Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has considered proposals to replace or reform the Special Constabulary through the creation of a national police reserve or auxiliary force; and if she will publish any internal reviews or policy papers relating to alternative volunteer policing models.

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

The Home Office currently has no plans to introduce a formal police reserve or auxiliary force. However, as part of the Police Reform White Paper, we are committed to working with policing partners and organisations such as the Fire and Rescue Service and the Armed Forces to assess alternative and innovative volunteering models, learning lessons to inform the continued development of police volunteering.

The department does not routinely publish internal reviews, policy advice or options papers relating to volunteer policing models.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of employment protections for special constables undertaking mandatory training or deployment; and whether she plans to introduce statutory employment rights comparable to those available to Reserve Forces personnel.

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

Special constables are not employees of police forces and therefore do not fall within the scope of employment legislation in the same way as paid staff. There is currently no statutory requirement on employers to provide paid or unpaid leave for employees undertaking special constable duties, including mandatory training or deployment. However, many employers choose to support special constables voluntarily, including through the Employer Supported Policing scheme.

As part of the Employment Rights Bill, the Government has committed to undertake a statutory review of the civic roles covered by section 50 of the Employment Rights Act 1996, including whether special constables should be included. This review will consider the existing arrangements and the case for additional statutory protections.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of trends in the number of special constables in England and Wales since 2012; and what steps her Department is taking to help increase volunteer officer numbers.

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

The number of special constables has declined year on year, falling from a peak of 20,343 in March 2012 to just 5,304 as of September 2025. As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, the Government is committed to increasing the number of volunteers in neighbourhood policing, including special constables, and building a resilient, community focused policing model.

The Police Reform White Paper set out our ambition to work with policing partners to identify and remove barriers to recruitment, streamline processes, and better integrate special constables into wider policing. We also set out that we will be working with organisations such as the Fire Service and the Armed Forces to assess alternative and innovative volunteering models, learning lessons to inform the continued development of police volunteering.

The Government, in collaboration with policing, has established a Special Constables Taskforce to deliver on our ambitions, bringing together senior policing leaders to develop and implement innovative solutions to grow special constable numbers.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to increase the role of volunteer policing within neighbourhood policing strategies; and what role she envisages for special constables and any future reserve model.

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

The number of special constables has declined year on year, falling from a peak of 20,343 in March 2012 to just 5,304 as of September 2025. As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, the Government is committed to increasing the number of volunteers in neighbourhood policing, including special constables, and building a resilient, community focused policing model.

The Police Reform White Paper set out our ambition to work with policing partners to identify and remove barriers to recruitment, streamline processes, and better integrate special constables into wider policing. We also set out that we will be working with organisations such as the Fire Service and the Armed Forces to assess alternative and innovative volunteering models, learning lessons to inform the continued development of police volunteering.

The Government, in collaboration with policing, has established a Special Constables Taskforce to deliver on our ambitions, bringing together senior policing leaders to develop and implement innovative solutions to grow special constable numbers.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the College of Policing on access for special constables to national promotion exams and PEQF pathways; and whether she plans to standardise eligibility criteria across forces.

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

In the Police Reform White Paper the Home Secretary announced the most significant reforms to policing in 200 years. As part of this, we have committed to increasing the number of volunteers in neighbourhood policing, including special constables, by working with policing to attract new special constables, improving and streamlining the recruitment process and better integrating special constables into wider policing.

Forces are responsible for the local delivery of training and managing promotion processes for special constables. The College of Policing supports forces on the development and progression of special constables’ learning alongside guidance on continuous professional development. It also sets the Special Constable Policing Professional Profile, which outlines the core training, skills, and responsibilities for special constables in line with the national police curriculum.

Special constables’ powers and responsibilities are set out in legislation, and forces are responsible for deploying special constables in a way that reflects local operational need while maintaining public confidence and officer safety.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to review the legislative status of special constables to help ensure clarity on police powers, rank structures and professional standards across all Home Office forces.

