps to remove content where it is illegal, including violent material, to protect users and our communities from online harms.

Ofcom have set out their expectations for platforms to adhere to: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/open-letter-to-uk-online-service-providers/

The government funds an online hate crime reporting portal - True Vision - that was designed so that victims of all types of hate crime do not have to visit a police station to report.

The government also funds the National Online Hate Crime Hub which supports individual local police forces in dealing specifically with online hate crime – the Hub provides expert advice to police forces to support them in investigating these abhorrent offences.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many diagnoses have been made for diabetes so far in 2025.

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

The information requested is available from the National Diabetes Audit which provides a count of the number of people with a general practice record of diabetes. The latest published data from the audit for April 2024 to March 2025 is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/national-diabetes-audit/core-q4-24-25/national-diabetes-audit-nda-2024-25-quarterly-report-for-england-integrated-care-board-icb-primary-care-network-pcn-and-gp-practice

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will include provisions in the forthcoming National Development Management Policies to increase the number of stepping stone housing models across local authority areas.

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

We will consult later this year on a suite of new national policies for decision-making. Further details will be set out in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refusals there have been for firearms licenses in the last 12 months.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes information annually on the number of firearm and shotgun certificate applications refused in England and Wales in the statistical publication on firearm and shotgun certificates. The latest available data is for the year ending 31 March 2025 and can be accessed at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/firearm-certificates-in-england-and-wales

The number of firearm and shotgun certificate applications that were refused in England and Wales for the year ending 31 March 2025, as well as previous years, can be found in data tables 1 and 3.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people are currently being treated for Mesothelioma.

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

The latest data for England from Cancer Waiting Times shows that for the month of September 2025 the number of people that started first or subsequent treatment for Mesothelioma after a decision to treat was 168, and the number of people that started their first treatment for Mesothelioma following referral was 107.

We have now launched our first Men’s Health Strategy which includes targeted support to address health inequalities in ex-mining and industrial communities, who often face persistent respiratory and cardiovascular disease burdens. We will expand the existing Respiratory Pathways Transformation Fund initiative by investing an additional £1 million to develop targeted case-finding initiatives in former coalfield areas to help us to identify the individuals who need support to access appropriate local services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to raise awareness of grief awareness week.

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

The Government understands the importance and significance of National Grief Awareness Week. Grief is something we will all encounter during our lives, and it’s important that grieving families and friends who have lost loved ones have access to the support they need, when they need it.

As part of National Grief Awareness Week 2025, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health met with the UK Commission on Bereavement. This was highlighted on social media, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/baroness-gillian-merron-a5130330_yesterday-during-national-grief-awareness-activity-7402274226902040576-PSWO

Furthermore, the Department chairs the cross-Government Bereavement Working Group, with representatives from over 10 departments, to consider options to improve bereavement support and services.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are being taken to help support the maritime sector.

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

Defra, including arms length bodies such as the Marine Management Organisation, supports maritime industries through a range of policy and operational activities. This includes the marine licensing system, work to support growth in offshore wind, our Marine Spatial Prioritisation programme and other marine, fisheries and environmental policies. In doing this we work closely with other Government Departments including Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Department for Transport, Department for Business and Trade.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to improve the planning system.

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

The government published a revised pro-growth National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) on 12 December 2024.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will help speed up and streamline the delivery of new homes and critical infrastructure.

It remains our intention to consult on a new suite of national policies for decision making before the end of the year.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to improve housing provision.

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

The government is taking concerted action to improve housing provision in England including reforming the planning system and record grant funding support for social and affordable housebuilding.

Housing is a devolved matter within the competency of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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 improve early diagnosis of COPD.

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

To enable faster diagnosis and earlier access to treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), access to spirometry tests in community diagnostic centres (CDCs) is growing and will continue to do so as more sites come online. The first five months of 2025/26 saw an increase in CDC spirometry testing of approximately 2,000 tests per month more than in the previous year.

