Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Georgian counterpart on the treatment of (a) political opponents and (b) journalists in that country.

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

I remain gravely concerned by Georgia's democratic backsliding, attacks on the opposition and journalists. The former Foreign Secretary's 11 July statement condemned politically motivated detentions of opposition leaders in Georgia. On 6 August, the UK, with the Media Freedom Coalition, condemned the politically motivated sentencing of journalist Mzia Amaglobeli to two years in prison. Georgia must reverse course, uphold European values, and protect civil society and press freedom.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether an agreement to link the UK and EU Emissions Trading Schemes will be in place before the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism comes into force on 1 January 2026.

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

At the UK-EU Summit on 19 May, both sides agreed in the Common Understanding to work towards establishing a link between their respective carbon markets by way of an agreement linking the United Kingdom Emission Trading Scheme (UK ETS) and the European Union Emission Trading System (EU ETS).

The UK is looking to secure a linking agreement with the European Union as fast as is feasible. We are taking forward preparations at pace and look forward to beginning negotiations.

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 ensure that the UK’s energy (a) policy and (b) regulatory frameworks support the sustainable growth of data centres by (a) providing long-term clarity on low-carbon power generation and flexibility technologies, (b) introducing planning and connection guidance for new data centres, (c) reviewing private wire network regulations, (d) enabling timely and strategic electricity network connections, (e) reducing non-domestic electricity costs and (f) coordinating infrastructure planning across (i) land, (ii) water and (iii) energy systems.

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

The AI Energy Council, chaired by the DESNZ and DSIT Secretaries of State, is working to understand the future energy demand of data centres and the policy and regulatory options for enabling faster connections that are compatible with Clean Power 2030. It has five working groups, co-led with partners from industry and academia, respectively considering demand forecasting, grid connections, sustainability, AI opportunities and corporate PPAs in more detail. In terms of infrastructure planning more broadly, the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan provides detail on this for 2025-30, while the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan currently being developed will do so for 2030-50.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to help improve pay and conditions for court interpreters in the contracted service.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on Friday 5 September to Question 73395: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-08-29/73395.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of protections for defendants under the Single Justice Procedure.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Government acknowledges the criticisms in relation to the Single Justice Procedure (SJP) and the importance of ensuring that the SJP is accessible and fair to all defendants. That is why we launched a consultation on the oversight and regulation of private prosecutors which included a chapter on the adequacy of safeguards in the SJP. The consultation closed on 8 May and work is ongoing to analyse the responses received and look at ways to reform the SJP, which improves safeguards and efficiency in the process.

The Government response to the consultation is expected to be published later this year.

There are several existing safeguards built into the SJP process to ensure a defendant’s fair trial rights are protected. The defendant retains the right to have a full hearing in open court. SJP is available where they waive that right, either expressly or by failing to respond to the process, but only in circumstances where the court has first satisfied itself that the relevant documents were served on the accused.

If a defendant does not know about the case until after it has finished, they can make a statutory declaration to that effect, which will restart the proceedings again from the beginning. Magistrates can adjourn the case if further information is required, or refer the case to be heard in open court if it would be more appropriate than continuing under SJP.

Where a defendant pleads not guilty, the case is listed for summary trial before a bench of magistrates in open court.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Independent Technical Review of Qualifications and Experience Requirements for the Provision of Spoken Language Interpreting of 17 March 2025, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the sufficient recruitment of qualified Level 6 interpreters.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice recognises the importance of ensuring a sufficient supply of qualified Level 6 interpreters to meet the needs of the justice system. Following the publication of the Independent Technical Review of Qualifications and Experience Requirements for the Provision of Spoken Language Interpreting on 17 March 2025, the Department has taken steps to support recruitment and professional development in this area.

The review established Level 6 as the default professional standard for all interpreters working in complex justice settings, and its recommendations have been incorporated into the new Qualifications Framework now embedded in the upcoming contract specifications.

To support long-term sustainability, the Department has established two key stakeholder groups: the External Stakeholders Forum and the Future Pipeline Advisory Group. The latter is specifically focused on addressing ongoing challenges in interpreter supply, including qualification development.

The Future Pipeline Advisory Group will look at ways to expand access to Level 6 qualifications, particularly in rare languages where formal qualifications may not currently exist.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether HS2 plans to revisit the allocation of strategic funding to the London Borough of Ealing.

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

HS2 Ltd continues to meet its commitment to fund any new financial burdens on LB Ealing as a result of the HS2 project, and is also funding a dedicated officer post.

On top of this, people in Ealing continue to benefit from HS2’s Community and Environment Fund and Business and Local Economy Fund. So far, these have funded projects worth £720,000 in Ealing. There is also a HS2 Road Safety Fund and Highway Deterioration Fund available to Ealing. Ealing has recently applied for its full allocation from the Road Safety Fund.

HS2 Ltd is not funded to make additional financial contributions to Ealing over and above these, and the other commitments agreed during the passage of the hybrid Bill.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to make smart metering mandatory in the water sector.

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

Water companies already have the ability to charge by water meters on a mandatory basis in areas designated water stressed. This is only able to feature in water companies’ long-term plans if it represents value for money and has customer support.

The Government has committed to working with Ofwat to assess the recommendations from a report led by Baringa on the current approach including exploring mandatory standards for smart meter rollouts. This will reduce leakage and enable customers to have more data to make water and cost-efficient choices.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Act 2024, whether citizens who naturalised prior to 22 July 2025 will be included in the new registration route.

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

Those who have already become a British citizen through naturalisation are not able to apply for British citizenship as they already hold that status.

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 work to eradicate polio globally.

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

The UK is a longstanding supporter of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), having contributed £1.4 billion since 1995. This has enabled GPEI to reduce wild poliovirus cases by over 99 per cent. The UK is also the largest donor to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, recently announcing a new investment that will support eligible countries with polio vaccines as part of an essential package of childhood immunisation.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Dame Caroline Dinenage (Chair); Mr Bayo Alaba; Damian Hinds; Dr Rupa Huq

Found: members present: Dame Caroline Dinenage (Chair); Mr Bayo Alaba; Mr James Frith; Damian Hinds; Dr Rupa Huq