Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many directors with responsibility for human resources are employed across their department and its executive agencies; and how many of those directors hold professional HR qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development or equivalent professional bodies.

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

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero employs one Director with responsibility for human resources across DESNZ. In addition, Ofgem, a Non‑Ministerial Department, employs one Director with responsibility for human resources. Of these two Directors, both hold professional Human Resources qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development or an equivalent professional body.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many directors with responsibility for human resources are employed in his Department and its executive agencies; and how many of those directors hold professional HR qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development or equivalent professional bodies.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

It is not appropriate to publish individual-level personal data in a Parliamentary Question response.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many directors with responsibility for human resources are employed across their department and its executive agencies; and how many of those directors hold professional HR qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development or equivalent professional bodies.

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

We cannot provide the number of HR Directors or details of their professional qualifications. Disclosing this information would breach the Data Protection Act and risk identifying individual staff members because the data concerns five or fewer employees and relates to individuals other than the data subjects. We do not hold data on the qualifications held by employees of DCMS Arms Length Bodies.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, how many directors with responsibility for human resources are employed across their department and its executive agencies; and how many of those directors hold professional HR qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development or equivalent professional bodies.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

As the number of individuals is five or fewer, across the AGO and the Law Officer Departments, I am unable to disclose the figure. This is to protect against the risk that individuals could be identified, in line with our obligations under the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many directors with responsibility for human resources are employed across their department and its executive agencies; and how many of those directors hold professional HR qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development or equivalent professional bodies.

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

The Department for Transport has one SCS 2 Director with responsibility for Group Human Resources. The post holder is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many directors with responsibility for human resources are employed across their department and its executive agencies; and how many of those directors hold professional HR qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development or equivalent professional bodies.

Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales

My Department does not employ any HR Directors; However, my Department’s Chief People Officer has responsibility for overseeing Human Resources and holds professional HR qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many directors with responsibility for human resources are employed in her Department and its executive agencies; and how many of those directors hold professional HR qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development or equivalent professional bodies.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Across HMT Treasury and its agencies there are two directors with responsibility for human resources, and they are both Chartered Fellows of CIPD.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many officials in her Department hold a professional accountancy qualification.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

53 officials in the department hold a professional accountancy qualification.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of applying retrospective changes to Indefinite Leave to Remain qualifying periods on individuals currently in the UK on UK Ancestry visas who made long-term decisions based on the existing five-year settlement pathway.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The earned settlement public consultation ran for 12 weeks and closed on 12 February 2026.  We are now reviewing and analysing all responses received.  This analysis will help inform the development of the final earned settlement model, including consideration of any potential exemptions or transitional measures for those already on a pathway to settlement.

Once the final model has been decided, the Government will communicate the outcome publicly.  As with all significant policy changes, the proposals will be subject to both an economic impact assessment and equality impact assessment which we will publish as well as the Government’s response in due course.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many directors with responsibility for human resources are employed across their department and its executive agencies; and how many of those directors hold professional HR qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development or equivalent professional bodies.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

The Scotland Office has no Directors with responsibility for human resources.

It may be helpful to explain that the Scotland Office does not employ any staff directly. All staff that join, do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other government departments, principally the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government. They remain the employers and provide HR services to their employees working in the Scotland Office.

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 endometriosis is adequately covered in the education and training of healthcare practitioners.

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

The Government acknowledges the challenges faced by women with endometriosis and the impact it has on their lives, their relationships, and their participation in education and the workforce.

The Government also acknowledges the importance of ensuring healthcare professionals are adequately trained and educated on women’s health conditions, including endometriosis, and we have taken action to address this.

The General Medical Council (GMC) has introduced the Medical Licensing Assessment to encourage a better understanding of common women’s health problems among all doctors as they start their careers in the United Kingdom. The content for this assessment includes several topics relating to women’s health including endometriosis.

Women's health is included the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) curriculum for trainee general practitioners (GPs), including gynaecology, sexual health, and breast health. The curriculum also covers the healthcare needs of women across all diseases seen in primary care as it is important women are treated holistically. This ensures that all future GPs receive education on women’s health.

The RCGP has also published a Women’s Health Library which brings together educational resources and guidelines on women’s health from the RCGP, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare. This resource is continually updated to ensure GPs and other primary healthcare professionals have the most up-to-date advice to provide the best care for their patients.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has developed a women’s and reproductive health topic suite, and updated guidelines on endometriosis in 2024 to make firmer recommendations for healthcare professionals on referral and investigations for women with suspected diagnosis. These clinical guidelines support healthcare professionals to provide care for women with endometriosis.

