Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing time spent in the UK under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme and Ukraine Extension Scheme to count towards eligibility for indefinite leave to remain.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

I refer the Rt Honourable Member to my answer given on 21 April to PQ UIN 126987.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons the National Vocational Qualification for Pilots was removed in 1999 and what consideration has been made of introducing a new qualification that is not subject to VAT for pilot training.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Decisions around qualifications taken in 1999 were made by a previous government and the department has no further information to add to that made available at the time.

The First Officer Pilot Apprenticeship Standard, developed by industry, was introduced in 2019 with a funding band of £27,000, but is currently paused for starts due to low take-up. While National Vocational Qualifications continue to exist at levels 2 and 3 in certain sectors, the first officer apprenticeship is a level 6 standard. Skills England will keep the standard under review and remain open to lifting the pause should industry present evidence of demand.

VAT policy is the responsibility of His Majesty’s Treasury. The government keeps all taxes under regular review, and any proposals to amend the tax system must be considered in the context of wider public finances.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has had discussions with Inter Mediate on de-sanctioning the Syrian regime since 4 July 2024.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the answer he was given on 3 June 2025 on the last occasion he asked this question (UIN 52690).

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of marriages between uncle and niece legally contracted overseas by people now residing in England and Wales.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Rt. Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 14th May is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to accept the UK Statistics Authority's recommendation that the Office for National Statistics deliver a census of England and Wales in 2031.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government response was published alongside the UKSA recommendation in July 2025 and can be found here. It confirmed that a census of England and Wales will be held in 2031.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what expenditure National Highways has undertaken on i) public affairs and ii) lobbying companies since 4 July 2024; and for what purposes.

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

From July 2024 to 18 May 2026, National Highways spent £280,921 on its technical professional services’ public affairs contract. This contract supports National Highways’ duties as a public body to ensure that a wide range of national and regional representatives and stakeholders are informed and engaged with its work to operate and improve the Strategic Road Network.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the answer of 24 April 2026 to Question 107772 on Childbirth: Medical Records, which NHS trusts have recorded SNOMED CT codes (a) 125678001, (b) 699110007, (c) 1269487002, (d) 1269486006 and (e) 842009 within the Maternity Services Dataset since the introduction of guidance on consanguinity recording in September 2024.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 124885, in which month does her Department estimate that the DVSA will meet the level of driving examiners required to reduce the average waiting time for a practical car driving test to seven weeks.

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

It is not possible to predict the specific month in which the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) will have enough examiners to reduce car practical driving test waiting times to seven weeks. Any such estimate would be subject to a wide range of uncertainty.

DVSA continues to take action to increase testing capacity and keeps progress under close review to reduce waiting times as quickly as possible whilst maintaining road safety.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 24 April 2026 to Question 107772, whether his Department plans to make the recording of consanguinity and related information in the Maternity Services Dataset mandatory; and which NHS trusts have recorded births using relevant SNOMED CT codes.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to mitigate the risk of cyber-attacks affecting the rail sector.

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

The Department for Transport (DfT) views the cyber security of the rail sector as a priority, working across Government to introduce relevant standards, guidance, and policy to ensure the cyber security and resilience of our essential services.

DfT uses both policy and regulatory levers to support the rail sector to effectively manage cyber risk and assist the sector to secure its networks and systems. We work closely with partners across UK government and law enforcement, the rail industry, and others to continuously assess and mitigate emerging cyber threats to the sector.

As Competent Authority under the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations, DfT is committed to working with rail operators to strengthen protection against cyber threats and improve preparedness. We will use the implementation of the Cyber Security and Resilience (NIS) Bill to further strengthen our regulatory powers, improve incident reporting, and expand the type of entities in scope.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will provide, for each driving test centre in Great Britain, the car practical driving test waiting time in weeks in a) February 2026; b) March 2026; c) April 2026 and d) May 2026.

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

The answer to questions 122397 (31 March 2026) and 127873 (24 April 2026) provide the monthly average car practical driving test waiting time data (based on the national average waiting time metric of when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available) for each driving test centre in February and March 2026 respectively.

The attached spreadsheet (WPQ-00068472) shows the average waiting time for car practical driving tests at each driving test centre (based on the national average waiting time metric of when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available) for April 2026.

