Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2025 to Question 67240 on Animals in Science Regulation Unit: Inspections, how many inspectors were in post in the Animals in Science Regulation Unit as of July 2025.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Home Office is in the final stages of delivering a comprehensive programme of regulatory reform to strengthen the Animals in Science Regulation Unit and ensure robust compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). The number of Inspectors will increase from 17 at the end of 2023, to 22 by end of 2025. This expansion will improve the Regulator’s capability to provide oversight and conduct inspections through regulation which is proportionate, targeted, robust and effective.
The number of inspectors in post in the Animals in Science Regulation Unit in July 2025 was 15 – the middle of the reform process. Numbers of inspectors are published in the Animals in Science Regulation Unit annual report.
The Government is fully committed to continuous improvement in regulation and strengthening the UK’s position as a global leader in science and innovation.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of project licences applied for under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 were refused between 1 January and 1 September 2025.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Between 1 January 2021 to 1 January 2025, one application for a project licence under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 has been refused.
The Home Office does not routinely collect information on refused project licences as, due to the structure of the legal framework, this metric is not an indicator for the robustness of the regulatory regime.
The Government sets clear expectations of applications through publishing extensive guidance for the regulated sector. Before being submitted to the Regulator for assessment, the regulation requires that applications must be internally reviewed by an establishment’s Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body and be signed off by the Establishment Licence Holder. Home Office Inspectors in the Regulator will only review applications from establishments that fulfil all requirements of the legislation. Applications received by the Regulator may be returned to the applicant for clarification and/or amendment before being re-assessed. Applicants may also amend or withdraw an application in response to feedback from the regulator. This system means that the number of refusals tends towards zero.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
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 the availability of ADHD medications.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has worked closely with industry stakeholders, and, following extensive collaborative efforts, previous issues have been resolved and all strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine capsules, atomoxetine oral solution, guanfacine prolonged-release tablets and methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets and prolonged-release capsules are now available.
We continue to support the NHS England Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) taskforce, which brings together expertise from the National Health Service, education, and justice sectors to coordinate a system-wide response to rising demand. In collaboration with NHS England’s national ADHD data improvement plan, we are developing future growth forecasts to support improved demand planning. These forecasts will be shared with industry to help ensure a more responsive and sustainable supply of ADHD medicines.
In parallel, we are also engaging with new suppliers for ADHD medicines to increase supply capacity and resilience.
The Department also maintains and regularly updates a list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website. This resource supports prescribers and dispensers in making informed decisions with patients. The list is available at the following link:
www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/prescribing-available-medicines-to-treat-adhd
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of tube strikes on (a) passenger load, (b) stress levels and (c) working conditions for bus drivers in London.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor and TfL, and any impacts of strike action on London’s transport network are for TfL to manage. Nevertheless, the Government understands this is disappointing for passengers and businesses and we continue to encourage all sides to work together to resolve this dispute as quickly as possible. Likewise, TfL and their contractors are responsible for operational and welfare decisions regarding bus services and bus drivers operating in the Capital.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions her Department has had with Transport for London on the (a) welfare and (b) remuneration of bus drivers in London.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor and TfL, and any impacts of strike action on London’s transport network are for TfL to manage. Nevertheless, the Government understands this is disappointing for passengers and businesses and we continue to encourage all sides to work together to resolve this dispute as quickly as possible. Likewise, TfL and their contractors are responsible for operational and welfare decisions regarding bus services and bus drivers operating in the Capital.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the Mayor of London on supporting London bus drivers during periods of industrial action on the London Underground.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and Transport for London, this includes bus services operating in the Capital. While the Department works closely with Transport for London on a range of issues, the operation of the bus network is for Transport for London and its contractors.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the Mayor of London on the average annual salaries of (a) London Underground drivers and (b) London bus drivers.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and Transport for London. They are solely responsible for operational decisions around salaries for London Underground drivers. Similarly, decisions around salaries for London bus drivers are for Transport for London and its contractors.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
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 monitoring the potential impact of extended producer responsibility scheme costs on food and drink prices in the (a) on-trade and (b) off-trade market.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the packaging extended producer responsibility scheme (pEPR). The impact assessment sets out the estimated inflationary impact of pEPR on the UK economy as a whole. The central estimate for the increase in the Consumer Price Index is 0.29%. This is based on an assumption that producers pass on 85% of the costs incurred through pEPR. The pEPR impact assessment does not split out impacts on individual sectors.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many inquests are outstanding in the Isle of Wight Coroner’s Office; and how long they have been waiting to be heard.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Real-time information is not centrally collated on the total number of uncompleted coroner investigations in individual coroner areas, and their length.
However, the number of open inquests at 31 December 2024 is published in the Coroner Statistics (Coroners statistics 2024 - GOV.UK). The data for each coroner area can be found in the CSV tables published alongside the statistical report.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how she plans to allocate dormant assets to youth organisations.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
On the 2nd June, DCMS Secretary of State announced that £132.5 million of dormant assets funding will be allocated to support the provision of services, facilities or opportunities to meet the needs of young people. This will increase disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability, and be delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund.
It also includes the £15 million ‘Building Futures’ programme announced under the previous government in September 2023, and delivered by Youth Futures Foundation.
Further details, including how the funding will be allocated, will be shared in due course.