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 green levies on business competitiveness.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect businesses permanently. Policy costs on energy bills are essential for funding key environmental policies which enable the UK to transition to a secure, low-carbon energy future. This shift to renewables is making energy cleaner, more stable, and cheaper in the long run.

The clean energy transition is the economic opportunity of the 21st century. It is our chance to build up the industries of the future right here at home. That is why we have announced that from 2027 a new Industrial Strategy Energy Support Scheme will help over 8,000 businesses see their electricity costs drop by around 20-25%.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the expiry of Country of Origin quotas under the UK-Canada Trade Continuity Agreement will be considered by the UK-Canada trade taskforce; and what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Canada on the expiration of Country of Origin quotas.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

As agreed between our Prime Ministers, the UK and Canada will establish a new structured Working Group to deepen the bilateral trading relationship further, including by building on existing arrangements and addressing bilateral market access barriers.

That will include looking at Rules of Origin arrangements under the Trade Continuity Agreement, and what can be done there to grow trade and make it easier for UK exporters to access the Canadian market.

The Business and Trade Secretary had a warm introductory conversation with his Canadian counterpart at the G7, where they agreed to work together on deepening and growing the bilateral trading relationship further.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a delay repay compensation scheme for coach travel.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport has not undertaken an assessment of introducing a delay repay compensation scheme specifically for coach travel. Unlike the rail industry, where delay repay schemes are a standard requirement within franchise agreements, the wider coach sector operates primarily on a commercial basis with limited regulatory intervention.

The Department continues to monitor passenger experience across all transport modes and remains committed to ensuring passengers receive appropriate consumer protections. We regularly engage with industry stakeholders, consumer groups and the public to assess whether existing compensation arrangements are sufficient.

Any proposals for new regulatory requirements would need careful consideration of the potential impacts on both passengers and operators, including the administrative burden and potential costs that might be passed on to passengers.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information she holds on the (a) ethnic background and (b) religious belief of civil servants in her Department in (i) 2022-23, (ii) 2023-24 and (iii) 2024-25.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Information on ethnic background and religious belief of Civil Servants in the Home Office is published in both the Departments annual workforce diversity statistics and Civil Service statistics based on the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ASCES). The data for 24-25 will be published soon in Civil Service statistics and the Home Office annual diversity publication for 24-25 will be released in Q1 2026.

Home Office workforce diversity statistics - GOV.UK

Civil Service statistics - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Government plans to appoint a Trade Envoy to Canada.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

We remain committed to strengthening our long, positive and wide-ranging trading relationship with Canada, with our trade in bilateral goods and services worth £28bn in 2024. There are no plans at present to appoint a Trade Envoy as the UK already has sophisticated diplomatic, trade and investment networks to support our engagement in Canada, as well as our recent visits by Ministers, including the Prime Minister on 15^th June.

Markets where there are no Trade Envoys will continue to receive support alongside our other initiatives for exporters and investors, both of which are driving economic growth and creating opportunities at home and abroad.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Houthi rebels in Yemen on the interests of (a) the UK and (b) UK allies.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Over the last 19 months, the Houthis have conducted attacks against international commercial shipping, as well as British and American warships. This has violated the principle of freedom of navigation, further destabilised the region, and caused the peace process in Yemen to stall. In addition, the Houthis have waged economic warfare against the Government of Yemen and obstructed humanitarian aid from reaching Yemenis in need.

The UK has underlined these concerns at the UN Security Council alongside our international partners.

The best route towards a secure, stable and prosperous future for Yemen is through an inclusive peace process, under the auspices of the UN Special Envoy, and negotiated political settlement.

Furthermore, the UK continues to call for de-escalation within the region. We have long been clear about our concerns over Iran's political, financial and military support to militant and proscribed groups, including the Houthis.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason betting companies operating primarily (a) over the phone and (b) by direct debit are included in the proposed single Remote Betting and Gaming Duty.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is consulting on proposals to simplify the current gambling tax system by merging the three current taxes that cover remote gambling into one.

The definition of ‘remote gambling’ in the Gambling Act 2005 means gambling in which persons participate by the use of remote communication.