Data for May 2026 will be available in June 2026.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency also records national median waiting time data (the time between the first test booking and test taken) for practical car driving tests. The national median waiting time for a practical car driving test in February, March and April 2026 is shown in the table below.

This data, broken down by driving test centre, is currently not available for February, March and April 2026.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 4 April 2025 to Question 41645 on Cabinet Office: Email, what the automatic deletion policies are for non-Ministerial inboxes for officials in his Department where individual emails are not intentionally selected for long-term storage.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer of 4 April 2025, Official Report, PQ 41645.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 28 April 2026 to Question 128563 on Avanti West Coast: Internet, what timetable has been set for (a) the upgrade of onboard Wi-Fi systems across Avanti West Coast services and (b) the rollout of laser window etching technology across the Class 390 fleet; what minimum performance standards for (i) speed, (b) reliability and (iii) other elements of onboard Wi-Fi operators are required to meet under the Service Quality Regime; on how many occasions Avanti West Coast has failed to meet those standards in the last 12 months; what financial penalties have been applied as a result; what the expected timetable is for the procurement and deployment of low earth orbit satellite connectivity on services on the West Coast Main Line; and whether improvements delivered through Project Reach will include the full route between Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston.

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

The work to upgrade Avanti West Coast (AWC) Wi-Fi systems is expected to be complete by Spring 2027 but this is subject to contractual agreement with suppliers. The AWC window etching project is due to complete testing by the end of March 2027, with full fleet fitment commencing in Financial Year 2027/2028. In the Service Quality Regime (SQR), independent auditors test Wi‑Fi availability by attempting to connect to the internet using onboard Wi-Fi when inspecting a carriage. SQR does not assess against minimum standards for connection speed. The results represent a sample of the service rather than a continuous assessment of Wi-Fi performance. Onboard Wi‑Fi forms one element of a broader “Trains: Information” area, within which performance is assessed against a benchmark. Over the last 13 periods, AWC have averaged a score of 99.37% for the SQR Wi-Fi measure. AWC can earn a fee based on their overall performance across all train measures, which includes Wi-Fi. Performance payments for the 2024–25 and 2025–26 financial years are currently being calculated and independently verified and will be published in due course. The Department secured funding as part of the Spending Review to use low earth orbit satellite connectivity to improve on train Wi-Fi for our passengers on main line trains, including across the West Coast Main Line. As part of Project Reach, we will also improve the mobile signal in tunnels along the West Coast Main Line.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the College for National Security Privacy Notice, published on 20 May 2025, whether individuals participating in the College for National Security's pilot courses are required to provide data relating to protected characteristics as part of diversity monitoring and course evaluation.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The College for National Security’s courses are open to all civil and crown servants with safeguards to ensure content is only accessed by staff with appropriate clearances.

The College does not collect Protected Characteristic data of pilot participants and does not use it for monitoring or evaluation. However, the College does gather additional information to ensure that accessibility requirements are met.

Personal data is currently collected and processed in line with the College’s Privacy Notice, which can be accessed on GOV.UK.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which budget the cat flap and cat ramp in Downing Street was funded from.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The associated costs were covered by the Prime Minister personally with no cost to the taxpayer.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, what guidance she has issued to Departments on whether former Ministers should be consulted before internal Ministerial papers are shared with the courts.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Solicitor General has not issued any guidance to Departments on whether former Ministers should be consulted before internal Ministerial papers are shared with the courts.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Permanent Secretary and Second Permanent Secretary roles are (a) being advertised through open and fair competition, (b) have advertised but the recruitment is now closed and the appointment has not yet been made, (c) are being advertised only internally and (d) are unfilled with no recruitment process.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

There are currently five permanent secretary recruitment processes underway. One is open for applications through an external advert. Four are now closed but the appointment has not yet been made. Three were advertised externally and one was advertised internally across government.

There are currently no unfilled roles with no recruitment process.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 17 April 2026 to Question 125274, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the decision to end the Plug-in Motorcycle Grant on UK manufacturing.

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

Ending the £500 per vehicle Plug-in Motorcycle Grant is not expected to have a significant impact on the zero emission motorcycle market. The Government continues to work with industry to monitor the development of the zero emission motorcycle market and the need for any further interventions on an ongoing basis.

The Government continues to focus available funding to the areas where it can have the greatest impact.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to transition from short-term innovation grant funding to longer-term commercial and procurement support for suppliers; and what strategy she has implemented to apply the Procurement Act 2023 to transport supply chains bound by legacy, long-term contracts.

