Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Civil Justice Council report entitled Review of Litigation Funding - Final Report.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Government recognises the critical role third-party litigation funding plays in access to justice and is committed to ensuring it works fairly for all. That is why we intend to introduce legislation to enact the two primary recommendations of the Civil Justice Council’s review when parliamentary time allows. Once this work has been completed, my officials will consider the remaining recommendations in more detail.

New legislation will mitigate the effects of the PACCAR judgment by clarifying that Litigation Funding Agreements are not Damages Based Agreements, with prospective effect. Furthermore, the Government intends to introduce proportionate regulation of Litigation Funding Agreements.

Further details can be read in the Written Ministerial Statement issued on 17 December 2025: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-12-17/hcws1192.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of court mandated mediation for larger businesses.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Government recognises the benefits of mediation in resolving disputes swiftly and consensually. We are piloting mandatory mediation for small money claims (under £10,000) as part of the county court process. This pilot runs until May 2026 and will be evaluated before decisions on further mandatory use across civil law.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with (a) UK Border Force, and (b) her counterparts in the French Government on reducing the waiting times for UK-bound passengers at passport control at Paris Gare du Nord.

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

Border Force work closely with partners to minimise passenger wait times and deploy officers flexibly and when required to meet demand and support passengers.

We have introduced ePassport Gates to Paris Gare Du Nord station in two waves, the last being timed to ensure that we had maximum gate coverage within the allotted space provided to us by SNCF prior to the Paris Olympics.

Since eGate deployment, we have lowered the age of people able to use eGates and the number of nationalities that are also able to use them. We have also installed new front desk technology that is quicker and more robust than its predecessor.

We are also prioritising the deployment of new eGates to Paris and other parts of the rail network when they become available which will help streamline increased passenger fluidity during peak times.

Border Force enjoys a strong operational relationship with Eurostar which has allowed us to successfully plan and deploy our resources at peak times – evidenced by the successful recent operational deliveries of the Paris Olympics in the summer of 2024, and both the Easter bank holiday and summer holiday periods in 2025 that were equally as challenging from a passenger flow perspective.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April to Question 46921, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of changes to e-gates on improving the speed of passenger flow.

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

eGates provide a safe, secure and efficient method of crossing the UK border for millions of passengers each year. All technology deployed at the border is rigorously tested to ensure it is resilient and effective.

We are moving into the next phase of our vision to use technology to make visible changes to security, flow and the passenger experience. In October this year we conducted a short Contactless Travel pilot which aims to increase passenger flow whilst maintain security. We will provide further details in due course.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of business rates revaluation on (a) hospitality and (b) retail businesses in North Yorkshire.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years. Revaluations ensure that the rateable values of properties (i.e. the tax base) remain in line with market changes, and that the tax rates adjust to reflect changes in the tax base.

At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including protection for ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down. This means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

Without our support, the pub sector as a whole would have faced a 45% increase in the total bills they pay next year. Because of the support we’ve put in place, this has fallen to just 4%.

More broadly, the Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto. We are doing this by introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year, and will benefit over 750,000 properties, including those on the high street.

The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since Covid. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit.

The National Insurance Contributions (NICs) Employment Allowance has been more than doubled to £10,500, ensuring that over half of businesses with National Insurance liabilities, including those in the hospitality sector, will either gain or see no change this year. A Tax Information and Impact Note was published alongside changes to employer NICs.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2024 to Question 13210, what update she can provide on the progress of the Environment Agency's State of Contaminated Land Report, specifically with regard to contaminated land risks downstream of historical lead mines.

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

The Environment Agency sent the State of Contaminated Land survey to all local authorities with Part 2A duties in England on 14th November 2025.

The survey includes specific questions relating to a number of sites prioritised for inspection or determined as contaminated land due to contamination risks from abandoned metal mines including metal/ore processing areas and/or abandoned metal mine impacted flood plain areas downstream of abandoned metal mines.

The deadline for Local Authorities to respond is the 9th of January 2026. It is expected that the State of Contaminated Land report will be published in Summer 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of mandating that electric bike rental firms ensure that all riders of rented electric bikes wear helmets.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Government agrees that cyclists should wear helmets whenever possible to help reduce the risk of sustaining a head injury.

