Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department plans to publish its response to the Net Zero Ports consultation.

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

We received 65 responses to the Net Zero Ports call for evidence, and plan to set out the findings later this year. These valuable stakeholder insights will shape our policy approach to the role of ports in maritime decarbonisation.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any lessons from the previous Rapid Charging Fund have informed the design of the new fund; what methodology will be used, as part of the new fund, to assess connection costs within applications; and what timetable has been set for the new fund to open to applicants.

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

A reliable, accessible public charging network to support electric vehicle drivers on long journeys is essential to support the electric vehicle transition.  The market has changed significantly since the £950 million Rapid Charging Fund was announced in 2020, with over 6,400 open-access, rapid and ultra-rapid charge points within one mile of the Strategic Road Network – more than quadrupling in the last three years (July 2022 – Oct 2025, Zapmap).

We’re adapting our approach to meet the needs of industry today. We are using lessons from the Rapid Charging Fund pilot and continue to work with industry to deliver the right financial support, targeted where it is needed most. For example, improving provision at some motorway service areas where high connection costs have made charging infrastructure rollout uncommercially unviable.

We expect to share more information later this year via a targeted industry consultation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the timeliness of NHS appointment notifications; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of different communication methods, including letters, text messages and email.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to supporting access to care and reducing missed appointments. The NHS App provides a core national channel for patients to view, receive, and manage appointment information across a range of care settings whilst ‘NHS Notify’ enables National Health Service organisations to send letters, text messages, and emails from a single platform.

Communication assessment work done by NHS England’s Behavioural Science Unit showed that such tailored messaging significantly increased patient response rates.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a statutory national register of heritage trees.

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

Ancient and veteran trees are our most important trees and considered irreplaceable habitats. They are protected through planning policy, and local authorities can grant additional protections to individual high-value trees through Tree Preservation Orders. Defra is continuing to focus on improving how these protections are implemented, to ensure these trees are safeguarded in practice as well as in policy, while also considering what further measures could be included in a new Trees Action Plan.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her EU counterparts on regulatory convergence regarding EV battery traceability, performance and carbon footprint reporting requirements.

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

I have not had discussions with my EU counterparts on regulatory convergence regarding EV battery traceability, performance and carbon footprint reporting requirements.

Working alongside the Devolved Governments, we are reviewing the UK's producer responsibility legislation for batteries. As part of this review, we are considering aligning with the requirements of the EU Batteries Regulation which includes provisions on traceability, performance and carbon footprint. My officials held a series of workshops with industry earlier this year to explore this further.

The EU Batteries Regulation already applies directly in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the level of demand electric vehicles; and whether her Department has assessed the potential merits of aligning the ZEV mandate trajectory with the 2035 European transition timeline in the light of current consumer and business rental demand.

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

According to industry figures, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) represent 22.4% of new car sales in the year to date. In March, new BEV volumes were up 24.2% on March last year, with 86,120 BEV sales, the highest month of BEV sales by volume ever in the UK. New BEV sales increased by almost a quarter in 2025 compared to 2024, while BEVs showed the strongest growth on the second-hand market, up by 45.7%.

The Government continues to monitor regulatory approaches to support the transition to zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) in other countries and in the EU. These vary depending on economic, market, and geographic circumstances.

Transitioning to ZEVs is essential to meeting the UK’s objectives on air quality, energy security and industrial policy, and to delivering on our climate commitments. The Government has a long-standing commitment to publish a review of the ZEV Mandate by early 2027, with preparations beginning this year.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on implementing United Nations Global Technical Regulation No.22 on EV battery health.

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

On 13 April 2026, the Department launched a public consultation on updating the minimum emission standards for new road vehicles to Euro 7. As part of these proposals, manufacturers would be required to meet the requirements of United Nations Global Technical Regulation No.22 by fitting electric vehicles with accurate, accessible and comparable battery health monitors. The consultation will remain open until 25 May 2026.

The Government is seeking views on these proposals through that consultation. No final decisions have been taken, and the timetable for introducing any new battery health measures will be determined following careful consideration of the responses received.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support individuals with high domestic power bills arising from complex medical needs, particularly in light of recent fluctuations in energy prices.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

From April, households will benefit from reduction energy bills thanks to the action that the Government took in the Budget, with the price cap falling by £117, giving households certainty on their bills until July.

The government have also announced £53 million for low-income families, who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices. Funding is being delivered by local authorities through the Crisis and Resilience Fund.

They may also be eligible for support such as the Warm Home Discount and I would urge anyone in such a challenging situation to contact their energy supplier or Citizens Advice to see what further support is available. Vulnerable consumers who need extra support are also able to sign up for the Priority Services Register for free.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to her written statement of 2 March 2026 on Asylum changes, by what date her department plans to have operationalised a Named Community Sponsorship scheme for refugee resettlement.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

In the Restoring Order and Control policy statement, the Government committed to transforming its approach to safe and legal routes. This included the creation of a named sponsorship scheme to enable community groups to sponsor refugees and displaced persons.