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

A recent report published by NAO noted that the department has developed guidance to help officials consider the full range of levers available to drive innovation into adoption, rather than defaulting to grant funding alone.

The department continues to encourage the publication of commercial pipelines with the aim of shaping and facilitating future market engagement and stimulating innovation within the supply chain ahead of forthcoming opportunities.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for which projects her Department has adapted its business case approvals process for innovative activity.

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

The Department for Transport follows the principles set out in HM Treasury’s Green Book and associated guidance when considering business case approvals. These frameworks allow for a proportionate and flexible approach, enabling approval processes to be tailored to the nature, scale and risk profile of individual proposals, including where projects involve innovative activity.

Decisions on how to apply these processes are taken on a case‑by‑case basis, and may include adapting the level of assurance, phasing of approvals, or use of pilot and pathfinder approaches to support innovation.

The recently published National Audit Office report Innovation in Transport systematically looked at the department's approach to innovation, noting the increased focus and improvements made on this and making recommendations for further action. The department will respond in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what expenditure has HS2 Limited undertaken on public affairs companies since 4 July 2024; and for what purposes.

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

Since 4 July 2024 HS2 Ltd has spent £212,200 on external public affairs support. This has focused on supporting HS2 Ltd and its senior leadership on communications strategy and stakeholder engagement.

The spend refers to 5 contracts, which were signed on 24 February 2022; 8 April 2022; 4 July 2023; 8 April 2024; and 4 March 2025. The first three expired in 2024 and 2025, and the other two are still live.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support Somaliland in achieving (a) international recognition and (b) membership of the Commonwealth.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 2 February in response to Question 108575.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 127548, what role her Department plays in balancing aviation growth by improving cycling facilities.

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

The Department sets out the policy framework within which airports operate and supports investment in sustainable travel infrastructure where appropriate.

Active Travel England's Ports and Airports Employment Accessibility Fund allocates some funding to increase access to employment and services at ports and airports through walking, wheeling and cycling.

Supporting active transport is one way that airport operators, who are responsible for managing surface access at their airports, can help balance growth with managing local congestion and cutting carbon emissions.

It is for airport operators, and their local stakeholders, to consider the role of active transport as part of a wider mix of transport options for passengers and staff.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which modern foreign languages are available as GCSE and A level qualifications in England; which European languages are not available as GCSE and A level qualifications; and what criteria are used by her Department and awarding bodies in determining whether a language qualification should be offered at GCSE and A level.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

French, German and Spanish are the most widely taught modern foreign languages at GCSE and A level. In addition, qualifications are available in up to 15 languages at GCSE and 15 languages at A level. The table below outlines the languages that are taught at GCSE (or equivalent) level and/or at A level:

Decisions about which languages to offer at GCSE in England are taken by the four independent awarding organisations: AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel and WJEC. These organisations may develop qualifications based on subject content set by the department. In deciding whether to offer a qualification in a particular language, awarding organisations consider a range of factors, including the cohort size expected to take exams each year (rather than the size of the speaking population), demand from schools and colleges, and the long‑term viability of the qualification.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential use of frozen Russian sovereign assets and funds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club to support Ukraine.

Answered by Rachel Blake - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

While I am unable to comment on private Cabinet or committee discussions, I can assure you that the Government is doing everything within its powers to ensure that the full proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club are used for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine. As the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary, and the Chancellor have each made clear, we are committed to these funds reaching the people of Ukraine, who continue to face profound humanitarian need as a result of Russia’s ongoing aggression.

Separately, the government continues to consider ways in which Russia’s immobilised sovereign assets can be used to support Ukraine. The G7 has continued to commit to these assets remaining immobilised until Russia ends its war of aggression and pays reparations.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking with international partners to secure International Committee of the Red Cross access to Ukrainian prisoners of war held in Russia, including access for the purposes of registration, welfare monitoring and communication with families.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Russia must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, in its treatment of prisoners of war. Under the Geneva Conventions, all parties must allow the International Committee of the Red Cross safe, unimpeded, and repeated access to prisoners of war wherever they are held, including for registration, monitoring of treatment and conditions, and enabling communication with families. We continue to raise these issues on a regular basis in international fora, and with our international partners.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish her Department's response to the Animals in Science Committee report on non-technical summaries and retrospective assessments.