As of November 2025, CDCs are now delivering additional tests and checks in 170 sites across the country. 101 CDCs across the country now offer out of hours services, 12 hours a day, seven days a week, meaning patients can access vital diagnostic tests around their busy working lives.

Diagnosis times for COPD from spirometry tests are not routinely collected or available in a centralised dataset.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to hold housing developers accountable for defects in newly built homes.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 71818 on 3 September 2025 and UIN 37745 on 19 March 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of diagnosis times for COPD.

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

To enable faster diagnosis and earlier access to treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), access to spirometry tests in community diagnostic centres (CDCs) is growing and will continue to do so as more sites come online. The first five months of 2025/26 saw an increase in CDC spirometry testing of approximately 2,000 tests per month more than in the previous year.

As of November 2025, CDCs are now delivering additional tests and checks in 170 sites across the country. 101 CDCs across the country now offer out of hours services, 12 hours a day, seven days a week, meaning patients can access vital diagnostic tests around their busy working lives.

Diagnosis times for COPD from spirometry tests are not routinely collected or available in a centralised dataset.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many confirmed cases of blue tongue there has been in the last 24 months.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The first cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) of the current outbreak (2025/2026 vector season) were confirmed on the 11 July 2025. As of 5 December 2025, there have been 238 cases of bluetongue in GB since July 2025, with 223 cases in England and 15 cases in Wales.

Prior to this, Defra confirmed 160 BTV-3 cases in England and 2 in Wales between 26 August 2024 and 31 May 2025. One case of bluetongue virus serotype 12 (BTV-12) was confirmed in England on 7 February 2025.

Between November 2023 and March 2024 Defra confirmed 126 BTV-3 cases in England.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many confirmed cases of avian flu has there been in the last 12 months.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Between 5 December 2024 and 4 December 2025, there were 143 confirmed cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in poultry or other captive birds in the UK.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the number of families in temporary accommodation.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I regularly discuss homelessness issues with my counterparts in the devolved administrations and most recently met the Minister for Communities on Tuesday 25 November.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps are being taken to find prisoners who were released by accident.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Any release in error is unacceptable, and public safety is the Government’s first duty. In such cases, we coordinate across multiple agencies including the police to ensure individuals are returned to custody. The majority of those released in error are recaptured swiftly.

Releases in error are another long-term symptom of the prison system crisis this Government inherited. While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, we are bearing down on those errors that do occur.

On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan. This includes strengthening release checks across prisons, a multi-million pound investment in new technology, and an independent review, which will report its recommendations in spring next year.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will consider leading a workforce strategy for the advice sector to support the aims of the Get Britain Working white paper.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Work coaches refer to the National Careers Service (in England) for high-quality, careers information, advice and guidance which is essential to help people make informed decisions about their futures. For the future Jobs and Careers Service, we will ensure advisers have a robust understanding of job roles, pathways and skills required, so support is tailored to individual needs, including for those seeking careers in the advice sector.

The Get Britain Working White Paper outlined plans for the biggest reforms to employment support in a generation, bringing together skills and health to get more people both into work and to get on in work.

We remain focussed on delivering our Get Britain Working strategy by supporting people into good quality work, enhancing earnings, and developing a skilled workforce for key sectors.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve regional air travel.

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

Regional airports serve our local communities and act as a gateway to international opportunities, alongside maintaining social and family ties and strengthening the bonds between the four nations.

The UK aviation market operates predominantly in the private sector. It is for airports to invest in their infrastructure to attract passengers and airlines, while airlines are well placed to deliver services to their customers by responding to demand for different routes.

The public service obligation (PSO) regulations enable the protection of existing domestic routes that are in danger of being lost. The government currently joint-funds three PSO routes into London from Derry/Londonderry, Newquay and Dundee.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with British Airways on reducing the number of cancelled flights.

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

The resilience of the UK aviation sector is key to its success. As UK aviation operates predominately in the private sector, it is the responsibility of industry to ensure appropriate contingency plans are in place to minimise potential disruption and cancellations.