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

In the Police Reform White Paper the Home Secretary announced the most significant reforms to policing in 200 years. As part of this, we have committed to increasing the number of volunteers in neighbourhood policing, including special constables, by working with policing to attract new special constables, improving and streamlining the recruitment process and better integrating special constables into wider policing.

Forces are responsible for the local delivery of training and managing promotion processes for special constables. The College of Policing supports forces on the development and progression of special constables’ learning alongside guidance on continuous professional development. It also sets the Special Constable Policing Professional Profile, which outlines the core training, skills, and responsibilities for special constables in line with the national police curriculum.

Special constables’ powers and responsibilities are set out in legislation, and forces are responsible for deploying special constables in a way that reflects local operational need while maintaining public confidence and officer safety.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce levels of variation between police forces in relation to training, deployment, equipment and operational roles for special constables.

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

In the Police Reform White Paper the Home Secretary announced the most significant reforms to policing in 200 years. As part of this, we have committed to increasing the number of volunteers in neighbourhood policing, including special constables, by working with policing to attract new special constables, improving and streamlining the recruitment process and better integrating special constables into wider policing.

Forces are responsible for the local delivery of training and managing promotion processes for special constables. The College of Policing supports forces on the development and progression of special constables’ learning alongside guidance on continuous professional development. It also sets the Special Constable Policing Professional Profile, which outlines the core training, skills, and responsibilities for special constables in line with the national police curriculum.

Special constables’ powers and responsibilities are set out in legislation, and forces are responsible for deploying special constables in a way that reflects local operational need while maintaining public confidence and officer safety.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what cross-departmental work is being undertaken to help ensure disabled people are not disadvantaged where one Government department requires telephone contact as the primary or sole method of progressing a case.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

It is the responsibility of each government department to ensure that their communications meet the needs of the general population as appropriate.

The Public Sector Equality Duty is a general duty at Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. It requires public authorities, and private and voluntary organisations carrying out public functions, to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between different people. This applies to their day-to-day work, including in delivering services.

In order to meet the Duty, Government departments routinely carry out equality assessments of policy and operational changes. These help policy makers to fully consider how decisions may affect different groups in different ways, and design their policies accordingly.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local authorities are aware of the interaction between new tax liabilities for pre-2016 pensioners and the calculation of means-tested benefits.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The assessment of entitlement to Housing Benefit and Local Council Tax Support takes into account a person’s net income plus the value of any DWP benefits they receive.

Taxation is a matter for HMRC. It treats pension income, whether State or occupational, in the same way as other taxable income. However, the Chancellor has said that over this Parliament those whose only income is the basic or new State Pension without any increments will not have to pay income tax.

The government will set out more detail in due course.

No new guidance has been issued to local authorities on this matter.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether income tax liabilities arising from simple assessment tax demands are taken into account when calculating Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction for pensioners whose sole income is the pre-2016 State Pension.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The assessment of entitlement to Housing Benefit and Local Council Tax Support takes into account a person’s net income plus the value of any DWP benefits they receive.

Taxation is a matter for HMRC. It treats pension income, whether State or occupational, in the same way as other taxable income. However, the Chancellor has said that over this Parliament those whose only income is the basic or new State Pension without any increments will not have to pay income tax.

The government will set out more detail in due course.

No new guidance has been issued to local authorities on this matter.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether pensioners issued with a simple assessment are advised to notify their local authority so that their Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction can be reassessed.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The assessment of entitlement to Housing Benefit and Local Council Tax Support takes into account a person’s net income plus the value of any DWP benefits they receive.

Taxation is a matter for HMRC. It treats pension income, whether State or occupational, in the same way as other taxable income. However, the Chancellor has said that over this Parliament those whose only income is the basic or new State Pension without any increments will not have to pay income tax.

The government will set out more detail in due course.

No new guidance has been issued to local authorities on this matter.

