Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the gap between breast cancer outcomes in the most and least deprived areas.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

Reducing inequalities in cancer outcomes is a key priority for the Government. Through the National Cancer Plan for England, we are taking action to narrow the gap in breast cancer outcomes between the most and least deprived communities by improving earlier diagnosis, expanding access to diagnostic services, reducing unwarranted variation in care, and ensuring people receive personalised support throughout their cancer journey.

The plan includes targeted and risk-stratified approaches to screening and diagnosis, measures to improve uptake among underserved groups, and support for the use of artificial intelligence in breast screening to help detect cancers earlier. It also expands access to diagnostic services through investment in community diagnostic centres and diagnostic infrastructure.

To reduce unwarranted variation in care, NHS England has published guidance on implementing a timed breast cancer diagnostic pathway to support faster and more consistent diagnosis, improve patient experience, and support delivery of the faster diagnosis standard. NHS England has also commissioned national clinical audits for primary and metastatic breast cancer to improve the consistency and quality of care. In addition, the plan strengthens the use of data to identify and tackle inequalities in access, experience, and outcomes, helping to ensure that all patients receive high-quality care regardless of where they live.

Together, these measures will help ensure that all patients have the best possible chance of timely diagnosis, effective treatment, and improved outcomes, regardless of where they live.

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.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that advertisements by oil and gas companies are not political advertising under Section 321 of the Communications Act 2003.

Answered by Samantha Dixon

Political advertising on television and radio is prohibited under the Communications Act 2003.

Section 321(2) of the Act provides that an advertisement contravenes the prohibition on political advertising under section 319(2)(g) if it:

• is placed by, or on behalf of, a body whose purposes are wholly or mainly political;
• is directed towards a political end; or
• is connected with an industrial dispute.

The meanings of objects of a political nature and political end are defined in section 321(3) of the Act.

Ofcom is responsible for enforcing this ban and determining whether a particular advertisement falls within the statutory prohibition. Any assessment is made against the statutory criteria on the facts of each case.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to prevent oil and gas companies promoting the use of fossil fuels through advertising.

Answered by Katie White - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The government is committed to reducing emissions from high carbon products and will continue to bring forward proposals to do so. For example, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is assessing the potential for voluntary ecolabels. Ecolabels provide information on the carbon intensity and environmental impact of products and services, to help inform consumers’ purchasing decisions. The Committees of Advertising Practice and Advertising Standards Authority regulate the content and targeting of advertising in the UK, and the advertising codes include rules on environmental claims.

The ASA system operates independently of the government. The government does not currently have any plans to restrict fossil fuel advertising. The Government has not issued any guidance to the ASA regarding fossil fuel advertising.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what guidance his Department has issued to the Advertising Standards Authority on a fossil fuel advertising ban.

Answered by Katie White - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The government is committed to reducing emissions from high carbon products and will continue to bring forward proposals to do so. For example, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is assessing the potential for voluntary ecolabels. Ecolabels provide information on the carbon intensity and environmental impact of products and services, to help inform consumers’ purchasing decisions. The Committees of Advertising Practice and Advertising Standards Authority regulate the content and targeting of advertising in the UK, and the advertising codes include rules on environmental claims.

The ASA system operates independently of the government. The government does not currently have any plans to restrict fossil fuel advertising. The Government has not issued any guidance to the ASA regarding fossil fuel advertising.

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 Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of using any of the savings from abolishing Police and Crime Commissioners to help fund Community Safety Partnerships.

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

Abolishing Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) is expected to save the taxpayer around £100m in this Parliament. Savings from cancelling future PCC elections will be retained by the Exchequer with the remainder reinvested back into policing.

Funding for Community Safety Partnerships (CSP) is provided locally by partners. We are working closely with other government departments to consider how existing partnership arrangements, including CSPs, should operate within the new police governance system.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the total monetary value of taxpayer-funded COVID-19 support payments, specifically the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, that were deducted by insurance companies from business interruption insurance payouts.

Answered by Rachel Blake

The Government has not made an assessment of the total monetary value of insurance company deductions from business interruption insurance payouts.

The Supreme Court published its final judgment in the FCA’s Business Interruption Insurance test case in 2021. At the time of the judgment, the FCA set out its expectation that insurers should communicate to all impacted policyholders what the judgment meant for their claim and should move quickly to resolve claims as determined by the judgment.

The FCA court case did not cover all potential issues with business interruption policies. The FCA has been clear that, in the event of further court rulings, insurers will need to consider carefully how the rulings impact claims they have already decided.

The FCA is continuing to supervise firms to ensure they are meeting their expectations and has robust powers to take action where necessary.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on the regulatory consistency of allowing insurers to deduct Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Self-Employment Income Support Scheme payments from business interruption claims, whilst prohibiting the deduction of Local Authority Grants.