My officials regularly engage with the aviation sector to discuss strategies in place to minimise disruption and cancellations and ensure resilience exists across the network to deliver for their customers. This involves regular communication with airlines, including British Airways, airports, ground handling agents and industry bodies.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps are being taken to improve the condition of derelict buildings in town centres.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

This Government is committed to supporting town centre regeneration including bringing derelict buildings back into use through targeted investment. Our Pride in Place programme is delivering significant funding to help communities thrive, create vibrant town centres, and celebrate local heritage, as part of phase 1 of the programme, which included funding for Northern Ireland.

As part of Phase 2 of the programme, corresponding funding will be made available, and MHCLG and the Northern Ireland Office will work in partnership with the NI Executive to determine the appropriate delivery approach, of which further detail will provided in due course

We will continue to work closely with local partners to ensure this funding delivers lasting benefits for businesses and residents, helping to strengthen high streets and foster pride in local places.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to launch the Contingent Decision route for the Civil Service Partnership Pension scheme.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

A launch date for the Partnership Contingent Decision route cannot be confirmed at this time. The Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS) launched the Contingent Decision process for members who opted out of the scheme in July 2025. However, the process for members who switched to the Partnership pension scheme involves additional complexity, requiring the reconciliation of contributions between defined contribution and defined benefit arrangements.

The administration of this work will now be picked up by Capita who took over the CSPS contract on 1 December. Planning work has started to define the process and timeline.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the time taken for driving tests and MOTs.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The national average waiting time in Great Britain (GB) for a car practical driving test in November 2025 was 22 weeks.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times across GB. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access to driving tests that will break down barriers to opportunity as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

On the 12 November, the Secretary of State for Transport, updated the Transport Select Committee on the government’s ongoing response to high driving test waiting times in GB. Further information on the measures announced can be found on GOV.uk.

DVSA supervises the delivery of light vehicle MOTs in GB through its approved MOT garages. However, as these are private garages, DVSA does not collate overall average waiting time data for MOTs.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve electric vehicle charging provision.

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

While transport in Northern Ireland is largely devolved to the Department for Infrastructure, the Department for Transport is supporting Northern Ireland’s transition to zero emission vehicles and has regular meetings to discuss the transition. Additionally, through Round 1 of the Levelling Up Fund, we are providing up to £3.27 million to upgrade and expand the electric vehicle charging network. Previously, two grants totalling £1.38 million were awarded under the On Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps are being taken to raise awareness in schools of the potential impact of vapes on health.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The department has included a specific reference to the dangers of vaping in the amended relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance, which was published in July. This includes the facts about legal and illegal harmful substances and associated risks of vaping, the risks of illicit vapes containing drugs, and the facts about vaping, including the harms posed to young people.

To support schools to deliver this content effectively, the department’s existing suite of teacher training modules includes one on drugs, alcohol and tobacco, which makes specific reference to e-cigarettes. In addition, Oak National Academy has developed materials across the updated curriculum.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps are being taken to ensure there are safeguards when facial recognition is being used for children.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The UK’s data protection framework is technology-neutral, with principles such as transparency, accountability and fairness applying to all technologies using personal data. In practice, organisations must be clear with people about how and why their data is being processed, only processing it where there are legitimate grounds to do so, and ensuring that any data held is accurate and up to date.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published a range of guidance, including the use of biometric recognition technologies, and the use of video surveillance, including facial recognition technology used for children. These require organisations to carry out an impact assessment when processing activities involving technologies such as LFRT are likely to result in a high risk to individuals’ rights and freedoms.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information her Department holds on the number of schools that took part in the Youth Parliament.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to enable young people to learn about the democratic process, engage with policy and decision makers, and have a say on issues that matter to them.

UKYP is not designed to be a schools programme. We do not therefore hold data on the amount or type of school involvement.

UKYP is made up of approximately 300 Members of Youth Parliament (MYPs) aged 11-18. MYPs are elected every 2 years to represent the views of their young constituents to government and to national and local youth service providers. A small number of MYP elections are delivered by schools, who provide ongoing support to the elected young people. In most cases, MYP elections are delivered by local authorities and support for MYPs is provided by UKYP delivery partners and local youth workers.

