Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to improve the provision of supported accommodation for (a) young people and (b) adults with special needs and disabilities in (i) Stratford-on-Avon constituency and (ii) Warwickshire.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government recognises the important role played by supported housing in helping disabled young people and adults, as well as other vulnerable people, to live safely, well and independently. The Affordable Housing Programme 2021-26 includes delivery of supported housing. At the Spending Review, the government announced £39 billion for a new Social and Affordable Homes Programme over 10 years from 2026-27 to 2035-36. In particular, the government recognises some types of homes that are much needed can often cost more to deliver. The new programme is designed to be flexible to support the greater diversity of supply needed, and we are asking providers, including supported housing providers, to come forward with ambitious bids that reflect this diversity.

In addition, social housing rent policy exempts ‘specialised supported housing’ - serving those with the most complex needs, including people with learning disabilities and or autism, and mental health issues – from the Rent standard. This means providers can set rents that enable them to finance and bring forward high cost, high-specification housing to meet the needs of this cohort.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with (a) police forces and (b) local authorities on improving the enforcement of the Highway Code requirement that dogs must be kept on a short lead when on pavements, roads or shared paths.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Under Section 27 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, and reflected in Rule 56 of the Highway Code, dogs should not be on the road without a responsible person present. Further advice is to keep it on a short lead when walking on the pavement, road or path shared with cyclists or horse riders.

Enforcement of the law is a matter for the police who will decide on the evidence of each individual case, whether an offence has been committed and the appropriate action to take.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to provide adequate (a) staffing and (b) budget to implement the extension of the armed forces covenant legal duty.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

In collaboration with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Local Government Association, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is co-developing a burdens assessment to understand the potential impacts on Local Authorities. In addition, to support organisations in meeting their Covenant Duty obligations, the MOD will provide training materials, webinars, downloadable resources and clear statutory guidance. Officials continue to work at pace to ensure legislation benefits the entire Armed Forces Community.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of extending the armed forces covenant legal duty on resources in Government departments.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

In collaboration with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Local Government Association, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is co-developing a burdens assessment to understand the potential impacts on Local Authorities. In addition, to support organisations in meeting their Covenant Duty obligations, the MOD will provide training materials, webinars, downloadable resources and clear statutory guidance. Officials continue to work at pace to ensure legislation benefits the entire Armed Forces Community.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of falling grain prices on domestic producers.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Cereals and oilseeds are internationally traded commodities, and their supply chains are dynamic and responsive to global market developments. These developments may be influenced by the global market disruption, weather conditions, or currency fluctuations.

Support is being provided through the Environmental Land Management schemes, which reward sustainable farming practices and help improve soil health and long-term productivity. These schemes are designed to enhance the resilience and profitability of arable farmers, including those in the cereals sector.

The Department is also investing in innovation and research to help farmers adopt more efficient and sustainable practices, such as precision agriculture and crop breeding. Officials continue to monitor market conditions closely and engage regularly with industry to ensure that policy and support remain responsive to the needs of grain producers.

In addition, the Government’s food strategy sets out a vision for a more sustainable and competitive food system, including trade that supports British standards and expands export opportunities for UK producers.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of rising input costs on grain producers.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Cereals and oilseeds are internationally traded commodities, and their supply chains are dynamic and responsive to global market developments. These developments may be influenced by the global market disruption, weather conditions, or currency fluctuations.

Support is being provided through the Environmental Land Management schemes, which reward sustainable farming practices and help improve soil health and long-term productivity. These schemes are designed to enhance the resilience and profitability of arable farmers, including those in the cereals sector.

The Department is also investing in innovation and research to help farmers adopt more efficient and sustainable practices, such as precision agriculture and crop breeding. Officials continue to monitor market conditions closely and engage regularly with industry to ensure that policy and support remain responsive to the needs of grain producers.

In addition, the Government’s food strategy sets out a vision for a more sustainable and competitive food system, including trade that supports British standards and expands export opportunities for UK producers.

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 is taking to support grain producers.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Cereals and oilseeds are internationally traded commodities, and their supply chains are dynamic and responsive to global market developments. These developments may be influenced by the global market disruption, weather conditions, or currency fluctuations.

Support is being provided through the Environmental Land Management schemes, which reward sustainable farming practices and help improve soil health and long-term productivity. These schemes are designed to enhance the resilience and profitability of arable farmers, including those in the cereals sector.

