Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the the cost of the RAF's surveillance flights over Gaza, for each month from October 2023 .

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence has been conducting unarmed surveillance flights over Gaza for the sole purpose of locating hostages.

While I am unable to disclose these costs for reasons of operational security and as a matter of policy, Defence operational spend in relation to the Israel-Gaza conflict for 2023/24 has been published in its Annual Reports and Accounts for that financial year online. The Department's accounts for 2024-25 will be published in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the cost of using RAF (a) personnel and (b) equipment to prepare Straight Flight Nevada Commercial Leasing LLC for surveillance flights over Gaza, for each month from October 2023.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence has been conducting unarmed surveillance flights over Gaza for the sole purpose of locating hostages.

While I am unable to disclose these costs for reasons of operational security and as a matter of policy, Defence operational spend in relation to the Israel-Gaza conflict for 2023/24 has been published in its Annual Reports and Accounts for that financial year online. The Department's accounts for 2024-25 will be published in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made in establishing a national social tariff for water consumers.

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

The Independent Water Commission made a recommendation to consult on a National Social Tariff, which Government is taking into consideration and will provide a response to later this year in a White Paper.

Water companies have more than doubled the number of customers that will receive help with their bills through existing social tariffs – from 4% to 9% - and the Government expects industry to keep the current support schemes under review to ensure that vulnerable customers across the country are supported.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information his Department holds on the (a) number and (b) type of (i) heat pump and (ii) boiler unit sold by each obligated boiler manufacturer, in the context of the Clean Heat Market Mechanisms; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of publishing these figures on a regular basis.

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

The Department will receive independently verified annual gas and oil boiler sales data from scheme participants after the completion of each scheme year via the scheme’s administrator, the Environment Agency. Further detail on these reporting processes can be found in the published scheme guidance. It also has access to heat pump installations data from the Microgeneration Certification Scheme and publishes statistics on Government-supported installations at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/heat-pump-deployment-statistics.

The Department is considering the options to publish some Clean Heat Market Mechanism scheme data, for example aggregated annual verified sales and installation data, but needs to assess commercial sensitivities in doing so.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the level of taxation paid by the gambling industry.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government committed in its manifesto to reducing gambling-related harms, but addressing harm is not the primary purpose of the gambling duty system. Nevertheless, we will remain mindful of any potential impact on problem gamblers in the event we make any change to gambling taxes following the recently closed consultation.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report from the Child Poverty Action Group entitled 'Two-child limit statistics briefing', published on 10 July 2025, what steps she is taking to lift children out of poverty.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances of every child. The Child Poverty Taskforce is progressing work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy in autumn that will deliver fully funded measures to tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty.

The Taskforce will continue to explore all available levers to drive forward short and long-term action across government to reduce child poverty. The Strategy will tackle overall child poverty as well as going beyond that to focus on children in deepest poverty lacking essentials, and what is needed to give every child the best start in life.

As a significant downpayment ahead of Strategy publication, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty through Spending Review 2025. This includes an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of the parliament. We are also establishing a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1 billion a year (including Barnett impact), investing in local family support services, and extending the £3 bus fare cap. We also announced the biggest boost to social and affordable housing investment in a generation and £13.2 billion including Barnett impact across the Parliament for the Warm Homes Plan.

We’ve also committed to rolling out Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority by April 2026 and creating up to 1,000 hubs across the country by the end of 2028. Backed by £500m funding, this vital support will relieve pressure on parents and give half a million more children the very best start in life. And last month, we confirmed funding of £600m for the Holiday Activities and Food programme for the next three years, ensuring that children and young people can continue to benefit from enriching experiences and nutritious meals during the school holidays.

These commitments come on top of the existing action we have taken which includes expanding free breakfast clubs, capping the number of branded school uniform items children are expected to wear, increasing the national minimum wage for those on the lowest incomes and supporting 700,000 of the poorest families by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of abolishing the two-child benefit cap on children in poverty.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This government is committed to tackling child poverty and the Child Poverty Taskforce is developing an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy which we will publish in the autumn. We are considering all available levers, including considering social security reforms, to give every child the best start in life as part of our strategy.

