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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of buildings have registered for the Cladding Safety Scheme in Slough constituency.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Cladding Safety Scheme is able to confirm how many buildings based in the Slough constituency have registered with the scheme. To date, there have been six applications to the Cladding Safety Scheme in the Slough constituency. Two buildings were confirmed as not requiring remedial works in their Fire Risk Appraisal External Wall PAS 9980 reports, which are required to confirm eligibility to the scheme. These applications are now closed. Four are confirmed as in programme and have received pre-tender financial support. They are now compiling their works packages. This includes appointing a professional team, scoping the project and developing a works specification.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the rate paid to nursery providers for free hours childcare will increase proportionately to cover the increase in employer national insurance contributions.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Slough to the answer of 11 November 2024 to Question 12804.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 22 November 2024 to Question 14130, whether the local authorities to take part in the kinship allowance trial have been selected.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government has recently announced a £40 million package to trial a new Kinship Allowance in up to 10 local authorities to test whether paying an allowance to cover the additional costs of supporting the child can help increase the number of children taken in by family members and friends. Further details on the process for selecting local authorities will be shared shortly.

The programme will begin in 2025 and decisions about future national rollout will be informed by the findings of the evaluation. We will share further detail on the timetable and delivery of the programme in due course.

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 (a) diagnosis times and (b) treatment of invasive lobular breast cancer.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We will improve cancer survival rates and hit all National Health Service cancer waiting time targets so no patient waits longer than they should.

Improving early diagnosis of cancer, including breast cancer, is a priority for the Government. There are multiple NHS initiatives and funding streams across the NHS in England that support the early detection of breast cancer, and many organisations across the health service are involved.

The Department spends £1.5 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), with cancer the largest area of spend at more than £121.8 million in 2022/23. NIHR spends more on cancer than any other disease group, reflecting its high priority. Our investments in cancer, including lobular breast cancer, are pivotal to informing efforts to improve cancer prevention, treatment, and outcomes.

We are proud to have invested £29 million into the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and the Royal Marsden NIHR Biological Research Centre in 2022, supporting their efforts to strengthen research into cancer, including lobular breast cancer. This is complemented by wider investments into breast cancer research including, for example, a £1.3 million project to determine whether an abbreviated form of breast magnetic resonance imaging can detect breast cancers missed by screening through mammography, again including lobular breast cancer.

The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome applications for research into any aspect of human health, including lobular breast cancer. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to hold water companies to account for non-compliance with sewage management rules.

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

We will not let companies get away with illegal activity and where breaches are found, the Environment Agency (EA) will not hesitate to hold companies to account.

From 1 January 2025, water companies will be required to publish data related to discharges from all storm overflows within one hour of the discharge beginning. In addition to this, the Water (Special Measures) Bill will introduce a similar duty for emergency overflows. This will create an unprecedented level of transparency, enabling the public and regulators to see where, and how often, overflows are discharged, and hold water companies to account.

The Bill will also provide the most significant increase in enforcement powers to the regulators in a decade. These include new powers to enable the EA to recover costs associated with their enforcement activity of the water industry.

In May 2024, the EA confirmed a tougher inspections and enforcement regime that will be backed by at least £55 million each year and will make better use of data analytics and technology. This will be fully funded through a combination of increased grant-in-aid from Defra and additional funding from water company permit charges.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how their Department defines strategy.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The definition is detailed in the Functional Standards Common Glossary, which is published on the gov.uk website.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how their Department defines strategy.

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

The definition is detailed in the Functional Standards Common Glossary, which is published on the gov.uk website.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2024 to Question 14202, whether Ministers in his Department have had recent meetings with representatives of (a) Meta, (b) Snap inc. and (c) X.

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

The Government meets regularly with a range of stakeholders related to online safety, including social media platforms, to discuss implementation of the Online Safety Act, and the duties it will place on services to tackle illegal content, and content harmful to children, on their sites.

Ministerial meetings and engagements are published through quarterly transparency reports on gov.uk.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 22 November 2024 to Question 14161, what her Department's timetable is for its consideration of marriage law in England and Wales.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Marriage law is an issue of great importance and one which therefore requires careful consideration. The Law Commission’s report on weddings raises a number of issues around weddings law, and as a new Government we need to take the time to consider these carefully before setting out our position, which we will do in due course.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 November 2024 to Question 14333, from which Department's budget funding related to the proposed lease of the military base on Diego Garcia will be allocated; whether additional Treasury funding will be provided for that purpose; and whether she has had discussions with US counterparts on funding for the costs of the base.

Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The UK-Mauritius treaty enabling the continued operation of the base on Diego Garcia is still subject to finalisation and signature. The government will lay it before parliament for scrutiny and intends to introduce necessary implementation legislation before it will enter into force. No payments will be made until the treaty is legally binding.

