Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of autonomous robots on pavements on a) disabled people b) blind people c) those with a mobility aid d) those with a guide dog and e) wheelchair users.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Advances in technology have the potential to boost our economy and undertake dangerous jobs such as highways maintenance, but it is important the safety of pedestrians and vulnerable road users is put first.

We have announced that we intend to trial pavement robots using powers the Government is seeking through the Regulating for Growth Bill, but no permanent regulations will come into force without detailed public consultation.

A key part of the trial will be understanding the impact on pedestrians, particularly the most vulnerable groups.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to increase grid capacity to enable a reduction in wind curtailment.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The current extent of grid constraints reflects years of underinvestment, with new network infrastructure development having lagged the expansion of new generation. That is why we are delivering the biggest upgrade to Great Britain’s electricity network in decades, helping bring forward capacity needed to reduce constraint costs. NESO analysis suggests that bringing forward three major transmission reinforcement projects by one year could reduce network constraint costs by around £4 billion in 2030.

Measures set out in the Reformed National Pricing Delivery Plan will further reduce constraint costs by up to £1 billion in 2030, helping lower household energy bills.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to written question 11338 on Folic Acid, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the policy on prostate cancer rates and fetal death rates.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

Folic acid fortification was recommended by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy (COMA) in 2000 and by its successor the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) in 2006, after an extensive review of the evidence on folate and health. The SACN has further considered the evidence in its 2009 report to the Chief Medical Officer on folic acid and colorectal cancer risk and its 2017 update on folic acid.

In SACN’s 2017 update on folic acid, the evidence on high folic acid intakes on cancer risk specifically in relation to prostate, breast, colorectal, and overall cancer risk was reviewed. The report concluded that the findings from the different types of studies were inconsistent but overall, the evidence was inconclusive in relation to prostate and colorectal cancer risk and did not suggest an adverse association with breast cancer or overall cancer risk.

The SACN’s risk assessments concluded that ‘conclusive evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) has shown that folic acid supplementation during the early stages of pregnancy can reduce the risk of the fetus developing neural tube defects (NTDs)’.

Foetal death rates was not a health outcome specifically considered by the SACN.

The level of folic acid chosen for fortification was 250 micrograms per 100 grams flour, with a view to minimising the risk of the population exceeding the tolerable upper intake level, which was considered in the Governments impact assessment.

The Government is planning an evaluation on the impact of the policy.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the impact assessment for the statutory Private Parking Code of Practice will be completed; and what the maximum parking cap and debt recovery fee for motorists will be.

Answered by Nesil Caliskan

In accordance with the Better Regulation Framework the private parking Impact Assessment will undergo independent scrutiny by the Regulatory Policy Committee before the government takes its final decisions on the Code.

The maximum parking cap and debt recovery fee were subject to consultation in 2025 and the government response will be published in parallel to the new Code being laid in Parliament in autumn 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment they have made of the potential impact of Natural England's proposals to include Dartmoor ponies in livestock counts on the future population and conservation of Dartmoor Ponies in the Newton Abbot constituency.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government recognises the important role that Dartmoor ponies play in the landscape, biodiversity and cultural heritage of Dartmoor. There are no plans under this Government to reduce the number of Dartmoor ponies, and we are working closely with Natural England and other stakeholders to support a thriving pony population alongside the recovery of Dartmoor's protected habitats.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to support businesses reliant on gas that are unable to transition to electric, to support them moving to hydrogen.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

We recognise that hydrogen will play an important but focused role in decarbonising hard‑to‑electrify industrial sectors, particularly within industrial clusters where shared transport and storage infrastructure can be developed efficiently.

The Hydrogen Production Business Model incentivises investment in new low carbon hydrogen production and encourages users to switch to low carbon hydrogen by making it a price competitive decarbonisation option.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment has he made of the potential impact of the delay in publishing the UK hydrogen strategy on a) investment into the UK Hydrogen market and b) companies transitioning from gas to hydrogen.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

We understand the importance of providing clarity to businesses across the hydrogen sector, including investors and companies that may transition to hydrogen.

We plan to publish the Hydrogen Strategy, alongside a package of other policy documents, as soon as possible. This will set out Government’s vision and objectives for hydrogen, and how we intend to work with industry to continue to transform ambition into action.

