Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will formally re-establish the Advisory Committee on Packaging as a forum for (a) industry, (b) government and (c) regulators to oversee the operation of the Packaging Recovery Note system.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has no plans to re-establish the Advisory Committee on Packaging in its previous form.
However, as part of the forthcoming consultation on Packaging Waste Recycling Note (PRN) reforms, the department will be seeking views on how best to bring together stakeholders including industry, Government, and regulators to advise on the functioning of the PRN system.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
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 with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle organised crime networks involved in fly-tipping in rural areas.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is making the necessary policy and regulatory reforms to close the loopholes being exploited by waste criminals. Key reforms include carrier, broker, dealer reform, waste permit exemption reform and the introduction of digital waste tracking. Defra believes these reforms are the best way to drive criminality out of the waste sector whether in urban or rural communities.
The Government has increased the Environment Agency’s (EA) budget for waste crime enforcement by over 50% this year to £15.6 million. The EA-hosted Joint Unit for Waste Crime has nearly doubled in size thanks to our extra funding and its UK-wide partnership work with the EA, HM Revenue & Customs, National Crime Agency, the police and others continues to share intelligence, powers and resources to disrupt waste criminals.
However, the Government recognises that there can be challenges in responding to rural crime. That is why the Government collaborated with the National Police Chiefs’ Councils to deliver their renewal of the Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy, which was published in November. The strategy, lasting until 2028, will ensure efforts to reduce crime benefit every community no matter where they live, including rural communities.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
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 tackle the harm caused by sodium valproate to people in (a) England, (b) Warwickshire, and (c) Stratford-on-Avon.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Everyone who has been harmed from sodium valproate has our deepest sympathies.
The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, First Do No Harm, identified significant shortcomings in National Health Service care pathways for people harmed by sodium valproate, including fragmented services, limited diagnostic expertise, delays in diagnosis, and inequitable access to multidisciplinary care.
In response, NHS England has commissioned a Fetal Exposure to Medicines Services Pilot, being delivered by the NHS in Newcastle and Manchester. The pilot provides multidisciplinary diagnostic assessment and is informing the development of improved care pathways, better coordination of care, and reduced reliance on emergency care. Findings from the pilot will inform future decisions on the commissioning of services, subject to funding.
The Government is also carefully considering the Patient Safety Commissioner’s recommendations made in the Hughes Report, which includes proposed approaches to redress for those harmed by sodium valproate. I recently met the Patient Safety Commissioner to provide an update on the ongoing health initiatives led by the Department regarding sodium valproate and pelvic mesh, and agreed to providing an update on her report recommendations in due course.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps schools are expected to take to help ensure that pupils and families experiencing (a) furniture or (b) appliance poverty are directed to sources of support.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government’s Child Poverty Strategy, ‘Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty’, was published on 5 December 2025. It sets out the steps this government will take to reduce child poverty in the short term, as well as putting in place the building blocks we need to create long-term change. The measures set out in the strategy will lift 550,000 children out of poverty, the largest expected reduction in child poverty over any parliamentary session since comparable records began.
The government is investing in the future of our children and putting money into families' pockets, enabling them to afford the essentials that are necessary to give children what they need to learn and grow by introducing key measures such as removing the two-child limit in Universal Credit.
Furthermore, government is helping families who need support to access essential household items through the Crisis and Resilience Fund, a £1 billion fund to ensure families have a safety net when they need it, and Pride in Place Programme, which will deliver up to £5 billion in funding to 244 in-need neighbourhoods across the country. This will give communities the option to invest in measures that support families with the cost of living, which could include establishing new community shops with access to discounted food and school uniforms or directly supporting families with essential household items, such as beds and white goods.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce child bed poverty and it's potential impact on education.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government’s Child Poverty Strategy, ‘Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty’, was published on 5 December 2025. It sets out the steps this government will take to reduce child poverty in the short term, as well as putting in place the building blocks we need to create long-term change. The measures set out in the strategy will lift 550,000 children out of poverty, the largest expected reduction in child poverty over any parliamentary session since comparable records began.
The government is investing in the future of our children and putting money into families' pockets, enabling them to afford the essentials that are necessary to give children what they need to learn and grow by introducing key measures such as removing the two-child limit in Universal Credit.
Furthermore, government is helping families who need support to access essential household items through the Crisis and Resilience Fund, a £1 billion fund to ensure families have a safety net when they need it, and Pride in Place Programme, which will deliver up to £5 billion in funding to 244 in-need neighbourhoods across the country. This will give communities the option to invest in measures that support families with the cost of living, which could include establishing new community shops with access to discounted food and school uniforms or directly supporting families with essential household items, such as beds and white goods.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in relation to the statutory guidance on fiduciary duties announced during Report stage of the Pension Schemes Bill on 3 December 2025, when he will consult on the guidance; and when the guidance will take effect.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government intends to consult formally on draft guidance later this year.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to employer National Insurance contributions on employment levels in (a) the voluntary sector, (b) charities and (c) heritage organisations.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the important role charities play in our society and has made it a priority to reset the relationship with civil society by developing the Civil Society Covenant.
A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer National Insurance contributions. The TIIN set out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.
The Office for Budget Responsibility also published the Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO), which set out a detailed forecast of the economy and public finances.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the cumulative burden of A-level examination timetable compression on students with exam access arrangements.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The exam timetable is set nationally by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), which takes into account a range of complex factors, including the potential needs of different students, to ensure the timetable is fair and manageable for all students. JCQ consults on the provisional timetable a year in advance, giving schools and colleges the opportunity to share any concerns before the timetable is finalised.
Although the national timetable applies uniformly to every student, access arrangements such as extra time or supervised rest breaks, can help ensure that students with disabilities, temporary illness or injuries are not unfairly disadvantaged when taking their exams and assessments. These arrangements are determined on a case-by-case basis according to individual needs.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what consideration he has given to protections for existing Feed-in Tariffs scheme participants in any change to indexation.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the importance of regulatory stability for maintaining an attractive investment environment. The Government also considers that it is appropriate to periodically review schemes to ensure they continue to represent value for money for the households and businesses that bear the costs of this support. As the scheme is now closed, these changes will apply to existing Feed-in Tariffs generators. However, generators will continue to receive inflation-indexed payments for the full lifetime of their support.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of changing Feed-in Tariffs scheme indexation from RPI to CPI on (a) domestic, (b) community energy and (c) commercial installations.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon Friend the Member for Truro and Falmouth (Jayne Kirkham) on 18 December 2025 to Question 100172.
Updated analysis has since been published alongside the Government Response.