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, how many Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) cases are active against the UK; and what the total value of claims is in those cases.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provides an independent means for investors to resolve disputes with states where they believe they have experienced arbitrary, discriminatory, or unfair treatment or expropriation without compensation.
The Government is a respondent in two active arbitrations. The UK has a longstanding track record of supporting foreign investment, including through fulfilling its obligations in the international investment agreements to which it is a party and has never faced a successful ISDS claim.
The Government maintains that it has acted consistently with domestic and international law obligations in the case of the legal challenges. In view of the ongoing proceedings, it would be inappropriate for the Government to comment further at this stage.
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 estimate he has made of the UK's potential financial exposure to Investor-State Dispute Settlement claims.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provides an independent means for investors to resolve disputes with states where they believe they have experienced arbitrary, discriminatory, or unfair treatment or expropriation without compensation.
The Government is a respondent in two active arbitrations. The UK has a longstanding track record of supporting foreign investment, including through fulfilling its obligations in the international investment agreements to which it is a party and has never faced a successful ISDS claim.
The Government maintains that it has acted consistently with domestic and international law obligations in the case of the legal challenges. In view of the ongoing proceedings, it would be inappropriate for the Government to comment further at this stage.
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 his policy is on including Investor-State Dispute Settlement provisions in trade agreements under negotiation; and whether such provisions are being proposed in negotiations with (a) India and (b) the United States.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK will draw on the full range of investment commitments and international best practice in our international investment agreements to promote growth, deliver our clean energy goals, and continue to uphold the UK’s right to regulate.
Negotiations for the UK-India bilateral investment treaty have not yet concluded, and the content of the agreement remains under discussion. As set out in the General Terms for the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal, the UK and the US have announced the intention to cooperate on the effective use of investment security measures.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to announce (a) how many Technical Excellence Colleges there will be in each (i) sector and (ii) region and (b) other matters relating to Technical Excellence Colleges.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In August 2025, the department appointed 10 Technical Excellence Colleges (TECs) in construction, backed by £100 million in funding to deliver high-quality construction skills provision. The post-16 education and skills strategy white paper confirmed that we will now go further, expanding the TEC programme to a further 4 sectors which will include: four TECs in advanced manufacturing, five TECs in clean energy, five TECs in digital and technologies and five TECs in defence.
These new TECs, backed by £175 million, will ensure the pipeline of skilled workers into these areas, securing new defence jobs in this growing industry and will help to address shortages in engineering. Exact locations are yet to be determined, and colleges will be appointed through a fair and transparent application process. Selection processes for these TECs will start by the end of 2025, with delivery planned to begin from April 2026. Further details will be published in due course.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to publish further details on (a) how V Levels will align with (i) T Levels and (ii) A Levels in the post-16 qualification framework and (b) other matters relating to V Levels.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
On 20 October 2025, the department set out plans to introduce V Levels, a third, vocational pathway at level 3. V Levels will sit alongside A levels and T Levels and will offer a vocational alternative to these academic and technical routes. We launched a consultation on post-16 level 3 and below pathways, closing on 12 January 2026. This can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/post-16-level-3-and-below-pathways. The results of the consultation and the department's response will be published in 2026.
This government remains strongly committed to T Levels and will continue to encourage their growth. T Levels are delivering fantastic results for students, providing the technical skills needed for progression into further study and training or skilled work. Where a learner wants in-depth knowledge of a subject area, they should study the T Level, compared to the V Level which allows learners more flexibility to explore different areas and which we generally expect will be the size of one A level.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to provide guidance to education providers on the introduction of the new Technical Occupational Qualification in Social Care from September 2026.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
For detailed information specific to individual qualifications, the department advises education providers to consult the relevant Awarding Organisation. These organisations are responsible for developing and delivering qualifications and will provide tailored guidance to support providers in their delivery of the Technical Occupational Qualification in Social Care from September 2026.
The department provides comprehensive support materials to help education providers in implementing newly reformed qualifications, including Technical Occupational Qualifications. This includes hosting a toolkit, model pathways, resources for careers advisers, video explainers, links to webinars, newsletters, and the webpage: https://support.tlevels.gov.uk/hc/en-gb/sections/16829562632850-Qualifications-Review.
These resources are regularly updated to ensure providers have access to the latest advice and are signposted to broader support where appropriate.
The department remains committed to maintaining and enhancing guidance materials to ensure continued support for providers throughout the reform process.
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, whether he plans to expand the foundation apprenticeship scheme to include the (a) hospitality, (b) retails and (c) care sectors.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
New foundation apprenticeships will give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills.
The first seven foundation apprenticeships, which launched in August, focused on industrial strategy and priority areas, and include a health and social care foundation apprenticeship.
The department is working with Skills England to explore which other sectors and occupations would be most suitable for foundation apprenticeships. Further detail will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of extending the expensive car supplement to electric vehicles registered on the affordability of low-emission vehicles; and whether she plans to increase the threshold in line with inflation.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
As set out at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government will consider the merits of raising the threshold for zero emissions cars only at a future fiscal event. The government keeps all taxes and thresholds under review.
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, if he will take steps to (a) ensure that leaseholders whose leases are approaching the 80–85 year bracket are informed of the implications for lease extension costs and (b) collect (i) email addresses and (ii) other contact details to provide timely reminders.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 includes provisions that will make it cheaper and easier for existing leaseholders to extend their lease or buy their freehold.
As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244), the government intends to act quickly to provide homeowners with greater rights, powers, and protections over their homes by implementing the Act’s provisions.
Leaseholders can view high level information on their lease on the title register or request an official copy of their lease from HM Land Registry (HMLR) using form OC2. A dataset of registered leases is also published by HMLR and can be accessed free of charge for personal use. This can be found on gov.uk here.
Specialist legal advice should be taken from a solicitor or surveyor when considering enfranchisement or extensions. Leaseholders can also get free information and advice from the Leasehold Advisory Service.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the Government plans to implement the recommendations of the Law Commission’s 2022 report on weddings; and if it will legally recognise humanist marriages in the interim.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
On 2 October, the Government announced its intention to reform weddings law in England and Wales when parliamentary time allows and plans to consult on the details of reform early next year. These reforms will allow for the first time non-religious belief groups (including humanists) to conduct legally binding weddings. Reforms will create a level playing field within weddings law for all groups, and ensure that all groups have the same freedoms in relation to how they get married.
The Government is of the view that using the existing order-making power to legally recognise humanist weddings, even on an interim basis, would mean introducing new inequalities into existing law. This is because humanists would gain more freedoms in relation to how they marry than those available to most religious groups. The Government has decided to enable humanist weddings as part of thorough comprehensive reform that ensures all groups are treated equally and fairly.