In the meantime, we remain focused on delivery and are supporting projects currently in the pipeline. Successful HAR1 projects are moving to final investment decision, construction and operation phases, and a proposed funding package of £86.5m has been agreed to support ITM’s electrolyser manufacturing expansion in Sheffield.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to support the development of Hydrogen Storage.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Hydrogen has the potential to support decarbonisation and economic growth across the UK, including through low carbon dispatchable power and inter-seasonal energy storage, to help balance a renewables-based power system.

We are progressing the design of the hydrogen transport and storage business models and the first allocation round. Over the past few months, my department has held workshops for industry to present proposals for the business model design, and draft eligibility and assessment criteria for the competition.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to question 5167 on Patents: Disclosure of Information, what recent discussions the minister has had with major companies on the effectiveness of the IPO online search tool.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) regularly engages with key stakeholders and users to inform the development and improvement of its intellectual property search services. Feedback gathered through this engagement is considered and, where appropriate, incorporated into the ongoing development of the tools.

The IPO provides a range of online search services to help businesses and members of the public access information relating to UK intellectual property rights, including patents, trade marks and registered designs. The IPO is committed to ensuring these services remain accessible, effective and responsive to user needs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether additional recurrent funding will be provided alongside implementation of the proposed NHS dental contract reforms.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales

We are committed to reforming the dental contract by the end of this Parliament, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention, and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability.

The financial pressures and the cost of new commitments for the National Health Service are analysed as part of the Spending Review process. The 2025 Spending Review sets departmental budgets for day-to-day spending up to 2028/29 and for capital for five years to 2029/30. This level of funding growth is intended to support the NHS in delivering the Government’s priorities, including commitments set out in the Government’s Plan for Change. Further detail is provided at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spending-review-2025-document/spending-review-2025-html

The Government has committed to hold a Spending Review every two years. The process for the next Spending Review, due to be held in 2027, will be set in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to FOI2025/18430 and Internal Review IR2026/03033, concerning background papers relating to the meeting on 28 August 2019 attended by Boris Johnson, Peter Thiel and Dominic Cummings, what specific prejudice to the effective conduct of public affairs was identified as arising from disclosure of those papers.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds

As set out in its response of 4 February 2026, the Cabinet Office recognises that there is a public interest in the transparency in how it makes decisions on responses to written parliamentary questions.

However, effective responses to written parliamentary questions rely on a safe space within which issues can be discussed openly and frankly.

The disclosure of the requested information would have a prejudicial effect on these relationships, which would not be in the public interest.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of NHS dental funding levels on the recruitment and retention of dentists providing NHS care.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales

Since July 2024, the Government has been rebuilding a broken National Health Service dentistry system. We have delivered 1.8 million more dental treatments and reduced the underspend from £392 million in 2023/24 to just £36 million in 2024/25, maximising the treatments provided for taxpayers’ money.

We have brought into force a package of reforms this year to address some of the most pressing issues that dentists and dental teams have been experiencing, including rewarding them more fairly for treating patients with urgent and complex needs.

Strengthening the workforce is key to our ambitions to rebuild NHS dentistry. We are increasing the supply of dentists through a sustained expansion of 50 new dental school places and an increase in exams to allow 2,000 more internationally qualified dentists to practise in the United Kingdom.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish the response to proposed planning reforms relating to permitted development rights and the National Planning Policy Framework for telecommunications infrastructure.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Questions UIN 124803 on 20 April 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to accelerate proposed planning reforms relating to permitted development rights and the National Planning Policy Framework for telecommunications infrastructure.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Questions UIN 124803 on 20 April 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many meetings he has had with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology to discuss planning reforms relating to permitted development rights and the National Planning Policy Framework for telecommunications infrastructure.

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

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has not had any meetings with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology to discuss planning reforms relating to permitted development rights and the National Planning Policy Framework for telecommunications infrastructure.

Local Housing Allowance rates

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Royal Mail delivery standards

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International Court of Justice's July 2024 Advisory Opinion on the Occupied Palestinian Territories

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Found: Onwurah (Chair); Tom Collins; Emily Darlington; George Freeman; Dr Allison Gardner; Kit Malthouse; Martin Wrigley

Found: Onwurah (Chair); Tom Collins; Emily Darlington; George Freeman; Dr Allison Gardner; Kit Malthouse; Martin Wrigley