“In this Act “remote communication” means communication using —

a) the internet,

b) telephone,

c) television,

d) radio, or

e) any other kind of electronic or other technology for facilitating communication”

The consultation asks respondents to share views on whether this definition is appropriate for the proposed Remote Betting and Gaming duty (RBGD). As such, I would encourage interested parties to respond to it.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on issuing Armed Forces Pension Scheme Remediable Service Statements to all members who require one by 30 September 2025.

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

There are 34,917 Immediate Choice members in scope to receive a Remediable Service Statement (RSS), of which 13,066 have been issued as of 31 May 2025.

Of the 60,813 Active Member RSSs, 43,977 have been issued. The remaining 16,836 (27 per cent) are complex cases requiring manual intervention.

For the Deferred Member cohort, no RSSs have been issued, however, these will begin to arrive with members by September 2025.

If an RSS cannot be issued by September 2025, affected members will be notified in writing with an explanation, revised timelines, and further details published on GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what plans her Department has to prioritise Canada in future bilateral trade negotiations; and whether this will be reflected in the scope of the UK–Canada trade taskforce.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Canada is a close ally and valued partner of the UK, with trade underpinned by our existing trade agreement worth around £28 billion in 2024.

As agreed between our Prime Ministers at the G7, the UK and Canada will establish a new structured Working Group to deepen the bilateral trading relationship further. This includes seeking to address existing market access barriers affecting bilateral UK-Canada trade and expanding existing arrangements.

The working group will report back to both Prime Ministers within six months.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to allow pets to travel in and out of the UK in the main cabin of aircraft.

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

All pets travelling into Great Britain are checked for compliance with the necessary health and documentary requirements prior to entry to safeguard our biosecurity. When travelling to Great Britain by air, pets travel as manifest cargo to facilitate these checks upon arrival. The only animals that are authorised to travel in the cabin of a commercial aircraft into Great Britian are Recognised Assistance Dogs.

We have no current plans to change the process by which pet cats, dogs and ferrets may enter Great Britain in aircraft.

When travelling with a pet abroad, pet owners and assistance dog users should seek guidance as to whether their pet is permitted to travel in the aircraft from the relevant competent authority and airline.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to review the Sentencing Council's remit on young offenders convicted of (a) murder and (b) manslaughter.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Government has no current plans to ask the Council to consider reviewing the guidelines in relation to this cohort.

The law is clear that those who commit murder as children must receive a life sentence. There is no mandatory sentence for a child convicted of manslaughter, but the court may impose a life sentence, depending on the circumstances of the case.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many permanent civil servants in his Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.

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

We have, after careful consideration, withheld Defra, Animal and Plant Health Agency and Rural Payment Agency data for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 financial years. This is because the numbers of employees are low, and the information constitutes personal data making it possible to identify these individuals if the information was released.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to conduct a review of the Carr-Hill formula in Primary Care Networks.

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

On 25 June 2025, we announced that the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan would address the inequalities in general practice (GP) services across England. We know that the Carr-Hill formula is considered outdated and recognise the importance of ensuring funding for core services is distributed equitably between practices across the country.

The Government will review how health need is reflected in the Carr-Hill funding formula for GPs. Details of the review, including timeframes, will be confirmed in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has considered including child development in the planning process to encourage outdoor activities.

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

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) recognises that access to a network of high-quality open spaces and opportunities for sport and physical activity is important for the health and well-being of communities, including children.

The Framework is clear that local planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for open space, sport and recreation facilities, and opportunities for new provision, including places for children’s play.

In the revised NPPF published on 12 December 2024 we strengthened the strong protections already in place by adding explicit reference to safeguarding “formal play spaces”. That means that facilities can be lost only where there is clear evidence they are no longer required, where equivalent or better provision is secured in a suitable location, or where development of the site is for alternative sports and recreational provision, the benefits of which clearly outweigh the loss of the current or former use.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to publish the outcome of the consultation entitled Strengthening the standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England, which closed on 26 February 2025.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government response to the ‘Strengthening the Standards and Conduct Framework for Local Authorities in England’ consultation will be issued in due course. After its release, we will continue to work actively with local government on developing the detailed policies for implementation.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if her Department will take steps with (a) academies and (b) schools to introduce impact statements for large housing developments within their catchment area.