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

The Home Office published the Department’s response to the Animals in Science Committee report on non-technical summaries and retrospective assessments on 8^th May 2026. The response can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-technical-summaries-and-retrospective-assessments-response-from-lord-hanson

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations she has made to her Russian counterpart on reports by the UN Monitoring Mission in Ukraine that 95 per cent of Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia have been subjected to torture and other forms of ill-treatment.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK continues to raise our serious concerns about these reports of widespread torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war on the international stage. We strongly condemn any torture or ill-treatment of prisoners of war, and we continue to make clear that such actions violate international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, where the G20 Summit in 2027 will take place.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Details of next year's UK-hosted G20 summit will be announced in the usual way in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people aged (a) between 16 and 24 and (b) over 16 are unemployed in Basildon and Billericay constituency (i) in the latest period for which statistics are available and (ii) in the 21 months previously.

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

The information requested on trends in levels of unemployment is published and available at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp and the guidance for users can be found at:

https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp.

The estimated unemployment levels and rates can be found by selecting “Query data” on the NOMIS home page and selecting “Annual Population Survey/Labour Force Survey” and then “annual population survey (Dec 2004 to Dec 2025)” in the lists of data sources. The Geography will need to be set for the relevant Westminster constituency from the menu, and then, in the Variable menu, Category set to “Unemployment rate” from the drop-down list to access 16-24 year old unemployment. Unemployment as a proportion of people, rather than a proportion of the economically active, can be found using user defined variables.

ONS suppress results based on small samples on the Annual Population Survey. Claimant Count information by age is available from the “2024 Parliamentary Constituencies Profile” menu at the same website.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department expects the first EWR services between Oxford and Milton Keynes to commence.

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

The Department continues to work closely with Chiltern Railways and other partners to confirm a start date for the first East-West Rail services between Oxford and Milton Keynes Central via Winslow. Appointment of Chiltern Railways as operator was delayed by the sudden General Election in July 2024, and consequently they were not appointed until March 2025. For passenger services to commence, trains will need to have been modified and fully tested, and driver training will need to have been completed. Winslow Station also needs to be fully handed over, and future staffing arrangements also remain to be agreed.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's press release published on 25 March 2026 entitled £1 billion to cut costs for businesses, drive growth and clean up UK roads, how much of the £1 billion announced funding package is allocated to (a) zero emission vehicle purchase grants and (b) charging infrastructure support.

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

Of the £1 billion out to 2030 announced on 25 March 2026, £877 million is for zero emission vehicle purchase grants through the Zero Emission Truck Grant and Zero Emission Van Grant. £171 million is for infrastructure support through the Depot Charging Scheme.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 21 February 2025 to Question 30828 on 9 Downing Street: Media, which scheduled transparency return will publish the OCS invoice; and on which date.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The OCS invoice for the 9 Downing Street works in the published data for the month of November 2025 as issued during December 2025 and is item 387, 10000204, OCS Group UK Limited, Transaction HZ820722.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has considered the evidence provided from the recent consultation on the Vehicle Certification Agency's fees and charges; and whether it plans to increase those fees during this parliamentary session.

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

The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) is currently analysing responses to its recent consultation on fees. Any fee changes require the consent of this House through a fee order. As is the standard practice, I will update the House in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in which month National Highways’ RIS3 Delivery Plan will be published.

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

National Highways intends to publish its Delivery Plan for RIS3 this summer.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the evidential basis was for not exempting large islands such as the Isle of Wight from the UK Emissions Trading Scheme.

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

The UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is a key and effective policy lever for reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the economy and there is a high bar for any exemptions from the scheme. A uniform carbon price applied consistently, without multiple carveouts, ensures that emissions reductions are delivered at the lowest overall economic cost and market distortions are minimised. Exemptions undermine these benefits.

Ferries serving Scotland’s islands and peninsula communities are exempt because of the unique and pressing challenges they face in accessing essential goods and services. This is in addition to the legal duties to consider island populations under the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018.

The Government will evaluate any impacts of the scheme on consumers and businesses, as well as the existing exemptions, in a review of the UK ETS maritime regime in 2028.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to publish a breakdown of the Roads Investment Strategy 3 budget allocated to (a) Designated Funds and (b) National Programmes prior to the publication of National Highways’ Delivery Plan.