Work is underway to deliver the named community sponsorship route.

Further details, including timeframes for the launch of the route, will be set out in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to her written statement of 2 March 2026 on Asylum changes, what is her proposed timeline for establishing a Named Community Sponsorship scheme.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

In the Restoring Order and Control policy statement, the Government committed to transforming its approach to safe and legal routes. This included the creation of a named sponsorship scheme to enable community groups to sponsor refugees and displaced persons.

Work is underway to deliver the named community sponsorship route.

Further details, including timeframes for the launch of the route, will be set out in due course.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support individuals with high domestic power bills arising from complex medical needs.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

From April, households will benefit from reduction energy bills thanks to the action that the Government took in the Budget, with the price cap falling by £117, giving households certainty on their bills until July.

The government have also announced £53 million for low-income families, who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices. Funding is being delivered by local authorities through the Crisis and Resilience Fund.

They may also be eligible for support such as the Warm Home Discount and I would urge anyone in such a challenging situation to contact their energy supplier or Citizens Advice to see what further support is available. Vulnerable consumers who need extra support are also able to sign up for the Priority Services Register for free.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure key workers can reach their place of employment in the event of a fuel shortage.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government is monitoring developments in relation to the Middle East closely. The UK benefits from a diverse and resilient supply chain. Around 90% of crude oil refined in the UK is imported, and approximately 1%,comes from the Middle East. This diverse supply means that the Government assesses that fuel supply is stable and remains accessible to those who need it.

Government routinely reviews and exercises its preparedness arrangements for a range of scenarios, including through the National Emergency Plan for Fuel (NEP-F). This is a long-standing, precautionary framework designed to ensure that, in the unlikely event of a severe and sustained disruption, fuel can be prioritised for those who need it most.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association in the context of its role as an approved alternative dispute resolution (ADR) body, including in relation to its independence and compliance with the requirements for ADR providers.

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

The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme is a voluntary, non-statutory dispute resolution scheme, set up by the industry and independent of government.

DBT funds the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) who accredit and regularly audit BVRLA against key principles including neutrality, independence and effective complaints handling under a new mandatory accreditation and monitoring framework in the 2026 ADR Regulations.

The new 2026 ADR Regulations replace the 2015 ADR Regulations, introducing mandatory accreditation of all ADR providers, strengthened accreditation and monitoring standards and new sanctioning powers to tackle poor performance.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the February 2026 announcement of £73.4 million in protective security funding for faith communities, (a) what was the evidential basis for the levels of funding allocated to different protective security schemes in the period referenced and (b) what steps she is taking to ensure support given to Hindu Mandirs in (i) Scotland and (ii) the wider UK reflects the actual costs of security provision and personnel.

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

Funding allocations are determined by an assessment of the threats and risks faced by communities. The recent allocation of £40 million for Muslim sites and £28.4 million for Jewish sites reflects the clear and sustained threat and vulnerability picture established through police reporting and assessments.

This includes the latest data of police recorded hate crime which shows that religious hate crime continues to increase, with the majority (73%) of religious hate crime targeted at Jewish and Muslim communities in the most recent reporting year.

Places of worship from all other faiths can apply to the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme. The recently announced additional funding for 2026/27 for this scheme – which will bring total funding for the scheme to £5 million in 206/27 – represents record levels of support to Christian, Hindu, Sikh and other faith communities in England and Wales. Where measures are provided through the scheme, sites are assessed to identify proportionate security improvements, and the Home Office keeps unit cost assumptions and delivery arrangements under review to ensure they adequately reflect current market conditions.

We continue to support the police and operational partners in assessing threats and strengthening protections for faith communities against hate crime. As policing and justice matters are devolved, the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme is not available in Scotland. However, we continue to engage with partners across the UK to support faith communities to access appropriate advice and support.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help reduce the upfront costs of EVs.

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

The Government is reducing the upfront costs of zero emission vehicles by providing grants for zero emission cars, vans, trucks, and wheelchair accessible vehicles; this includes the £2 billion Electric Car Grant, which has already helped over 90,000 drivers to choose an electric vehicle.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her Department’s policies on (a) electric vehicle uptake, (b) automotive production, and (c) transport affordability for lower-income households of the French social leasing scheme.

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

The Department regularly engages with French counterparts on policy, including support for zero emission vehicles, and is carefully reviewing the recent (10 April) announcement of the third iteration of the French Government’s Social Leasing scheme.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support joined up working in the development of skills in the environmental health sector.

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

The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper set out reforms to the skills system to ensure skills provision is aligned to the needs of the Industrial Strategy and support people to train in sectors which support growth and meet priority skills needs. The department is working across government to achieve these aims.

