Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme in regulating the activities of foreign actors seeking to advance political agendas in the UK.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS) enhances transparency and early disruption by requiring individuals and organisations acting at the direction of specified foreign powers or foreign power controlled entities to register certain activities. It does not regulate the activity of foreign actors.
The Government will keep the effectiveness of the scheme under close review. We will be publishing an annual report setting out, among other things, the number of registrations across both tiers, number of information notices issued, the number of persons charged with an offence and the number of persons convicted of an offence. The first report will be published as soon as practicable after 30 June 2026.
A statutory review of the legislation will be undertaken after five years in the usual way, which will consider how the scheme has worked in practice and how far its objectives have been met.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of compensation paid to victims of collisions involving illegal e-bikes and e-scooters on annual insurance premiums.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Secretary of State has made no such assessment. The setting of premiums is a commercial decision for insurers, and the Government does not intervene or seek to control the market.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle the unrestricted sale of e-bikes that are not type-approved for road use; and what consideration she has given to introducing tighter sales restrictions.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency have market surveillance powers to tackle the supply of e-bikes, including modified e-bikes, where users are being deliberately misled about where such vehicles can and cannot be used.
In addition, the police have the power to seize such vehicles where they are used on the road under Section 165A of the Road Traffic Act 1988. This is because they would be being ridden without insurance.
The Secretary of State is not considering any tighter restrictions on sales.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how she plans to undertake loan charge settlement for those impacted prior to December 2010.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
This Government recognised that concerns continued to be raised about the loan charge and that some felt strongly that this had not been handled appropriately. The Government therefore commissioned an independent review of the loan charge to bring the matter to a close for those affected, ensure fairness for all taxpayers and ensure that appropriate support is in place for those subject to the loan charge.
The settlement opportunity will only include disguised remuneration scheme use between December 2010 and April 2019 because this is the period during which the loan charge applies.
The settlement opportunity will not apply to other tax avoidance schemes that are not within scope of the loan charge. In those cases, HMRC will continue to work with taxpayers to resolve their cases in line with existing legislation and case law. HMRC is committed to working sensitively and pragmatically with taxpayers to reach settlement. This includes by offering flexible payment terms where people need more time to pay their liabilities.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take to protect the UK’s national security, in the context of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Nature Security Assessment on Global Biodiversity Loss, Ecosystem Collapse and National Security, published on 20 January 2026.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Nature security assessment forms part of routine cross-government resilience planning and complements the UK’s National Security Strategy, National Risk Register and Chronic Risk Analysis.
Climate change and nature loss act as risk multipliers, increasing pressures on food systems, water security and global stability. Assessing these risks helps ensure the UK is better prepared to anticipate, respond to, and mitigate future challenges.
The UK is already taking action to address the potential risks identified in the assessment. Internationally, the UK is investing in forest and ocean protection and is on track to invest £11.6bn of International Climate Finance between 2021 to 2026, including £3bn for vital habitats such as tropical rainforests and marine ecosystems, and to support indigenous communities.
The Government recognises that food security is national security. As set out in the UK Food Security Report 2024, our production and trade remain stable, but risks from nature loss, water insecurity and climate change post challenges to long-term resilience.
We are supporting domestic food production through investment in sustainable farming, innovation and technology, and by rewarding farmers for environmentally sustainable production. This includes a record £11.8 billion investment in sustainable farming over this Parliament.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking to tackle the use of so-called guilt by blood tactics against Hong Kongers.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This Government will not tolerate any attempts by foreign governments to coerce, intimidate, harass, or harm their critics overseas. Home Office and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) ministers have raised directly with the Chinese authorities their strong opposition to the Hong Kong Police's use of arrest warrants and bounties. In the most recent Six-monthly Report to Parliament, the Foreign Secretary spoke out against the deliberate targeting of opposition voices in the UK and elsewhere. FCDO officials have reiterated the Government's deep concerns regarding transnational repression in engagements with Chinese officials and continue to engage regularly with likeminded partners about combatting transnational repression.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to support structured recruitment pathways for newly qualified paramedics entering the ambulance workforce.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No estimate has been made of the number of newly qualified paramedics unable to secure employment in National Health Service ambulance trusts.
Decisions on the employment of newly qualified paramedics are a matter for individual NHS trusts which manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are working closely with NHS England, employers, and educators to improve transition into the workforce.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of newly qualified paramedics unable to secure employment in NHS ambulance trusts due to financial constraints on recruitment.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No estimate has been made of the number of newly qualified paramedics unable to secure employment in National Health Service ambulance trusts.
Decisions on the employment of newly qualified paramedics are a matter for individual NHS trusts which manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are working closely with NHS England, employers, and educators to improve transition into the workforce.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure NHS ambulance trusts have sufficient funding to recruit newly qualified paramedics.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No estimate has been made of the number of newly qualified paramedics unable to secure employment in National Health Service ambulance trusts.
Decisions on the employment of newly qualified paramedics are a matter for individual NHS trusts which manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are working closely with NHS England, employers, and educators to improve transition into the workforce.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many high-risk residential buildings in England with identified dangerous cladding have not yet commenced remediation works.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As of end January 2026 there are 916 residential buildings 18m metres and over in height, in England, with identified unsafe cladding that have not yet commenced remediation works. Of those 916 buildings, 15 have ACM cladding.
These 18m+ buildings are known as higher-risk buildings under the Building Safety Act 2022. Higher-risk residential buildings also include buildings that have at least 7 storeys. Residential buildings which are 7 storeys tall but not 18 metres and over in height will not be included in the above figures.