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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure adequate skills in local authorities to develop horticulture and parks.

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

The Government is committed to working in partnership with local authorities, industry, further education institutions, and training providers to strengthen skills and support jobs across the farming sector, including the horticulture sector, ensuring businesses and local authorities have the expertise needed to manage and develop green spaces. In collaboration with the Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture we are also helping to promote the wide range of exciting opportunities the sector offers.

The Spending Review 2025 provides over £5 billion of new grant funding over the next three years for local services that communities rely on. The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support jobs in the environmental sector, particularly horticulture.

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

The Government is committed to working in partnership with local authorities, industry, further education institutions, and training providers to strengthen skills and support jobs across the farming sector, including the horticulture sector, ensuring businesses and local authorities have the expertise needed to manage and develop green spaces. In collaboration with the Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture we are also helping to promote the wide range of exciting opportunities the sector offers.

The Spending Review 2025 provides over £5 billion of new grant funding over the next three years for local services that communities rely on. The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to issue updated guidance on pet passports.

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

As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, which will mean taking pets on holiday into the EU will become easier and cheaper.

Instead of getting an animal health certificate each time you travel, owners will be able to get a multiuse pet passport valid for travel to the EU.

We have begun negotiations with the EU on the SPS agreement, however we are not going to give a running commentary of talks. In the meantime, owners will still need an Animal Health Certificate for their dog, cat or ferret if they are travelling from Great Britain to an EU country.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much new burdens funding she plans to allocate for food waste collections; and if she will (a) allocate that funding based on costs incurred by WCAs and (b) apply the New Burdens Doctrine in full.

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

We have invested over £340 million to support waste collection authorities on weekly food collections. While local authorities will have the flexibility to deliver these reforms in the best way for their council areas and residents, we still expect them to take all reasonable steps to meet their statutory obligations.

Previous capital and transitional funding were allocated and published by Defra. As confirmed in the outcome of the Spending Review 2025, ongoing resource funding for food waste services from 1 April 2026 will be included in the Local Government Finance Settlement, rather than as a separate new burdens grant.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department issues guidance to local planning authorities on ensuring that public consultation and plan-making processes do not appear (a) biased and (b) predetermined.

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

The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that local development plans should be shaped by early, proportionate, and effective engagement between plan-makers and communities, local organisations, and businesses.

Regulations under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 require a minimum of two separate public consultations on a local plan. Local planning authorities, as public bodies, should conduct these consultations in an open way, without having a pre-determined view on the outcome. They are legally obliged to have regard to representations received and the Planning Inspectorate independently examines plans before they can be adopted.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure imported eggs are (a) salmonella free and (b) raised to the same standards as UK produced eggs.

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

The UK has detailed legislation on marketing standards for eggs, which also covers imported eggs, to protect our food standards.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much his Department has spent on software licences from Microsoft in the last 12 months; and what proportion this represents of his Department’s total technology spend.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department for Business and Trade has spent £4.8m on software licences from Microsoft in the last 12 months, December 2024 to November 2025. This represents 5% of the Department's total Digital, Data & Technology spend.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what (a) planning policy and (b) precedent prevents (i) land promoters and (ii) developers from materially altering an agreed development layout at a site allocated within a Local Plan review following Regulation (A) 18 and (B) 19 consultations.

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

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that site allocation policies should be deliverable over the plan period.

Planning practice guidance states that where sites are proposed for allocation, sufficient detail should be given to provide clarity to developers, local communities and other interested parties about the nature and scale of development. Such details may include policies on site layouts for allocations and would routinely be consulted on as part of the pre-submission consultation (Regulation 19). They may also be consulted on at an earlier stage (Regulation 18).

Any alterations to policies made before a plan is submitted for examination may only be made by the relevant local planning authority. Alterations to policies would only be made during the examination of the plan if the independent local plan examiner deems it appropriate, to ensure the plan meets the tests of soundness or to ensure legal compliance.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the impact on sugar beet producers in England due to the decision to extend tariff-free access for raw cane sugar.

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

The UK relies on some imported refined sugar to meet demand, and the Government’s assessment concluded that any additional volume of raw cane imports would largely displace that imported refined sugar rather than impacting domestic production. The increase in the ATQ volume is therefore not expected to impact UK sugar beet producers and the Government continues to work closely with stakeholders to ensure policy making finely balances all considerations.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to help ensure farmers are not out of pocket for costs incurred under AB12 supplementary feeding for farmland birds.

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

Under the Environmental Land Management Capital Grants scheme, AB12 aims to provide bird feed during the winter period when other food sources are scarce. It pays £732 per tonne for every 2 hectares (ha) of winter bird food and is available under Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier and Higher Tier. Feed can be purchased from a number of suppliers across the UK. The department regularly reviews payment rates.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent on software licenses from Microsoft in the last 12 months; and what proportion this represents of his Department’s total technology spend.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

In the last 12 months, the Ministry of Justice has spent £68 million on software licenses from Microsoft. This represents approximately 11% of the Department’s total technology spend.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department has spent on software licences from Microsoft in the last 12 months; and what proportion this represents of his Department’s total technology spend.

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

For the period 4 December 2024 to 5 December 2025, the Department spent £4.8 million on Microsoft Software licenses and services. During this period this spend accounted for 25.2% of the overall internal technology spend.

Thanking postal workers

Found: Dame Chi Onwurah (Chair); Emily Darlington; George Freeman; Dr Allison Gardner; Kit Malthouse; Samantha Niblett

Found: Q160 Samantha Niblett: Hello. Thanks so much for coming in to see us today.

Found: Q160 Samantha Niblett: Hello. Thanks so much for coming in to see us today.

Found: Dame Chi Onwurah (Chair); Emily Darlington; George Freeman; Dr Allison Gardner; Kit Malthouse; Samantha Niblett

Hair and beauty products (chemicals applied to the hair or body for cosmetic purposes) and treatments (cosmetic procedures typically performed by specialists) can cause harm to consumers if they contain unregulated ingredients or if they are improperly administered.  The inquiry will respond to recent research which has led to concerns about the current scientific evidence base and regulation for these products, as well as the required training and qualifications of specialists performing treatments.  The inquiry will also investigate the growing concern that certain products that are commonly used by marginalised groups, such as creams to ‘relax’ afro-type hair and synthetic hair, can contain harmful chemicals.

On 15 July 2025 the Defence Secretary told the House of Commons about a large-scale data breach that had taken place in 2022, when a Ministry of Defence official emailed a spreadsheet to an external contact, unaware that it contained details relating to 18,700 Afghan nationals applying for relocation.