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 strengthen protections for whistle-blowers.

Answered by Justin Madders

A worker who ‘blows the whistle’ (known as making a ‘protected disclosure’) on certain types of wrongdoing is entitled to protections under the Employment Rights Act 1996 from detriment or dismissal as a result of blowing the whistle, and a route to redress through Employment Tribunals if those protections are infringed.

The Government’s Employment Rights Bill will strengthen protections for whistleblowers, by making it explicit that sexual harassment can be the basis for a protected disclosure. This will mean an employee making a protected disclosure about sexual harassment will be entitled to protection from being subjected to detriment or being dismissed by their employer for speaking out.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle agricultural pollution in (a) Ribble Valley constituency and (b) Lancashire.

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

In 2025/26 the Ribble Catchment around Edisford Bridge was identified as a priority area for farm inspections due to a new bathing water designation. Since April this year 13 farms in the area of the new bathing water and Bashall Brook have been inspected and advice and guidance provided where non-compliance relating to the Farming Rules for Water and SSAFO Regulations (Storing silage, slurry and agricultural fuel oil - GOV.UK ) has been identified.

In the wider Ribble Catchment in Lancashire, the Environment Agency has inspected 27 farms since April this year. Where advice and guidance has been given and not followed, the Environment Agency will consider enforcement in line with its Enforcement and Sanctions Policy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to review the medical conditions on the list of exemptions for prescription charges.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are no plans to review the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate.

There are extensive arrangements in place in England to ensure that prescriptions are affordable for everyone. Approximately 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in the community in England, and there is a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place for which those with chronic illnesses may be eligible. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, whether they have a qualifying medical condition or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.

People on low incomes can apply for help with their health costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme. People who need to pay and need many prescription items could save money with a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC). PPCs allow people to claim as many prescriptions as they need for a set cost, with 3-month and 12-month certificates available. The 12-month PPC can be paid for in direct debit instalments.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to support businesses to transition to clean energy sources in (a) Ribble Valley and (b) Lancashire.

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

The government offers various support for business to transition to clean energy source, including the Boiler Upgrade Scheme for low carbon heating.

We also know that it is important that businesses have access to reliable information and advice to help them take action to reduce their emissions. We support the UK Business Climate Hub which provides advice to support business, particularly SMEs, to act. It is run by the Broadway Initiative, in partnership with government and a coalition of business organisations.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle drones flying over properties at under 400 feet.

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

All drone operators in the UK must adhere to the Drone and Model Aircraft Code, overseen by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). This includes protections for privacy. For a drone operator to undertake operations under 400ft they must successfully apply for an Operational Authorisation from the CAA.

Government is currently reforming Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS or drones) Regulations, which should come into force from 1 January 2026 and will enhance the safety, security and manufacturing standards for drones. These reforms will include the requirement for Remote Identification (a system that allows drones to be tracked and identified in real time) for all drones over 250g, which will enable law enforcement to identify non-compliant operators.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps she has taken to help support youth democracy in schools in (a) Ribble Valley constituency and (b) Lancashire.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Ribble Valley to the answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 55746.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of available driving tests in Ribble Valley constituency.

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

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.

On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce driving test waiting times across the country.

Further information on these actions and progress on the plan can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/news/transport-secretary-acts-to-make-thousands-of-extra-driving-tests-available-each-month.

The driving test centres that serve candidates in the Ribble Valley are Blackburn, Nelson, Skipton and Preston. Blackburn and Nelson are part of the same cluster of centres. From recruitment campaigns, DVSA has recruited two new entrant driving examiners (DE) and offered a further four DEs a position for this cluster. Following successful completion of training the new entrant DEs will be in post late autumn. A further DE has also been offered a post in Skipton. After successful completion of training, they will also be in post by late autumn.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications from Afghan women who have been denied asylum status at initial decision since the fall of Kabul in 2021 have subsequently (a) appealed that decision and (b) had that appeal granted.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum appeals lodged and determined, by nationality and sex, is published in tables Asy_D06 and Asy_D07, respectively, of the asylum detailed datasets. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relates to 2023 Q1 (January to March). Appeals data for April 2023 onwards is not available due to ongoing work on a new case working system. Updated data will be included in a future edition of the Immigration system statistics release.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions her Department (a) has had and (b) plans to have with stakeholders on the Best Start digital service.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

​​The Best Start in Life website, launched on 1 September. This is accessible at: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/.

