Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the answer on 15 December 2025 to Question 97967, what figures her Department holds on the number of dogs and non-human primates used in dedicated pharmacokinetic studies for human medicines; and what the evidential basis is for the target to reduce such use by at least 35% by 2030.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not publish a separate aggregated category for the number of dogs and non-human primates used specifically in dedicated pharmacokinetic studies for human medicines for publication purposes conducted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. While information relevant to such studies may be held within individual project licence records for regulatory purposes, there is no distinct reporting category for them in the published in the annual statistics.
The target to reduce the use of dogs and non-human primates in dedicated pharmacokinetic studies for human medicines by at least 35% by 2030 forms part of the Government broader programme Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods. This number was agreed following discussions between regulators, research funders and officials on what was considered to be challenging while also likely being scientifically achievable.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions her department has had with technology companies on the political neutrality of AI applications.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The details of Ministerial meetings with external stakeholders are published in quarterly transparency returns.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the percentage of people who were identified under the Financial Risk Assessments (a) 2025 pilot and (b) further pilot analysis phase.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
It is for the Gambling Commission to decide whether to implement Financial Risk Assessments. DCMS supports the policy intent behind Financial Risk Assessments, and has had regular engagement with the Gambling Commission on this issue.
The pilot has provided evidence of financial risk for consumers that is not currently being captured through existing policy measures. Consideration of impact is part of the Commission’s decision making. The Commission has also committed to ongoing review, evaluation and adaptation over time if Financial Risk Assessments are introduced.
The Gambling Commission has recently published an updated blog on its pilot findings. It plans to publish further pilot data results, where that data is not commercially sensitive, along with its consultation response following a decision.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of gift aid contribution rates on levels of charitable giving.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Gift Aid enables charities to claim a basic rate top-up on eligible donations. HMRC does not hold information centrally on the proportion of Gift Aid contributions by donors’ marginal rates of Income Tax for the 2024–25 and 2025–26 financial years. This information would require linking donation data with individual taxpayer records and undertaking additional analysis, which could only be carried out at disproportionate cost due to the size and complexity of the data.
Gift Aid incentivises taxpayers to donate more to charity, as they can see their donations going further. Because of this, we estimate that charitable organisations benefit by significantly more than the £1.7bn Exchequer cost in 2025.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the proportions of gift aid contributions are by marginal rate of tax for the (a) 2024-2025 and (b) 2025-2026 financial year.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Gift Aid enables charities to claim a basic rate top-up on eligible donations. HMRC does not hold information centrally on the proportion of Gift Aid contributions by donors’ marginal rates of Income Tax for the 2024–25 and 2025–26 financial years. This information would require linking donation data with individual taxpayer records and undertaking additional analysis, which could only be carried out at disproportionate cost due to the size and complexity of the data.
Gift Aid incentivises taxpayers to donate more to charity, as they can see their donations going further. Because of this, we estimate that charitable organisations benefit by significantly more than the £1.7bn Exchequer cost in 2025.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of British Trade Envoys in securing economic growth opportunities for the UK.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Trade Envoy programme was established in 2012 as a network of parliamentarians to provide international support to the UK Government’s strategy to drive economic growth.
DBT Trade Envoys play a valuable role in supporting the UK’s trade and investment agenda via targeted programmes of engagement that unlock opportunities for UK business.
The Department does not specifically attribute trade and investment impacts to Trade Envoys, as they operate as part of a wider ecosystem which includes Ministers, DBT officials, Ambassadors, High Commissioners and His Majesty’s Trade Commissioners.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the risk and reward profile for investment decisions of the British International Investment plc.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) receives comprehensive access to information on the performance of British International Investment across a range of areas, including its financial return target and development impact target. Further details of our evaluation activities in relation to BII investments can be found at the link below.
https://assets.bii.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/06135829/BII-FCDO-What-learning-means-to-us-an-overview-of-how-we-evaluate-our-impact.pdf-FCDO-What-learning-means-to-us-an-overview-of-how-we-evaluate-our-impact.pdf.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to review the eligibility criteria for the Holiday Activities and Food programme to include children from working families who are above the free school meals threshold but experiencing financial hardship.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
I refer the hon. Member for Mid Leicestershire to the answer of 28 May 2026 to Question 1663.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of per pupil funding in Leicestershire compared with the national average.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
School funding is increasing by £1.7 billion in the 2026/27 financial year. The schools national funding formula (NFF) distributes funding for mainstream schools based on schools’ and pupils’ needs and characteristics.
Through the dedicated schools grant, Leicestershire is receiving £583.9 million for mainstream schools in 2026/27. This translates into £6,224 per pupil on average (including premises and excluding growth funding), which represents a 2.3% increase in funding per-pupil compared to 2025/26.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of early years funding rates for two and three year olds for meeting staffing costs, including required non contact time for preparation, setup, and safeguarding obligations.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
In 2026/27, the department expects to provide over £9.5 billion for the early years entitlements, including an increase of 15% in Early Years Pupil Premium, more than doubling annual public investment in the early years sector compared to 2023/24. Staff costs make up the most significant proportion of provider costs. Therefore, due to tighter staffing ratios, the cost of delivery is highest for younger children, which is reflected in the differing hourly funding rates.
To calculate rate uplifts, the department uses an analytical model which considers data from the Early Years Census and the survey of childcare and early years providers, various government forecasts such as average earnings growth and the consumer price index, and the national living wage to determine cost pressures for the early years Sector.
All early years providers are legally required to keep children safe and promote their welfare, and all practitioners must undergo safe training as set out on the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework. To further support settings with safeguarding training requirements, the department is developing a free online safeguarding training package for early years settings which will be available later this spring.
We will consult on changes to how early years funding is distributed later this year.