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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of making water companies statutory consultees in planning applications.

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

The government recently declared a moratorium on any new statutory consultees, along with a review of the existing statutory consultee arrangements to ensure they align with the government’s ambitions for growth. Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 10 March 2025 (HCWS510). Any further announcements will be subject to this review.

I also refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UNI 40935 on 31 March 2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Pension Sharing Orders administered by Teachers’ Pensions are processed within stated timeframes.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Pension scheme administrators have four months to implement pension sharing orders (PSOs), however the department is aware that for some members of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, this timescale has been affected by the transitional protection remedy.

In some cases, there has been outstanding guidance whereby the scheme administrator could not progress PSOs until this was received, and other cases require responses from the member before they can be implemented.

The department is in regular discussion with the scheme administrator to consider the issues which have prevented some PSOs being issued to the normal timescales and will continue to closely monitor performance.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what criteria his Department is using to identify the most critical (a) subsectors and (b) technologies within the eight priority sectors outlined in the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

There is no single 'best' way to identify the most critical subsectors and technologies, so the Government has used a range of quantitative and qualitative evidence and judgement. We have considered metrics which relate to the Industrial Strategy's objectives of delivering sustainable, inclusive, and resilient growth and boosting business investment, such as wages, productivity, and the UK's international position to identify our current and emerging strengths. We have combined this with engagement with experts and stakeholders, including the Industrial Strategy Green Paper consultation, and multiple data sources. Further detail will be provided in the upcoming White Paper.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what plans his Department has to incentivise employer investment in workforce training and upskilling as part of the Invest 2035 strategy.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Industrial Strategy Green Paper is clear that the people that create and work in businesses will be central to the success of the growth-driving sectors and clusters. The government is developing proposals to ensure that the current and future skills system supports employers to invest in and develop a skilled workforce, and has already taken steps to support this, including establishing Skills England and reforming the existing apprenticeship offer into a Growth and Skills levy-funded offer which will provide greater flexibility for both employers and learners. We will set out further detail in the forthcoming Industrial Strategy.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to align the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy with economic strategies developed by devolved Administrations.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Industrial Strategy will unleash the full potential of our cities and regions by attracting investment and creating the best environment for businesses in them to thrive

My officials are working with the devolved governments on how we can drive growth across the UK within the context of our Industrial Strategy. This includes regular ministerial engagement through the Interministerial Group for Business & Industry. This partnership will help make the Industrial Strategy a UK-wide effort and support the sectoral strengths and growth-driving clusters in all four nations.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with (a) Wiltshire council, (b) operators of waste management and sewage facilities (c) residents and (d) the Environment Agency on the persistent poor odour in Calne.

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

As the independent regulator for major industry and waste, the Environment Agency (EA) is investigating sites which fall under its regulation in the Calne area to determine whether they are potential sources of the odour currently being experienced. Investigations into other potential sources are being carried out by Wiltshire Council. The EA is sharing information and updates on its ongoing investigation into the source of odour complaints in Calne with stakeholders via briefing notes. An initial briefing note was circulated on 3 April 2025, with an update issued on 28 April 2025. Further briefings will be issued as the investigation progresses.

The briefings are being issued to members of the public who have contacted the EA to report the issue, Wiltshire Council, waste site operators, UK HSA, Local Councillors, and the honourable member for Chippenham.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of schools in Wiltshire that stock spare adrenaline auto-injectors for emergency use.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. The accompanying statutory guidance ‘Supporting pupils with medical conditions at school’ makes clear to schools what is expected of them in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to meet the individual needs of pupils with medical conditions, including allergies. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.

The department has alerted schools to external resources from trusted allergy organisations. This includes the Schools Allergy Code, developed by The Allergy Team, Independent Schools’ Bursars Association and the Benedict Blythe Foundation, and Allergy School created by the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation.

In 2017, the Department of Health published non-statutory guidance confirming that schools can purchase spare adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) from a pharmacy without a prescription and for use in an emergency situation. The department does not hold information on the number of schools which stock spare AAIs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to support the implementation of the Benedict Blythe Foundation's allergy safety recommendations in schools in England.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. The accompanying statutory guidance ‘Supporting pupils with medical conditions at school’ makes clear to schools what is expected of them in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to meet the individual needs of pupils with medical conditions, including allergies. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.

The department has alerted schools to external resources from trusted allergy organisations. This includes the Schools Allergy Code, developed by The Allergy Team, Independent Schools’ Bursars Association and the Benedict Blythe Foundation, and Allergy School created by the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation.

In 2017, the Department of Health published non-statutory guidance confirming that schools can purchase spare adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) from a pharmacy without a prescription and for use in an emergency situation. The department does not hold information on the number of schools which stock spare AAIs.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the the potential merits of writing off historical Carer’s Allowance overpayments in cases involving small or inadvertent breaches of the earnings limit.

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

The Government inherited a system where busy carers, already struggling under a huge weight of responsibility, have been left having to repay large sums of overpaid Carer’s Allowance (CA) – sometimes worth thousands of pounds.

We needed to understand exactly what had gone wrong so we could set out our plan to put things right. That is why we launched an Independent Review of earnings-related overpayments of CA. The review is investigating how overpayments of CA have occurred; what can best be done to support those who have accrued them; and how to reduce the risk of these problems occurring in future. It is anticipated that the Independent Review will arrive at its conclusions this summer. We will, of course, carefully consider the findings of the review and its recommendations. Both the report from the Independent Review and the Government’s response will be published.

We have been clear (including in the Terms of Reference) that the review is not a substitute for legal proceedings (Mandatory Reconsiderations/Appeals) and the existence of the review does not prejudice any business-as-usual activity by DWP. It would not be appropriate to speculate on the findings of the review or any potential outcomes.

