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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of measures taken to raise public awareness of The Countryside Code.

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

The Department has not conducted a formal effectiveness assessment of action to raise awareness of the Countryside Code. However, through Natural England, we continue to promote the Code via public information campaigns, including educational outreach with schools and wider public campaigns on responsible behaviour such as keeping dogs on leads. Natural England also partnered with Shaun the Sheep as part of a 2023–25 campaign to engage children, young people, and families in learning about the Countryside Code and promoting responsible behaviour around livestock.

These initiatives demonstrate our continued efforts to raise awareness of the Countryside Code and communicate its messages to the public, helping to ensure that people enjoy the countryside safely and responsibly.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's consultation outcome on fairer food labelling entitled Summary of responses and government response, updated on 12 June 2025, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of introducing method of production labelling on (a) the economy and (b) farm incomes.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Putney, Fleur Anderson, on 29 January 2026, PQ UIN 106592.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including digital devices in the (a) Education (Guidance about Costs of School Uniforms) Act 2021 and (b) related statutory guidance.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Where a school may require a pupil to possess a digital device, such devices are covered by existing school charging rules. Sections 449-462 of the Education Act 1996 set out the law on charging for school activities in schools maintained by local authorities in England. Academies (including free schools, studio schools and University Technical Colleges) are required through their funding agreement to comply with the law on charging for school activities.

The department’s school charging advice is clear that schools cannot charge for education provided during school hours, including the supply of any materials. This includes digital devices as well as books, instruments or other equipment. The advice can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/charging-for-school-activities.

Schools can charge parents for such items where the parent wishes to own them.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the performance, environmental impact, and scalability of peat-free alternatives within horticulture.

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

Using the Responsible Sourcing Scheme for Growing Media methodology to assess the environmental impact of different types of growing media, it has been shown that all materials have an environmental impact, but for the most part, peat-alternatives have a lower environmental impact.

We have funded research which has demonstrated that peat-alternatives can perform the same or better than peat-based growing media in commercial horticulture and we are continuing to fund the Royal Horticulture Society Transition to Peat-free Fellowship, which has already demonstrated successful peat replacement in commercial horticulture for some of the previously believed more challenging plants, e.g. ericaceous. We will continue to work with the industry to understand barriers to scale up.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, (i) whether Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) claims are matched to assessors with condition-specific expertise, (ii) whether the Department for Health and Social Care holds audits or quality assurance exercises on the accuracy and consistency of medical determinations under the VDPS since 2021, and (iii) what steps are being taken to ensure the transparency and accountability of the VDPS medical assessment process.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Each claim to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) is assessed on a case-by-case basis by a medical assessor. All medical assessors are General Medical Council registered doctors, who have undertaken specialised training in vaccine damage and disability assessment.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), as the administrator of the VDPS, is responsible for managing quality assurance with the medical assessment supplier. Medical assessors write a comprehensive medical assessment report for each claim, explaining how they reached their decision and what evidence they considered. NHSBSA shares this report with the claimant.

If a claim is rejected, the claimant can challenge the medical assessor’s decision by submitting a mandatory reversal request. The original decision will then be reviewed.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has plans to implement mandatory trauma-informed training and accreditation for all professionals working with adopted children.

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

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Ribble Valley to the answer of 13 January 2026 to Question 102909.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what powers other than additional funding she has to ensure Lancashire County Council fills potholes in Ribble Valley in a timely and thorough way.

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

In addition to providing funding, the Department uses a range of non-financial levers to drive improvement. These include requiring local highway authorities to publish annual highway maintenance transparency reports and to demonstrate compliance with best practice in asset management, including a greater focus on preventative maintenance.

In January 2026, the Department also introduced a new traffic light rating system which assesses local highway authorities in England based on the condition of their roads, how much they spend to maintain their roads, and whether they do so using best practice. Lancashire County Council received an overall amber rating, with individual scorecards showing amber for condition, green for spend and amber for best practice.

These ratings will be updated annually, providing an incentive to authorities to adopt best practice, and enabling the Department to identify where to target support to ensure road condition improves nationwide. The Department is also updating the Code of Practice this year, the first update since 2017, to ensure the Code reflects the latest developments in relation to the effective management of highways maintenance works.

Found: Cheshire) Chris Curtis (Labour; Milton Keynes North) Mr Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat; Newbury) Maya Ellis

Found: Members present Florence Eshalomi, in the chair Lewis Cocking Chris Curtis Mr Lee Dillon Maya Ellis

Found: meeting Members present: Florence Eshalomi (Chair); Andrew Cooper; Chris Curtis; Mr Lee Dillon; Maya Ellis