Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what work her Department is undertaking to make rail travel more affordable for those who are ineligible for existing railcards and regularly commute over long distances via rail.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government recognises that affordability is important to passengers and froze regulated rail fares for the first time in 30 years in March 2026, helping to keep rail travel affordable across over a billion journeys.

For regular travellers, a range of products are available, including season tickets, Flexible Season Tickets and Advance fares although the best-value option will depend on the journey and travel pattern. Through Great British Railways, passengers will benefit from a more consistent offer across the network, with reforms to simplify fares, expand Pay As You Go ticketing and make rail travel better suited to modern travel patterns, while balancing affordability for passengers with value for taxpayers.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support the hair and beauty sector, including in respect of funding and assistance for youth employment and skills programmes to create apprenticeship opportunities in hairdressing, barbering and beauty therapy.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Apprenticeship standards supporting the hair and beauty sector include the Level 2 Hairdressing Professional and Level 2 Barbering Professional standards.

The Government is investing £2.5 billion by 2029 through the Youth Guarantee and the additional funding for the Growth and Skills Levy, creating opportunities for young people to access work, training and apprenticeships.

We are providing financial support to employers to recruit young apprentices, including hiring payments, Youth Jobs Grants and incentive payments for eligible apprentices.

Apprenticeship training is now fully funded for all eligible under-25s, while the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network supports employers to recruit and retain apprentices. Skills England continues to engage with the sector to understand and address barriers to apprenticeship take-up.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people have (a) applied for and (b) been issued with a digital Veterans ID Card in Darlington.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

As of 2 September 2026, 165 veterans in the Darlington area have applied for and been issued with a digital HM Armed Forces Veterans Card.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support skills training and apprenticeships in the hair and beauty sector.

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

The government recognises the important contribution the hair and beauty sector makes to the economy, for local communities and as employers of young people.

There are a number of apprenticeships and technical qualifications available to support entry into the hair and beauty sector, including Level 2 Hairdressing Professional and Level 2 Barbering Professional.

To encourage employers to recruit and retain young people as apprentices across all sectors, we now fully fund apprenticeships for eligible young people under 25 and are introducing a £2000 hiring payment for non-levy paying employers (typically small and medium-sized enterprises) that recruit apprentices under 25 from October. Eligible learners can also access publicly funded hair and beauty qualifications through the 16 to 19 provision, while the Adult Skills Fund supports eligible adults aged 19 and over to access qualifications and training up to and including level 3, including in the hair and beauty sector, helping learners gain the skills needed for employment, career progression or further study.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what support his Department is providing to high street fish and chip shops.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

Fish and chip shops play an important role in supporting local economies, sustaining jobs, and contributing to the vibrancy of high streets and communities across the UK.

We are delivering permanently lower business rates multipliers for over 750,000 retail, hospitality and leisure properties, backed by a £4.3 billion support package over three years, including transitional relief to protect businesses from large bill increases following revaluation. Later this year we will bring forward a new High Streets Strategy, to help reinvigorate our communities. We are continuing to develop policies to bring down electricity costs relative to gas for the non-domestic sector and intend to consult on options to reduce costs and make low carbon heat the economically rational choice for a wider range of businesses.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of adopting EN 17956 Energy Efficiency Class C or above for insulation systems used in industrial applications.

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

No specific assessment has been made of the impact of adopting EN 17956 Energy Efficiency Class C insulation systems. The government incentivises eligible businesses to become more energy efficient through the Climate Change Agreement (CCA) scheme. This is a voluntary agreement under which eligible sectors receive reduced Climate Change Levy (CCL) rates in return for meeting agreed energy efficiency targets. Higher-performing insulation is expected to reduce heat loss and improve efficiency, and may be one way businesses seek to meet their energy efficiency targets.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) making it easier for people with degenerative diseases to obtain NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) funding and (b) removing the requirement for people with degenerative diseases to be assessed before receiving NHS CHC funding.

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

The Department works with partners, including NHS England, external organisations and people with lived experience, to seek feedback on NHS Continuing Healthcare policy and implementation. This includes seeking feedback on how people with degenerative diseases can access NHS Continuing Healthcare funding as quickly as possible where they are assessed as eligible.

The Department has published national guidance which states that when undertaking a full Standard NHS Continuing Healthcare assessment, the multidisciplinary team should ideally include someone with specialist knowledge of the individual’s condition. The guidance also sets out that individuals with a rapidly deteriorating condition, who may be entering a terminal phase, may be eligible for Fast Track Continuing Healthcare. NHS England has also commissioned an Information and Advice Service for NHS Continuing Healthcare which provides independent, free advice for individuals and families navigating the process.

The NHS Continuing Healthcare assessment process is required to determine whether an individual’s needs mean they are eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare. Where eligible, the integrated care board is responsible for commissioning a package which meets all the individual’s assessed health and associated care and support needs.

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