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

National Highways will set out further detail on funding for Designated Funds and National Programmes in its Strategic Business Plan and Delivery Plan for 2026–31.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to take legislative steps to improve access to nature.

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

This Government has announced, as part of the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025, that we will bring forward an Access to Nature Green Paper to consult on proposals to improve and expand public access to the outdoors.

The Green Paper will set out a range of policy options and invite views from stakeholders and the public, helping us to gather evidence and test approaches before decisions are made.

This consultation will play an important role in shaping the development of future policy in this area. Further updates and a timeline for publication will be provided in due course.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether Ofgem has reviewed the Employment Tribunal case involving the Drax whistleblower; and whether Ofgem has assessed whether any matters raised in that case have implications for Drax’s compliance with sustainability reporting requirements under the Renewables Obligation regime.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

In order to receive subsidies under the Renewables Obligation (RO), Drax must demonstrate compliance with biomass sustainability criteria. As part of its 2023-4 investigation into Drax, Ofgem considered a broad range of documents and sources, including statements from whistleblowers. Ofgem's investigation was comprehensive and wide-ranging, and found that whilst Drax complied with the sustainability standards and RO certificates were not issued inappropriately, Drax failed to report some data accurately. The detail of any documents considered in this investigation is for Ofgem to comment on as the independent regulator. Ofgem is confident in its conclusions, as is Government.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing formal trigger mechanisms or objective thresholds for future slot alleviation measures relating to aviation fuel disruption.

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

The Department for Transport is working closely with the aviation industry to understand pressures arising from the Middle East conflict, including any potential impacts on aviation fuel supply. The Government has been monitoring jet fuel stocks closely and engaging regularly with airlines, airports and fuel suppliers to ensure it is well‑placed to respond, should the jet fuel outlook change.

The Government is planning for a range of contingencies, recognising the uncertainty in global energy markets. This includes keeping under review potential measures to support the aviation sector and protect passengers, while ensuring that any intervention is proportionate and aligned with current conditions.

The slots Statutory Instrument laid on the 20 May will enable airlines to do early planning in response to emerging risks, which will help prevent last-minute cancellations and provide certainty for passengers and businesses.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 13 April 2026 to Question 123722, what meetings with a) officials and b) ministers are scheduled.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The nature of our dialogue with close overseas partners, both at Ministerial and Official level, is such that not every routine bilateral engagement is scheduled in advance, but we will always of course inform Parliament if there are significant exchanges to report.

The Foreign Secretary and Minister for International Development met a range of South African counterparts when the UK co-hosted the Global Partnerships Conference with South Africa, British International Investment and the Children's Investment Fund Foundation in London from 19-20 May. They discussed our modern partnership based on shared priorities and accountability.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to respond to the Ofcom consultation entitled Politicians presenting news: Consultation on proposed amendment to Rule 5.3 of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, published on 12 May 2025.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Ofcom’s consultation on proposed amendments to Rule 5.3 of the Broadcasting Code closed on 23 June 2025, and Ofcom published a response to the consultation on 20 October 2025. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport did not respond to the consultation. Ofcom, by law, carries out its broadcasting regulatory duties independently of the Government. Further detail on Ofcom’s response to its consultation and a list of published responses is available on its website: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-standards/consultation-politicians-presenting-news

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has considered imposing targeted sanctions on Russian judges, prosecutors and other officials involved in the prosecution and sentencing of Ukrainian prisoners of war, including members of the Azov Brigade, in cases where convictions are alleged to have relied on confessions extracted under torture.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Together with our international partners, we have already imposed on Russia the largest and most severe package of sanctions ever imposed on a major economy. However, it is the UK's long-standing policy not to speculate about any future sanctions designations as to do so would risk lessening their impact.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the average annual cost to businesses of transitioning from small to medium-sized company status due to accounting changes under FRS 102; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of those costs on SMEs.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

FRS 102 is issued by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) and the responsibility for any detailed assessment of the impact of changes in FRS 102 rests with the FRC. Impact assessments are available on the FRC’s website: Impact Assessments and Feedback Statements. In relation to recent changes arising from the Periodic Review 2024 the FRC considered the effect of companies potentially moving from small to medium-sized and estimated at the time that a limited number of small entities could move above the small company threshold as a result. Since then, the Government has significantly increased the monetary company size thresholds, and this will reduce the number of entities affected by this interaction.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress Network Rail has made on improving passenger mobile connectivity through the upgrade from GSM-R to the Future Railway Mobile Communication System; and what the planned timeline is for that upgrade.