Financial obligations arising from this agreement, including departmental budgetary responsibilities, will be managed responsibly within the government’s fiscal framework.

The military base on Diego Garcia is a joint UK-US facility and an essential part of the UK-US relationship. While the UK and Mauritius are the only signatories to the treaty, the US will continue to contribute to the operating costs of the base.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average staff to student ratio was in secondary schools in Slough constituency in each year since 2015.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Information on the school workforce, including the pupil to adult and pupil to teacher ratios at national, regional, local authority and individual school level, is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.

In the 2023/24 academic year, which is the latest data available, the ratio of pupils to teachers (qualified and unqualified) was 16.8 in state-funded secondary schools in England, the same as the previous year. The ratio of pupils to adults (excluding auxiliary staff) was 12.0 to one in state-funded secondary schools in England, again the same as the previous year.

The attached table provides the pupil to adult ratio and the pupil to teacher ratio for state-funded secondary schools in Slough constituency and England for the 2015/16 to 2023/24 academic years.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has had recent discussions with representatives of (a) Heathrow Airport, (b) Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce and (c) Network Rail on a potential western rail link to Heathrow.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Officials from my Department met with representatives of the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce during the summer to discuss the business case for the Western Rail Link to Heathrow. There have not been recent meetings with Heathrow Airport Ltd and Network Rail about the scheme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how their Department defines strategy.

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

The definition is detailed in the Functional Standards Common Glossary, which is published on the GOV.UK website.

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 adequacy of access to NHS dentists.

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

Dental Statistics - England 2023-24, published by the NHS Business Services Authority on 22 August 2024, is available at the following link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202324

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the level of funding available for research into (a) Alzheimer's disease and (b) other forms of dementia.

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

The Department funds research into dementia via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR continues to invest in dementia research across all areas, from causes, diagnosis and prevention to treatment, care and support, including for carers.

The NIHR has established several investments to boost progress and funding in dementia such as the £49.9 million Dementia Trials Network, which will deliver a coordinated network of early phase dementia trial sites. The NIHR is also funding two Dementia and Neurodegeneration Policy Research Units worth £3 million per unit to further boost evidence for policymaking. As well as this, the NIHR continues to fund the successful £13.5 million Three Schools Dementia Programme which links public health, primary care and social care via our NIHR research schools, namely Schools for Social Care, Public Health and Primary Care Research. The NIHR has also awarded almost £11 million of funding to develop new digital approaches for the early detection and diagnosis of dementia.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including dementia. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, what recent discussions she has had with the Crown Prosecution Service on the prosecution of covid-19 related fraud.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

This Government is committed to recouping public money lost in pandemic-related fraud. As promised in our manifesto, the Government appointed a Covid Counter-Fraud Commissioner, Mr Tom Hayhoe on 3 December. He is expected to engage with both the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Serious Fraud Office.

The CPS continues to bring those who have fraudulently exploited the pandemic to justice. In September 2024, an entrepreneur was sentenced to 18 months in prison for fraudulently securing a £50,000 Bounce Back Loan, which he misused for personal expenses and legal costs.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to restart regular written intelligence briefings to hon. Members on the Russian-Ukrainian war.

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

Since the new Government was formed we have held two oral briefings for Parliamentarians on Ukraine, with a third planned before Christmas. These offered Parliamentarians the chance to be briefed and ask questions about developments in Ukraine.

Regular written intelligence assessments on the conflict will resume in the New Year.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on taking steps to help support high street businesses.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Revitalising our high streets is a priority for this government. The Secretary of State and I are working with MHCLG to engage colleagues across Whitehall in delivering a cross-government approach for creating better conditions for high street businesses to thrive.

This means addressing anti-social behaviour and crime, working with the banking industry to roll out 350 banking hubs, reforming business rates, stamping out late payments, empowering communities to make the most of the vacant properties, strengthening the Post Office network, and upgrading the new apprenticeship levy.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how their Department defines strategy.

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

The definition is detailed in the Functional Standards Common Glossary, which is published on the GOV.UK website.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she plans to publish a sexual harassment survey.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Office for Equality and Opportunity plans to strengthen protections against workplace sexual harassment through the Employment Rights Bill. These measures intend to amend the Equality Act 2010 to:
● require employers to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment of their employees;
● introduce an obligation on employers not to permit the harassment of their employees by third parties, and;
● enable regulations to specify steps that are to be regarded as “reasonable”, to determine whether an employer has taken all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment.

Prevalence across a range of Violence Against Women and Girls offences, including sexual harassment, is currently measured through the Crime Survey for England and Wales which is run continuously throughout each financial year by the Office for National Statistics, with data published quarterly.

