Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the Department has made of the potential merits of installing solar photovoltaic generation directly on railway infrastructure to provide lower cost electricity for the rail network and to reduce reliance on new national grid connections.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The government has established Great British Energy and is committed to significantly increasing the amount of renewable energy generation in the UK by 2030.

Network Rail purchases electricity for the railway and is committed to transitioning to renewable energy for both the electricity it uses for its own operations, and the electricity to power trains. Network Rail already generates some of this electricity on the rail estate and is continuing the roll out of new renewable generation assets (primarily solar) on the estate.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact on disabled people of leisure and cultural venues requiring paid-for access cards or third-party certification as proof of disability in order for customers to access reasonable adjustments.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has not made a specific formal assessment of the impact of leisure or cultural venues requiring paid-for access cards or third-party certification as proof of disability. However, the legal framework under the Equality Act 2010 already protects disabled people’s access to services. Under the Act, service providers, including leisure and cultural venues, have an “anticipatory duty” to make reasonable adjustments so that disabled people are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared with non-disabled people. This duty applies regardless of whether an individual provides proof of disability.

DCMS has, however, supported Arts Council England, working in partnership with the other arts councils in the UK and Ireland, to develop All In which is a free membership scheme for disabled people designed to remove barriers and make it easier to book tickets. Disabled members will be offered the choice to provide basic access requirements or proof of their disability as part of the sign up process. All In Essentials has now been opened for venue subscriptions, and All In Plus will open for disabled people to join in the summer.

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 set out how her Department’s animal welfare strategy will address the welfare of fast-growing broiler chickens used in the foodservice sector.

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

The Government is considering how we can support voluntary efforts to move away from the use of fast-growing meat chicken breeds. The Government welcomes the fact that those supermarkets who made Better Chicken Commitment pledges have fulfilled them, but it is disappointing to hear of the decision of various restaurant groups to withdraw their commitments to improve animal welfare in this way.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Government’s response to the Future of the Post Office green paper consultation, (a) when the proposed cross‑government working group on the delivery of in‑person government services will be established, (b) how frequently it is expected to meet, (c) which Departments will participate in its work, and (d) whether the Government plans to provide opportunities for external organisations to contribute to the group’s considerations.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

I can confirm that the cross-government working group on the delivery of in-person government services has been established with an introductory meeting held late last year. Departments invited included those involved in the delivery of key in-person services, as well as those with a policy interest in how services are provided. The regularity of future meetings and potential involvement of external organisations are yet to be decided.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to work towards implementing a standardised Attendance Policy for all NHS organisations in England; and if he will set out a timeline for when this will be finalised.

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

The Department does not mandate a single national attendance policy for the National Health Service. Responsibility for workforce attendance management sits with individual NHS organisations who are responsible for setting and applying local attendance policies in line with employment law and good human resources practice.

Instead, NHS England has been engaging with representatives from NHS organisations and staff side partners to develop guidance on Supporting Health and Improving Attendance which will be published later this year. This guidance is intended to strengthen and align local approaches while allowing flexibility to reflect local operational circumstances and the diverse needs of our workforce. Once finalised, guidance will support NHS organisations to improve clarity, fairness, and consistency in attendance management across the service without removing local employer accountability.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential public health impact of mandatory health warning labels on alcoholic beverages, including warnings on cancer risk.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The recently published National Cancer Plan reiterated the commitment made in Fit for the Future: 10-Year Health Plan for England, to strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages.

Department officials are continuing to review all available and emerging evidence of the potential public health impacts of this policy, which is informing our assessment of the different policy options. This includes examining information from countries that have explored, researched, or legislated for a range of health warnings, and engaging with national and international stakeholders.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce food poverty in (a) Stockport constituency and (b) Greater Manchester.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Our plan to Make Work Pay is part of the mission to grow the economy, raise living standards across the country and create opportunities for all. This is why we committed in our manifesto to ending mass dependence on emergency food parcels.

The Government recognises that the level of household food insecurity in the UK is unacceptable. We have announced action to expand free school meals, support parents with the cost of healthy food in the school holidays with the Holidays and Activities and Food Programme and transform our food system to ensure it delivers access to affordable, healthy food.

From 1 April 2026, we are introducing a new Crisis and Resilience Fund. This longer-term funding approach aims to enable local authorities to provide preventative support to communities – working with the voluntary and community sector – as well as assisting people when faced with a financial crisis, to support our ambition to end mass dependence on emergency food parcels.

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