The Department is also investing in innovation and research to help farmers adopt more efficient and sustainable practices, such as precision agriculture and crop breeding. Officials continue to monitor market conditions closely and engage regularly with industry to ensure that policy and support remain responsive to the needs of grain producers.

In addition, the Government’s food strategy sets out a vision for a more sustainable and competitive food system, including trade that supports British standards and expands export opportunities for UK producers.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of reduced milling premiums on farmers.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Department has not conducted an assessment of the impact of reduced milling premiums on farmers. However, the Government recognises that fluctuations in quality-based market premiums, including those for milling wheat can affect farm incomes and business resilience.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of grain imports produced to standards lower than those required in the UK on domestic producers.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain. For the cereal crops that are produced domestically, the UK has been over 80% self-sufficient for a number of years. Due to environmental and climate conditions the UK milling industry require a certain level of imports of high protein milling wheat year on year to meet consumer demand.

The Department has not undertaken an assessment of the impact of grain imports produced to standards lower than those required for domestic producers. However, we recognise the importance of maintaining high production standards to protect consumer confidence, food safety, and the competitiveness of British farmers.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Israel Defence Forces personnel have received training in the UK in each of the last five years.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

Fewer than ten Israel Defence Forces (IDF) personnel have been trained on non-combat military academic courses in the UK each year since 2020. The exact number of IDF personnel is being withheld in order to protect personal information and to avoid prejudicing relations between the United Kingdom and other States.

The UK has a long history of providing assistance to other nations in the security and justice fields and continues to do so around the world. UK training courses promote British values, including human rights, democracy, and compliance with international humanitarian law.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for the Government’s arms export licensing regime of the judgment in the recent case concerning the sale of F-35 components to Israel.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

In the judgment handed down on 30 June, the Divisional Court accepted the Government’s submission that the only way for the UK to ensure that components supplied from the UK to the global F-35 programme do not reach Israel is for it to suspend all exports into the programme, and that therefore this Government faced the blunt choice of exempting F-35 components from its decision to suspend certain exports of military equipment to Israel, or accepting significant consequences for national and international peace and security.

That decision was in line with the UK’s Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, which provide for the application to specific cases of specific measures as announced to Parliament. The Court acknowledged the F-35 decision was a such a specific measure in an exceptional case and its judgment reflects the rigour, care and thoroughness the Government applies to its export licensing decisions.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many (a) standard and (b) open export licences for the export of arms or military equipment to Israel were granted in each of the last five years.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

HM Government includes information on export licence outcomes as part of official statistics published on GOV.UK. The information sought can be found at gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data. Open Licences are also published online, including details on permitted countries and regions.

Additionally, detailed information on extant licences to Israel has been published up to 31 July 2025, and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/export-control-licensing-management-information-for-israel/israel-export-control-licensing-data-31-july-2025.

This Government suspended around 30 export licences to Israel in September 2024, and since that time has refused more than 40 further applications where it was assessed there was a clear risk the items might be used in military operations in Gaza.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the end-use of UK arms exports to Israel to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK’s approach to export licensing under the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria involves a rigorous risk assessment before a licence is issued. These checks consider the nature of the items, the end-users and proposed end uses, information on which is typically provided through signed End-User and Stockist Undertakings (EUSUs).

This Government has suspended export licences where it was assessed that items covered might be used in Gaza, as announced to Parliament on 2 September 2024.

It is an offence for an export licence applicant to knowingly make a statement which is false. Licences are also kept under close and ongoing review. We are able to suspend or revoke licences as necessary when circumstances require.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending enforcement powers to cover incidents where dogs are not kept under control in public before they become dangerously out of control.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The police and local authorities have a range of powers available to tackle dangerous dogs and irresponsible dog ownership across all breeds of dog. Defra is working with the police, local authorities and animal welfare groups to encourage responsible dog ownership, to ensure dog control issues are addressed before they escalate and to make sure the full force of the law is applied. As part of this work, we reconvened the Responsible Dog Ownership taskforce to explore measures to promote responsible dog ownership, including the consideration of enforcement. We look forward to receiving the findings and recommendations from the taskforce in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that her policies are consistent with the UK's obligations under the Genocide Convention in the context of the findings of the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, published in September 2025.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 18 September to Question 72500.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled UK government response to the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) market study into housebuilding, published on 22 October 2024, when he plans to implement the recommendations agreed to in that paper.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is already acting on many of the CMA’s recommendations and remains fully committed to delivering solutions that address the challenges identified in its October 2024 market study into housebuilding.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Government plans to publish the findings and response to the consultation on the National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism, which closed on 11 June 2025.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

This Government is committed to supporting victims and survivors of terrorism and understands that recognition is an important part of their recovery.

