Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether financial and practical support will be provided to farms affected by the bluetongue outbreak.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) understand that this is an incredibly difficult time for livestock keepers who are dealing with the impacts of this disease.

Defra, working closely with APHA, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), The Pirbright Institute and industry partners, has taken a range of actions to support the sector.

This includes, ensuring farmers receive timely information and practical guidance, implementing and maintaining control measures based on the latest scientific and veterinary advice, and increasing testing capacity. Information has been shared through regular disease alerts, social media updates, weekly communications to livestock keepers and a programme of industry webinars. The Battle Bluetongue campaign, running with industry partners since early 2025, continues to urge farmers to work with their private vet to vaccinate their animals.

With vaccination, the only viable long-term control measure, Defra is also working closely with the VMD and other partners to monitor vaccine availability and support continuity of supply. Including by working with vaccine companies to make available additional stocks to farmers over the autumn.

England and Wales have both been BTV restricted zones since November 2025. This supports farmers by allowing free movement of animals within the zones, including to market where they are not showing clinical signs of disease.

This Government also works closely with industry, veterinary professionals and farming welfare organisations to ensure that affected farmers have access to the latest welfare support. Details can be found on Wellbeing support for farmers and through the Rural Payments Agency helpline on (03000 200 301).

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what figures the Government holds on the availability of bluetongue vaccinations across a) the nation and b) Oxfordshire.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) are working closely with manufacturers and other partners to monitor availability and support continuity of supply across Great Britain, including Oxfordshire. Defra and VMS have taken proactive regulatory action to expedite the import of authorised Northern Ireland and European Union-authorised BTV-3 vaccines, helping to increase vaccine availability in Great Britain. As a result, several million additional vaccines have been made available through August and into autumn.

The industry-led Battle Bluetongue campaign, supported by the UK Government, has also been encouraging vaccine uptake and raising awareness of the benefits of vaccination since its launch in 2025.

Vaccination remains the most effective and viable long-term control measure against bluetongue. Defra continues to urge keepers of susceptible animals to speak to their private veterinarian about vaccination and to place orders as early as possible.

Alongside vaccination, Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency support disease surveillance, testing, prompt reporting of suspected cases, control measures designed to limit the spread of infection and clear guidance for livestock keepers to help reduce the spread and impact of the disease.

Farmers do not need to wait for test results to confirm BTV before accessing veterinary support for animals with disease symptoms.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what action the Government is taking to improve bluetongue vaccination supply and distribution across a) the nation and b) Oxfordshire.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) are working closely with manufacturers and other partners to monitor availability and support continuity of supply across Great Britain, including Oxfordshire. Defra and VMS have taken proactive regulatory action to expedite the import of authorised Northern Ireland and European Union-authorised BTV-3 vaccines, helping to increase vaccine availability in Great Britain. As a result, several million additional vaccines have been made available through August and into autumn.

The industry-led Battle Bluetongue campaign, supported by the UK Government, has also been encouraging vaccine uptake and raising awareness of the benefits of vaccination since its launch in 2025.

Vaccination remains the most effective and viable long-term control measure against bluetongue. Defra continues to urge keepers of susceptible animals to speak to their private veterinarian about vaccination and to place orders as early as possible.

Alongside vaccination, Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency support disease surveillance, testing, prompt reporting of suspected cases, control measures designed to limit the spread of infection and clear guidance for livestock keepers to help reduce the spread and impact of the disease.

Farmers do not need to wait for test results to confirm BTV before accessing veterinary support for animals with disease symptoms.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when farmers can expect a bluetongue vaccination will be available for farms and other affected holdings.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) are working closely with manufacturers and other partners to monitor availability and support continuity of supply across Great Britain, including Oxfordshire. Defra and VMS have taken proactive regulatory action to expedite the import of authorised Northern Ireland and European Union-authorised BTV-3 vaccines, helping to increase vaccine availability in Great Britain. As a result, several million additional vaccines have been made available through August and into autumn.

The industry-led Battle Bluetongue campaign, supported by the UK Government, has also been encouraging vaccine uptake and raising awareness of the benefits of vaccination since its launch in 2025.

Vaccination remains the most effective and viable long-term control measure against bluetongue. Defra continues to urge keepers of susceptible animals to speak to their private veterinarian about vaccination and to place orders as early as possible.

