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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of its consultation entitled Modernising Corporate Reporting to Support Long-term Economic Growth on the work of the Small Business Regulatory Taskforce.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Modernising Corporate Reporting consultation and the Small Business Regulatory Taskforce are complementary, both contributing to the Government’s wider objective of reducing regulatory burdens on business. The consultation is seeking evidence on the costs, benefits and practical impacts of potential reforms including for SMEs.

As consultation proposals are developed, the Government will consider their impacts on business and undertake appropriate assessment before implementation. This will ensure that reforms are evidence-based and proportionate while supporting the Government’s wider regulatory reform objectives.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether her Department has made an estimate of the annual saving to small and medium-sized enterprises if public bodies accepted Cyber Essentials Plus certification in place of bespoke supplier security questionnaires for contracts below the goods and services threshold in Schedule 1 to the Procurement Act 2023.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Contracting authorities in central government must ensure that effective and proportionate cyber security controls are applied to mitigate supply chain risks. In contracts with certain key characteristics considered to be at a higher risk of cyber security threats, the Cyber Essentials schemes, or equivalent, should be used as set out in Procurement Policy Note 014.

Cyber Essentials is a government backed scheme to help businesses of any size protect themselves against a range of the most common cyber attacks and to demonstrate their commitment to cyber security.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether her Department has made an estimate of the effect on gross domestic product of standardising supplier assurance requirements across public sector buyers for contracts below the central government goods and services threshold.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Contracting authorities undertaking a below-threshold procurement have greater flexibility in designing and running a procurement and awarding and managing the resulting contract. This flexibility might include, for example, the ability to choose to restrict the award of contracts to suppliers who are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), or voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs).

Supplier assurance requirements for below threshold procurements are determined by the Contracting Authority, must not include a pre-qualification stage and must be proportionate.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether her Department has made an estimate of the annual cost to business of completing separate security assurance questionnaires for different public sector buyers.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Contracting authorities in central government must ensure that effective and proportionate security assurance measures are deployed in procurements, to mitigate supply chain risks. The type and levels of security assurance required will depend on the nature and risk of the contract.

The Central Digital Platform introduced a 'tell us once' functionality for baseline supplier information to streamline and simplify the bidding process.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has issued guidance to waste disposal authorities in England on how DIY waste that is not presented in 50 litre bags should be measured for the purposes of the free disposal allowance at household waste recycling centres.

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

Responses to the 2022 Government consultation indicated larger quantities were more likely to be produced by traders than householders. A limit of two 50L rubble bags reflects small-scale DIY home improvements and, as material can only be presented in a 50L bag, is easy to measure. Local authorities determine implementation across HWRCs.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking with waste disposal authorities in England to help ensure that limits on the free disposal of DIY waste are applied consistently between household waste recycling centres.

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

Responses to the 2022 Government consultation indicated larger quantities were more likely to be produced by traders than householders. A limit of two 50L rubble bags reflects small-scale DIY home improvements and, as material can only be presented in a 50L bag, is easy to measure. Local authorities determine implementation across HWRCs.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging scheme provides incentives for manufacturers to reduce the amount and size of packaging used for food products.

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

Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging makes producers responsible for the costs incurred by local authorities of managing household packaging waste. As fees reflect the amount and type of packaging supplied, producers are incentivised to reduce unnecessary packaging.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the quantity of DIY waste that householders in England may dispose of free of charge at household waste recycling centres.

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

Responses to the 2022 Government consultation indicated larger quantities were more likely to be produced by traders than householders. A limit of two 50L rubble bags reflects small-scale DIY home improvements and, as material can only be presented in a 50L bag, is easy to measure. Local authorities determine implementation across HWRCs.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with food and snack manufacturers on reducing excess packaging and increasing packaging efficiency.

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

Defra and PackUK regularly engage with food and drink manufacturers and industry bodies through forums, bilaterial meetings and consultations. Discussions include how Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging can reduce unnecessary packaging and improve recyclability.

The producer-led UK Packaging PRO will work alongside PackUK to help shape the scheme’s future delivery.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department has made of the resilience of the UK's supply chain for nuclear boron required for the rollout of SMRs.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The UK has long-established expertise developing, qualifying and fabricating a range of fuels and other materials essential to the operation of reactors.

Great British Energy – Nuclear is working with Rolls-Royce SMR to develop the supply chain plan for the Gwyndod small modular reactor project.

The department will also continue to monitor the boron requirements of reactor technologies progressing through the Advanced Nuclear Framework pipeline, to better understand potential future supply chain demand.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a statutory right to time off for necessary medical appointments for (a) disabled employees and (b) employees with long-term health conditions.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The government is committed to helping working people balance their jobs with their personal lives, including those managing disabilities and long-term health conditions. The Keep Britain Working Vanguard is focused on testing voluntary employer action, so a statutory right is not currently in scope. We will engage with unions, Disabled People’s Organisations and people with lived experience as solutions develop, to ensure the system is fair and works for everyone. Where a disability is covered by the Equality Act 2010, employers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments, which may include flexibility to attend medical appointments.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support the hospitality sector in the context of rising operating and employment costs; and what assessment he has made of the case for targeted employer National Insurance relief for under-25s in qualifying entry-level roles in that sector.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The Government recognises the pressures facing hospitality businesses from rising operating and employment costs. Hospitality businesses play a vital role in communities, high streets and local economies across the UK, and we are taking action to support them. From April 2026, eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties benefit from permanently lower business rates multipliers. We have also increased the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, reducing employer National Insurance costs for many eligible businesses.

