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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2024 to Question 5849 on Hunting: National Parks, what was the outcome of the initial discussions held with officials from other Departments on trail hunting.

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

This is a devolved matter with regard to Scotland and Northern Ireland; hunting with dogs is a reserved matter with respect to Wales and therefore, the information provided relates to England and Wales only.

These discussions brought together officials with an interest in this manifesto commitment in order to consider its implications on their work. As this work is ongoing, no concrete outcomes have been determined as yet. Public announcements will be made in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for banning the import of dogs with cropped ears.

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

The Government recently announced its support for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by Dr Danny Chambers MP. The Bill will give the Government powers to prevent the supply of low-welfare pets to Great Britain’s pet market. We will use these powers to prohibit the bringing into Great Britain of dogs with non-exempted mutilations such as cropped ears.

We are fully supportive of this Bill and would like to see it pass through both Houses as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of Universal Credit rules for young people living in supported housing on their ability to find work.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

People on a low income living in supported housing, can claim Universal Credit for help with their daily living costs and Housing Benefit for help with their housing costs. Customers living in supported housing are also able to access more housing support through Housing Benefit due to an exemption from the Benefit Cap.

The income taper in Housing Benefit ensures people in work are better off than someone wholly reliant on benefits. In addition to any financial advantage, there are important non-financial benefits of working. These benefits include learning new skills, improved confidence and independence as well as a positive effect on an individual's mental and physical health.

Notwithstanding these positive outcomes from work, the department acknowledges there is a challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those residing in Supported Housing and receiving their housing support through Housing Benefit and will consider the issue carefully in partnership with stakeholders.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress his Department has made on Project Gigabit since April 2024.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Since April 2024, three new Project Gigabit contracts covering Lincolnshire and East Riding, Cheshire, and North Yorkshire have been signed.

A cross regional framework agreement with Openreach, has also been signed. The first two call-off contracts under the framework have been awarded, covering large parts of Wales and rural parts of England from Devon to Staffordshire. The first Project Gigabit procurements have also been launched in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to carry out Vorasidenib trials on patients that have undergone (a) radiotherapy and (b) chemotherapy.

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

Research is crucial in tackling brain cancer, which is why 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 as one of the largest areas of investment, at over £121.8 million in 2022/23, reflecting its high priority.

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

The Department aims to ensure that all patients, including those with brain tumours, have access to cutting-edge clinical research and innovative, lifesaving treatments. In order to maximise our potential to be a world leader and develop a more competitive, efficient, and accessible clinical research system, the Department is committed to rapidly implementing recommendations from the Lord O'Shaughnessy independent review of commercial clinical trials, and going further in our support for the forthcoming 10-Year Health Plan.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data her Department holds on the proportion of train journeys that had Wi-Fi available on board in (a) 2023 and (b) 2024 to date.

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

The department does not hold this data as it is currently a matter for individual train operators.

Under Great British Railways, a wider programme to deliver improved passenger Wi-Fi connectivity will be considered.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many people claimed statutory paternity pay in each of the last five years.

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

Information provided by employers to HMRC show the number of individuals in receipt of Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP). This data provides a broad indication of Paternity Leave take-up but does not include those that take unpaid paternity leave. The Parental Rights Survey found that 70% of all employee fathers took Paternity Leave.

Table 1: Individuals in receipt of SPP, 2019/20 to 2023/24 (the latest year for which full year data is available)

1. Data is collected using HMRC Real Time Information (RTI) and is subject to revision.
2. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
3. Figures are based on the total number of individuals in a given year, irrespective of when the payment first started. Some individuals will be counted across two years.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department plans to remove VAT on audiobooks.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

There are no current plans to remove VAT on audiobooks. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £171 billion in 2024/25.

Tax breaks reduce the revenue available for vital public services and must represent value for money for the taxpayer. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.

Evidence suggests that businesses only partially pass on any savings from lower VAT rates. In some cases, reliefs do not represent good value for money, as there is no guarantee that savings will be passed on to consumers.

The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the overall public finances.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to end the breeding of beagles used for laboratory experiments.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government is committed to supporting the uptake and development of alternative methods to the use of animals in science.

The Labour Manifesto for government includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to (a) end homelessness and (b) involve people who have lived experience of homelessness in that process.

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.

35th Anniversary of the AT Society

50 years of the St Albans and District Talking Newspaper

20 years of the Flamstead Scarecrow Festival

Israeli Knesset decision to ban UNRWA

Peace in the Middle East