Alongside vaccination, Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency support disease surveillance, testing, prompt reporting of suspected cases, control measures designed to limit the spread of infection and clear guidance for livestock keepers to help reduce the spread and impact of the disease.

Farmers do not need to wait for test results to confirm BTV before accessing veterinary support for animals with disease symptoms.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration the Department has given to the role of housing-with-care for older people in the Government's social care strategy.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon. Members to the answer provided on 8 June in response to Question 4726 on the Government’s work in relation to the draft bill.

On the wider issues raised, the Prime Minister has set out his objectives to reform the social care system, and brought forward the timetable for Baroness Casey’s commission to inform that reform programme. All aspects of the current system will be reviewed as part of that process, including housing-with-care, and we will continue to update Parliament on a regular basis. More information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-sets-out-new-path-to-fix-social-care-together-29-july-2026

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 the adequacy and effectiveness of the enforcement powers of the Child Maintenance Service.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government keeps the effectiveness of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) under continuous review and considers its enforcement powers to be robust, while taking forward reforms to strengthen compliance further and prevent paying parents from avoiding their maintenance responsibilities. These powers have helped secure payment of the vast majority of debt, with only 7% of all maintenance arranged via the 2012 scheme remaining to be collected via the Collect and Pay service.

The CMS already has a strong range of enforcement powers to prevent parents who avoid paying their Child Maintenance. These powers include using Enforcement Agents (previously known as bailiffs) to take control of goods, forcing the sale of property, removal of driving licences or UK passports, deductions directly form earnings and bank accounts or even commitment to prison. The Government also plans to bring forward regulations to introduce Administrative Liability Orders, replacing the current court-based process and enabling the CMS to take enforcement action more quickly against parents who do not meet their responsibilities.

The Government has confirmed its intention to remove Direct Pay and move to a single, strengthened Collect and Pay service. This will enable the CMS to monitor all payments, identify missed or partial payments more quickly, and take faster enforcement action.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of Child Maintenance Service policies in preventing paying parents from avoiding payments.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government keeps the effectiveness of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) under continuous review and considers its enforcement powers to be robust, while taking forward reforms to strengthen compliance further and prevent paying parents from avoiding their maintenance responsibilities. These powers have helped secure payment of the vast majority of debt, with only 7% of all maintenance arranged via the 2012 scheme remaining to be collected via the Collect and Pay service.

The CMS already has a strong range of enforcement powers to prevent parents who avoid paying their Child Maintenance. These powers include using Enforcement Agents (previously known as bailiffs) to take control of goods, forcing the sale of property, removal of driving licences or UK passports, deductions directly form earnings and bank accounts or even commitment to prison. The Government also plans to bring forward regulations to introduce Administrative Liability Orders, replacing the current court-based process and enabling the CMS to take enforcement action more quickly against parents who do not meet their responsibilities.

The Government has confirmed its intention to remove Direct Pay and move to a single, strengthened Collect and Pay service. This will enable the CMS to monitor all payments, identify missed or partial payments more quickly, and take faster enforcement action.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the level of public investment in research and development that will be required beyond 2029-30.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

To promote economic growth the government is increasing annual funding for Research and Development from £20.4bn in 2025/26 to £22.6bn by 2029/30. Decisions on funding beyond 2029/30 will be taken at future Spending Reviews.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what financial incentives are in place for residents to ensure flooding resilience upgrades in homes.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Following flood events, households may benefit from the insurance industry's Build Back Better initiative. Instead of simply restoring a property to its pre-flood condition, homeowners can access up to £10,000 to improve the flood resilience of their homes when repairing flood-damaged homes.

Targeted government support to help communities and businesses return to normal has previously also been made available in exceptional circumstances following flooding events with significant wide area impacts. The Environment Agency also routinely funds property flood resilience projects.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to undertake a review of the eligibility criteria for the 30 hours funded childcare scheme for those undertaking a PhD funded through UKRI and similar research councils.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

It is our ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.

The government recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in higher education to assist them with childcare.

The postgraduate master’s loan scheme and doctoral loans are available to help remove the financial barrier often faced by those wishing to step up to achieving a postgraduate qualification. These loans are not based on income and are intended as a contribution to the cost of study. They can be used by students according to their personal circumstances to cover the costs of fees and living costs including childcare.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the exclusion of full-time PhD students from the 30 hours funded childcare scheme on doctoral researchers with children.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

It is our ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.

