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 enforce the ban on single-use vapes in (i) the constituency of Broxtowe, (ii) the East Midlands and (iii) England.

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

The ban on the supply of single-use vapes is enforced by Local Authority Trading Standards in England. To support their vital work, the Government has provided £10 million of funding to support Trading Standards officers across England. Where an individual is caught supplying single-use vapes, they are liable to receive a £200 fixed monetary penalty and may also receive other civil sanctions. If these sanctions are not complied with, the individual will be guilty of an offence and could be liable for an unlimited fine or imprisonment.

Trading Standards have powers which allow them to enter premises to inspect for single-use vapes. They will be able to make enquiries as needed; this includes searching premises and breaking open containers to inspect stock. Regulators will be able to remove vapes from the premises, either for the purpose of investigation or for disposal.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made any assessment of the financial impact on students and families that experienced delays in the processing of initial BN(O) Visa applications, and/or delays in processing indefinite leave to remain applications.

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

There is a published service standard of 12 weeks for straightforward applications under the Hong Kong BN(O) Visa and Leave to Remain routes. For applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain the service standard for straightforward applications is 6 months. Priority services are also available for eligible applications.

The Home Office publishes data on performance against service standards in its quarterly immigration system statistics, available at: Visas, status and immigration data: October to December 2025. The most recent data on the Hong Kong BN(O) route covers Quarter 3 of 2025 and shows that 97.45% of straightforward standard visa applications and 98.89% of straightforward standard Leave to Remain applications were decided within 12 weeks. Performance on the Indefinite Leave to Remain route is not included in the published statistics for 2025, though the vast majority of these applications under the Hong Kong BN(O) route were not due to be received until 2026.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to invest in Geothermal energy.

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

We know that to achieve net zero, we must look at how we can accelerate the potential of all low carbon technologies including geothermal.

The Government understands that geothermal can play a role in decarbonising heat particularly as a heat source for heat networks.

We provide support through the Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF) for the construction and expansion of low-carbon heat networks including those that utilise deep or shallow geothermal heat.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what analysis his Department has undertaken of the geographic suitability of locations in the UK for investment in geothermal energy; and what potential has been identified for such investment in (a) the UK, (b) the Midlands and (c) Broxtowe.

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

The Department has undertaken analysis through the UK Geothermal Platform and the “UK Geothermal Energy Review and Cost Estimations” (2025). The Platform provides national mapping of geothermal suitability and supports early-stage investment decisions. The Review finds that geothermal can provide reliable, low carbon heat and power, but projects typically involve high upfront capital costs and outcomes vary depending on local geology. Across the UK, including the Midlands and Broxtowe, there is potential for investment; however, viability depends on site-specific conditions and detailed feasibility assessments.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to extend the length of time that wind turbines may remain in operation.

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

Extending the length of time that wind turbines remain in operation is a commercial decision for individual developers and can depend on factors such as maintenance of the asset, cost and planning considerations.

However, government are supporting applications to extend operational life in the planning system through giving significant weight to the benefits of utilising an established site, making updates to planning policy documents and publishing a training document for Local Planning Authorities.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that decommissioned wind turbine blades are able to be recycled.

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

Turbines are largely made from non-hazardous materials such as steel and copper and around 85-90% of a turbine is recyclable. Industry is working to develop innovative ways of recycling or reusing the remaining percentage, such as by making cement.

The Government wants to expedite recycling research and has recently made grants available, including a £13 million funding round from the UKRI for “Research to advance UK recycling capabilities”, and is currently exploring wider enabling policy options to support the sector in embedding greater circularity throughout the lifecycle of wind assets.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing support to veterans in obtaining NHS dental care once they have left the armed forces.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We are working to improve access to National Health Service dentistry, which will also benefit members of the Armed Forces community, including our respected veterans who have spent their careers defending our country.

We are also supporting more than 1,500 children in British military families overseas through our supervised toothbrushing programme.

Free NHS dental care is available to people who meet the following criteria:

• aged under 18 years old, or aged under 19 years old and in full-time education;

• pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months;

• being treated in an NHS hospital and the treatment is carried out by the hospital dentist (patients may have to pay for any dentures or bridges);

• receiving low-income benefits, or aged under 20 years old and a dependant of someone receiving low-income benefits; and

• receiving War Pension Scheme payments, or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments and the treatment is for your accepted disability.

From April 2026, we began introducing a package of reforms to address some of the most pressing issues that dentists and dental teams have been experiencing. These reforms will prioritise those with the greatest need, shifting care away from clinically unnecessary check-ups.

We are committed to fundamentally reforming the dental contract, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability.

Found: ) Sarah Bool (Conservative, South Northamptonshire) (added 9 Feb 2026) 12 of 16 (75.0%) Juliet Campbell

Found: and John Cooper: Regulatory powers over billing of energy supply to businesses Adam Dance and Juliet Campbell

Found: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench, Life peer) (Chair) (added 5 Sep 2024) 41 of 43 (95.3%) Juliet Campbell

Found: Liberal Democrat; Orkney and Shetland) (Chair) Sarah Bool (Conservative; South Northamptonshire) Juliet Campbell

Found: 2026 Members present Clive Efford, in the Chair Luke Akehurst Alex Ballinger Sarah Bool Juliet Campbell

Found: Liberal Democrat; Orkney and Shetland) (Chair) Sarah Bool (Conservative; South Northamptonshire) Juliet Campbell

Found: Liberal Democrat; Orkney and Shetland) (Chair) Sarah Bool (Conservative; South Northamptonshire) Juliet Campbell

Found: Durham) Alex Ballinger (Labour; Halesowen) Sarah Bool (Conservative; South Northamptonshire) Juliet Campbell

Found: Food and Rural Affairs Committee members present: Mr Alistair Carmichael (Chair); Sarah Bool; Juliet Campbell