Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that Covid era Build Back Loan repayment programmes do not contribute to business closures and liquidations.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS), is a fully delegated scheme. Under the Scheme’s rules and guidance, lenders are expected to pursue recovery activity in a proportionate way, treating borrowers fairly while providing value to the taxpayer.

To make sure that BBLS borrowers are treated fairly, “Pay As You Grow” was introduced, giving borrowers the flexibility to extend loan terms to ten years, make interest-only repayments for six-months, or request a six-month repayment holiday once during the term of the loan.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support local councils in enforcing the 90-day rule for short-term lets in London; and whether he plans to strengthen enforcement powers where breaches are identified.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Section 25 of the Greater London Council (General Powers) Act 1973, as amended by section 44 of the Deregulation Act 2015, allows properties in London, which are liable for council tax, to be let out on a short-term basis for a maximum of 90 nights per calendar year without this being considered a material change of use for which planning permission is required. If these criteria are not met planning permission is required.

The government remains committed to implementing the short-term lets registration scheme, which was legislated for in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, as soon as practicable to support sustainable tourism and local communities.

Responsibility for developing the scheme lies with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and it entered its user testing phase in October last year.

DCMS is assessing legislative vehicles to extend the scheme's legal powers, to support local authorities with enforcement of the 90-nights rule.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that employers correctly implement Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance in relation to the rights of transgender employees, including protections from discrimination, harassment and unfair treatment in the workplace.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is the independent equality regulator and ensures compliance with the Equality Act 2010. Their draft Code of Practice on Services, Public Functions and Associations (“the Code”) covers all nine protected characteristics and the steps the EHRC considers service providers should take into account when ascertaining how to comply with the law.

The approach as set out in the Code of Practice on Services reflects the Supreme Court Ruling in April 2025. The EHRC are considering how best to provide further guidance on employment and will provide updates in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the role of volunteer-led family support services in supporting the objectives of the Best Start in Life and Family Hubs programme.

Answered by Olivia Bailey

The government is investing £900 million to enable local authorities to deliver Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies services over the next three years and recognises the important role that volunteer-led family support services will play in this programme of work.

The department has published guidance to local authorities on delivery expectations for Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies services including clear expectations that local authorities will work in partnership with the voluntary, community and faith (VCF) sector to deliver the programme.

The guidance explains that partnership models will vary by area but could include VCF organisations having a formal role in governance arrangements, being commissioned to deliver services; delivering Best Start network sites or outreach services, offering specialist or trusted services to communities that would otherwise not engage and supporting local resilience and system capacity through community‑led delivery models. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/best-start-family-hubs-and-healthy-babies-guidance-for-local-authorities.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of aviation engineering workforce shortages on the future resilience of the aviation sector.

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

Both the Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) engage regularly with operators as part of oversight activities and stakeholder meetings.

Current evidence through these engagements show that the approved maintenance organisations maintain sufficient numbers of licensed engineers to meet their operational requirements.

Aviation operates in the private sector, and it is for employers in the sector to ensure that they have the workforce skills they need to continue operating and expanding in future. Government and the CAA will continue to engage with the sector, and will consider options to intervene, when suitable and proportionate.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what role Industry Training Boards will play in supporting skills development in sectors with technical workforce shortages like aviation engineering.

Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Industry Training Boards (ITBs) play an important role in supporting skills development for the sectors that fall within the scope of their respective industries, as defined by legislation made under the Industrial Training Act 1982. Aviation engineering is not, however, included within the scope of either the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) or the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB).

The ITBs raise a levy on in-scope employers, which they use to make better provision for training within their industry. This includes identifying skills needs in their industries, maintaining occupational standards and competence, funding support for apprenticeships and skills training, promoting careers in their industries, helping employers recruit and retain new entrants, and investing in sector-specific skills programmes. These activities help ensure employers in their industries have access to the skilled workforces needed to meet current and future industry demand.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria Skills England will use to identify priority occupations and future skills needs in sectors such as aviation engineering.

Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Skills England published its Annual Skills Report and Sector Skills Needs Assessment on 1 June 2026. This is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skills-england-annual-skills-report-and-sectoral-skills-needs-assessments-2026. The reports feature skills assessments of the Advanced Manufacturing sector and Defence sector, both of which include aerospace engineers as a priority occupation.

Methods used to select priority occupations and project future demand were selected by sponsoring government departments, considering current demand data, economy-wide projections, strategic priorities and expert judgement from the sector. For Defence the sponsoring department is the Ministry of Defence and for Advanced manufacturing it is the Department of Business and Trade.

Skills England also assess skills needs through the UK Standard Skills Classification, identifying the occupational and core skills areas relevant to priority occupations at a sectoral and economy-wide level.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of long training lead times for licensed aircraft engineers on future aviation capacity and connectivity.

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

To become a certified aircraft engineer in the UK, individuals must obtain a Civil Aviation Authority Part-66 Aircraft Maintenance Licence, which typically takes between three and five years to achieve. This reflects the rigorous theoretical knowledge, practical training, and workplace experience required to maintain aviation safety standards. The existing UK regulation already allows for engineers training to be fast tracked, where they undergo training through a ‘basic course’ proved by a UK approved Part 147 organisation. This basic training allows the reduction for Category B licences from 5 years’ experience to 3 years and for Category A licences from 3 years to 1 year.

Aviation operates in the private sector, and it is for employers in the sector to ensure that they have the workforce skills they need to continue operating and expanding.

The Department continues to monitor the workforce outlook for the sector overall through ongoing engagement with the industry.