Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help tackle (a) violation of personal freedoms of female students and (b) other forms of mistreatment of women and girls in Iran.

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

Iran's human rights record is unacceptable. We condemn the continued repression of women and girls by the Iranian authorities. We maintain 94 human rights sanctions on senior Iranian decision makers, including those responsible for Iran's oppressive hijab law. We continue to support the UN Special Procedures of the Special Rapporteur and Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, mandates which are essential for spotlighting Iran's human rights violations, including against women and girls. We will continue to work alongside international partners to hold the Iranian regime accountable, including at the UN Third Committee this month.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure the independence of the nuclear deterrent; and if he will take steps to reduce reliance on the US for the (a) testing, (b) maintenance, and (c) replacement of missiles.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The United Kingdom’s nuclear deterrent is completely operationally independent. Only the Prime Minister can authorise the use of our nuclear weapons, even if they are to be employed as part of a NATO response.

We have a close and longstanding relationship with the US on all nuclear issues. One result of this close relationship is that we are able to procure certain non-nuclear components from the US, most notably the Trident II D5 missile, significantly reducing the cost of our nuclear deterrent capability.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of (a) levels of risk and (b) rates of checks on plants at the UK border.

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

An enhanced risk-based approach is already undertaken at the UK border, where regulated plants and plant products have been categorised into high, medium, and low risk categories. The principle of risk-based controls, as previously applied under the EU regime, remains unchanged, but the GB regime now focuses on risks to Great Britain, rather than risks to the EU. Controls are then appropriately weighted against the risks posed – so the higher the risk category of a plant or plant product, the more biosecurity assurances we need, in the form of import controls. There are also plants and plant products which are not regulated at all, and those that are prohibited entirely.

We undertake systematic, proactive screening of plant health risks. Risks are reviewed monthly by an expert group and Ministers, and prioritised for actions such as surveillance, enhanced inspection, regulation, national measures, import controls, research and awareness raising.

Ensuring the most appropriate risk categorisation and rate of inspection is important, from a biosecurity perspective, but also to avoid unnecessary disruption to our critical supply chains and ports. Risk categorisation will remain dynamic and Defra will monitor import and interception data and Inspection rates may change in response to changes in risk, for example, an upsurge of interceptions of pests or a new threat emerging.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure the independence of the nuclear deterrent; and if he will take steps to reduce reliance on the US for the (a) testing, (b) maintenance, and (c) replacement of missiles.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Armed Forces (Luke Pollard) on 27 November 2024 to Question 15093.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to (a) debt collecting companies to wait for decisions of appeal courts before taking action and (b) otherwise require improve the regulation of debt collection practices.

Answered by Tulip Siddiq - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government expects fair treatment of individuals in debt and recognises the important role of responsible practices for debt recovery. We likewise recognise the negative impact that aggressive pursuit of debt can have on individuals, particularly where court action is involved.

The Government remains committed to improving debt collection practices across sectors and supporting individuals in financial difficulties relating to debt more broadly. While there are already a number of regulations and guidelines in place, we will continue to monitor the sector closely and engage with stakeholders to ensure that regulation keeps pace with changing circumstances.

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 improve waiting times to access dementia treatment in Warwickshire.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Coventry and Warwickshire ICS have a number of initiatives aimed at increasing capacity for dementia assessment and treatment, particularly in South Warwickshire where it is recognised that there are longer delays.

An additional consultant and team have been in place in South Warwickshire since September 2024 to run intensive clinics, increasing assessment and treatment capacity and speed.

In November 2024, South Warwickshire added additional weekend dementia clinics.

The Memory Service in Warwickshire have introduced a range of measures to maximise specialist staff capacity, including employing additional administrative staff to complete tasks not requiring a specialist clinician. October 2024 saw a 40% increase in number of assessments completed by the team compared to the average earlier this year, and a 59% increase in reviews of existing patients.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has conducted an impact assessment on the potential impact of changes to agricultural property relief on tenant farmers.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms.

It is expected that up to around 520 estates will claim APR (including those that also claim for BPR) and will be impacted by these changes in 2026-27. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) each year are expected to be unaffected by these reforms.

In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.

Flood recovery framework

Role of small family farms in Somerset

Domestic Abuse Offences

Residence-based voting rights

Children's Grief Awareness Week 2024

Found: Jess Asato; Mrs Sureena Brackenridge; Dr Caroline Johnson; Amanda Martin; Darren Paffey; Manuela Perteghella

Submit Evidence (by 30 Jan 2025)

A number of recent reports have set out in detail the extent of the crisis in the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system, which is letting down children and their families, creating intense pressure on local authority funding and on schools.