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 improve CAMHS referral times.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We know too many children and young people are waiting too long for mental health support and through our Plan for Change, we’re determined to give children and young people the best start in life.

The Government is expanding access to mental health support teams in all schools and colleges to reach all pupils by 2029, ensuring that every pupil has access to early support services. This expansion will ensure that up to 900,000 more children and young people will have access to support from trained education mental health practitioners in 2025/26.

More widely, we are, rolling out Young Futures Hubs. The Government’s first 50 Young Futures Hubs will bring together services at a local level to support children and young people, helping to ensure that young people can access early advice and wellbeing intervention. We will work to ensure there is no wrong door for young people who need support with their mental health.

We have also committed to hiring 8,500 more mental health staff to reduce waiting times. Thus far, we have hired almost 7,000 extra mental health workers since July 2024.

Furthermore, the Medium Term Planning Framework is also asking integrated care boards to prioritise eliminating the longest waits of over a year for children and young people to ensure timely access to care and better mental health outcomes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of the current palliative care strategy.

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

The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England.

The MSF will drive improvements in the services that patients and their families receive at the end of life and will enable integrated care boards to address challenges in access, quality, and sustainability through the delivery of high-quality, personalised care. This will be aligned with the ambitions set out in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan.

It would not be right to pre-empt exactly what will be in the final MSF at this time, as we develop it with our palliative care and end of life stakeholders. It is our intention to work together with those stakeholders to ensure that everyone has access to the care they need, in the right place, at the right time. As part of the MSF, we have invited representatives from a number of organisations to engage with us as part of this process, which has already commenced.

Further information about the MSF is set out in the Written Ministerial Statement HCWS1087, which I gave on 24 November 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of unregistered pharmacies that are operating.

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

Pharmacy is a protected title in law, and it is a criminal offence for a business to engage in regulated activity, for example supplying pharmacy only medicines to the public, and call themselves ‘a pharmacy’ if they are not registered with the pharmacy regulator. Any concerns about a business that is operating as a pharmacy while not being registered should be raised with either the General Pharmaceutical Council for Great Britain or the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency Criminal Enforcement Unit (MHRA CEU) actively seeks to identify individuals involved in unlawful activity. Where appropriate, the MHRA CEU prosecutes those who put public health at risk, although are not able to release information on the number of ongoing investigations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the department are taking to mark international day of disabled people.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has not taken any specific steps to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities this year. However, we remain committed to championing the rights of disabled people.

As the Lead Minister for Disability (LMD) for the Department, I will continue to work with fellow LMDs across the Government towards our shared goal of breaking down barriers to opportunity for disabled people.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps her Department has taken to address extreme flooding.

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

Over the last year, this Government has made significant progress by committing record investment in flood and coastal erosion defences; introducing the most significant change in flood and coastal erosion funding policy for nearly fifteen years; and building partnerships to improve flood preparedness and resilience.

As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, we are investing £4.2 billion over three years (2026/27 to 2028/29) to construct new flood and coastal erosion schemes and maintain and repair existing defences across England. In our first year in Government, 151 flood defence schemes have been delivered, better protecting over 24,000 homes and businesses.

This Government will invest at least £10.5 billion into our flood defences between April 2024 and March 2036 benefitting nearly 900,000 properties across England.

The Environment Agency’s National Flood Risk Assessment data now includes climate change scenarios, providing the best evidence to inform long-term risk assessment and the development of flood mitigation strategies.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking with cabinet colleagues to support young disabled people with complex needs into work.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government is taking action to help young disabled people and young people with complex health needs move towards work. This is a diverse group, so it is key that the individual gets access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, for them.

The Youth Guarantee and Pathways to Work will guarantee specialist support for young people with long-term health conditions and disabled young people.

