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 potential impact of increases in gas prices on people living in properties supplied through communal heat networks.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Heat network operators buy the energy they need to provide heat to domestic consumers through commercial contracts.
The Department and Ofgem are actively monitoring the contract prices paid by heat network operators since the Middle Eastern crisis started and considering all options available to mitigate higher prices.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of trauma-informed training for social workers involved in (a) child protection and (b) care arrangements.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
All social workers in England must meet Social Work England’s professional standards, which set the minimum requirements for safe and effective practice, including promoting the rights, strengths and wellbeing of people, families and communities. Social workers complete initial education and training courses which are approved by the regulator against the education and training standards. In addition, in recognising the impact of trauma, the recently published child and family social worker early career standards and the forthcoming lead child practitioner standards, alongside the National Framework, will be used to underpin a new career-spanning development offer for social workers from autumn 2027 to support a confident and skilled workforce.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2026 to Question 484 titled Paraquat, if she will make it her policy to ban the export of paraquat.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We take our trade and international obligations for human health and the environment seriously. Export of paraquat is tightly regulated through the GB Prior Informed Consent (PIC) regulatory regime for the export and import of certain hazardous chemicals. The Government does not currently intend to ban the export of paraquat.
The PIC regime requires GB companies intending to export paraquat to notify the importing country through the Health and Safety Executive. The explicit consent of the importing country is also required before export can take place. This helps countries make informed decisions about import, handling and safe use. We also support listing paraquat under the Rotterdam Convention, which promotes shared responsibility and information sharing in relation to the trade of hazardous chemicals.
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, what steps she is taking to help protect people in Stockport from regular flooding.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Overall, this Government will invest more than £10.5 billion in flood defences by 2036, boosting our resilience to flooding and protecting communities across the country from the devastating impacts of climate change.
Recent community drop‑in sessions following the 2025 flooding have helped increase the resilience of communities in Stockport and their ability to respond quickly and effectively during flood events; such as the engagement with the Meadow Mill development.
The Environment Agency (EA) has worked with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and Stockport Council, on a joint awareness campaign to increase flood warning uptake in areas with historically low registration. The EA are also working with other partners as part of implementing the Greater Manchester Integrated Water Management Plan.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether it is accepted practice for department officials to provide a response to correspondence from Members of Parliament, rather than a relevant departmental Minister.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Guide to Handling Correspondence outlines that written correspondence from Parliamenterians should receive a response from a government minister.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a lifetime cap on interest paid on Plan 2 student loans.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is capping the maximum interest rates on Plan 2 and 3 student loans at 6% for the 2026/27 academic year. We are clear it does not resolve all of the issues with the Plan 2 system, which was designed and implemented by the previous government. We are considering how to make the system fairer, but to be fiscally responsible we must consider how any change would be funded.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support storage and logistics businesses in Stockport constituency.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government supports transport, storage and logistics businesses in Stockport through national funding and policy measures, including investment in freight innovation, support for transport decarbonisation, and wider infrastructure funding.
Businesses in Stockport may be eligible for national schemes including the Freight Innovation Fund, which supports small and medium sized enterprises to trial solutions that improve freight efficiency, resilience and decarbonisation. Grants are also available to businesses seeking to move eligible freight by rail or water rather than road through the Mode Shift Revenue Support Scheme.
The government is also supporting logistics firms with fuel cost pressures by extending the 5p fuel duty cut until 31 December 2026 and ensuring there will be no increases to fuel duty this year. In addition, a 12‑month holiday for Heavy Goods Vehicle Excise Duty (HGV VED) from July 2026 will reduce operating costs for hauliers, alongside targeted support to reflect the sector’s exposure to diesel prices and its critical role in UK supply chains.
These national measures are complemented by local transport investment in the Greater Manchester city region, which includes Stockport, such as through the national Transport for City Regions programme, which provides long-term funding to Mayoral Strategic Authorities.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will assess the potential merits of a requirement for a minimum number of Member Nominated Directors on the Boards of Building Societies.
Answered by Rachel Blake - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
This Government is committed to supporting the growth and long-term success of the mutual sector, including building societies, in line with its manifesto commitment to double the size of the mutual and co‑operative sector.
The Government recognises the importance of member ownership and engagement as a defining feature of mutuals. Within the existing legislative and regulatory framework, it is generally for individual building societies and their members to determine detailed governance arrangements, including matters such as executive remuneration, board composition and the format of annual general meetings.
The Government has no current plans to introduce prescriptive requirements in these areas, but will continue to keep the framework under review as part of its broader work to support mutuals.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether proposed reforms on annual general meetings will ensure that organisations such as building societies do not move to virtual-only AGMs.
Answered by Rachel Blake - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
This Government is committed to supporting the growth and long-term success of the mutual sector, including building societies, in line with its manifesto commitment to double the size of the mutual and co‑operative sector.
The Government recognises the importance of member ownership and engagement as a defining feature of mutuals. Within the existing legislative and regulatory framework, it is generally for individual building societies and their members to determine detailed governance arrangements, including matters such as executive remuneration, board composition and the format of annual general meetings.
The Government has no current plans to introduce prescriptive requirements in these areas, but will continue to keep the framework under review as part of its broader work to support mutuals.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department plans to introduce regulations on members of building societies having binding votes on executive remuneration policy.
Answered by Rachel Blake - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
This Government is committed to supporting the growth and long-term success of the mutual sector, including building societies, in line with its manifesto commitment to double the size of the mutual and co‑operative sector.
The Government recognises the importance of member ownership and engagement as a defining feature of mutuals. Within the existing legislative and regulatory framework, it is generally for individual building societies and their members to determine detailed governance arrangements, including matters such as executive remuneration, board composition and the format of annual general meetings.
The Government has no current plans to introduce prescriptive requirements in these areas, but will continue to keep the framework under review as part of its broader work to support mutuals.