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

The Government is committed to improving passenger connectivity as a core part of the rail offer. This is why the Department secured funding as part of the Spending Review to use low earth orbit satellite connectivity to significantly improve on train Wi-Fi for our passengers on mainline trains. We anticipate delivery starting in the next few months, subject to Business Case approval.

Network Rail’s transition from GSM‑R to the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS) represents a once‑in‑a‑generation opportunity to address longstanding gaps in mobile coverage. While FRMCS is primarily an operational 5G communications system, the associated rollout of trackside infrastructure – including masts and fibre – can be leveraged with mobile network operators to reduce ‘not‑spots’ and improve direct‑to‑device connectivity for passengers.

The mandated transition to FRMCS before 2040 is in the planning stages with new infrastructure to be delivered progressively over the next decade, and passenger connectivity benefits realised incrementally as infrastructure is deployed across the network.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much and what proportion was the change in average fees for his Department's sites offering childcare compared to 2024-25.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence does not hold fee information related to UK based childcare centrally, and this could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Childcare provision in the UK Defence estate is typically delivered by third-parties, with contractual and charging relationships established between the provider and user. The Department does not routinely monitor or intervene in these activities, nor does it set fees. In certain overseas locations, Defence does operate childcare settings through Defence Children Services; there has been no change in fees at these locations over the period in question.

The Department recognises the importance of accessible and affordable childcare in supporting Service personnel and their families. To that end, Defence provides a range of support measures, including the Wraparound Childcare (WAC) scheme, which offers financial assistance towards before- and after-school childcare for eligible Service children. The WAC scheme helps mitigate the additional challenges of Service life, such as mobility and deployment, by contributing to childcare costs, thereby supporting recruitment and retention.

In addition to the WAC scheme, eligible Service families may benefit from other government-backed childcare support, such as Tax-Free Childcare and funded childcare entitlements.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 44594, on Ministers: Aviation, which Ministers took the flights.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

It has been the practice of successive administrations not to publish granular information relating to the official movements of Ministers and those accompanying them within the United Kingdom. Information about official overseas ministerial travel is published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 31 March 2026 to Question 123169, when she expects to issue a Long Term Rail Strategy.

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

The Long-Term Rail Strategy (LTRS) will be published shortly following the Railways Bill receiving Royal Assent and in time for GBR's day-one stand-up.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate his Department has made of the scale of the maintenance backlog across central government property.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The National Audit Office published its Maintaining Public Service Facilities report in January 2025. This estimated the maintenance backlog across the government estate to be at least £49 billion. My Department supported the review. Figures based on a standard definition will be published in the annual State of the Estate report from 2026-2027.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 118920, if she will develop new Outline Business Cases for the Haughley Junction upgrades.

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

The Haughley Junction upgrade will be considered in future as funding becomes available.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 15 April 2026 to Question 126329, when her Department plans to publish the revised MCA Rescue Boat Code.

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

The MCA remains committed to the development of the replacement to the Rescue Boat Code and is actively engaging with rescue boat organisations, HM Coastguard, and other industry stakeholders to finalise the draft.

Feedback received from industry stakeholders in January 2026 has been considered, and the latest version of the draft, which implements several changes aimed at ensuring that the revised requirements for rescue boats are clear, appropriate, and achievable for existing operators, was circulated on 18 May 2026.

The MCA consider this a necessary process to ensure the rescue boat code replacement is fit for purpose but accepts that this does add to the implementation timeline. The MCA will publish the replacement to the rescue boat code as the Search and Rescue Craft Annex to Workboat Code Edition 3 as soon as practicable, once feedback from operators following this latest round of consultation has been appropriately addressed.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her Department has made on its considerations of the recommendations of the report by the Contrail Impact Mitigation Task and Finish Group, published on 17 March 2026.

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

The key recommendations from the Contrail Impact Mitigation (CIM) Task and Finish Group report were for Government to support large-scale trials and help establish a permanent governance body to oversee trial activity and standardise procedures and activities related to contrail avoidance.

In January 2026, we announced up to £43m of funding for green aviation projects, which includes funding for a contrail avoidance trial. We are currently engaging with relevant stakeholders on how a trial could be delivered and will provide further updates in due course.