Generally, employers in the health system are responsible for ensuring that their staff are trained to the required standards to deliver appropriate treatment for patients.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many directors with responsibility for human resources are employed across their Department and its executive agencies; and how many of those directors hold professional HR qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development or equivalent professional bodies.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Please find the information requested below:

The information included in this response also includes those directors working in Government People Group, which is the strategic and functional centre for the cross Government People Function and human resources (HR) for the whole Civil Service.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many directors with responsibility for human resources are employed across her Department and its executive agencies; and how many of those directors hold professional HR qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development or equivalent professional bodies.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Information on which directors within the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and its executive agencies hold professional HR qualifications, including CIPD or equivalent, is not held centrally. Identifying this would require requests across numerous overseas posts and agencies and could only be compiled at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many directors with responsibility for human resources are employed across their department and its executive agencies; and how many of those directors hold professional HR qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development or equivalent professional bodies.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

There is one Director with responsibility for Human Resources who is the Northern Ireland Office’s Chief Operating Officer. This Director does not hold professional HR qualifications.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many directors with responsibility for human resources are employed across their department and its executive agencies; and how many of those directors hold professional HR qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development or equivalent professional bodies.

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

The Department and its executive agencies currently employ three people at director-level with responsibility for human resources (HR).

All three hold professional HR qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many directors with responsibility for human resources are employed across their department and its executive agencies; and how many of those directors hold professional HR qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development or equivalent professional bodies.

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

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the Fuel Finder scheme will addresses regional disparities in fuel pricing.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Fuel Finder requires all petrol filling stations in the UK to publish prices in a consistent, open format. By increasing price transparency, this increases pressure on fuel retailers to compete strongly to attract consumers by lowering their prices or improving their services at the forecourt, including in areas where competition has historically been weaker, such as rural areas.

The Competition and Markets Authority will continue to monitor and scrutinise fuel prices to assess how well competition is working.

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 to help ensure the Environment Agency implements corrective works following the construction error in the Maidenhead Bund; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of operational water level management at Cookham Lock on flood risk to residents of South Cookham Rise.

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

The Environment Agency (EA) designed and constructed the North Maidenhead Bund, as part of the Maidenhead Windsor and Eton Flood Alleviation Scheme, to reduce the risk of flooding to communities in Cookham, Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton. No construction errors have been identified by the EA.

Weir gate movements at the Cookham Lock & Weir complex are carried out to optimise the River Thames flow, and level, as the catchment conditions change. Weir gates are gradually opened to manage the increased flow, up to a position where all gates are fully open. At this point, the River Thames behaves as a natural river. The EA is not aware of any evidence that demonstrates its current weir operating regime increases flood risk and is therefore not considering changing how weir gates are operated.

The EA has committed to further meetings with local community representatives to discuss their concerns.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many directors with responsibility for human resources are employed across their department and its executive agencies; and how many of those directors hold professional HR qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development or equivalent professional bodies.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Organograms for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, including senior civil service posts, are published on GOV.UK (Organogram of Staff Roles & Salaries - data.gov.uk) and set out director‑level roles and responsibilities across the core Department. ALBs are expected to publish the same quarterly information.

Information on the professional qualifications of individual employees is personal data, and it would not be appropriate to release this at an individual level. However, all directors appointed with responsibility for human resources would be expected to have the appropriate skills, experience and, where relevant, professional qualifications necessary to undertake the role effectively, including experience aligned with Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development standards or equivalent professional bodies.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many companies based in the United Kingdom are licensed to sell trophy hunting packages targeting species listed under CITES Appendices I and II.

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

The Government is committed to banning the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern, which is the most effective approach the Government can take on this matter. The Department continues to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can implement a robust ban. Timeframes for introducing legislation will be provided once the Parliamentary timetable for future sessions is determined.

There is no specific regulation or licensing regime for UK companies selling trophy hunting packages, and Defra does not maintain records of the number of companies offering such services. Where the import of any Appendix I or II species is involved, such activities are governed by existing rules under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what powers exist to regulate the promotion and sale of trophy hunting packages at commercial exhibitions in the United Kingdom.

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

The Government is committed to banning the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern, which is the most effective approach the Government can take on this matter. The Department continues to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can implement a robust ban. Timeframes for introducing legislation will be provided once the Parliamentary timetable for future sessions is determined.

There is no specific regulation or licensing regime for UK companies selling trophy hunting packages, and Defra does not maintain records of the number of companies offering such services. Where the import of any Appendix I or II species is involved, such activities are governed by existing rules under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of limiting the number of branded school uniform items on the overall cost of school uniforms for families.

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

I refer the hon. Member for Maidenhead to the answer of 09 March 2025 to Question 114997.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the balance between online safety measures and the development of digital literacy skills in young people aged 12 to 18.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

As set out in the department’s Schools White Paper, it is vital that children are supported to become digitally literate and confident users of technology. We must strike a healthy balance between preparing young people for a technologically enabled world, whilst not compromising on safety.