The government recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in higher education to assist them with childcare.

The postgraduate master’s loan scheme and doctoral loans are available to help remove the financial barrier often faced by those wishing to step up to achieving a postgraduate qualification. These loans are not based on income and are intended as a contribution to the cost of study. They can be used by students according to their personal circumstances to cover the costs of fees and living costs including childcare.

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 increase the amount of surplus food reaching local larders and community organisations in (a) Oxfordshire and (b) Didcot and Wantage constituency.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

On 13 May, the Government reinforced its commitment to supporting those most in need by announcing a new national programme to redistribute surplus food. Defra is leading work across Government and with stakeholders to tackle avoidable food waste throughout the food supply chain and redistribution sector. In parallel, Defra is developing plans with local authorities to improve access to healthy, affordable food in areas of greatest need, recognising that locally designed and delivered solutions are often the most effective.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps he is taking to help support local community cafes in (a) Oxfordshire and (b) Didcot and Wantage constituency.

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

The Government recognises the important contribution that community cafés and other hospitality businesses make to local economies, high streets and communities, including in Oxfordshire and Didcot and Wantage.

The Government has implemented a package of support for hospitality businesses, including permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties and a £4.3 billion package over three years to support businesses facing increases following revaluation. Alongside this, we are developing a new High Streets Strategy and have increased the Hospitality Support Fund to £10 million over three years to support business resilience, productivity and long-term growth across the sector.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of funding cuts to the Science Technology and Facilities Council on the UK's leadership in research and development.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

UK Research and Innovation and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) have completed an evidence-based prioritisation exercise and published the resulting decisions. The process considered a range of funding scenarios across STFC's portfolio and was informed by extensive engagement with the research community, expert advisory bodies and facilities leadership teams. The recommendations were subsequently reviewed by the UKRI Executive Committee and approved by the UKRI Board. The Science and Technology Facilities Council's core budget has been maintained over the Spending Review period with £835 million in 2025/26 and £842 million in 2029/30, supporting continued investment in the capabilities, infrastructure and talent that underpin the UK's research and innovation strengths.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what information his Department holds on the potential impact of funding cuts to the Science and Technology Facilities Council on the expected loss of scientific talent to other countries.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department holds advice from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) relating to the prioritisation decisions agreed by the UKRI Executive Committee and Board. UKRI and STFC undertook a structured assessment of the impacts of different funding options across STFC's portfolio, considering factors including scientific excellence, long-term research impact, strategic importance to the UK, international leadership, value for money and the preservation of capabilities that would be difficult or impossible to recreate if lost. As part of this process, STFC grant funding for Particle Physics, Astronomy and Nuclear Physics postdoctoral researchers was maintained at 2025/26 levels, protect funding for grant funded postdoc researchers at 25/26 levels, while PhD studentships and fellowships were also protected helping to sustain the UK's skills base, research expertise and long-term scientific capability.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans the Government has to provide farmers with updates as the bluetongue outbreak develops.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra has continued to work closely with industry representatives throughout the outbreak to ensure farmers receive timely information and practical guidance. This has included regular disease alerts, social media updates, weekly communications to livestock keepers and a well-attended programme of industry webinars. The Battle Bluetongue campaign, running with industry partners since early 2025, continues to urge farmers to vaccinate their animals.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to support low-income households in Didcot and Wantage with the costs they pay for essential goods and services such as energy, insurance and credit, known as the poverty premium.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to giving people breathing space and helping with the cost of living.

We have already taken action to tackle rising bills by removing VAT from domestic electricity bills from 1st October. This will take around £45 off the yearly Ofgem price cap in October, benefitting millions of households this winter - and comes on top of the £150 removed from bills at the last Budget.

In July, the Government also announced a £2 bus fare cap on single tickets in England outside London from 1 January 2027. This will mean millions of passengers could save up to a third off a single journey, helping with the cost of everyday travel and supporting access to work, education, healthcare and leisure.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help young people in Didcot and Wantage constituency find employment.

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

With around one million young people not in education, employment and training, this Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion by 2029 into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy.

This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn, including through expanded network of Youth Hubs, earlier intensive support in Jobs Centres through a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, additional work experience and training opportunities, a £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant and £2,000 apprenticeship hiring payment for employers, and a fully funded six month job for long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds.