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 potential impact of changes to Income Tax liabilities on the amount of (a) Housing Benefit and (b) Council Tax Reduction received by pensioners who retired before April 2016.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The assessment of entitlement to Housing Benefit and Local Council Tax Support takes into account a person’s net income plus the value of any DWP benefits they receive.

Taxation is a matter for HMRC. It treats pension income, whether State or occupational, in the same way as other taxable income. However, the Chancellor has said that over this Parliament those whose only income is the basic or new State Pension without any increments will not have to pay income tax.

The government will set out more detail in due course.

No new guidance has been issued to local authorities on this matter.

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 potential impact of the frozen personal allowance on entitlement to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction for people in receipt of the pre-April 2016 State Pension.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The assessment of entitlement to Housing Benefit and Local Council Tax Support takes into account a person’s net income plus the value of any DWP benefits they receive.

Taxation is a matter for HMRC. It treats pension income, whether State or occupational, in the same way as other taxable income. However, the Chancellor has said that over this Parliament those whose only income is the basic or new State Pension without any increments will not have to pay income tax.

The government will set out more detail in due course.

No new guidance has been issued to local authorities on this matter.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure pensioners issued with simple assessment tax demands are advised to contact their local authority to reassess their entitlement to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The assessment of entitlement to Housing Benefit and Local Council Tax Support takes into account a person’s net income plus the value of any DWP benefits they receive.

Taxation is a matter for HMRC. It treats pension income, whether State or occupational, in the same way as other taxable income. However, the Chancellor has said that over this Parliament those whose only income is the basic or new State Pension without any increments will not have to pay income tax.

The government will set out more detail in due course.

No new guidance has been issued to local authorities on this matter.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether Income Tax liabilities arising from simple assessment are taken into account when calculating (a) Housing Benefit and (b) Council Tax Reduction entitlement for pensioners.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The assessment of entitlement to Housing Benefit and Local Council Tax Support takes into account a person’s net income plus the value of any DWP benefits they receive.

Taxation is a matter for HMRC. It treats pension income, whether State or occupational, in the same way as other taxable income. However, the Chancellor has said that over this Parliament those whose only income is the basic or new State Pension without any increments will not have to pay income tax.

The government will set out more detail in due course.

No new guidance has been issued to local authorities on this matter.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to enable community energy projects to sell energy directly to local households and businesses; and how this will support local communities to take greater control of their energy supply and reduce energy bills.

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

This Government is hugely ambitious about the role that community energy will play in achieving our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower. On 10 February 2026, we announced the Local Power Plan: a joint DESNZ-Great British Energy (GBE) publication setting out the UK’s largest ever public investment in community energy, up to £1 billion.

The Department recognises the requests to take steps to better enable local energy markets and trading to lower bills and increase the resilience of the electricity networks.

The Department is investigating barriers to local supply, and is working with Ofgem, GBE and relevant stakeholders to find solutions that work in the best interests of local generators and consumers.

The Department is actively exploring policy options that will unlock Smart Local Energy Systems. Ofgem and Elexon’s work on code modifications, like P441, will help more community energy groups identify and understand the different routes to market in order to sell their energy. Industry feedback will inform the Draft Modification Report considered by the Panel on the 12 March leading to the Final Modification Report submitted to Ofgem on the 17 March.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many formal complaints relating to accessibility or communication barriers at DVLA have been received in the last three years; and what steps are being taken to help improve accessibility for vulnerable or disabled users.

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

Information on the number of formal complaints relating to accessibility or communication barriers at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) over the last three years is not readily available.

The DVLA offers a variety of reasonable adjustments to customers which can range from simple adjustments such as providing correspondence on coloured paper or in large print, to providing a ‘Video Relay Service’ for British Sign Language users who want to contact the DVLA via telephone.

As part of fulfilling its obligations under the Equality Act 2010, the DVLA’s contact centre agents are trained to assist customers who may require reasonable adjustments. Operating instructions and knowledge articles help staff to ensure they follow the correct processes to identify the most suitable form of support for the customer, depending on their individual needs.