Where overpayments do occur, the Department has a duty to the taxpayer to protect public funds and to ask for money to be paid back. We remain committed to working with anyone who is struggling with their repayment terms and will always look to negotiate sustainable and affordable repayment plans.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the cause of the persistent odour affecting residents in Calne, Wiltshire.

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

The Environment Agency (EA) has received a significant number of reports of odour in the Calne area throughout April. EA officers have attended and substantiated odour, believed to be landfill gas from regulated activity in Compton Bassett.

While landfill activity will on occasion give rise to a level of odour, the odour substantiated by the EA indicates an unacceptable level of pollution and the EA is actively investigating potential sources.

As part of their investigations, the EA has carried out surface emission surveys to detect landfill gas at two landfill sites in Compton Bassett. These inspections have highlighted several points on the site infrastructure at Lower Compton Landfill where improvements are required to reduce emissions of landfill gas; the EA has required the operator to make these improvements. While these works will reduce the level of odour from this site, it is unlikely that in isolation the issues identified are the sole cause of the recent complaints. The EA is considering multiple potential sources.

Further inspections of both regulated landfill sites are planned, to confirm the improvements required at Lower Compton Landfill have been completed and to continue investigations into other potential sources.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many train services were (a) cancelled and (b) delayed by more than 15 minutes on routes serving Chippenham railway station in the most recent 12 month period for which data is available.

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

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) publish statistics on punctuality and reliability of trains operating on the mainline network on a periodic basis.

The Train Operating Company providing services to Chippenham station is Great Western Railway. In the financial year 2024/25:

a) An average of 4.6% of services scheduled by Great Western Railways were cancelled.
(Source: ORR - Table 3124 https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/performance/passenger-rail-performance/table-3124-trains-planned-and-cancellations-by-operator-and-cause-periodic/).

b) On average, 96.6% of services run by Great Western Railway trains arrived within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time
(Source: ORR - Table 3138 https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/performance/passenger-rail-performance/table-3138-train-punctuality-at-recorded-station-stops-by-operator-periodic/).

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of a national prostate cancer screening programme on (a) early diagnosis rates and (b) health inequalities.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is guided on screening policy by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). The committee has commissioned a university to carry out a high quality review and cost effectiveness model of the evidence for a national prostate cancer screening programme. This includes targeted approaches to high risk groups and an offer to all men defined by age.

However, their previous review advised against screening because the current best test, the prostate specific antigen test, is not accurate. As a result, it can lead to some men receiving false reassurance when they do actually have prostate cancer, and others receiving unnecessary further tests when they did not have prostate cancer.

Black men are twice as likely as white men to get prostate cancer. But using an inaccurate test on this group of men might not reduce health inequalities. Instead, it risks leading to greater levels of misdiagnosis in this group. We need a better test, which is why the Government has invested £16 million in the TRANSFORM trial, to look for a better test. This trial will ensure that one in ten participants are black men.

Many prostate cancers are very slow growing and many men can live and die with prostate cancer, without ever showing any symptoms. Early diagnosis in prostate cancer can lead to unnecessary interventions and treatment that can have nasty and life altering side effects, for a cancer that would never have caused harm. That is why the UK NSC, when reviewing the evidence for a screening programme, must balance the benefits, including a reduction in mortality, against the harms. Only where the committee is confident that high quality evidence suggests a programme will do more good than harm will it be recommended.

Protecting children from sexual abuse

Small and medium-sized enterprises in defence procurement

Sanctioning of UK Parliamentarians by Russia

ANZAC Day 2025

Congratulating Prime Minister Mark Carney

Trans+ History Week

UK role in peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Improving equestrian road safety awareness

UK-EU Summit

Overseas-qualified dentists

Children's Grief Awareness Week 2024

Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide charity

Gaza occupation proposals

Ian Gibson Fellowship

Fife Carers Centre’s 30 year anniversary

Deaf Awareness Week 2025

Rural bus services

Public libraries

Earth Day 2025

Curry Rivel Active Travel Group's new cycle path

Challenges in the hair and beauty sector

Safe sleep standards in early years settings

Access to NHS dentists

Electoral reform

Restless legs syndrome

Chalk stream river protection

Climate and Nature Bill

Blockade of aid to Gaza

Frome Town Women Football Club

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Found: 12 May 2025 _NC27 Gideon Amos Tim Farron Vikki Slade Liz Jarvis David Chadwick Sarah Dyke Sarah Gibson

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Found: _NC27 Gideon Amos Tim Farron Vikki Slade Liz Jarvis David Chadwick Sarah Dyke Sarah Gibson Zöe

Found: Caroline Voaden Vikki Slade Liz Jarvis Rachel Gilmour Tom Gordon Helen Maguire Tom Morrison Sarah Gibson

Found: Clive Jones Ms Stella Creasy Tom Gordon Pippa Heylings Manuela Perteghella Max Wilkinson Sarah Gibson

Found: _NC27 Gideon Amos Tim Farron Vikki Slade Liz Jarvis David Chadwick Sarah Dyke Sarah Gibson Zöe

Found: Caroline Voaden Vikki Slade Liz Jarvis Rachel Gilmour Tom Gordon Helen Maguire Tom Morrison Sarah Gibson

Found: _NC27 Gideon Amos Tim Farron Vikki Slade Liz Jarvis David Chadwick Sarah Dyke Sarah Gibson Zöe

Found: Clive Jones Ms Stella Creasy Tom Gordon Pippa Heylings Manuela Perteghella Max Wilkinson Sarah Gibson