We are implementing licensing for shared cycle schemes and will consult in depth on this. Consultation will include consideration of how helmet use can be encouraged for users of shared cycles.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May to Question 50489, what recent discussions she has had with Eurostar and SNCF1 Gare Connexions on a) the expansion of the number of border control points and e-gates, and b) longer term plans to expand the terminal.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Departmental officials engage regularly with French counterparts and industry partners to discuss plans to support the growth of international rail services and to enable competition in the coming years.

Officials from my Department, Home Office and Border Force have had several discussions this year with SNCF Gare et Connexions representatives to discuss in detail their plans to expand the Gare du Nord cross-Channel terminal which will effectively double throughput capacity by 2030. We have also committed to work with SNCF to ensure appropriate provision is made for UK and French border controls in the newly expanded terminal and these conversations are continuing. SNCF’s plans were also presented to the Intergovernmental Commission (IGC), the bi-national body which oversees the operation of the Channel Tunnel and is attended by UK and French Government officials, at its most recent meeting in Paris in December.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the revaluation of business rates on levels of employment in North Yorkshire.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years. Revaluations ensure that the rateable values of properties remain in line with market changes, and that the tax rates adjust to reflect changes in the tax base.

At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including protection for ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down. Most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

More broadly, the Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto. The Government is doing this by introducing permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year, and will benefit over 750,000 properties.

The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since COVID. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing long-term funding for specialist sexual violence and abuse services.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

My Department is committed to the Government’s pledge to halve Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in a decade. We have committed £550 million to victim support services over the next three years – the biggest investment in victim support services to date.

The 42 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales receive annual grant funding from the Department’s victim and witness budget to commission local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types. This includes services for victims of sexual abuse. In addition, MoJ provides funding through the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund to over 60 specialist organisations, supporting victims of all ages to cope with their experiences and move forward with their lives.

On 1 December 2025, all PCCs and RASASF recipients received confirmation that their grants will be extended for two years until March 2028, with a 2% year-on-year uplift.

In light of the announcement to abolish the PCC function in May 2028, we have held back confirmation of year three funding. This enables us to explore changes to the longer-term delivery of victims funding to ensure this is delivered in the best way in the future. This will include extensive engagement with partners, including PCCs and RASASF recipients, to ensure we can continue to provide the right support to victims.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the increase in employers' National Insurance contributions on the number of people employed by SMEs in North Yorkshire.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer National Insurance contributions announced at Autumn Budget 2024.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) set out in their November 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook that they expect that employment levels will rise in every year of the forecast, and that they will be higher in every year compared to March, reaching 35.5m in 2030-31

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the increase in employers' National Insurance contributions on the viability of businesses in North Yorkshire.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer National Insurance contributions announced at Autumn Budget 2024.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) set out in their November 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook that they expect that employment levels will rise in every year of the forecast, and that they will be higher in every year compared to March, reaching 35.5m in 2030-31

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of placing a ban on a) machetes and b) large hunting knives.

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

Knife crime has a devasting impact on families and communities across the country, and the Government is aiming to halve knife crime in the next decade. We keep the law in this area under constant review, and this includes the continuing availability of machetes and large hunting knives.

The Government has already taken action to ban zombie style knives and zombie style machetes in September 2024, and more recently, we took action to ban ninja swords in August 2025. We are continuing to take measures to strengthen the law on knives.

In the Crime and Policing Bill 2025, currently going through Parliament, we are increasing the penalties for illegal sales of knives, creating a new offence of possessing a knife with the intention to commit unlawful violence, a duty on sellers to report bulk or suspicious sales, strengthened age checks on online sales and delivery, and we are giving the police a new power to seize knives likely to be used in unlawful violence. On 16 December, the Government also published a public consultation paper on proposals to introduce licensing schemes for those who sell or import knives or other bladed articles and this builds on the earlier recommendations in the Independent End to End Review of Online Knife Sales published in February 2025.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of phasing out the general sale of sharp-tipped culinary knives.