Businesses can also claim employer National Insurance reliefs, including those for under-21s and under-25 apprentices. This means employers pay no employer National Insurance contributions for apprentices under 25 or employees under 21 on earnings up to £50,270. These reliefs were estimated to be worth around £2.5 billion in 2025/26.

The Government keeps all taxes under review and carefully considers the impact, cost and complexity of any proposed new tax reliefs as part of the policy-making process.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of public sector software licensing and cloud computing costs since the publication of the Competition and Markets Authority's 2025 final decision report on cloud services.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The Department has not made a specific assessment of trends in the level of public sector software licensing and cloud computing costs since the publication of the Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) final report on cloud services in July 2025. The CMA provided input into Government's State of Digital Government review, published in January 2025, which assessed the public sector's use of digital technology.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what lessons his Department has learned from the Competition and Markets Authority's 2025 final decision report on cloud services.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The CMA was clear that the market for cloud services is not working well and the Government welcomes the package of measures on cloud the CMA announced earlier this year to address the lessons from its investigation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of NHS funding for palliative and end-of-life care in England; and whether he plans to take steps to reduce the reliance of hospice and palliative care providers on charitable funding.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Prime Minister and my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, have made clear their commitment to improve the quality and availability of palliative and end-of-life care through a new modern service framework (MSF), as set out in the answer of 14 September to Question 27682.

The MSF will support a shift towards strategic, population-based commissioning that is centred on clear and transparent contractual arrangements for commissioned palliative care and end-of-life care activity across all providers, including hospices. It will enable integrated care boards (ICBs) to plan and deliver services based on a clear understanding of local need, including underserved and disadvantaged groups.

In June 2026, ahead of the MSF’s publication, NHS England set out that it expects all ICBs to complete an integrated needs assessment, to gain a detailed understanding of their current and future population, including people of all ages with palliative care and end-of-life care needs. We are asking ICBs to move to sustainable contracting of hospice services, based on this integrated needs assessment, and with a clear focus on improving equity of access through commissioning.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the Competition and Markets Authority releases a public roadmap for its Strategic Market Status investigation into Microsoft’s business software ecosystem; and how his Department is supporting the timely completion of that investigation.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is operationally independent of Government and is responsible for conducting Strategic Market Status (SMS) investigations. The CMA has committed to operating the digital markets regime in a way that provides predictability. As part of this commitment, it has previously published roadmaps outlining potential future interventions following an SMS designation.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many 16 and 17 year olds have received support through the Youth Guarantee Gateway since its introduction.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Youth Guarantee Gateway forms part of the expanded employment support available for eligible young people claiming Universal Credit and looking for work. The Youth Guarantee journey, including the Gateway, is available to young people aged 16 to 24 who are placed in the Intensive Work Search (IWS), Work Focused Interview (WFI), or Work Preparation regimes. Participation is mandatory for those in the IWS regime and available on a voluntary basis for those in the WFI or Work Preparation regimes. The Youth Guarantee Gateway was introduced in 81 Jobcentres in April 2026 and rolled out nationally across Great Britain from the end of June 2026.

Most 16 to 17-year-olds are in full-time education and therefore not eligible for Universal Credit. As of May 2026, there were 9,156 16 and 17-year-olds claiming Universal Credit, of whom 3,436 would be eligible for support through the Youth Guarantee Gateway if they were to make a claim after the expanded support had been rolled out to their Jobcentre.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to review project licences authorising the use of dogs in scientific procedures in the context of the strategy on replacing animals in science.

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

The Government’s first responsibility is to protect public health. Dogs continue to play an important role in research and safety testing where no scientifically satisfactory alternative exists, helping to ensure medicines and other products are safe. We are equally determined to replace their use wherever scientifically possible.

The £75 million Replacing Animals in Science Strategy is accelerating alternative methods. By 2030, the Government aims for validated alternatives to reduce the use of dogs and non-human primates by at least 35% in dedicated pharmacokinetic studies and 50% in dedicated cardiovascular safety studies. The National Centre for the 3Rs (NC3Rs) Virtual Dog project supports this ambition by developing computational models for drug safety testing.

Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, dogs may be used only where no suitable alternative exists, and this test applies throughout a project licence. The Home Office therefore has no plans for a separate review of licences involving dogs, but is considering the NC3Rs recommendations on strengthening licence assessment and application of the principles of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement).

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC will publish guidance for park home site owners on the VAT treatment of electricity resupplied to residents before 1 October 2026.

