Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many directors with responsibility for human resources are employed across government departments and their executive agencies; and how many of those directors hold professional HR qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and equivalent professional bodies.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
We are unable to answer this question as this data is not centrally held by the Cabinet Office.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the 10% sales commission on park home residents.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 97962 on 15 December 2025.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
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 prevent illegal persecution of hen harriers and other birds of prey on land managed for gamebird shooting.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The illegal killing of any wild bird of prey on land managed for gamebird shooting is unacceptable. Bird of prey persecution is a national wildlife crime priority and there are strong penalties in place for offences committed against these birds. Defra supports the work of a national Tactical Delivery Group which brings stakeholders together to tackle such criminality.
Defra is a principal funder of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), which helps prevent and detect wildlife crime and directly assists law enforcers in their investigations. Defra is providing £494,000 for NWCU this year. In 2024, the NWCU launched the Hen Harrier Task Force (HTF) – a partnership designed to help tackle the illegal persecution of hen harriers. Through the HTF, more efficient channels of communication between partners expedites the coordination of effective enforcement responses. The HTF is also using innovative technology such as tracking drones and specialised detection dogs to enhance evidence collection in remote areas.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the annual volume of electronic waste generated by manufacturers withdrawing software support for otherwise functional connected devices; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of applying extended producer responsibility to smart technology.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra does not collect data relating to the volume of waste generated by devices made redundant due to software upgrades and only holds data relating to the Government’s own Information and Communication Technology devices.
This Government is committed to transitioning towards a Circular Economy. The Government convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help map that transition, and will publish a Circular Economy Growth Plan that sets out how government will deliver a more circular and more prosperous economy. In the development of the Growth Plan, Defra are considering the evidence for action right across the economy and evaluating what interventions may be needed, including any interventions in the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) sector.
The WEEE Regulations 2013 are founded on the principle of Extended Producer Responsibility and stipulate that all producers of electrical goods, including producers of smart technology, must take responsibility for the products they place on the market when they become waste.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure consumer rights legislation provides adequate protection for purchasers of cloud-dependent products when manufacturers end service provision.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods or digital content must be of satisfactory quality, fit for a particular purpose and as described by the seller.
A trader can upgrade, fix, enhance and improve the features of, or add new features to, digital content so long as it continues to match any description given by the trader. It must also continue to conform with any pre-contract information as to main characteristics, functionality, and compatibility provided by the trader.
Consumers in England and Wales are encouraged to report any concerns to the Citizens Advice consumer service, who will pass intelligence to Trading Standards, allowing them to act upon areas where consumers are experiencing the most harm.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of current consumer protection legislation in relation to manufacturers ending software support for connected consumer devices; and whether he plans to introduce minimum software support period requirements for smart home technology.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government does not currently have any plans to introduce a minimum support period for smart home technology.
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods or digital content must be of satisfactory quality, fit for a particular purpose and as described by the seller. A trader can upgrade, fix, enhance and improve the features of, or add new features to, digital content so long as it continues to match any description given by the trader. It must also continue to conform with any pre-contract information as to main characteristics, functionality and compatibility provided by the trader.
Consumers in England and Wales are encouraged to report any concerns to the Citizens Advice consumer service, who will pass intelligence to Trading Standards, allowing them to understand and act upon areas where consumers are experiencing the most harm.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the repayment term for post-2012 student loans being set at 40 years on (a) graduates in lower-paid or insecure employment, (b) social mobility and (c) students from lower-income backgrounds.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The repayment term for Plan 2 loans is 30 years. They were designed and implemented by previous governments. Students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements.
The student loan system is designed to protect borrowers, and repayments are determined by income, not the amount borrowed or the rate of interest. Borrowers only start repaying their student loan once earnings exceed the threshold, after which they pay 9% of income above that level. To protect lower earners, if a borrower’s earnings drop, so do their repayments, and if earnings fall below the repayment threshold, then they repay nothing at all.
After 30 years any outstanding loan and interest is cancelled at the end of the loan term, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants. A borrower on Plan 2 entering repayment at age 21 would have any outstanding loan amount written off at age 51. No commercial loan offers this level of protection.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce regulatory barriers for exporting businesses through digitisation.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
DBT is taking steps to reduce regulatory barriers for exporting businesses by supporting the uptake of digitalised trade processes. Through the Digital Trade Corridors programme, focused on key European markets such as France and Germany, we are identifying regulatory and policy barriers and encouraging businesses to adopt digital tools. This is complemented by an SME capability programme helping smaller firms benefit from digitalisation. Internationally, the UK works with partners, including through UNCITRAL, the WTO, and the Commonwealth, as well as bilaterally through Trade Committees and Dialogues, to promote legal and regulatory harmonisation.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the average time taken to complete earnings assessments for carers in receipt of Carer's Allowance who undertake part-time self-employment; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing monthly online income reporting for self-employed carers to streamline the assessment process.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
For most self-employed earners the department relies on their accounts to calculate the relevant weekly net earnings figure for Carer’s Allowance (CA) purposes. The modernisation of DWP IT systems will provide the foundation to deliver DWP’s long-term strategy to improve how earnings are treated in CA. This is being explored through discovery work to explore potential solutions including the automation of earnings.
The department does not collect data on the average time taken to complete earnings assessments for unpaid carers in receipt of CA who are self-employed.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what digital resources his Department provides to support small and medium-sized enterprises with exporting.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade has integrated its support for SMEs in a single, accessible place – the Business Growth Service – making it easier and quicker for businesses to access the right support at the right time.
Business.gov.uk hosts our online export offer and is the route into DBT’s wider network of export support. Businesses can access a wealth of information on exporting, including advice on paperwork, rules of origin, customs duties, and regulations.
The support available also includes the Business Academy, which offers free online training through webinars to help businesses build market knowledge and export capability.