​As development continues, the department is committed to ensuring the service is designed, positioned, and delivered in a way that meets the needs of parents and families. To date, discussions have taken place with officials across Whitehall and parents have been engaged directly through user research. We will broaden this engagement, including with local authorities and other key stakeholders, and continue to conduct further user research to ensure the service is responsive, effective and accessible to those who will benefit most.​

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce waiting lists for diagnostic services at Preston Royal Hospital Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (the Trust) has agreed a Diagnostic Improvement Programme with key focuses including:

• Increasing capacity within its Community Diagnostic Centre (Preston Healthport CDC), where a number of diagnostic services are available in a community setting offering care closer to home over a period of extended working hours.
• Upgrading of the CT scanner in the emergency department (ED) at Royal Preston Hospital in July 2025 which will improve testing productivity by i) reducing unplanned downtime (for example through reduced maintenance requirements) and ii) minimising the staff training needed to operate different types of machine.
• Working to develop new opportunities to recruit and retain diagnostic staff.

The Trust also makes use of mutual aid. In the NHS, mutual aid is the voluntary cooperation and resource-sharing between different healthcare organisations or sectors to meet shared needs, especially during emergencies or when systems are under extreme pressure. The Trust continues to scope other options to increase capacity and support from other local organisations via mutual aid.

Performance at the Trust has significantly improved against the Diagnostics Waiting Times and Activity data collection (DM01) six-week target from 49.3 percent of patients on the waiting list waiting in excess of 6 weeks from referral in June 2024, to 39.6 percent in June 2025.

Nationally, the government is supporting the NHS to recover diagnostic services and bring down waiting times through investment in new capacity and technology. At the Spending Review in June 2025, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £6 billion in capital funding across 5 years for new diagnostic, elective and urgent and emergency capacity in the NHS. This includes £600 million in 2025/26.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to allow a newborn child's father to have automatic parental rights over his child in light of the mother’s death during childbirth.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government has no plans to bring forward legislation to grant automatic parental responsibility to a father in unfortunate circumstances where the mother dies during childbirth.

In England and Wales, a father only acquires parental responsibility automatically if he is married to, or in a civil partnership with the mother at any point between the conception or the birth of the child, or he subsequently marries or enters a civil partnership with the mother. In other cases, parental responsibility may be obtained through formal agreement with the mother, being named on the birth certificate, or a court order. The Government recognises that in cases where the mother dies during childbirth, the father, if not married to the mother at the time of the birth, may be unable to acquire parental responsibility through the usual mechanisms. In such cases, the family courts retain discretion to grant parental responsibility based on the child’s welfare and the circumstances of the case.

The Government is aware of the calls to broaden the parental responsibility measure in the Victims and Courts Bill to include instances where an individual has been convicted of rape and a child has been conceived as a result of that offence. We are carefully considering these suggestions as the Bill progresses through Parliament.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to remove parental rights from convicted rapists to children conceived through rape.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government has no plans to bring forward legislation to grant automatic parental responsibility to a father in unfortunate circumstances where the mother dies during childbirth.

In England and Wales, a father only acquires parental responsibility automatically if he is married to, or in a civil partnership with the mother at any point between the conception or the birth of the child, or he subsequently marries or enters a civil partnership with the mother. In other cases, parental responsibility may be obtained through formal agreement with the mother, being named on the birth certificate, or a court order. The Government recognises that in cases where the mother dies during childbirth, the father, if not married to the mother at the time of the birth, may be unable to acquire parental responsibility through the usual mechanisms. In such cases, the family courts retain discretion to grant parental responsibility based on the child’s welfare and the circumstances of the case.

The Government is aware of the calls to broaden the parental responsibility measure in the Victims and Courts Bill to include instances where an individual has been convicted of rape and a child has been conceived as a result of that offence. We are carefully considering these suggestions as the Bill progresses through Parliament.

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 allocate adequate resources to support households at risk of flooding in Ribble Valley constituency.

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

The Environment Agency, Lead Local Flood Authorities and other stakeholders continue to work in partnership with local communities to deliver innovative and alternative flood risk management practices. This includes Natural Flood Management measures, demonstrated most notably in Ribchester with an £80,000 investment. Advice and support are given to flood action groups, and the Environment Agency continue to issue flood warnings to residents. Collectively, all these measures serve to reduce the risk of flooding for households within the Ribble Valley.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Florence Eshalomi (Chair); Chris Curtis; Maya Ellis; Mr Will Forster

Found: _NC45 Mrs Elsie Blundell Maya Ellis Ms Polly Billington 53 REPORT STAGE Wednesday 10 September 2025 Oliver

Found: _NC45 Mrs Elsie Blundell Maya Ellis Ms Polly Billington Oliver Ryan Jess Asato Jayne Kirkham Gareth SnellBecky

Found: Not called_NC45 Mrs Elsie Blundell Maya Ellis Ms Polly Billington Oliver Ryan Jess Asato Jayne Kirkham

Found: age of 22. 51 REPORT STAGE Tuesday 9 September 2025 _NC45 Mrs Elsie Blundell Kirith Entwistle Maya Ellis

Found: age of 22. 25 REPORT STAGE Tuesday 9 September 2025 _NC45 Mrs Elsie Blundell Kirith Entwistle Maya Ellis