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

The National Planning Policy Framework recognises the importance of ensuring a sufficient choice of early years, school and post-16 places are available to meet the needs of existing and new communities and outlines that local planning authorities should take a proactive, positive, and collaborative approach to meeting this requirement, and to development that will widen choice in education.

The Framework further states that local planning authorities should give great weight to the need to create, expand or alter early years, schools, and post-16 facilities through the preparation of plans and decisions on applications, and work with early years, school and post-16 promoters, delivery partners and statutory bodies to identify and resolve key planning issues before applications are submitted.

In view of these existing provisions, the government has no plans to introduce separate requirements for impact statements for large housing developments.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the (a) safety and (b) accessibility of road networks in rural areas in Mid Leicestershire constituency; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of development on road networks between settlements.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. To this end, my Department is developing its Road Safety Strategy and will set out more details in due course.

Local government is the main delivery agent of road safety. The responsibility to implement, fund, deliver, promote and enforce local road safety initiatives remains with the Local Authorities under the 1988 Road Traffic Act. It is for the local council to decide what measures may be appropriate in their local area to “take steps both to reduce and prevent accidents”.

Local authorities are also responsible for the management of local roads, within the rules set by Government, including setting local speed limits where the national limit would not be appropriate. Local highway authorities are bound by the Public Sector Equality Duty and it is for them to ensure they manage their roads in a way that complies with that, including assessing potential impacts of development on road networks in their area.

Local authorities are best placed to decide on delivery of road safety initiatives, because of their knowledge of the roads for which they are responsible. We aid local authorities by providing guidance and initiatives such as our flagship road safety campaign, THINK!

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Warrington North, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, if he will publish a breakdown of the number of Freedom of Information Requests received from (a) individuals and (b) organisations in (i) 2024 and (ii) 2025.

Answered by Charlotte Nichols

The number of Freedom of Information requests received by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority in 2024 was 167, and as of 8 July 2025, the number received in 2025 is 152. In 2024, ninety requests were received from organisations and forty-four from individuals, with thirty-three requests not possible to determine. In 2025, seventy-five requests have been received from organisations and forty-three from individuals, with thirty-four requests not possible to determine.

35th anniversary of the murder of Ian Gow MP

Consequences of the Equality Act 2010

Historic County Flags Day 2025

Found: _51 Helen Whately Danny Kruger Mr Peter Bedford .

Found: Not called_51 Helen Whately Danny Kruger Mr Peter Bedford .

Found: _50 Helen Whately Danny Kruger Mr Peter Bedford .

Found: New Amendment: 30 _NC1 Mr Louie French Liz Jarvis Mr Peter Bedford Stuart Andrew Saqib Bhatti Joe

Found: New Amendment: 30 _NC1 Mr Louie French Liz Jarvis Mr Peter Bedford Stuart Andrew Saqib Bhatti Joe

Found: Negatived on division_NC1 Mr Louie French Liz Jarvis Mr Peter Bedford Stuart Andrew Saqib Bhatti

Found: _50 Helen Whately Danny Kruger Mr Peter Bedford .

Found: _50 Helen Whately Danny Kruger Mr Peter Bedford .

Found: _NC1 Mr Louie French Liz Jarvis Mr Peter Bedford .

Found: New Amendments: 13 to 29 and NC9 to NC14 _NC1 Mr Louie French Liz Jarvis Mr Peter Bedford .

Found: New Amendments: 12 and NC6 to NC8 _NC1 Mr Louie French Liz Jarvis Mr Peter Bedford .

Found: New Amendments: 4 to 11 and NC2 to NC5 _NC1 Mr Louie French Liz Jarvis Mr Peter Bedford .

Found: Presented by Mr Richard Holden supported by Rebecca Harris, Mr Mark Francois, Dr Neil Hudson, Mr Peter Bedford

Found: Neil Shastri-Hurst Alison Griffiths Gregory Stafford Dr Neil Hudson Sir Alec Shelbrooke Mr Peter Bedford

Submit Evidence (by 29 Sep 2025)

With the disability employment gap persistently at nearly 30%, the Government has announced it will spend an additional £2.2 billion on employment support over the next four years.

Millions of children and parents are served by the Child Maintenance Service. But is it working as effectively as it could be so that the best interests of the child are being met?