In Didcot and Wantage Constituency we are delivering the Youth Guarantee for 18–24-year-olds through Didcot Jobcentre, investing additional support to increase their employability.

This includes increasing the number of Work Experience opportunities, as well as access to Sector-Based Work Academies, Training and Learning.

Work Coaches at the Jobcentre match job-ready young people to vacancies and Apprenticeships, and Jobcentre Recruitment Consultants are increasing employer awareness of the range of Youth Guarantee related hiring incentives to improve employer confidence in recruiting young, often inexperienced candidates to fill their vacancies.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Department is taking to reduce the time taken to open cancer clinical trials in the NHS, and what assessment they have made of the potential impact of delays in opening cancer clinical trials for new treatments.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As set out in the Life Sciences Sector Plan and reinforced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, the Department is committed to cutting the current time it takes to get a clinical trial set up, to under 150 days. I refer the Hon Member to the report, including actions and progress so far against the 150-day target, published by the Government on 9 July 2026, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/life-sciences-sector-plan-one-year-on

The National Cancer Plan, available at the link below, outlines actions to increase the speed, scale, and reliability of cancer clinical trials in detail:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-cancer-plan-for-england

The 10-Year Health Plan for England, available at the link below, commits to embedding research as a core component of care:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future

An update on the forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan will be available in due course.

In July 2026, the Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), published the Research Workforce Update for England which aims to ensure that research opportunities and careers are accessible to a broader range of professions and communities, helping to develop a sustainable and inclusive research workforce across all health and social care settings and geographies for the future. The Research Workforce Update for England is available at the following link:

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/research-workforce-update-england

All NIHR personal awards are open to foreign nationals. The Global Talent visa includes certain NIHR personal awards under the recognised list of personal fellowships that allows people to apply for a fast-track visa. Further details available at the following link:

https://royalsociety.org/grants/global-talent-visa-overview/route-2-individual-fellowships/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to improve the recruitment and retention of international researchers working on clinical and cancer research in the UK.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As set out in the Life Sciences Sector Plan and reinforced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, the Department is committed to cutting the current time it takes to get a clinical trial set up, to under 150 days. I refer the Hon Member to the report, including actions and progress so far against the 150-day target, published by the Government on 9 July 2026, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/life-sciences-sector-plan-one-year-on

The National Cancer Plan, available at the link below, outlines actions to increase the speed, scale, and reliability of cancer clinical trials in detail:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-cancer-plan-for-england

The 10-Year Health Plan for England, available at the link below, commits to embedding research as a core component of care:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future

An update on the forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan will be available in due course.

In July 2026, the Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), published the Research Workforce Update for England which aims to ensure that research opportunities and careers are accessible to a broader range of professions and communities, helping to develop a sustainable and inclusive research workforce across all health and social care settings and geographies for the future. The Research Workforce Update for England is available at the following link:

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/research-workforce-update-england

All NIHR personal awards are open to foreign nationals. The Global Talent visa includes certain NIHR personal awards under the recognised list of personal fellowships that allows people to apply for a fast-track visa. Further details available at the following link:

https://royalsociety.org/grants/global-talent-visa-overview/route-2-individual-fellowships/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan will include measures to increase NHS capacity to deliver non-commercial clinical trials.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As set out in the Life Sciences Sector Plan and reinforced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, the Department is committed to cutting the current time it takes to get a clinical trial set up, to under 150 days. I refer the Hon Member to the report, including actions and progress so far against the 150-day target, published by the Government on 9 July 2026, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/life-sciences-sector-plan-one-year-on

The National Cancer Plan, available at the link below, outlines actions to increase the speed, scale, and reliability of cancer clinical trials in detail:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-cancer-plan-for-england

The 10-Year Health Plan for England, available at the link below, commits to embedding research as a core component of care:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future

An update on the forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan will be available in due course.

In July 2026, the Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), published the Research Workforce Update for England which aims to ensure that research opportunities and careers are accessible to a broader range of professions and communities, helping to develop a sustainable and inclusive research workforce across all health and social care settings and geographies for the future. The Research Workforce Update for England is available at the following link:

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/research-workforce-update-england

All NIHR personal awards are open to foreign nationals. The Global Talent visa includes certain NIHR personal awards under the recognised list of personal fellowships that allows people to apply for a fast-track visa. Further details available at the following link:

https://royalsociety.org/grants/global-talent-visa-overview/route-2-individual-fellowships/

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Child Maintenance Service for parents.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Children have a right to be supported by both parents. The Child Maintenance Service helps ensure that happens. Information on CMS arrangements, payment compliance and enforcement is available in the Child Maintenance Service statistics to March 2026 and through https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which of the business cases (strategic outline; outline; or full) by East West Rail have been approved for (a) Bletchley to Bedford and (b) Bedford to Cambridge.