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

We recognise that the issue of knife crime and the harm caused by any knife has a very real impact on individuals, families and communities and we aim to halve knife crime in the next decade. The Government keeps the law in this area under constant review, but we do not have any plans to phase out the sale of sharp-tipped culinary knives.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce knife crime.

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

Tackling knife crime is a priority for Government. Since this Government has been in office, knife homicides have fallen by almost 20% while knife crime overall has fallen for the first time in 4 years, dropping by 5% in our first year from 54,215 to 51,527. Stabbings have fallen by 10% (as measured by hospital admissions for assault with a sharp object – NHS data).

60,000 knives have also been removed from the streets of England and Wales under this Government, through weapons surrender schemes, knives seized by Border Force and those recovered through County Lines Programme operations.

Our approach to tackling knife-crime is centred around smart, targeted interventions and enforcement, and a tough legislative landscape to remove dangerous weapons from our streets. Whilst also working across government to tackle the root causes of knife-crime, including through Violence Reduction Units and the new Young Futures Programme supporting those most at risk.

We have introduced tougher knife control measures by banning zombie-style knives and machetes in September 2024 and ninja swords in August 2025. Ronan's Law tightens online knife sales with stricter age checks and penalties and we are introducing new powers to strengthen policing’s ability to seize, retain and destroy dangerous knives.

These efforts are supported by smarter policing – including data led hotspot patrols, knife arches, facial recognition – and strong partnerships with charities and communities.

We are also introducing new, innovative tools to fight knife crime, identifying crime hotspots by breaking towns and cities into small hexagonal zones where hyper-local issues can be spotted. It will allow the police to partner with local communities, advocacy groups, local authorities and youth outreach teams to spot a problem and take action together to stop it.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with her counterparts in the police on reducing knife crime.

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

Home Office Ministers meet regularly with Chief Constables and other senior policing leaders to discuss knife crime. For example, the Home Secretary discussed knife crime at the National Policing Board in July 2025 and the Policing Minister chaired the Knife-Enabled Robbery Group in November 2025.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of considering the charge of stalking together with that of stalking with intent to ensure that cases can be brought within the six-month time limit.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a top priority for this Government and the VAWG Strategy published on 18 December sets out clear action to tackle stalking as a part of this.

We have appointed Richard Wright KC to lead a review of the stalking legislation. The review will consider whether the criminal law on stalking needs to change to ensure the police and wider criminal justice partners have the clearest possible framework for effective identification, management and prosecution of stalking cases. The scope of the review includes the stalking offences in the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 and, due to their intertwined nature, the harassment offences in the same Act. As part of this, the review will also consider the classification of stalking offences as either-way or summary-only and this includes consideration of the statutory time limits involved. The review will recommend options for reform where appropriate.

The full review, including any recommendations, must be submitted to the Secretary of State by the end of March 2026.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing the 20 recommendations from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

In April, the Government published the Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Progress Update setting out the action we are taking on the IICSA recommendations, and we are delivering on those commitments.

For example, we have this month published a consultation on proposals for a new Child Protection Authority, to improve national oversight and consistency of child protection practice, and we have introduced stronger vetting checks for adults working with children. We have also announced up to £50 million funding to expand the Child House model of support for children who have experienced sexual abuse. This a significant step in delivering against IICSA’s recommendation on improving the provision of specialised therapeutic support for child victims of sexual abuse.

Several measures in the Crime and Policing Bill will also directly address IICSA’s recommendations, including a new mandatory duty to report sexual abuse for individuals in England undertaking activity with children and the removal of the three-year limitation period for victims and survivors to bring child sexual abuse claims in the civil court.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her planned timetable is for the implementation of the recommendations from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

In April, the Government published the Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Progress Update setting out the action we are taking on the IICSA recommendations, and we are delivering on those commitments.

For example, we have this month published a consultation on proposals for a new Child Protection Authority, to improve national oversight and consistency of child protection practice, and we have introduced stronger vetting checks for adults working with children. We have also announced up to £50 million funding to expand the Child House model of support for children who have experienced sexual abuse. This a significant step in delivering against IICSA’s recommendation on improving the provision of specialised therapeutic support for child victims of sexual abuse.

