Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent and detect the trafficking of sexual exploitation victims through airports.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government is committed to ensuring that all victims of modern slavery and human trafficking are provided with the support they need to begin rebuilding their lives and that those responsible for exploiting vulnerable people are brought to justice.
Modern slavery is a top priority for Border Force. All frontline Border Force Officers are trained in how to identify and deal with potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking, as well as those who seek to exploit them. Border Force also has a network of specially trained Safeguarding and Modern Slavery (SAMS) teams based in all regions. The SAMS officers are operational and ensure children and vulnerable people, including potential victims of modern slavery, are dealt with effectively.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's document entitled Pavement parking options for change: government response, updated on 8 January 2026, whether she plans to give local authorities the power to issue fixed penalty notices to vehicles parked on grass verges.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
On 8 January, I announced in the response to the government consultation on 'Pavement Parking: options for change' that we will enable local transport authorities to prohibit pavement parking in their areas at the next legislative opportunity. This will include verge parking.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to (a) reduce the number of unoccupied properties in privately owned retirement blocks and (b) to support those facing high fees, including council tax, who have inherited a retirement property.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 95245 on 5 December 2025.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a statutory requirement for the Animals in Science Regulation Unit to publish an annual report that includes details of incidents of non-compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, or with licence conditions.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Animals in Science Regulation Unit has routinely published its Annual Report since 2011 and will continue to do so.
The Report sets out all confirmed non‑compliance cases with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and any enforcement actions taken.
The Reports are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-regulation-unit-annual-reports
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
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 help protect benefit claimants from being charged high fees by private companies for assistance with Personal Independence Payment applications.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are aware that some private companies provide advice on how to claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP), including some who may charge a fee for their services.
For those claiming PIP, we provide detailed guidance and information. We would also encourage individuals to seek advice from sources such as charities and Citizen’s Advice, which offer reliable and trustworthy guidance without charge.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of the levels of funding provided to Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council for highway surface preventative maintenance and carriageway structural work, including the prevention and fixing of potholes.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department provides substantial, formula‑based funding to all local highway authorities in England to help them maintain their local road networks.
Highways maintenance funding for Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council is paid to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA). GMCA has been allocated a £1.07 billion City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) for the 2022–27 period and will receive a £2.5 billion Transport for City Regions settlement for 2027–32. This funding supports investment in GMCA’s local transport priorities and includes funding for highways maintenance. It is for GMCA to determine how much of this funding is allocated to highways maintenance, but they must ensure that appropriate levels are allocated to its constituent local highway authorities so that they can meet their statutory duty under section 41 of the Highways Act 1980.
These long-term settlements provide longer term funding certainty for local transport improvements and enable authorities to plan ahead and shift away from short-term fixes to proactive and preventative maintenance. In 2026/27, GMCA will also be eligible to receive an additional £15.5 million in highways maintenance incentive funding.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the policy justification is for applying interest to instalment payments of Electric Vehicle Excise Duty; and whether her Department considered alternative models for collecting eVED.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, recognising that electric vehicles (EVs) contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty.
The Government considered a number of options for collecting eVED and intends to make complying with the new requirements as simple as possible for motorists. Consistent with their current VED payment choice, motorists will be able to choose between multiple payment options including online and via telephone; and will be able to either pay upfront or split into smaller payments such as via monthly Direct Debit.
The Government will carefully consider the eVED payment regime in the run-up to implementation to ensure it can function most effectively for motorists, and seeks views on eVED implementation as part of the consultation. The consultation is available at GOV.UK: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-the-introduction-of-electric-vehicle-excise-duty-eved.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will bring forward changes to allow independent celebrants to conduct legally binding weddings.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government recognises the contribution that independent celebrants make to the wedding industry and will be seeking their views amongst a range of others to inform the consultation paper.
In the upcoming consultation, we will invite views on the possible introduction of independent officiants and the potential consequences of this. We will encourage everyone to engage with the consultation when published to help to inform our next steps on weddings reform.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2026 to Question 108291 on IVF: Greater Manchester, if he will have discussions with the NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board on the potential impact of the decision to reduce NHS-funded IVF provision across Greater Manchester to one cycle on (i) patient outcomes and (ii) health inequalities; and if will hold discussions with that ICB on current NICE guidance on IVF provision.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no current plans to discuss with the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board (ICB) any changes to its provision of National Health Service funded in vitro fertilisation treatment or the current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on fertility services.
Funding decisions for health services in England are made by ICBs and are based on the clinical needs of their local population. They are expected to commission fertility services in line with NICE guidelines, ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England.
Updated NICE fertility guidelines are expected in spring. The Department will continue to support NHS England as they work closely with ICBs to ensure the guidance is fully considered in local commissioning decisions.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to question 105010, answered on 20th January 2025, titled Railway Stations: Stockport, if (a) her Department plans to provide more funding for the Access for All programme and (b) if she will prioritise rail stations within Stockport constituency in any future selections for work under the programme.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.
Funding for future rounds of Access for All (AfA) may be made available as part of the next Spending Review and this could provide an opportunity to fully or partially fund accessibility upgrades at Stockport station. The process and timings for identifying future AfA projects have not yet been decided.