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 merits of implementing care support packages for households, rather than people requiring care.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have not made a direct assessment of the potential merits of implementing care support packages for households rather than for individuals requiring care. However, we recognise the importance of people’s wider support networks for those drawing on care and support.

Section 2 of the Care and Support Statutory Guidance requires local authorities in England to take a holistic view of a person’s needs and circumstances when undertaking a needs assessment. This includes considering how family or friends may support the individual to meet their goals and live as independently as possible for as long as possible, without placing or creating additional caring responsibilities.

Local authorities in England further have specific duties to support people who care for family members and friends. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities in England must provide a broad range of high-quality, sustainable care and support services for carers, and are required to carry out Carer’s Assessments where a carer appears to have need for support and may be eligible for help.

We also welcome the use of models such as Family Group Conferencing in places like Camden, which puts both individuals and their families and friends at the heart of decision making.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the article by the University of Manchester entitled Tackling unmet needs for social care among older people, published on 21 May 2025.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises the long-term trend of a reduction in the number of local authority funded long-term packages of adult social care, despite an ageing population. This can result in people’s care needs going unmet, placing pressure on unpaid carers, including spouses and family members, who provide essential care and support.

The article by the University of Manchester raises important implications for how adult social care is delivered by local authorities. We remain committed to ensuring that local authorities meet their duties under the Care Act 2014, including the duty to provide provision of a wide range of high-quality support services for carers, and the requirement to undertake Carer’s Assessments for those who appear to have needs and who may be eligible for support.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how well local authorities in England are performing against their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including their duties relating to unpaid carers. Formal assessments commenced in December 2023 and as of June 2025, the CQC has published over 40 local authority assessments. So far, the CQC has identified several emerging themes in local authorities’ delivery of adult social care, including a lack of support for unpaid carers. The CQC’s assessments of individual local authorities are available via published reports on the CQC website, at the following link:

https://www.cqc.org.uk/care-services/local-authority-assessment-reports

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Israeli counterpart on the (a) timing and (b) other aspects of the (i) release and (ii) return of the vessel Madleen.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We are aware of the interception of the Madleen and the arrest of its passengers by Israeli Naval Forces. We pressed the Israeli authorities in advance of the ship's arrival to ensure that any action they took would resolve the situation safely, with restraint, and in line with International Law. We continue to be in touch with Israeli counterparts regarding the vessel. We continue to be clear that the Israeli government must immediately lift all restrictions on the flow of aid into Gaza to address the dire humanitarian situation.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the volume of carbon dioxide emissions produced by the ceremonial activities associated with Trooping the Colour; and what steps his Department is taking to mitigate the environmental impact of state ceremonial events.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence does not record the volume of carbon dioxide emissions for individual events. However, the Department is committed to reducing carbon emissions and operate sustainably where practical with no compromise to national security.

The troops involved in Trooping the Colour marched from barracks in the immediate vicinity of the parade.

For the aircraft participating in the King's Birthday Flypast the RAF continues to lead the way in operating more sustainably as part of Defence's commitment to reduce carbon emissions. For this flypast, jets from the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team were powered with a high-ratio blend of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). This is thought to be the first time anywhere in the world that a national aerobatic squadron has switched to both a SAF blend for propulsion and a renewable biofuel, known as Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil to produce its trademark vapour trails.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the recent reduction in foreign aid to 0.3% of GDP on the future of Voluntary Service Overseas.

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

Following the Spending Review, detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used are being worked through as part of ongoing resource allocation processes, based on various factors including impact assessments. We are working out how our partnership with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) should evolve in line with our new approach to civil society funding which will support the sustainability of international organisations and their partners in developing countries, enabling them to become more self-sustaining and resilient in the future. We will be taking a rigorous approach to ensure all ODA delivers value for money. We will publish 2025/26 ODA programme allocations in the Annual Report & Accounts this summer.

Press ownership by foreign states

Found: Ferguson (Chair); Maureen Burke; Harriet Cross; Dave Doogan; Mr Angus MacDonald; Douglas McAllister; Susan Murray

Found: Ferguson (Chair); Maureen Burke; Dave Doogan; Lillian Jones; Mr Angus MacDonald; Douglas McAllister; Susan Murray

Found: _NC3 Mr Joshua Reynolds Pippa Heylings Susan Murray Rachel Gilmour Tom Gordon Martin Wrigley Calum

Found: Marie Goldman Monica Harding Jonathan Davies Mr Lee Dillon Graham Stringer Zöe Franklin Susan Murray

Found: Marie Goldman Monica Harding Jonathan Davies Mr Lee Dillon Graham Stringer Zöe Franklin Susan Murray

Found: Marie Goldman Monica Harding Jonathan Davies Mr Lee Dillon Graham Stringer Zöe Franklin Susan Murray

Found: Witherden Sarah Russell Claire Hanna Andrew Cooper Ruth Cadbury Tom Gordon Dr Al Pinkerton Susan Murray