For customers who do not want or are unable to use the telephone, a webform service is also available to customers 24/7. The DVLA is also planning to launch a WhatsApp service.

Although the DVLA continues to develop its digital channels to improve customer service and support offerings, it recognises not all customers want or are able to transact digitally and provides paper application facilities as appropriate.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance is issued to DVLA staff on reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 for applicants who cannot use standard telephone-based verification processes.

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

Information on the number of formal complaints relating to accessibility or communication barriers at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) over the last three years is not readily available.

The DVLA offers a variety of reasonable adjustments to customers which can range from simple adjustments such as providing correspondence on coloured paper or in large print, to providing a ‘Video Relay Service’ for British Sign Language users who want to contact the DVLA via telephone.

As part of fulfilling its obligations under the Equality Act 2010, the DVLA’s contact centre agents are trained to assist customers who may require reasonable adjustments. Operating instructions and knowledge articles help staff to ensure they follow the correct processes to identify the most suitable form of support for the customer, depending on their individual needs.

For customers who do not want or are unable to use the telephone, a webform service is also available to customers 24/7. The DVLA is also planning to launch a WhatsApp service.

Although the DVLA continues to develop its digital channels to improve customer service and support offerings, it recognises not all customers want or are able to transact digitally and provides paper application facilities as appropriate.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the accessibility of services provided by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for disabled people who are unable to communicate by telephone; and whether she will take steps to ensure that alternative communication routes, including written and accessible digital channels, are made available and responded to within reasonable timescales.

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

Information on the number of formal complaints relating to accessibility or communication barriers at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) over the last three years is not readily available.

The DVLA offers a variety of reasonable adjustments to customers which can range from simple adjustments such as providing correspondence on coloured paper or in large print, to providing a ‘Video Relay Service’ for British Sign Language users who want to contact the DVLA via telephone.

As part of fulfilling its obligations under the Equality Act 2010, the DVLA’s contact centre agents are trained to assist customers who may require reasonable adjustments. Operating instructions and knowledge articles help staff to ensure they follow the correct processes to identify the most suitable form of support for the customer, depending on their individual needs.

For customers who do not want or are unable to use the telephone, a webform service is also available to customers 24/7. The DVLA is also planning to launch a WhatsApp service.

Although the DVLA continues to develop its digital channels to improve customer service and support offerings, it recognises not all customers want or are able to transact digitally and provides paper application facilities as appropriate.

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 affordability of self-funded Level 7 professional qualifications for SMEs.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Since January 2026, the government no longer funds level 7 apprenticeships, equivalent to master’s degree level, except for young apprentices under the age of 22, and those under 25 who are care leavers or have an Education, Health and Care Plan. As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement on 2 June 2025, this decision was informed by a wide range of evidence including Skills England’s analysis of official apprenticeship statistics and engagement with a wide range of stakeholders. We considered impacts of the change on employers of all sizes, include SMEs.

Given the benefits to businesses, as well as their employees, the government encourages employers to invest in upskilling their staff aged 22 and over to this level, where relevant, to enable levy funding to be re-balanced towards young people.

The government's decision on defunding Level 7 apprenticeships for those aged 22 and over, including the full summary of the evidence that informed that decision, is published here: Written Statements - Hansard - UK Parliament

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 potential impact of removing funding for Level 7 apprenticeships on small and micro-businesses, particularly independent accountancy practices.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 13 June 2025 to Question UIN 57098.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the removal of Level 7 apprenticeship funding on the supply of qualified accountants.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 13 June 2025 to Question UIN 57098.

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 potential impact of restricting access to Level 7 apprenticeship funding for small professional services firms on productivity, SME growth, and regional economies.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 13 June 2025 to Question UIN 57098.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has assessed the potential impact of the removal of Level 7 apprenticeship funding on mature entrants and career changers aged over 25 seeking to retrain in professions such as accountancy.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 13 June 2025 to Question UIN 57098.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has considered retaining Level 7 apprenticeship funding for SMEs through a targeted exemption, capped support, or alternative funding mechanism.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 13 June 2025 to Question UIN 57098.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of overfishing on costs to the fishing industry.