The Government is continuing its work to halve Violence Against Women and Girls in a decade.

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 ensure (a) early and (b) consistent diagnosis of Group B streptococcus.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Screening for group B streptococcus (GBS) is not routinely offered to all pregnant women. The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) last reviewed the evidence to screen for GBS at 35 to 37 weeks of pregnancy in 2017, and concluded that there was insufficient evidence to demonstrate that the benefits of screening would outweigh the harms. This is because the test currently available cannot accurately distinguish between those mothers whose babies are at risk, and those who are not. This means that many women would unnecessarily be offered antibiotics during labour.

A risk-based approach is taken, whereby those women identified as being at increased risk of having a baby affected by GBS are managed according to agreed clinical guidelines on the prevention of early on-set neonatal GBS infection.

The National Institute for Health Research funded a large-scale clinical trial to compare universal screening for GBS against the usual risk factor-based strategy. The UK NSC will review its recommendation, considering the evidence from the trial, once the report is available.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce routine antenatal screening for Group B streptococcus.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Screening for group B streptococcus (GBS) is not routinely offered to all pregnant women. The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) last reviewed the evidence to screen for GBS at 35 to 37 weeks of pregnancy in 2017, and concluded that there was insufficient evidence to demonstrate that the benefits of screening would outweigh the harms. This is because the test currently available cannot accurately distinguish between those mothers whose babies are at risk, and those who are not. This means that many women would unnecessarily be offered antibiotics during labour.

A risk-based approach is taken, whereby those women identified as being at increased risk of having a baby affected by GBS are managed according to agreed clinical guidelines on the prevention of early on-set neonatal GBS infection.

The National Institute for Health Research funded a large-scale clinical trial to compare universal screening for GBS against the usual risk factor-based strategy. The UK NSC will review its recommendation, considering the evidence from the trial, once the report is available.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps has she taken to help tackle crime in (a) Slough constituency and (b) Thames Valley region.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government has put prevention front and centre of our plans to improve the lives of people across the United Kingdom. The Safer Streets Mission is the vehicle to drive delivery across Government to halve violence against women and girls, halve knife crime, and restore confidence in the policing and justice system.

As part of the Government’s Safer Streets mission, the Home Secretary has made a clear commitment to strengthen neighbourhood policing through the introduction of a Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. This includes delivering an additional 13,000 police officers, Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and special constables in neighbourhood policing roles up and down the country and ensuring every community has a named officer to turn to. Every part of the country needs to benefit from this pledge and that includes Slough and the Thames Valley region.

Finally, we are committed to intervening early to stop young people being drawn into crime, improving opportunities for children, and the mental health of young people. An essential part of achieving this will be the delivery of the Young Futures Programme. This will consist of the creation of Prevention Partnerships in every area and a network of Young Futures Hubs which will support young people, including those identified by Prevention Partnerships, with early adopters commencing in financial year 25/26.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to increase the availability of driving tests in Slough constituency.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.

Measures in place to reduce waiting times for customers at all driving test centres (DTC), include the recruitment of new driving examiners (DE), conducting tests outside regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays, and buying back annual leave from DEs. DVSA also continues to deploy DEs from areas with lower waiting times into those where waiting times are longer.

As part of a recent recruitment exercise, DVSA hopes to offer training courses to two potential new DEs at Slough DTC in the new year. In future recruitment campaigns, DVSA will continue to look to fill additional examiner roles at Slough DTC.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many university (a) biology, (b) chemistry and (c) physics departments (i) opened and (ii) closed in the last five years.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government is committed to promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and skills to ensure the UK remains competitive in the global economy.

Universities operate as autonomous institutions, therefore specific data on the number of university biology, chemistry and physics departments that have opened and/or closed in the last five years is not collected or maintained by the department.

The government recognises the financial environment of the higher education sector is increasingly challenging and the department is aware that some providers are making difficult decisions in order to safeguard their financial sustainability. The department is committed to working with the sector to create a secure future for our world-leading universities.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how their Department defines strategy.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The definition is detailed in the Functional Standards Common Glossary, which is published on the gov.uk website.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the affordability of insurance for (a) young and (b) all drivers.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This Government committed in its manifesto to tackle the high costs of motor insurance. To deliver on this commitment, the UK Government has formed a cross-government Taskforce on motor insurance, co-chaired by the Department for Transport and His Majesty’s Treasury, which met for the first time on 16th October.

The Taskforce is comprised of ministers from relevant government departments and by the Financial Conduct Authority and Competition and Markets Authority. The Taskforce is supported by a separate Stakeholder Panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sector.

This Taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover. It will evaluate the impact of increased insurance costs on consumers and the insurance industry, including how this impacts different demographics, geographies, and communities.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with representatives of the insurance industry on (a) increases in car insurance costs and (b) steps being taken by (i) the Government and (ii) insurers to reduce those costs.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This Government committed in its manifesto to tackle the high costs of motor insurance. To deliver on this commitment, the UK Government has formed a cross-government Taskforce on motor insurance, co-chaired by the Department for Transport and His Majesty’s Treasury, which met for the first time on 16th October.

The Taskforce is comprised of ministers from relevant government departments and by the Financial Conduct Authority and Competition and Markets Authority. The Taskforce is supported by a separate Stakeholder Panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sector.

This Taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover. It will evaluate the impact of increased insurance costs on consumers and the insurance industry, including how this impacts different demographics, geographies, and communities.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how their Department defines strategy.

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

The definition is detailed in the Functional Standards Common Glossary, which is published on the gov.uk website.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how their Department defines strategy.

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

As defined in the Functional Standards Common Glossary, “a strategy outlines longer term objectives, outcomes and outputs, and the means to achieve them, to inform future decisions and planning”. The Functional Standards Common Glossary is published on the Gov.uk website.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how their Department defines strategy.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The definition is detailed in the Functional Standards Common Glossary, which is published on the gov.uk website.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how their Department defines strategy.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The definition is detailed in the Functional Standards Common Glossary, which is published on the gov.uk website.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how their Department defines strategy.

Answered by Tulip Siddiq - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The definition is detailed in the Functional Standards Common Glossary, which is published on the gov.uk website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/functional-standards-common-glossary/functional-standards-common-glossary#s

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how their Department defines strategy.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The definition is detailed in the Functional Standards Common Glossary, which is published on the gov.uk website.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs that were created as a result of foreign direct investment in the Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership area in the last three years.

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

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) works closely with local authorities and investment partners to monitor and support the impact of foreign direct investment in the Berkshire area.

Official statistics at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dbt-inward-investment-results-2023-to-2024 show that Foreign Direct Investment projects created 1,270 new jobs in Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in 2021-22, 746 in 2022-23 and 399 in 2023-24.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how their Department defines strategy.

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

The definition is detailed in the Functional Standards Common Glossary, which is published on the gov.uk website.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent steps she has taken to reduce homelessness in (a) Slough constituency and (b) Thames Valley region.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Homelessness levels are far too high. This Government recognises the devastating impact this can have on those affected. We are already taking the first steps to get back on track to ending homelessness. As announced at the Budget, funding for homelessness services is increasing next year by £233 million compared to this year (2024/25) and brings total spend to nearly £1 billion in 2025/26. Allocations for individual local authorities in England will be set out later in December, which will include Slough, West Dorset, the Thames Valley region and wider rural communities.

The Deputy Prime Minister is leading cross-government work to tackle the underlying causes of homelessness and deliver long-term solutions to end all forms of homelessness, including rural and child homelessness. This includes chairing a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, bringing together ministers from across Government to develop a long-term homelessness strategy.

We have also established an Expert Group to bring together representatives from across the homelessness and rough sleeping sector, local and combined authorities and wider experts. The role of this expert group is to provide knowledge, analysis and challenge to help Government understand what is working well nationally and locally and where improvements are needed.

The department also has a lived experience forum to ensure the voices of those with lived experience of homelessness are reflected in the homelessness strategy.

More widely, we are taking action to tackle the root causes of homelessness by delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and building 1.5 million new homes over the next parliament.

The Government is also abolishing Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, preventing private renters being exploited and discriminated against, and empowering people to challenge unreasonable rent increases.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how their Department defines strategy.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The definition is detailed in the Functional Standards Common Glossary, which is published on the gov.uk website.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how their Department defines strategy.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The definition is detailed in the Functional Standards Common Glossary, which is published on the GOV.UK website.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Chair); Mr Calvin Bailey; Alex Baker

Found: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Lab), the chair of the Defence Select Committee, said the cuts are being implemented

This inquiry will examine the UK’s contribution to European Security. It will examine the UK's contribution to NATO and its bilateral defence relationships with other European countries. This inquiry will look at the UK's contribution to multilateral frameworks outside of NATO. In addition, it will explore the UK's NATO and non-NATO European commitments. The inquiry will also examine where the UK provides niche capabilities and where other European Allies might be relied upon to provide them.

This inquiry will examine the Armed Forces Covenant, the UK’s commitment to ensuring that members of the Armed Forces community are supported and treated fairly. The inquiry will explore whether the Covenant is working, examine areas where serving or former personnel and their families continue to face difficulties, and consider how the Covenant might be updated or expanded in scope. The Government has indicated that changes to the Covenant could be brought in during the next Parliamentary session as part of the next Armed Forces Bill; the recommendations of this inquiry will be able to inform that legislation.