Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will introduce cat breeding regulations which ban the breeding of cats with extreme characteristics which could have a detrimental effect on (a) their (i) health and (ii) welfare and (b) that of their offspring.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal Welfare Strategy was published on 22 December 2025 and sets out thepriorities for animal welfare for England. It is a comprehensive set of reforms which will improve the lives of millions of animals.
As set out in the strategy, the Government’s priority is to improve compliance with the existing rules and to work collaboratively with stakeholders to further our understanding of the cat breeding sector and help to drive up standards. This will inform whether any further action is needed in the future to improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.
Anyone in the business of selling cats and kittens as pets should already have a pet selling licence and must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse, vary or revoke licences.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
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 protect cats and kittens from exploitation by regulating cat breeding.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal Welfare Strategy was published on 22 December 2025 and sets out thepriorities for animal welfare for England. It is a comprehensive set of reforms which will improve the lives of millions of animals.
As set out in the strategy, the Government’s priority is to improve compliance with the existing rules and to work collaboratively with stakeholders to further our understanding of the cat breeding sector and help to drive up standards. This will inform whether any further action is needed in the future to improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.
Anyone in the business of selling cats and kittens as pets should already have a pet selling licence and must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse, vary or revoke licences.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what preparations her Department has made for a School Sports Strategy; and what recent steps she as taken towards the new approach announced in June 2025.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced on 19 June 2025 that the government will establish a new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network to ensure all children and young people have access to high-quality PE and extracurricular sport, helping young people develop an interest in sport that continues beyond the school environment.
To deliver this, the department is preparing to procure a national partner to lead the new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network. This partner will work with government, Sport England and national governing bodies to make links across provision for children and young people to strengthen support to schools and increase access to opportunities. We expect to have the national partner in place by autumn 2026.
In parallel, we are modernising the PE curriculum. The Association for Physical Education is leading a group of expert drafters to develop a new curriculum that develops children’s physical capability and supports lifelong participation in sport and physical activity.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that the £400 million of funding earmarked for grassroots sports facilities benefits a wide range of sports appealing to different demographics and communities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is working closely with the sport sector and local leaders to develop plans for funding for a range of sports across the country based on what each community needs. This will ensure that our investment in community grassroots sports facilities reaches as many people as possible to reduce inactivity levels.
The Government’s investment of £85 million will deliver new and upgraded grassroots sports facilities across the UK through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities (MSGF) Programme in 2026/27. An additional £15 million will be invested into innovative facilities in England, to allow more people to participate in sports they wish to.
Projects funded through the MSGF Programme include artificial grass pitches, changing pavilions and floodlights, and at least 40% of funded projects have a multi-sport offer, allowing more people to participate in a wider variety of sports.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, further to the announcement of £85 million in funding for football facilities, how she plans to allocate the remaining £400 million announced for new and upgraded grassroots sports facilities across the UK.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is working closely with the sport sector and local leaders to develop plans for funding for a range of sports across the country based on what each community needs. This will ensure that our investment in community grassroots sports facilities reaches as many people as possible to reduce inactivity levels.
The Government’s investment of £85 million will deliver new and upgraded grassroots sports facilities across the UK through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities (MSGF) Programme in 2026/27. An additional £15 million will be invested into innovative facilities in England, to allow more people to participate in sports they wish to.
Projects funded through the MSGF Programme include artificial grass pitches, changing pavilions and floodlights, and at least 40% of funded projects have a multi-sport offer, allowing more people to participate in a wider variety of sports.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support sustainable working patterns for midwives in NHS maternity services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We want to move the National Health Service toward a culture where flexible working opportunities are much more widely available and there is support for employees to be able to work more sustainably.
A number of actions have already been taken to support flexible working in the NHS including changes to terms and conditions and training for staff and line managers to help drive culture change and support uptake. NHS England continues to support organisations in the implementation of effective use of e-rostering systems. E-rostering can allocate individuals to shifts based on their working patterns and preferences, supporting more predictable shift patterns, especially when paired with a team-based rostering approach.
Additionally, as set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment this year which will aim to ensure NHS staff feel well supported in the workplace.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed Walshaw Moor windfarm on peatland hydrology and condition; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that any development proposals mitigate damage to peat soils.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Calderdale Energy Park project is at the pre-application stage of the planning process for Nationally Significant Infrastructure under the 2008 Planning Act, and is expected to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate by June 2026, after which it will be subject to a full planning enquiry before it comes to the department for decision.
Given the Secretary of State’s quasi-judicial role in taking decisions on nationally-significant energy applications for development consent, it would not be appropriate to comment on matters related to the project, as this could be seen as prejudicing the decision-making process.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what the expected timetable is for the publication, parliamentary introduction, and enactment of a fully trans-inclusive ban on conversion therapy in England and Wales.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
This Government’s position is that conversion practices are abuse. Such practices have no place in society and must be stopped.
We remain committed to bringing forward a full trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices as soon as possible.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of banking safeguards for protecting vulnerable customers, especially the use of gambling blocks and loopholes using open-banking gateways.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government recognises that harmful gambling can wreck the lives of individuals, families and communities. Working with the Gambling Commission, we are committed to strengthening protections for those at risk through a range of new safer gambling requirements.
The vast majority of banks offer gambling bank blocks, a useful tool to help vulnerable customers control their gambling. We encourage all banks to offer gambling blocks to improve the availability of these tools and support the work of organisations, such as Money Mental Health Lab, to improve the safer gambling tools offered by the financial sector.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department is taking steps to produce guidance from the actuary department on the calculation that must be used to produce a Remedial Service Statement for people under a Pension Sharing Order in order for them to access the McCloud remedy.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government Actuary’s Department has produced the guidance required by regulations to assist public service pension schemes in implementing aspects of the McCloud remedy for members subject to a Pension Sharing Order on divorce or dissolution. This guidance covers pension schemes for the civil service, teachers, NHS, armed forces, police and firefighters. The most recent guidance on this subject was issued on 5 November 2025.