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

The Government is committed to maintaining or restoring our stocks to sustainable levels and supporting the long-term viability of the UK fishing industry.

This aligns with our domestic and international obligations, including those of the Fisheries Act 2020 and Joint Fisheries Statement. We work with international partners to set annual catch limits for shared stocks, using the best available scientific advice and balancing this with social and economic factors, including the risks of overfishing. If catch limits are exceeded in a quota year, deductions can be applied the following year.

Since 2021, the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs has published a report assessing the outcomes of annual fishing negotiations. The 2025 report can be found at the following link: Economic outcomes of negotiations for UK fishing opportunities 2025 - GOV.UK. As it covers negotiated outcomes rather than actual catches, it does not assess industry costs from exceeding limits.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to publish the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science report on the number of Total Allowable Catches that follow scientific advice.

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

Defra has published annual reports from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) setting out the number of Total Allowable Catches of internationally shared stocks that follow scientific advice for UK fishing opportunities since 2020. Defra will continue to track and publish progress of the UK’s approach to sustainable fisheries management.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department incorporates discard estimates into the setting of total allowable catches in the fishing industry.

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

Total Allowable Catches (TACs) are set through a process bringing together science, economics, stakeholder input, and discards information. For most TACs, scientific bodies, e.g. the International Committee for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), provide scientific advice on how much fish can be harvested (catch advice) to achieve agreed sustainability objectives. Where data availability allows, ICES assessments of fish stocks incorporate discarding estimates into the catch advice, and where this occurs, the allocated TACs represent all components of the catch, including discards.

Under the Landing Obligation, legal discarding is permitted for specific stocks under defined circumstances. For these, the UK applies deductions from its TACs prior to their allocation, using estimates of discarding levels to account for expected legal discards. Defra is reforming discards management in England, which includes developing an approach to account for total catches, discards as well as landings, against quota.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which sites she plans to designate as high seas marine protected areas.

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

Under the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, the Conference of the Parties can establish area-based management tools (ABMTs), including marine protected areas, in areas beyond national jurisdiction. Once we have ratified the Agreement, as a Party the UK will be able to participate fully in decisions on the establishment of such tools. The UK has been working proactively to support global efforts to consider where future ABMTs under the Agreement may be proposed, including through the publication of Defra-funded research which produced a shortlist of ABMTs that could be considered for development into future proposals.

The UK has a long-standing interest in the Sargasso Sea, with Bermuda – an overseas territory – being the only land territory within it. Together with the Government of Bermuda, we support science-led conservation of the Sargasso Sea, including as signatories to the Hamilton Declaration (2014) which established the Sargasso Sea Commission. We have recently circulated (to BBNJ signatories) a draft Hamilton II Declaration, which acknowledges the global importance of conserving the Sargasso Sea and provides a mechanism to signal political support for developing a collective ABMT proposal under the BBNJ Agreement.

Separate to the BBNJ Agreement, as a Contracting Party to the Oslo and Paris Convention (OSPAR) the UK works collaboratively with the other 15 Contracting Parties to designate marine protected areas in areas beyond national jurisdiction in the OSPAR maritime area.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many reports of marine mammal bycatch were made by fishermen in the last three years.

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

Marine mammal bycatch is required to be reported under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to continue to export fisheries products to the United States (US), and to assist conservation efforts in mitigating marine mammal bycatch.

According to the Marine Management Organisation, fishermen made a total of 40 reports of marine mammal bycatch across the last three years from 2023 to 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many infraction notices have been issued for illegal discarding in the fishing sector in the last three years.

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

In England, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has issued a total of 34 infraction notices for illegal discarding or for incorrectly recording discards in logbooks in the years 2023-2026.

