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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of requiring Secretary of State sign-off for the cutting of firebreaks in Sites of Specific Scientific Interest during crisis situations on managing ongoing fires.

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

Consent for operations such as firebreaks on a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) will need to be obtained from Natural England. However, when responding to an emergency, it is a “reasonable excuse” under the relevant section (section 28P(4)(b)) of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981) for a SSSI owner or occupier to undertake operations without seeking section 28E consent. Natural England must be informed of the details of the emergency itself and the operations undertaken as soon as practical after they have been carried out.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether land that is (a) owned by the National Trust and (b) a Site of Specific Scientific Interest requires Secretary of State approval before implementing proactive fire prevention methods.

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

Consent from the Secretary of State is not required unless the SSSI concerned is also a common, in which case some actions like fencing may require Secretary of State consent as per the Commons Act 2006. The National Trust is an owner/occupier with the same legal rights and responsibilities as other owner/occupiers.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking with Companies House to ensure companies under the control of the same person or persons are connected on the Companies House website.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Companies House currently links the appointments of company officers where sufficient details across different companies' match. The introduction of compulsory Identity verification for company officers in November will help improve the quality of matching and linking.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 22 September 2025 to Question HL10544 on Digital Technology: Taxation, what discussions she has had with her international counterparts on the development of an international approach to taxing digital services.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will introduce tax reliefs for small businesses undertaking works to improve their properties’ Energy Performance Certificate ratings to a minimum of an EPC rating of C.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government keeps all tax reliefs under review, in order to ensure they strike the right balance between keeping taxes simple to administer, well-targeted and effective. When considering any new tax reliefs, HM Treasury must ensure that a relief is the most effective and fair lever by which to provide that support. Any new tax, or tax relief, would require a comprehensive evaluation of a variety of factors including (but not limited to) fairness and simplicity for the taxpayer, as well as the government’s fiscal position.

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 potential impact of introducing method of production labelling on (a) the economy and (b) farm incomes.

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

We are considering the potential role of method of production labelling reform as part of the ongoing development of the Government’s wider animal welfare strategy.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will issue guidance on crime reporting for lone workers in the retail sector.

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

Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level. We will not stand for this.

There are currently no plans to produce specific guidance on crime reporting in the retail sector, however we would encourage all retailers, including lone workers, to report all crime to the police.

We are giving police officers the powers they need through this government’s Crime and Policing Bill, which is introducing a new specific offence of assaulting a retail worker and ending the effective immunity that currently applies for theft of goods of and under £200. That will apply to all those who work in shops, including those who work alone.

We want to remove the perception that those committing shop theft will escape punishment by ensuring there are visible and meaningful consequences for those caught breaking the law.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department holds on the number of shooting incidents involving people (a) whose gun licences had been revoked and (b) who illegally retained possession of a firearm in the past five years.

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

The Home Office collects information on offences involving firearms recorded by the police in England and Wales. We cannot tell from this information whether an offence involved people whose firearm licences were revoked, whether the firearm has been illegally possessed or whether the offence involved people who had been reported as persons of concern.

It is, of course the case that, where a shotgun or firearms licence is revoked, the firearm concerned will either be voluntarily surrendered to the police, or seized by the police, reducing the risk of illegal possession or use. Similarly, the police maintain continuous assessment of all firearms and shotguns holders and will review any licence where concerns about suitability arise. If those concerns suggest that it is unsafe for the person to continue to hold their guns, the police will take action to revoke the licence and remove the guns from the possession of the person concerned.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department holds on the number of shooting incidents involving people who had previously been reported as persons of concern in the last five years.

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

The Home Office collects information on offences involving firearms recorded by the police in England and Wales. We cannot tell from this information whether an offence involved people whose firearm licences were revoked, whether the firearm has been illegally possessed or whether the offence involved people who had been reported as persons of concern.

It is, of course the case that, where a shotgun or firearms licence is revoked, the firearm concerned will either be voluntarily surrendered to the police, or seized by the police, reducing the risk of illegal possession or use. Similarly, the police maintain continuous assessment of all firearms and shotguns holders and will review any licence where concerns about suitability arise. If those concerns suggest that it is unsafe for the person to continue to hold their guns, the police will take action to revoke the licence and remove the guns from the possession of the person concerned.

Dr Anjana Khatwa

Water bills

Elon Musk at the Unite the Kingdom rally

Farmgate milk price reduction

Council elections in areas pursuing devolution reform

National inquiry into child sexual exploitation

40th anniversary of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Life and work of Dr Jane Goodall

Contribution of legal immigrants

Eligibility variations in access to IVF

Warm Homes Plan

National Cancer Plan

Conduct of the hon. Member for Runcorn and Helsby

South Downs National Park

Fee waivers for ILR applications

Renewable energy and coal

Global Lobular Breast Cancer Awareness Day 2025

Blood Cancer Awareness Month

Chinook Justice Campaign

Pavement parking consultation response

Leasehold reform (No. 2)

Children of Ukraine