Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department plans to take to (a) monitor and (b) report on the operational impact of drones supplied to the Ukrainian armed forces; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the steps taken by his Department to help the Ukrainian armed forces prepare for (i) future requirements for drone systems and (ii) its defence of critical infrastructure during winter.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The UK has worked closely with the Ukrainian Armed Forces to provide military capabilities that meet their needs. This process includes feedback from the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the operational impact of drones supplied, to inform decisions on which drone systems to procure in the future and to focus research and development investment to address the most pressing challenges.

The UK continues to provide air defence capabilities to protect Ukrainian critical infrastructure over the winter. This includes further air defence systems (RAVEN, GRAVEHAWK) and missiles (Lightweight Multi-role Missiles (LMMs), ASRAAM), as well as the work developing the advanced OCTOPUS air defence interceptor drone as part of the UK and Ukraine technology sharing agreement. Most recently, on 24 October, the Prime Minister announced the accelerated delivery of 140 LMM missiles.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take legislative steps to provide for an excluded contract waiver for charitable memberships in proposed secondary legislation on subscription contracts under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 to protect not-for-profit organisations from (a) undue administrative costs and (b) potential loss of fundraising revenue.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The government consulted on the implementation of the new subscriptions contract regime and are analysing the responses, including submissions from the charity and not-for profit sector. Officials have met with relevant representatives and individual organisations to hear their views and we continue to engage with the sector.

The government is committed to ensuring that charities can comply with consumer law and claim Gift Aid on eligible payments. HMRC are working through the technical details and will continue to engage with the sector.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the causes of the reduction in foodbank use in this calendar year and (b) how this trend can be built upon.

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

The Government is committed to tackling poverty and ending mass dependence on emergency food parcels. We have already introduced the Fair Repayment Rate, reducing the Universal Credit overall deductions cap from 25% to 15% of a customer’s standard allowance, giving 1.2m households an average of £420 per year. In addition, we have also uprated benefit rates for 2025/26 in line with inflation, with 5.7 million Universal Credit households forecast to gain by an average of £150 annually.

The Government has also taken further action to support low-income households including through the increase in the National Living Wage to £12.21 an hour from April 2025, boosting the pay of 3 million workers.

Ahead of Child Poverty Strategy publication in the autumn, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty. This includes an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of this Parliament and a new £1 billion package to reform crisis support, including funding to ensure the poorest children do not go hungry outside of term time. We have also announced £600 million to extend the Holiday Activity and Food Programme.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of lowering VAT on restaurant customers.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the significant contribution made by hospitality businesses to economic growth and social life in the UK.

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK's second largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26.

Where restaurants incur VAT in producing the food they sell, this can be claimed back in the normal way, provided that they are registered for VAT. Businesses with a turnover below the £90,000 per year threshold may choose not to register for VAT, in which case they do not charge VAT on their sales and cannot reclaim it on their input costs.

HMRC estimate that the cost of a 5 per cent reduced rate for accommodation, hospitality and tourist attractions would be around £13 billion this financial year. If the scope were also to include alcoholic beverages, the cost would be approximately £3 billion greater.

More broadly, as announced at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government will introduce permanently lower business rates multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with rateable values below £500,000 from 2026/27. This permanent tax cut will ensure they benefit from much-needed certainty and support.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of introducing Sectioning Support Officers to the NHS to reduce police officer time spent in hospitals.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Any decisions relating to staffing in the NHS is a matter for the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England.

The Right Care Right Person approach is an approach designed to end inappropriate and avoidable police involvement in cases where people have health and/or social care needs and help ensure that people receive support from the right person, with the right skills, training, and experience to best meet their needs.

The National Partnership Agreement (NPA), signed in July 2023 by Government, NHS England and national policing bodies, sets out the principles of Right Care Right Person and how they can jointly deliver the best care to communities. The NPA sets out that local areas should work towards handovers of care between the police and mental health services taking place within one hour as specified in local plans. This one hour handover will reduce the amount of time spent by police officers with mental health patients in hospital.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps with the Metropolitan Police to move officers and staff out of the capital whose responsibilities are (a) national and (b) not wholly London-focused.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Decisions on the location of officers and staff in the Metropolitan Police Service are an operational matter for the Commissioner. This includes resources that support existing national units.

Any future proposals on structural reform to policing in England and Wales will be set out in the upcoming white paper on police reform.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing mandatory training for opticians and GPs to recognise Charles Bonnet Syndrome.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are no plans to implement mandatory training for opticians and general practitioners to recognise Charles Bonnet Syndrome. Healthcare professionals are responsible for ensuring their clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. The College of Optometrists has also published a number of resources providing information about Charles Bonnet Syndrome for optometrists and patients.