The Department is in the process of carefully considering the other CIM report recommendations, including whether and how a permanent governance body on aviation’s non-CO2 impacts should be established.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department plans to publish the findings of the Net Zero Ports call for evidence.

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

We will publish our findings later this year.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his position is on the (a) procurement by the UK Government and (b) development by the Atomic Weapons Establishment, of non-ballistic, tactical nuclear weapons, for use in a conflict.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The UK does not categorise nuclear weapon capabilities as either strategic or sub-strategic/tactical. The UK’s nuclear weapons are intended to deter the most extreme threats to our national security and way of life, as well as that of our NATO Allies, rather than serve as a warfighting capability designed to achieve a tactical or battlefield military advantage in a conflict.

The UK will continue to rely on its four nuclear deterrent submarines.

Procuring nuclear weapons from another state would be inconsistent with our legal obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) which the UK ratified in 1968. All of the UK’s nuclear weapons are designed, manufactured, maintained and decommissioned by the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE).

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 39574 on Katharine Birbalsingh, when the final note was shared.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

In line with Cabinet Office guidance on circulating minutes, published under the previous administration, meeting notes should be shared in the days following the meeting. The meeting with Katharine Birbalsingh followed this approach.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the use of a Russian shadow fleet to evade oil sanctions; and whether she (a) plans to restrict access to UK ports and services for such vessels and (b) is considering further sanctions on entities providing (i) insurance and (ii) financial services.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Russia sanctions regime prohibits Russian ships, and other ships specified by the Secretary of State, from entering ports in the United Kingdom. We recently enhanced our powers to impose additional prohibitions when sanctioning vessels, including prohibitions of certain services, including insurance services, relating to specified ships. Our sanctions form one part of our broader efforts to tackle the shadow fleet. We assess that our efforts, alongside our partners, have contributed to an estimated 200 oil tankers ceasing their trade. These unused ships are costing Putin and his war effort billions in wasted funds.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will provide a list of the innovative research and development programmes for the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions, including the funding allocated to each.

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

The UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) research and development programme funds a range of interventions that develop clean maritime technologies across the Technological Readiness Level scale. In September 2025 this Government announced it would invest a further £448 million between 2026-2030 into clean maritime technologies.

In March 2026 this Government launched the £121 million Round 7 of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) and £150 million Round 2 of the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) competition. We also allocated £1.25m from the UK SHORE programme to another round of Transport Research and Innovation Grant (TRIG) which UK SHORE is supporting with £1.25 million this financial year. We intend to launch two further rounds of CMDC ahead of 2030. This on top of the over £270 million invested between 2021 to 2025. Roughly £169 million went towards six Rounds of CMDC, £93 million to the first Round of ZEVI, £7.7 million to the Smart Shipping Acceleration Fund, £1.5 million to support the TRIG, and £3.7 million to the Clean Maritime Research Hub.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment Network Rail has made of the adequacy of existing trackside infrastructure, including GSM-R masts and overhead line stanchions, for use by mobile network operators and private 5G providers; and whether guidelines for the telecommunications industry on using such infrastructure have been published.

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

Network Rail is exploring options for the shared use of its existing trackside telecommunications infrastructure, including through programmes such as the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS) and Project Reach. This includes undertaking studies to determine whether assets such as masts and associated structures could support mobile network operators’ equipment, with opportunities for co‑location and targeted upgrades being actively considered as part of the solution to address coverage gaps along the rail corridor.

Guidance has not been published as a single consolidated document for the telecommunications industry. Instead, requirements are set out through a combination of Network Rail standards, contractual arrangements and programme-specific frameworks, which continue to evolve as delivery models for improved rail connectivity are developed.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the status is of the NHS investigation into inappropriate wording referring to the potential benefits of cousin marriage; and whether the outcome of that investigation has resulted in amendments to (a) guidance and (b) training materials.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The medical evidence is clear that first cousin marriages are high risk, and we know the genetic defects and harm that they can cause. The Department has worked with NHS England to understand how previous materials that referred to the potential benefits of cousin marriage were developed, and to ensure such issues do not arise in future. This investigation has concluded, which found that some aspects of the training were inappropriate. Relevant training materials were retired or amended prior to the investigation, so no further amendments were required.

Social Security

Energy Conservation

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