Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of Prostate Cancer Research's report entitled Prostate Cancer Screening: The Impact on the NHS, published in 14 October 2025.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is guided by the independent, scientific advice of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC).

The UK NSC Secretariat has corresponded with Prostate Cancer Research and described the committee’s formal published approach to identifying and summarising high quality, peer reviewed published evidence.

The UK NSC Secretariat has read Prostate Cancer Research's report entitled Prostate Cancer Screening: The Impact on the NHS, and has discussed it with the Chair of the UK NSC.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Syrian counterpart on recent clashes between the Syrian Army and the Syrian Democratic Forces in Aleppo.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We were concerned by the recent escalation of violence in the Kurdish-majority neighbourhoods in Aleppo on 6 October and welcomed the swift ceasefire agreement reached between the Syrian Democratic Forces and Syrian Government. It is vital that both sides continue to engage in negotiations to reach a sustainable political settlement. The UK Representative for Syria regularly engages with both parties in support of an inclusive political settlement and discussed the situation in Aleppo with the Syrian Government during her recent visit to Damascus.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to implement provisions in the Environment Act 2021 to impose due diligence regulations for forest risk commodities.

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

The Government recognises the urgency of taking action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation. The Government is actively considering the best regulatory approach to address deforestation in UK supply chains; we will set out this approach in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the report by Kinship entitled Handle with Care: Annual survey of kinship carers 2025, published on 2 October 2025.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is grateful to Kinship for its continued work to highlight the experiences of kinship carers. We are grateful for the insights in the ‘Handle with Care’ report from over 1,900 kinship families on the challenges and opportunities they face. The report’s findings around financial hardship, housing and access to support, reinforce the importance of our ongoing work to improve support for kinship carers and children living in kinship care.

The department remains focused on delivering improvements for kinship families through our existing programmes. We will be piloting a Kinship Financial Allowance in up to 10 local authorities, following the announcement at Autumn Budget 2024. We are also updating statutory guidance and developing best practice materials on family group decision making (FGDM) to support local authorities in delivering safe and effective FGDM, including how to engage children and families in the process.

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 merits of providing funding to the Tropical Forest Forever Facility.

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

The Government remains supportive of the Tropical Forests Forever Facility and is proud to have assisted Brazil to develop the initiative. TFFF is an important opportunity and we want to see it succeed. We will continue to provide support to TFFF, including through co-funding the World Bank programme that will operationalise the Facility, and through the AIM4Forests programme, which will provide critical technical assistance to support delivery of TFFF.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to include decapod crustaceans.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Government is committed to an evidence-based and proportionate approach to setting welfare standards for decapod. This applies both to those caught for human consumption and to those used in scientific research. The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 recognises decapod crustaceans as sentient beings.

The Home Office is carefully considering the next steps in collaboration with other relevant departments.

The Government is committed to non-animal alternatives in science and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption later this year.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of recent reports of a communications blackout being imposed by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 October to Question 78430.

Kashmir Black Day and self-determination