The causes of child poverty are wide-ranging and deep-rooted, and so it is right that the Taskforce carefully considers and assesses the available levers as it develops this Strategy.

In the meantime, we are pressing ahead with action.

As a significant downpayment ahead of strategy publication, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty through the Spending Review 2025. This includes an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of the parliament, establishing a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1bn a year including Barnett impact, investing in local family support services, and extending the £3 bus fare cap.

Last month, we confirmed funding of £600m for the Holiday Activities and Food programme for the next three years, ensuring that children and young people can continue to benefit from enriching experiences and nutritious meals during the school holidays.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the two-child benefit cap on levels of child poverty.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This government is committed to tackling child poverty and the Child Poverty Taskforce is developing an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy which we will publish in the autumn. We are considering all available levers, including considering social security reforms, to give every child the best start in life as part of our strategy.

The causes of child poverty are wide-ranging and deep-rooted, and so it is right that the Taskforce carefully considers and assesses the available levers as it develops this Strategy.

In the meantime, we are pressing ahead with action.

As a significant downpayment ahead of strategy publication, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty through the Spending Review 2025. This includes an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of the parliament, establishing a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1bn a year including Barnett impact, investing in local family support services, and extending the £3 bus fare cap.

Last month, we confirmed funding of £600m for the Holiday Activities and Food programme for the next three years, ensuring that children and young people can continue to benefit from enriching experiences and nutritious meals during the school holidays.

National Coal Mining Museum strike

Skilled Worker Visa eligibility rules and transport workers

Job reductions at news publisher Reach plc

Sanctions on Israel and International Court of Justice findings

Passing of Maggie Bowden former General Secretary of Liberation

Journalist Sherwan Sherwani

Global Sumud Flotilla

Found: _NC23 Marsha De Cordova Bell Ribeiro-Addy Emma Lewell Kim Johnson Dame Meg Hillier Siân Berry Bambos

Found: _NC23 Marsha De Cordova Bell Ribeiro-Addy Emma Lewell Kim Johnson Dame Meg Hillier Siân Berry Bambos

Found: Not called_NC23 Marsha De Cordova Bell Ribeiro-Addy Emma Lewell Kim Johnson Dame Meg Hillier Siân Berry

Found: _NC23 Marsha De Cordova Bell Ribeiro-Addy Emma Lewell Kim Johnson Dame Meg Hillier Siân Berry Daniel

Found: _NC23 Marsha De Cordova Bell Ribeiro-Addy Emma Lewell Kim Johnson Dame Meg Hillier Siân Berry Daniel

Found: REPORT STAGE Monday 8 September 2025 30 _NC25 Grahame Morris Kate Osborne John McDonnell Kim Johnson

Found: _NC23 Marsha De Cordova Bell Ribeiro-Addy Emma Lewell Kim Johnson Dame Meg Hillier Siân Berry Daniel

Found: REPORT STAGE Friday 5 September 2025 30 _NC25 Grahame Morris Kate Osborne John McDonnell Kim Johnson

Found: _NC23 Marsha De Cordova Bell Ribeiro-Addy Emma Lewell Kim Johnson Dame Meg Hillier Siân Berry Daniel

Found: _NC23 Marsha De Cordova Bell Ribeiro-Addy Emma Lewell Kim Johnson Dame Meg Hillier Siân Berry REPORT

Found: _NC23 Marsha De Cordova Bell Ribeiro-Addy Emma Lewell Kim Johnson Dame Meg Hillier Siân Berry .

Found: _NC23 Marsha De Cordova Bell Ribeiro-Addy Emma Lewell Kim Johnson Dame Meg Hillier .

Found: _NC23 Marsha De Cordova Bell Ribeiro-Addy Emma Lewell Kim Johnson Dame Meg Hillier .