We have updated our generative AI safety standards, introducing measures that safeguard children’s cognitive and social-emotional development, protect their mental health, and guard against manipulation. We will also establish new sovereign education benchmarks to provide a trusted framework for evaluating how well AI models meet stringent safety standards and prevent harmful content.

Following the recommendations of the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, we are strengthening digital education through clarifying digital literacy content within the revised computing curriculum and working with experts to consider incorporating digital content in other subjects. Alongside this, updated relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance, required from September 2026, includes strengthened online safety content, including deepfakes.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for each financial year since 2020-21, how many officials in HM Treasury have held a professional accountancy qualification.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

We hold the below information on officials holding professional accountancy qualifications. In each of the below years, there were at least:

2022 – 28 officials

2023 – 42 officials

2024 – 38 officials

2025 – 43 officials

holding professional accountancy qualifications.

Currently, there are 53 officials in the department holding a professional accountancy qualification.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to improve transparency and public accountability of the trade envoy programme, including the publication of outcomes achieved and costs incurred.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Trade Envoy Programme is a network of Parliamentarians appointed to specific markets by the Secretary of State for Business and Trade. Membership of the programme is cross party and includes representation from both the House of Commons and House of Lords. The programme abides by all transparency and public accountability rules.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of (a) the prevalence of unfair trading practices in the UK clothing supply chain and (b) the potential merits of establishing a Garment Trading Adjudicator to provide redress for affected suppliers.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The government expects all UK businesses to respect human rights and the environment throughout their supply chains in line with the OECD Guidelines and UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Section 54 of the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires businesses with a turnover of £36m or more to publish modern slavery statements.

The Office for Responsible Business Conduct promotes the OECD Guidelines and provides a non-judicial grievance mechanism for complaints of non-observance by UK businesses. The government also launched a review, through the Trade Strategy, into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct (RBC), focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses and environmental harms in global supply chains. While concerns have been raised about unfair practices, there are currently no plans to introduce a Garment Trading Adjudicator, however other measures are under consideration as part of the RBC review. We shall update the House when the review is complete.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if her Department will take steps to ensure that independent gyms and leisure businesses are provided with comparable business rates relief to pubs and other hospitality sectors.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has defined in guidance which properties will be eligible for the relief announced on 27^th January 2026 based on definitions used previously in the business rates system. Individual Local Authorities will need to determine which properties meet these definitions. Some comedy clubs may be eligible for the relief, depending on their specific circumstances.

Properties that are not eligible for this support will still benefit from the wider business rate support package announced at the Budget, worth £4.3 billion over the next three years. The Government is also introducing new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties, which includes comedy venues, gyms and leisure businesses open to the public and with rateable values below £500,000. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down next year. This also means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many directors with responsibility for human resources are employed across his Department and its executive agencies; and how many of those directors hold professional HR qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development or equivalent professional bodies.

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

There are a total of 4 Directors at SCS Pay band 2 with responsibility for human resources in DSIT and the department’s Executive Agencies.

The majority hold CIPD accreditation or equivalent HR qualifications.

National Keep Britain Tidy Campaign

Windermere

Funding for rural Britain

Sign Language Week

25th anniversary of the Voluntary Initiative

NHS funding for mental health services

Conflict in Lebanon

State visits to the US

Student finance system reform

Leasehold reform (No. 3)

Congratulations to Hollie Davidson

Creative industries and the use of AI

Endometriosis Awareness Month 2026

Cheadle Civic Society's celebration of Agatha Christie's connection to Cheadle 2026

Airport drop-off charges

Delay Repay scheme

UNESCO World Heritage status for chalk streams in England

Heating oil prices

Energy prices for households and businesses

Ambulance handover times

Recognition of armed forces personnel wounded in terrorist attacks outside of operational deployment

Recognition of Ukrainian driving licences

Temporary accommodation and its impact on neurodivergent children

Eating disorder services

Fundraising for brain tumour research

NHS dentistry

International Women's Day 2026 and women’s inclusion in placemaking

Cardiac risk in the young

Conduct of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

Business rates reform and revaluation

Funding for rural fire and rescue services

Curlew populations

Covid Day of Reflection 2026

Found: Joshua Reynolds, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for investment and trade, said his party also supported

Submit Evidence (by 10 Apr 2026)

In this inquiry, the Business and Trade Committee will scrutinise the Government’s approach to economic engagement with China. In particular, it will assess the potential net benefits to the UK of deeper economic integration with China, and how these benefits compare to the risks that closer ties with China may bring.

Submit Evidence (by 12 Apr 2026)

Demand for critical minerals has grown rapidly in recent years. New technologies, including turbines and data centres, require more minerals than the older systems they replace. At the same time, global trade in these materials has become more fractured and competitive.

Submit Evidence (by 3 Apr 2026)

The Business and Trade Committee is launching an inquiry into Artificial Intelligence (AI) in order to better understand the opportunities and costs for businesses and the workforce, and to make recommendations on Government priorities.