Information on infraction notices or inspection activity undertaken by the Scottish, Welsh, or Northern Irish authorities in the waters for which they are responsible can be obtained directly from the respective devolved Governments.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of recent trends in Special Constabulary numbers on diversity and representation within the wider police workforce.

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

Police forces that reflect the communities they serve are crucial to tackling crime in a modern diverse society. The police have and continue to work hard to improve equality and diversity and the workforce is more representative than ever before.

The Special Constabulary is more ethnically diverse than other parts of the police workforce. As at 31 March 2025, 13% of Specials belong to a Black, Asian, Mixed or Other ethnic group, compared with 8.5% of officers. However, this is still lower than the general population, where 18% of people identify as belonging to a Black, Asian, Mixed or Other ethnic group.

As at 31 March 2025, 25% of special constables were female, compared to 36% of regular officers. We will continue to work with policing partners to improve representation.

The Government’s Police Reform White Paper acknowledges that volunteers bring fresh perspectives, skills and increased diversity into policing and outlines our ambition to grow the number of special constables. This includes working closely with policing to identify ways to improve and streamline recruitment processes and learning from other volunteering models to inform the continued development of police volunteering.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Voluntary Code of Practice for Food on the Go in reducing litter; and whether she made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) reviewing and (b) strengthening the Code, including through statutory measures.

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

No assessment has been made of the code of practice.

Councils and others have powers to tackle persistent, unreasonable behaviour that is having a negative effect on a community’s quality of life. They can issue Community Protection Notices which can be used to require the owner of premises, such as fast-food outlets, to take certain actions to tackle litter created by their activities.

To support local councils to make good use of their powers for littering and related offences we have laid new Statutory Guidance: Litter enforcement powers: when and how to use them in Parliament. Local authorities will need to have regard to this guidance when using their powers.

Guidance published by the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government clarifies the powers available to councils to ensure new hot food takeaways do not increase the impact of litter on local communities. The guidance gives councils advice on what rules they can enforce when new takeaways open, such as ensuring they install more bins and anti-litter signs around shops or have staff members pick up litter regularly.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what measures are in place to ensure compliance by social media platforms with safety duties under the Online Safety Act 2023, particularly in relation to the protection of younger users.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Online Safety Act (the Act) requires services, including social media, to protect children from illegal, harmful and age-inappropriate content.

Both the Act’s illegal duties and child safety duties are now in force, with Ofcom having substantial enforcement powers including the ability to issue fines of up to £18 million or 10% of platforms’ qualifying worldwide revenue. Since the duties came into force, Ofcom has opened several enforcement investigations against platforms suspected of failing to meet their obligations. Recent actions include investigations into major pornography providers, file-sharing services for measures to prevent the sharing of child sexual abuse material, and online forums linked to harassment and suicide promotion.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to ensure that social media companies respond promptly and transparently to reports of harmful content, particularly where such content involves users under the age of 16.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Online Safety Act establishes Ofcom as the independent regulator for online safety with powers to sanction in-scope services who do not comply with their duties, including user redress, child safety and age assurance.

Duties on content reporting and complaints procedures require services to enable users to report illegal content, report any breach of a service’s own terms and conditions, and require a service to take appropriate action in response to such complaints.

Ofcom has Government’s full backing to use all the powers given to it by Parliament in the exercise of its regulatory responsibilities.

Leasehold reform (No. 3)

Protections for Cornish produce

Covid Day of Reflection 2026

Palantir and the NHS

Dual nationals without British passports

Recognition of Ukrainian driving licences

Ellen Roome and the Jools’ Law campaign

90th anniversary of the Spitfire

Found: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat; Stratford-on-Avon) Martin Rhodes (Labour; Glasgow North) Dr Roz Savage

Submit Evidence (by 6 Apr 2026)

Data centres are regarded by ministers as being central to UK economic growth and were designated critical national infrastructure (CNI) in September 2024, offering them more legal protections. But their electricity consumption is expected to quadruple by 2030, according to the National Energy System Operator, raising concerns about their sustainability