Several measures in the Crime and Policing Bill will also directly address IICSA’s recommendations, including a new mandatory duty to report sexual abuse for individuals in England undertaking activity with children and the removal of the three-year limitation period for victims and survivors to bring child sexual abuse claims in the civil court.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the six-month limit for bringing charges on stalking.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a top priority for this Government and the VAWG Strategy published on 18 December sets out clear action to tackle stalking as a part of this.

We have appointed Richard Wright KC to lead a review of the stalking legislation. The review will consider whether the criminal law on stalking needs to change to ensure the police and wider criminal justice partners have the clearest possible framework for effective identification, management and prosecution of stalking cases. The scope of the review includes the stalking offences in the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 and, due to their intertwined nature, the harassment offences in the same Act. As part of this, the review will also consider the classification of stalking offences as either-way or summary-only and this includes consideration of the statutory time limits involved. The review will recommend options for reform where appropriate.

The full review, including any recommendations, must be submitted to the Secretary of State by the end of March 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of early releases with the principles of justice.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We must ensure that there are always sufficient prison places for dangerous offenders and those who pose a risk to the public. We are building 14,000 prison places and will have more prisoners by the time of the next election than the last. We take every possible step to mitigate risk, working in collaboration with partners across the Criminal Justice System. The introduction of the Sentencing Bill will bring an end to temporary early release measures and put the system back on a sustainable footing, ensuring sentences are served in a way that balances punishment, rehabilitation, and public safety.

We also recognise the importance of maintaining confidence in the justice system for victims and their families when designing these reforms and will continue to assess these impacts throughout implementation. Ministers and policy officials have been pleased to meet with victims’ stakeholders through a mix of individual meetings, roundtables and sector-wide engagement groups. We remain committed to continuing to engage with the victim sector to understand the impact of these changes.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the impact of early releases on (a) victims and (b) victims' families.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We must ensure that there are always sufficient prison places for dangerous offenders and those who pose a risk to the public. We are building 14,000 prison places and will have more prisoners by the time of the next election than the last. We take every possible step to mitigate risk, working in collaboration with partners across the Criminal Justice System. The introduction of the Sentencing Bill will bring an end to temporary early release measures and put the system back on a sustainable footing, ensuring sentences are served in a way that balances punishment, rehabilitation, and public safety.

We also recognise the importance of maintaining confidence in the justice system for victims and their families when designing these reforms and will continue to assess these impacts throughout implementation. Ministers and policy officials have been pleased to meet with victims’ stakeholders through a mix of individual meetings, roundtables and sector-wide engagement groups. We remain committed to continuing to engage with the victim sector to understand the impact of these changes.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of an increase in energy costs on businesses in North Yorkshire.

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

The Government has not made such an assessment specific to North Yorkshire. While the Government is tackling energy costs at every avenue, to drive growth, we also understand that some UK industries are struggling with the cost of energy.

The Government has a variety of schemes, already in place or due to be launched soon, that either directly support businesses by reducing energy costs or support them to reduce costs by making energy efficiencies and decarbonising.

Schemes that directly reduce energy costs include the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme, which will reduce electricity prices by up to 25% for eligible businesses in electricity intensive manufacturing sectors in the Industrial Strategy and foundational sectors in their supply chain, and the British Industry Supercharger, which includes a series of targeted measures to bring down electricity policy costs for businesses in key energy intensive industries.

The Government is also providing funding to improve the UK Business Climate Hub (UKBCH), an online resource which will support SMEs to identify and implement changes to their energy use, resulting in decarbonisation and energy bill savings. Funding is also being provided to support a Zero Carbon Services Hospitality trial, which will deliver a trial of online tools and services to support SMEs in hospitality across England to decarbonise and reduce their energy demand.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the number of injuries to pedestrians caused by rented electric bikes in each of the last five years.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Department does not currently collect specific data on incidents involving rental e-bikes.

The Standing Committee on Road Injury Collision Statistics, which oversees the collection of road collision and casualty statistics known as STATS19, is currently reviewing the recording of vehicle and propulsion types within STATS19 with a view to providing better guidance to reporting police officers on the classification of e-bikes.