That is why, from 19 March 2025 to 11 June, the Government held a public consultation on a National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism to explore how the country could honour those whose lives have been lost or forever changed by terrorism.

The consultation has considered the ways a National Day could be implemented and any consequences that may result from the proposals.

We are now reviewing all responses and will publicly update on the consultation’s outcomes and our next steps in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to make a decision on the establishment and format of a National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism; and if she will commit to establishing the National Day in line with recommendations from victims’ groups.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

This Government is committed to supporting victims and survivors of terrorism and understands that recognition is an important part of their recovery.

That is why, from 19 March 2025 to 11 June, the Government held a public consultation on a National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism to explore how the country could honour those whose lives have been lost or forever changed by terrorism.

The consultation has considered the ways a National Day could be implemented and any consequences that may result from the proposals.

We are now reviewing all responses and will publicly update on the consultation’s outcomes and our next steps in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the responses received to the National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism consultation.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

This Government is committed to supporting victims and survivors of terrorism and understands that recognition is an important part of their recovery.

That is why, from 19 March 2025 to 11 June, the Government held a public consultation on a National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism to explore how the country could honour those whose lives have been lost or forever changed by terrorism.

The consultation has considered the ways a National Day could be implemented and any consequences that may result from the proposals.

We are now reviewing all responses and will publicly update on the consultation’s outcomes and our next steps in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to use (a) secondary and (b) primary legislation to establish a National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

This Government is committed to supporting victims and survivors of terrorism and understands that recognition is an important part of their recovery.

That is why, from 19 March 2025 to 11 June, the Government held a public consultation on a National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism to explore how the country could honour those whose lives have been lost or forever changed by terrorism.

The consultation has considered the ways a National Day could be implemented and any consequences that may result from the proposals.

We are now reviewing all responses and will publicly update on the consultation’s outcomes and our next steps in due course.

The Link Visiting Scheme and the Great British Business and Community Awards

Tobias Gutteridge

Britain’s canals and rivers

Release of Alaa Abd El-Fattah and the plight of British nationals arbitrarily detained abroad

Friends of Campsie Community Work

Support for the UK-Ukraine Trauma and Recovery Collaborative

Lung Cancer Awareness Month

Conduct of Sir Robbie Gibb and the independence of the BBC Board

Family Business Week 2025

Conduct of Samir Zitouni and Stephen Crean on the 18.25 Doncaster to Kings Cross train on 1 November 2025

Jordan Codices

Gold awards for Oswestry in Bloom, RHS Britain in Bloom 2025

Schools (Residential Outdoor Education) (Scotland) Bill

Taxi accessibility for disabled people

Suicide prevention on railways

Protections for animals and people

Election of Clare McNaught as President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

Ukrainian Permission Extension Scheme

Local government and social care

North to South for Poppyscotland walk by Wendy Sylvester

Human rights violations and suppression of democratic opposition in Tanzania

Two-child limit

Tomorrow’s Engineers Week 2025

Cancer waiting times

Fossil fuel company profits

Renewable energy and coal

Warm Homes Plan

Protection of the Climate Change Act

Visas and access to education for Ukrainian refugee children

Impact of proposed immigration changes on migrants living in the UK

UK aid for global forests and indigenous peoples

Blue Flag status for rivers

Long covid in children and young people

Wastewater Infrastructure and Environmental Protection in Planning Applications

Transparency and accountability in social media account closures

Government proposals for mandatory digital ID

Stewarts, the UK's first garden centre

Water bills

Conduct of the hon. Member for Runcorn and Helsby

Safety of British nationals aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla

Found: members present: Helen Hayes (Chair); Jess Asato; Mrs Sureena Brackenridge; Darren Paffey; Manuela Perteghella

Found: members present: Helen Hayes (Chair); Jess Asato; Mrs Sureena Brackenridge; Darren Paffey; Manuela Perteghella