Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
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.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
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.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
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.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
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.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the fuel finder service in (a) Stockport constituency and (b) Greater Manchester; and whether he plans to take steps to improve the coverage of the scheme, including by ensuring that all eligible fuel retailers participate.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Fuel Finder has launched and this Government has made participation mandatory under the Motor Fuel Price (Open Data) regulations. An aggregator has been appointed with powers to monitor non-compliance and pass on cases to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) as enforcer of the scheme. The CMA are currently focussing on supporting compliance rather than enforcement.
Over 88% of retailers are participating and this number will increase as the enforcement period approaches in May.
The CMA has information gathering powers to monitor the road fuels market and will use Fuel Finder data to assess regional pricing.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2026 to question 114146 titled Human Trafficking and Sexual Offences: Airports, what assessment her Department has made of trends in sex trafficking involving (a) arrivals into and (b) departures from UK airports in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Currently there is limited data covering this area, however a total of 23,411 potential victims of modern slavery were referred to the Home Office (HO) in 2025, representing a 22% increase compared to the preceding year (19,117). The number of referrals made in this year is the highest in any year since the NRM began in 2009, overtaking the record from the previous year (2024). Females most often reported sexual exploitation (28%; 1,679). As a result, the Government is working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through operational activity aimed at tackling modern slavery threats, and targeting prolific perpetrators.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will set out a timeline for announcing changes to the BN(O) visa scheme.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
On 9 February, the Home Secretary announced the expansion of eligibility for the BN(O) route. BN(O) status holders’ adult children who were under 18 at the point of Hong Kong’s handover on 1 July 1997 will be able to apply independently of their parents. This expansion will close a gap in eligibility that has led to unfair outcomes within families and ensure we continue to honour our historic and moral commitment to the people of Hong Kong.
We intend to lay the necessary changes to the Immigration Rules in March with the route open to applications from this additional cohort later this Spring.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to publish a strategy further to the Digital Inclusion Action Plan: First Steps, published on 26 February 2025.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Everyone should be able to benefit from the digital world – helping families save money, get a better job, and access services like the NHS more easily.
But we know some people face real barriers. That’s why we published the Digital Inclusion Action Plan and launched the £11.9 million Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, helping more people across the UK get the access, skills and confidence to get online.
Through the Fund we will better understand what works and what could be scaled to support more people. We are taking learnings from this Fund and research projects to develop future interventions, including any potential funding after this financial year.
This is just one of our First Steps, and the Government is clear that everyone should be able to benefit from the digital world – with more needed to ensure this.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what funding she has allocated to deliver the Digital Inclusion Action Plan through the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund after this financial year.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Everyone should be able to benefit from the digital world – helping families save money, get a better job, and access services like the NHS more easily.
But we know some people face real barriers. That’s why we published the Digital Inclusion Action Plan and launched the £11.9 million Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, helping more people across the UK get the access, skills and confidence to get online.
Through the Fund we will better understand what works and what could be scaled to support more people. We are taking learnings from this Fund and research projects to develop future interventions, including any potential funding after this financial year.
This is just one of our First Steps, and the Government is clear that everyone should be able to benefit from the digital world – with more needed to ensure this.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to resolve operational issues at Reddish Post Office, SK5 6AF and reopen the branch.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Post Office is responsible for the day-to-day operation of its network, including decisions related to individual branches. As a result, the Government is unable to provide specific details on the reopening of Reddish post office.
The Post Office has apologised for the inconvenience caused by the closure and will provide updates to customers and stakeholders as soon as further information becomes available. In the meantime, Post Office report that customers can access services at nearby branches, including Broomfield Post Office.