Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of extending the SEND Deficit Override until 2028 on (a) local authority finances and (b) local authority reserves.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This government recognises the pressures local authorities are facing because of their Dedicated School Grant (DSG) deficits, as well as the impacts on local authority reserves. The extension to the DSG Statutory Override is part of a phased transition to a reformed Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system. The Department for Education Spending Review settlement confirmed funding for SEND reform, details of which will be set out in a White Paper in the autumn. As part of this transition process, the government will provide more detail by the end of the year on the plan for supporting local authorities with both historic and accruing deficits. We will set out more detail at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of updating the existing regulations on (a) composition, (b) marketing and (c) labelling of commercial infant and toddler foods.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Children’s early years provide an important foundation for their future health and strongly influences many aspects of wellbeing in later life.
It is vital that we maintain the highest standards for foods consumed by babies and infants, which is why we have regulations in place that set nutritional and compositional standards for commercial baby food. The regulations also set labelling standards to ensure consumers have clear and accurate information about the products they buy. We continue to keep these regulations under review to ensure they reflect the latest scientific and dietary guidelines.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding has been allocated to International Climate Finance for 2025 to 2026 in total.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It remains our ambition to deliver £11.6 billion in International Climate Finance between April 2021 and March 2026. Final Official Development Assistance allocations for the financial year 25/26 are in the process of being finalised.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding has been allocated to International Climate Finance for nature for 2025 to 2026 in total.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It remains our ambition to deliver £11.6 billion in International Climate Finance between April 2021 and March 2026. Final Official Development Assistance allocations for the financial year 25/26 are in the process of being finalised.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many homes his Department has identified as requiring an upgrade from single-phase to triple-phase electricity supply, in the context of the criteria for being a zero-carbon household.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
My Department does not hold this data, however only a small minority of homes are likely to need an upgrade from a single to three-phase connection to accommodate multiple or higher-powered low carbon technologies.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) signing and (b) ratifying the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The UK Government considers that the current domestic framework and legislation already prevents arbitrary arrests, prohibits torture and degrading treatment, and holds the Security and Intelligence Agencies to account. We therefore currently have no plans to sign or ratify the Convention on Enforced Disappearance.
We strongly condemn any instances of enforced disappearance internationally. We urge states to fully investigate any allegations, prosecute those responsible and provide justice to victims.