Asked by: Luke Myer (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department collects on children placed in households where an individual is a registered sex offender.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Luke Myer (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the trade deficit.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
In the 12 months to February 2026, the UK trade deficit (excluding precious metals) was £14.8bn, comprising a £210.1bn trade in services surplus, and a £225.0bn trade in goods deficit. The UK trade deficit (excluding precious metals) has remained broadly similar year-on-year, and stood at £14.9bn in the 12 months to February 2025 (ONS, 2026).
The Department for Business and Trade’s primary objective is to promote economic growth. As set out in Industrial and Trade Strategies published in 2025, we seek to improve UK productivity and competitiveness, strengthen our export capability, attract inward investment, and support resilient supply chains.
Asked by: Luke Myer (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has analysed the responses to the consultation on enhanced protections for homeowners on freehold estates which closed on 12 March 2026; and when he plans to respond to that consultation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We are currently analysing the feedback received to the consultation in question and will publish our response in due course.
Asked by: Luke Myer (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
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 health impacts of microplastic exposure.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is carrying out research to understand if there are potential health risks from exposure to micro and nano plastics through inhalational and oral routes. This work is in collaboration with Imperial College under the Health Protection Research Unit Environmental Exposures and Health. These research projects assist in the understanding of the potential risks from exposure to micro- and nano plastics through inhalational and oral routes and enhance UKHSA capability in understanding the risks from microplastics.
The potential impact of microplastic materials on human health has been assessed by the UK Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment. The most recent statement was published in 2024 and can be found at the following link:
In October 2025, the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants published a statement summarising the evidence for a potential risk to health from exposure to airborne nano- and microplastics, and the uncertainty and gaps in this evidence. This statement can be found on the GOV.UK website at the following link:
Asked by: Luke Myer (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that veterans of the Iraq conflict are treated fairly and with respect in any investigations, while maintaining legal accountability.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Government is committed to supporting its people who act reasonably and in good faith in the course of their duties. Legal advice and welfare support are available to all Serving and former members of the Armed Forces, where they face criminal or civil allegations that relate to their Service.
Following the publication of the final Iraq Fatality Investigation Report in November 2025, there are no outstanding investigations into the actions of veterans during the Iraq Conflict.
Asked by: Luke Myer (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the amount and proportion of imported steel from (a) China and (b) other countries that will be used in the Net Zero Teesside Power (NZT Power) project; whether he has had recent discussions with NZT Power on steel procurement; and what steps he is taking to maximise UK steel content in major infrastructure projects.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government knows how important the use of UK made steel is to communities across the country. We are ambitious about increasing the use of UK made steel in UK energy and infrastructure projects where possible. We will publish a steel strategy this year which will set out our vision for a bright and sustainable future for steel in the UK.
UK company William Hare, alongside Chinese company Modern Heavy Industries, was awarded the contract for fabricated steel structures following a competitive procurement process by NZT Power’s Tier 1 contractor.
The procurement is not public procurement. Specific contract information is a commercially sensitive matter for NZT Power and their Tier 1 contractor.
I have met with the project developer to understand more about the use of UK made and non-UK made steel, as well as the wider use of UK local content, in the NZT project. They confirmed their voluntary commitment to achieve more than 50% UK content across the value chain, with around £1billion UK-based sub-contracts already awarded.
My officials and I will continue to actively engage and work collaboratively with the CCUS industry to promote an industry-led voluntary ambition of 50% UK local content. We are also actively looking at ways to drive further investments into UK CCUS supply chains.
Asked by: Luke Myer (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to review the sugar content of powdered milk based drinks and include those products within the scope of the soft drinks industry levy.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced her intention to review the Soft Drinks Industry levy (SDIL) to drive further product reformulation, whilst maintaining the fundamental design of the levy as a tax on pre-packaged soft drinks with added sugar.
Following this review, between April and July 2025 the government consulted on proposed reforms to the SDIL. The outcomes of this consultation were confirmed at Budget 2025.
As part of the consultation, the government considered responses on dissolvable powders. It also considered the significant redesign of the levy necessary to include them as beyond the remit of the SDIL review, as set out by the Chancellor at Autumn Budget 2024.
More information on the outcome of the Strengthening the Soft Drinks Industry Levy consultation can be found here:
The government will not make any further changes to the design of the SDIL.
Asked by: Luke Myer (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring Disclosure and Barring Service checks for tattoo artists as part of the local authority licensing process.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made by the Department of the potential merits of requiring Disclosure and Barring Service checks for tattoo artists as part of existing local authority registration and licensing processes. On 7 August we announced our plans to introduce a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England. There are no current plans to include tattooing as part of this scheme, as registration and licensing schemes already exist for tattooing under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982.
Asked by: Luke Myer (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of recognising Deaflympic athletes as elite athletes eligible for (a) UK Sport and (b) National Lottery funding.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is dedicated to making sport in this country accessible and inclusive for everyone, including deaf people.
Through our arm's length body, Sport England, we have provided £1.2 million to support the work of UK Deaf Sport.
Asked by: Luke Myer (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department has issued to (a) schools and (b) local authorities on food (i) procurement and (ii) supply chain transparency.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Schools are responsible for providing meals and meeting the School Food Standards. They may enter individual contracts with suppliers and caterers to meet this duty. Our guidance on the School Food Standards, available on GOV.UK, includes practical advice to support schools in areas such as menu planning and procurement.
The department has published guidance for schools participating in the Early Adopter Breakfast Clubs Programme, which sets out what support is available in relation to food procurement, including the ‘buying for schools service’.
The department’s ‘Get help buying for schools’ has a range of approved frameworks that can help schools to buy food with peace of mind that they are getting good value, in terms of cost, quality and time. These resources are accessible at: https://get-help-buying-for-schools.education.gov.uk/categories/catering.