Several universities deliver Environmental Health provision spanning BScs, MScs, and degree apprenticeships. All courses are professionally regulated by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and support people to access careers in this occupation.

The Environmental Health Practitioner apprenticeship allows individuals to develop the knowledge and skills needed to work in areas such as environmental protection, food safety, housing standards and public health.

Skills England works with employers to ensure that apprenticeship content is relevant and up to date. It will soon be updating the Environmental Health Practitioner assessment plan in line with new Apprenticeship Assessment Principles to ensure that the assessment is proportionate, timely and efficient while retaining rigour and validity.

These reforms and polices are applicable in England. Skills policy in Scotland is devolved and is a matter for the Scottish Government.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support the development of skills in the environmental health sector.

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

The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper set out reforms to the skills system to ensure skills provision is aligned to the needs of the Industrial Strategy and support people to train in sectors which support growth and meet priority skills needs. The department is working across government to achieve these aims.

Several universities deliver Environmental Health provision spanning BScs, MScs, and degree apprenticeships. All courses are professionally regulated by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and support people to access careers in this occupation.

The Environmental Health Practitioner apprenticeship allows individuals to develop the knowledge and skills needed to work in areas such as environmental protection, food safety, housing standards and public health.

Skills England works with employers to ensure that apprenticeship content is relevant and up to date. It will soon be updating the Environmental Health Practitioner assessment plan in line with new Apprenticeship Assessment Principles to ensure that the assessment is proportionate, timely and efficient while retaining rigour and validity.

These reforms and polices are applicable in England. Skills policy in Scotland is devolved and is a matter for the Scottish Government.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to support the development of quantum communications technologies in Scotland.

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

DSIT has a stated mission to deploy an advanced UK quantum network at scale by 2035, supported through several funding initiatives in Scotland.

DSIT funds the academic Integrated Quantum Networks (IQN) Hub led by Herriot-Watt University, and has committed £8m funding to the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics in Glasgow.

DSIT funds university Centres for Doctoral Training in Quantum Informatics (Edinburgh) and Applied Quantum Technologies (Strathclyde, Glasgow, and Heriot-Watt).

In March 2026, we announced over £1bn investment in UK quantum technology development over the next 4 years, with £125m dedicated for Quantum Networking - including a £20m UKRI funding competition on “Enabling Commercial Quantum Networking” that opened on 14th April.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to bring in (a) relief and (b) reduction in Vehicle Excise Duty rates for UK-manufactured battery electric vehicles.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is a tax on vehicles used or kept on public roads. As announced by the previous Government at Autumn Statement 2022, from April 2025, zero emission and hybrid cars, vans and motorcycles now pay VED in a similar way to petrol and diesel vehicles. Revenue from motoring taxes helps ensure we can continue to fund the vital public services and infrastructure that people and families across the UK expect.

The Government annually reviews the rates and thresholds of taxes and reliefs to ensure that they are appropriate and reflect the current state of the economy. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the public finances.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with (a) UK Visas and Immigration and (b) universities on the implementation of student visa compliance measures.

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

The department will crack down on abuse of our immigration system by strengthening requirements for universities. This will involve tighter enforcement by government on visa approvals and course enrolments and completions. The Immigration White Paper set out that we will retain the graduate visa but reduce its duration from 2 years to 18 months, whilst maintaining the 3-year duration for PhD students. This will maintain our competitive post-study offer whilst ensuring individuals on this route obtain employment in graduate level roles and contribute to the country’s skills needs more quickly.

The new International Education Strategy has confirmed this government's continued commitment to welcome legitimate international students who meet the requirements to study in the UK. International students positively impact our HE sector and become global ambassadors for the UK.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to take account of the impact of SUVs on (a) road maintenance, (b) pedestrian safety, and (c) public space in vehicle taxation.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Vehicles used or kept on public roads pay Vehicle Excise Duty (VED). Cars registered on or after 1 April 2017 pay a variable first year VED rate according to the emissions of the vehicle, before moving to a standard annual rate after the first year.

For certain vehicle classifications, such as heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), VED liability is calculated in accordance with the vehicle's weight in order to reflect in part the road damage caused by heavier vehicles. However, this is not the case for cars, due in part to their relatively lower impact on road damage compared to heavier vehicles.

When making changes to the tax system, the Government considers a range of trade-offs, such as complexity in the tax system and administrative burdens.

The Government annually reviews the rates and thresholds of taxes and reliefs to ensure that they are appropriate and reflect the current state of the economy. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the public finances.

8th anniversary of Steps to Hope SCIO

Falkland Islands

100th anniversary of the birth of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Anne Munro retires after 47 years from Pilmeny Development Project

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Dr Scott Arthur; Olly Glover; Alex Mayer; Baggy