Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve ambulance waiting times in (a) Ashford constituency and (b) Kent.

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

The Government recognises that in recent years ambulance response times have not met the high standards patients should expect.

We are determined to turn things around. Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26, backed by almost £450 million of capital investment, commits to reducing ambulance response times for Category 2 incidents to 30 minutes on average this year. We are also tackling unacceptable ambulance handover delays by introducing a maximum 45-minute standard, supporting ambulances to be released more quickly and get back on the road to treat patients.

The latest National Health Service performance figures for the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, which serves Ashford and Kent, show that Category 2 incidents were responded to in 29 minutes 57 seconds on average, and the mean handover time was 18 minutes 10 seconds, meeting the targets set by the plan.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had discussions with the (a) University of Kent and (b) University of Greenwich on the potential impact of the formation of the London and South East University Group on courses available to students.

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

The department sees collaboration of this type as a positive pathway towards building greater resilience in the sector, especially where this will bring positive benefits to students.

Universities are autonomous and independent from government. As such, they must make their own decisions about their business model and sustainability, and this partnership has been led by the universities themselves. However, the department will continue to work with both universities on any regulatory barriers to the proposed changes.

Collaboration, if done effectively, can improve financial sustainability. This means providers may be better positioned to remain open, invest in their course provision, campus facilities and student support services, ultimately enhancing the overall student experience.

When undertaking significant transformative activity, it is essential that providers consider the potential impact on students and staff. We would expect providers to clearly and proactively communicate any changes, ensuring transparency and minimising uncertainty during periods of transition.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had discussions with the (a) University of Kent and (b) University of Greenwich on potential redundancies of (i) teaching and (ii) other staff following the formation of the London and South East University Group.

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

The department sees collaboration of this type as a positive pathway towards building greater resilience in the sector, especially where this will bring positive benefits to students.

This partnership has been led by the universities themselves. However, the department will continue to work with both universities on any regulatory barriers to the proposed changes.

As independent institutions, universities are responsible for decisions around staffing. Nevertheless, we expect all universities to engage constructively with their workforce when making decisions which may affect them.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2025 to Question 81640 on Parking: Disability, whether her Department has had recent discussions with Kent County Council on its use of powers under Part IV of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to mark out disabled parking bays.

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

Kent County Council, as the traffic authority for Kent, are wholly responsible for exercising their powers under Part IV of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. Whilst the Department does not typically intervene in local authority decision making on marking out disabled parking bays, it publishes guidance to local authorities to support them in carrying out their responsibilities. These can be found on GOV.UK.

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 checks on goods coming into the UK at Sevington on the protection of a) public health and b) animal health.

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

Border checks undertaken by competent authorities at the Sevington SPS Border Control Post are an important element of the system designed to manage biosecurity risks.

The Sevington facility is enabling the implementation of SPS controls at the border on EU goods under the Border Target Operating Model which are providing assurance that the underlying systems of controls are working as intended. These controls include import conditions, certification signed by veterinarian and plant certification authorities in exporting countries, risk assessments, border checks, and other intelligence led controls.

Thanking postal workers