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

A Strategic Outline Business Case for the section of East West Rail between Bletchley and Cambridge was produced in 2019. An Outline Business Case is being prepared to support Government decision making on the project ahead of an application for a Development Consent Order. A Full Business Case will be put forward once planning consent is secured.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what level of business case has been submitted by East West Rail regarding traction power and rolling stock for the (a) Bletchley to Bedford and (b) Bedford to Cambridge components of the project.

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

East West Rail Company set out the latest proposals for partial electrification of the railway as part of its consultation in Spring 2026. This will be considered as part of future stages of the business case approval process for the project.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what level of business case (Strategic Outline; Outline; or Full) has been submitted by East West Rail for (a) Bletchley to Bedford and (b) Bedford to Cambridge.

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

A Strategic Outline Business Case for the section of East West Rail between Bletchley and Cambridge was produced in 2019. An Outline Business Case is being prepared to support Government decision making on the project ahead of an application for a Development Consent Order. A Full Business Case will be put forward once planning consent is secured.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that payments owed to receiving parents are collected in a timely manner.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) works to ensure that maintenance owed to receiving parents is collected as promptly as possible. Where a paying parent does not make a payment in full or on time, the CMS will take action to re-establish compliance and recover outstanding amounts.

The CMS has a range of collection and enforcement powers available, including Deduction from Earnings Orders and deductions from bank accounts. Where necessary, further enforcement action may be taken against paying parents who persistently fail to meet their child maintenance obligations.

The Department regularly reviews operational performance to support the effective collection of child maintenance and to help ensure that receiving parents obtain the financial support for children to which they are entitled.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to respond to the emails of 18th May, 8th June, 24th June and 19th August on the Child Maintenance Service, case reference OG13220, from the hon. Member for Didcot and Wantage.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department recognises that response times to hon. Members’ enquiries on behalf of constituents have not been consistently adequate in recent months, as higher complaint volumes and increasingly complex cases have affected our response times. The Department is actively addressing these pressures and driving improvements in both timeliness and efficiency.

The Department is taking urgent action to improve complaint handling and response times, with a clear focus on resolving issues as quickly as possible, including at the earliest point of contact where appropriate.

To support this, we have deployed additional resources to complaints and correspondence teams and prioritised activity to strengthen performance monitoring and improve timeliness. We have introduced enhanced senior oversight and improved case management processes to support faster, more consistent responses.

Where a complaint requires formal investigation, the Department’s service standard aims to provide a full response within 15 working days. More complex cases may take longer; however, the Department seeks to keep customers informed of progress and expected timescales. CMS continues to investigate the case, and an update was provided to the hon. Member on 1 September 2026 outlining the current position.

The Department is clear that hon. Members must be able to rely on timely and accurate information when representing their constituents. Improving response times remains a key operational priority, and these measures are intended to deliver a more timely and efficient service for customers and hon. Members alike.

Barbering and hairdressing

Publication of Legal Advice on Local Government Reorganisation

Rough sleeping, homelessness prevention and long-term housing support

Hartley Pensions and FCA enforcement action (No. 2)

Found: meeting Members present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Dr Scott Arthur; Jacob Collier; Daniel Francis; Olly Glover

Found: Olly Glover: Would any of the other witnesses like to comment on that?

Found: present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Steff Aquarone; Dr Scott Arthur; Jacob Collier; Daniel Francis; Olly Glover

Found: present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Steff Aquarone; Dr Scott Arthur; Jacob Collier; Daniel Francis; Olly Glover

Found: present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Steff Aquarone; Dr Scott Arthur; Jacob Collier; Daniel Francis; Olly Glover

Found: present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Steff Aquarone; Dr Scott Arthur; Jacob Collier; Daniel Francis; Olly Glover

Submit Evidence (by 13 Nov 2026)

The Transport Committee is exploring Government interventions in public transport fares, pricing and ticketing.