Answered by Rachel Blake

The Government has not made an assessment of the total monetary value of insurance company deductions from business interruption insurance payouts.

The Supreme Court published its final judgment in the FCA’s Business Interruption Insurance test case in 2021. At the time of the judgment, the FCA set out its expectation that insurers should communicate to all impacted policyholders what the judgment meant for their claim and should move quickly to resolve claims as determined by the judgment.

The FCA court case did not cover all potential issues with business interruption policies. The FCA has been clear that, in the event of further court rulings, insurers will need to consider carefully how the rulings impact claims they have already decided.

The FCA is continuing to supervise firms to ensure they are meeting their expectations and has robust powers to take action where necessary.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what conversations her department has had with delivery companies to reduce harm from rapid alcohol deliveries.

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

The Licensing Act 2003 provides the legal framework for the sale and supply of alcohol in England and Wales. It is already an offence under the Act to knowingly sell or attempt to sell alcohol to a person who is drunk or underage.

Consumer alcohol purchasing habits have evolved in recent years, particularly with a notable growth in sales made via online platforms and rapid delivery services. The Department for Health and Social Care, which has responsibility for policy on health harms, and the Home Office are looking at how current licensing rules apply to these services to ensure these are effective.

This includes seeking the views of experts, those with lived experience and other stakeholders and evaluating emerging evidence on the impact this may be having on people’s health and the upholding of the licensing objectives. I chaired a roundtable last month on this issue, jointly with the Minister for Public Health and Prevention, and we are now determining our next steps, including engagement with delivery companies.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department will be taking to protect vulnerable people from rapid alcohol deliveries, and if she can provide a timeline for these steps.

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

The Licensing Act 2003 provides the legal framework for the sale and supply of alcohol in England and Wales. It is already an offence under the Act to knowingly sell or attempt to sell alcohol to a person who is drunk or underage.

Consumer alcohol purchasing habits have evolved in recent years, particularly with a notable growth in sales made via online platforms and rapid delivery services. The Department for Health and Social Care, which has responsibility for policy on health harms, and the Home Office are looking at how current licensing rules apply to these services to ensure these are effective.

This includes seeking the views of experts, those with lived experience and other stakeholders and evaluating emerging evidence on the impact this may be having on people’s health and the upholding of the licensing objectives. I chaired a roundtable last month on this issue, jointly with the Minister for Public Health and Prevention, and we are now determining our next steps, including engagement with delivery companies.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made considerations to the establishment of Nightingale style Courts to deal with the courts backlogs, in property and Tier One tribunals.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice is working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and HM Courts and Tribunals Service to ensure that the courts and tribunals have the resources and capacity they need to handle the additional workload housing reforms will generate. This includes developing a new Digital Possession Service.

No consideration has been given to the establishment of Nightingale style courts. There is no national backlog for possession cases at this time. Possession cases are dealt with in the County Court. The Civil Procedure Rules state that standard possession claims should have their first hearing between four and eight weeks from issue of the claim. The most recent quarterly data (January to March 2026) from Mortgage and Landlord Possession Statistics - Mortgage and landlord possession statistics - GOV.UK show that the national median timeliness from possession claim to order is eight weeks.

In relation to the First tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), which deals with most residential property matters outside of possession, the Government has recruited additional administrative staff, established a centralised operational hub and updated operational processes to improve efficiency. We have also ensured the availability of suitable estates capacity for hearings and enhanced technology systems. The most recent publication of Tribunal Statistics Quarterly provides statistics on outcomes in the Property Chamber and covers the period up to March 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to expand property courts.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice is working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and HM Courts and Tribunals Service to ensure that the courts and tribunals have the resources and capacity they need to handle the additional workload housing reforms will generate. This includes developing a new Digital Possession Service.

No consideration has been given to the establishment of Nightingale style courts. There is no national backlog for possession cases at this time. Possession cases are dealt with in the County Court. The Civil Procedure Rules state that standard possession claims should have their first hearing between four and eight weeks from issue of the claim. The most recent quarterly data (January to March 2026) from Mortgage and Landlord Possession Statistics - Mortgage and landlord possession statistics - GOV.UK show that the national median timeliness from possession claim to order is eight weeks.

In relation to the First tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), which deals with most residential property matters outside of possession, the Government has recruited additional administrative staff, established a centralised operational hub and updated operational processes to improve efficiency. We have also ensured the availability of suitable estates capacity for hearings and enhanced technology systems. The most recent publication of Tribunal Statistics Quarterly provides statistics on outcomes in the Property Chamber and covers the period up to March 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if the government will expand access to the Private Sector Rental Database and allow trusted partner status for estate agents to sync and share information.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 13906 on 20 July 2026.