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

To support households with the cost of living, the Government has removed VAT from electricity bills from 1 October 2026.

The new zero VAT rate for domestic electricity will apply to the same supplies as the existing reduced rate. Anyone, including park home site owners, who is currently eligible for the reduced rate will benefit from the new zero rate from 1 October. HMRC’s existing guidance explains which supplies of electricity will qualify for relief.

For further information, please see VAT Notice 701/19

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications to the Condition Improvement Fund were received from schools in Maidenhead constituency in each of the last three financial years; and how many were successful.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Details of Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) applications from schools in the Maidenhead constituency are:

• CIF 2026/27: 10 applications were received from 7 schools in the Maidenhead constituency, of which 5 applications were successful.
• CIF 2025/26: 7 applications were received from 5 schools in the Maidenhead constituency, of which no applications were successful.
• CIF 2024/25: 18 applications were received from 14 schools in the Maidenhead constituency, of which 3 applications were successful.

Note that figures for 2024/25 are based on the constituency boundaries that applied at the time of the funding round. Subsequent boundary changes mean that some schools included in the 2024/25 data may no longer fall within the current Maidenhead constituency.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to encourage large employers to provide work experience placements for students aged 16 to 18.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Work experience is a key part of a high-quality careers programme, helping young people develop skills for work and make successful transitions into employment.

The department supports employer engagement through Careers Hubs, where over 400 leading employers and almost 3,000 business volunteers help provide careers and work experience opportunities across England, including in key growth sectors.

The Careers & Enterprise Company’s Employer Standards help businesses improve the quality and inclusivity of their outreach to education while strengthening talent pipelines.

The department also supports employers to deliver T Level industry placements through guidance, workshops, webinars and resources. These placements provide students with substantial workplace experience and opportunities to apply their learning.

The department is also supporting industry placements in the construction sector for learners undertaking level 2 and 3 qualifications. It has published guidance and is engaging with the Construction Skills Mission Board to help increase high-quality opportunities for young people.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on business investment, job creation and high street confidence of (a) providing longer notice and implementation periods for significant fiscal and regulatory changes and (b) tackling illicit and persistently non-compliant retail operators.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

On significant regulatory changes, the Government seeks to give businesses sufficient notice and implementation time. Departments are also encouraged to use the common commencement dates of 6 April and 1 October to reduce burdens on business.

On tackling illicit and persistently non-compliant retail operators, serious and organised crime has a direct and damaging impact on local communities, undermining legitimate businesses, fuelling wider criminality, and eroding public confidence in the safety and vitality of our high streets. Criminal groups exploit apparently legitimate businesses to conceal their activities, with money laundering playing a key role in allowing these networks to operate and profit.

As such, addressing this threat is a priority for the Government and, on 19 May, the Government announced a £30 million crackdown targeting cash intensive businesses such as barber shops, vape stores, mini-marts and sweet shops operating on our high streets, over three years.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to review the requirements for traffic calming measures and repeater signs in 20mph zones on roads with street lighting.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department has no current plans to review the requirements for traffic-calming measures and repeater signs in 20 mph zones on roads with street lighting.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to issue defence bonds to help increase funding for military capabilities.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

We have increased defence spending from £54 billion a year under the previous government to almost £80 billion a year by 2029, and will see the UK's defence spending increase to 2.7% of GDP. Page 11 of the Defence Investment Plan sets out our committment to increasing defence spending to 3% of GDP in the next Parliament and 3.5% by 2035.

The chancellor will set out the pathway to that committment at the Spending Review next year.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, in which month she expects to publish the summary of responses to the Call for Evidence on park home sale commission payments.

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

The government recognise that there are longstanding concerns about the requirement to pay site owners a commission upon sale of a park home.

The previous government published a report in June 2022 on the impact of a change in the maximum park home sale commission. It can be found on gov.uk here.

On 5 March 2026, my Department published a 12-week call for evidence regarding the rationale for the payment of a commission. It can be found on gov.uk here.

We are currently analysing the feedback received and remain committed to publishing a detailed summary of responses ahead of announcing the government's final position by the end of the year.

Delivery of Budget 2026 through property tax systems

Microplastic filters for washing machines

Rural fuel duty relief

Harry Kane wins the 2026 Ballon d'Or

Max Langland Top 8 of Drywite Young Fish Frier category

Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026

Craigies Farm named UK’s best farm shop

60th anniversary of University of Bath receiving its Royal Charter

E1 settlements

World Menopause Day 2026

Orkney and Shetland girls’ participation in sport

Devizes Town Crier, winner of National Town Crier Championship

Donna Cuthbertson and the BBC Scotland Make A Difference Awards

Cancer treatment in rural areas

The Committee are launching an inquiry into the UK export support system. The inquiry examines whether the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade alongside UK Export Finance:

Submit Evidence (by 12 Nov 2026)

Entrepreneurs are vital to driving growth, innovation, competition, productivity and job creation, across the country and across communities.