We have announced an £820 million funding package for the Youth Guarantee to overhaul support and give a generation of young people a brighter future. Over the next three years:

• Almost one million young people on Universal Credit across Great Britain will benefit from support designed to get them into employment and learning.
• For young people on Universal Credit and looking for work, we will create guaranteed jobs for almost 55,000 young people, giving them the start they need; alongside nearly 300,000 additional work experience and training opportunities.
• Additionally, we will further expand our Youth Hubs to over 360 to every local area of Great Britain.

Through Pathways to Work we are building towards a guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for all disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits. This will be the biggest investment in support for disabled people and those with health conditions in at least a generation. We anticipate that, once fully rolled out, the Pathways to Work Guarantee will offer a comprehensive range of support including: a support conversation to identify next steps, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement and an offer of specialist long-term work health and skills support.

Youth Guarantee and Pathways to Work will build on the range of support available to disabled people and people with health conditions, regardless of their benefit status or Work Group. For example, Connect to Work a supported employment programme that joins up work skills and health support, and Employment Advisers in NHS Talking Therapies, which combine the expertise of therapists and employment advisers to give those with mental health conditions the support they need to find work tailored to them. Additionally, disabled people and people with health conditions might be able to access WorkWell, which is our new way to deliver integrated work and health support through local partnerships.

Finally, we are considering how we might go even further. The Right Honourable Alan Milburn will lead on an investigation of the rise in youth inactivity with a particular focus on the impact of mental health conditions and disability. Reporting in Summer 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with ger counterparts in Northern Ireland in relation to the second outbreak of blue tongue in Portaferry.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra works closely with the Devolved Governments with the aim of providing, where possible, a consistent and coordinated response across the UK.

Following the first confirmed bluetongue cases in Northern Ireland, Defra is working with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to review policy regarding movement of bluetongue susceptible animals between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. This has included a case conference, and a CVO stocktake attended by the chief veterinary officers and policy leads from Defra, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the price of school uniforms.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The cost of school uniform, particularly of branded items, remains a key concern for parents. Parentkind recently found that more than a quarter of parents will go without heating or eating to be able to afford school uniform. Whilst uniforms play a valuable role in creating a sense of common identity among pupils and reducing visible inequalities, too many schools still require high numbers of branded uniform items despite statutory guidance stating branded items should be kept to a minimum.

This is why the department has introduced legislation to limit the number of branded items of uniform and PE kit that schools can require, to bring down costs and remove barriers to accessing sport and other school activities. This will allow parents greater flexibility to make spending decisions that suit them. The department intends to introduce this limit from September 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of derelict buildings across the UK.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Derelict buildings can blight communities and the Government is committed to giving communities the tools to revitalise them. The National Planning Policy Framework encourages and supports the development of under-utilised land and buildings, especially if this would help to meet identified needs for housing where land supply is constrained.

The Government’s Pride in Place programme will provide up to £5 billion to help the most deprived communities thrive, which could include restoring derelict buildings. Phase 1 of the programme included funding for Northern Ireland and corresponding funding will be made available for Phase 2.

Regeneration policy levers are largely devolved. In England, the Government has introduced High Street Rental Auction powers, giving councils the power to auction the lease of long-term vacant properties.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to improve night time safety in bars and clubs.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government works closely with local authorities and industry to ensure venues licensed to sell alcohol, such as bars and clubs, operate safely. Under the Licensing Act 2003, which applies to England and Wales, premises must promote the four statutory licensing objectives - public safety, the prevention of crime and disorder, the prevention of public nuisance and the protection of children from harm.

If a matter arises at a premises that undermines any of these objectives, the relevant licensing authority may review the licence and take appropriate action up to and including suspending or revoking the licence.

We also encourage licence holders to adopt recognised safeguarding initiatives which provide support for individuals who feel unsafe in the night-time economy.

Furthermore, from 1 December 2025 to 31 January 2026, we are running a Winter of Action to target night-time economy offences, retail crime and anti-social behaviour across England and Wales. Led by Police and Crime Commissioners and Deputy Mayors, local plans will be delivered in partnership with police forces and community safety organisations to address the issues that matter most in town centres.

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