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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she will publish the consultation on banning the use of carbon dioxide gas stunning of pigs promised in the animal welfare strategy.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell, Helen Maguire, on 20 May 2026 to PQ UIN 613.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information from individual farm animal welfare inspections is routinely published, and what assessment she has made of whether those arrangements provide adequate public scrutiny of animal welfare standards.

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

This Government understands the importance of transparency in relation to the welfare of farmed animals. Multi Annual National Control Plan (MANCP) reports include national data on the number of farm inspections completed by APHA, the welfare scores from those inspections and any subsequent enforcement action are reported at a national level. From 2026 Local Authority inspections will also be included in this report. This Government considers that this provides sufficient overview of animal welfare enforcement data.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data her Department collects on (a) animal welfare breaches identified during farm inspections and (b) subsequent enforcement action taken; and whether she plans to publish those data.

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

This Government understands the importance of transparency in relation to the welfare of farmed animals. Multi Annual National Control Plan (MANCP) reports include national data on the number of farm inspections completed by APHA, the welfare scores from those inspections and any subsequent enforcement action are reported at a national level. From 2026 Local Authority inspections will also be included in this report. This Government considers that this provides sufficient overview of animal welfare enforcement data.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to mitigate disturbance of blue carbon stores on the seabed by requiring marine developers to align with the Greenhouse Gas Assessment process.

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

There are no current plans to require the inclusion of seabed carbon disturbance in marine developers' Greenhouse Gas Assessment processes. A recent Cefas study highlights that further research is needed to understand the release of carbon from seabed stores resulting from human activities. Defra is funding research through the Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership to improve understanding of UK seabed sediment carbon storage and sequestration, impacts of human activities, and management interventions.

England's marine plans contain policies supporting the conservation, restoration and enhancement of habitats providing carbon sequestration ecosystem services. Two of England's three Highly Protected Marine Areas, Allonby Bay and North East of Farnes Deep, contain blue carbon habitats, including seabed carbon.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the carbon emitted from disturbance of carbon stores on the seabed.

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

Cefas published a technical briefing in February 2026 on how human activities and climate change affect seabed carbon. The briefing explains that the result of disturbing seabed carbon depends on its reactivity, which varies according to its source, mineral associations and microbial activity. Around 10-35% of English seabed carbon stocks are considered reactive, with higher proportions in coastal and offshore areas. Stable seabed carbon will likely remain stored following disturbance, while reactive carbon may break down and release dissolved inorganic carbon into the water column. Further research is needed to understand how much of this carbon reaches the atmosphere.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of (a) the adequacy of the number of approvals for people to become adoptive parents and (b) whether further steps should be taken to encourage more potential adopters to come forward.

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

The government’s aim is that all children for whom adoption is considered to be in their best interests should be placed with a family as soon as possible.

While the number of adopter approvals (2,240) marginally increased in 2025/26 compared to the previous year, speeding up matches between approved adopters and children waiting is a key priority for this government and Adoption England.

The department has provided funding of £9.5 million to Adoption England for 2026/27 to support the delivery of high-quality adoption services across the country. This includes plans to improve recruitment of sufficient adopters, including through national adopter recruitment campaigns such as: https://www.youcanadopt.co.uk/.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that people with epilepsy are represented in the work of the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

On 6 January 2026, NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle, setting out best practice standards to tackle the leading causes of maternal death including epilepsy, thrombosis, mental health, and haemorrhage.

The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce is developing an action plan, to be published by the end of this year, to improve maternity and neonatal care across the country. All women and babies have a right to safe, personalised, and equitable care, which takes account of their individual needs, conditions, and preferences.

The taskforce and its supporting expert reference groups have been set up to ensure a representative breadth of voices inform its approach. The taskforce is comprised of experts and key stakeholders including families, clinicians, academics, royal colleges, charities, and grass-root organisations, including representation from Epilepsy Action, as well as those who can speak to health equity and international expertise.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to improve maternity care for women with epilepsy.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

On 6 January 2026, NHS England published the Maternal Care Bundle, setting out best practice standards to tackle the leading causes of maternal death including epilepsy, thrombosis, mental health, and haemorrhage.

The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce is developing an action plan, to be published by the end of this year, to improve maternity and neonatal care across the country. All women and babies have a right to safe, personalised, and equitable care, which takes account of their individual needs, conditions, and preferences.

The taskforce and its supporting expert reference groups have been set up to ensure a representative breadth of voices inform its approach. The taskforce is comprised of experts and key stakeholders including families, clinicians, academics, royal colleges, charities, and grass-root organisations, including representation from Epilepsy Action, as well as those who can speak to health equity and international expertise.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if the current evaluation of the Prison Education Service will include a review of pay structures for prison education staff.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice evaluation of the Prisoner Education Service is focused on building the evidence base to improve outcomes for prisoners and inform future policy decisions. The terms and conditions of prison education staff are set by contracted providers, rather than the Ministry of Justice.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the answer to UIN 117428 given on 10th March 2026, what the timescale is for the evaluation of the Prison Education Service and if he will provide an update on progress.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

A comprehensive evaluation of the Prisoner Education Service is underway to inform ongoing delivery and future improvements. The evaluation will run from 2026 to 2029, and the findings will be published as they become available during that period.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Intensive Supervision Court in Bristol on levels of reoffending.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Intensive Supervision Court (ISC) pilot is subject to a full impact evaluation, including an assessment of its impact on reoffending. It is too early to determine whether the pilot has influenced reoffending rates, as reliable analysis requires a sufficient follow-up period. Once the evaluation has concluded, final outcomes for the pilot will aggregate reoffending outcomes across the existing ISC pilot sites, including Bristol Crown Court ISC, with publication expected by early 2029.

Early findings from the process evaluation are encouraging, showing high levels of compliance, with 66% of offenders not breaching their orders, alongside strong participant engagement and access to treatment and support services (available on gov.uk: Process evaluation of the Intensive Supervision Courts pilot: Final Report). International evidence also suggests that problem-solving approaches such as Intensive Supervision Courts can reduce arrests by around 33% compared with standard sentences.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to prohibit or discourage the use of plastic confetti and replace with biodegradable alternatives.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has a number of restrictions on unnecessary single use plastic products, including single-use vapes and wet wipes containing plastic. We will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and/or materials to take a systematic approach to reduce the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products and encourage reuse solutions in line with circular economy principles.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the current security situation in Tigray and its potential impact on further implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK remains concerned by recent insecurity in Tigray, including reports of clashes between federal and Tigrayan forces. We continue to assess that any renewed conflict risks undermining implementation of the Pretoria Agreement for Lasting Peace through a Permanent Cessation of Hostilities in November 2022. The UK welcomes the progress achieved under the Agreement, but its full implementation remains essential to securing a sustainable peace.

The UK continues to engage actively with all parties. During my visit to Ethiopia in August 2026 I discussed the path to peace with partners in the Ethiopian Government and African Union (AU). We continue to support AU-led mediation efforts, and as stated publicly alongside other concerned Embassies on 26 August, we urge all parties to prioritise dialogue, exercise restraint, and work constructively to address outstanding issues.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if it intends to bring forward secondary legislation to bring the Animal (Low Welfare Activities) Act 2023 into force.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for Bristol East, Kerry McCarthy on 14th July, PQ UIN 15936.