Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure a) parents and b) carers are aware that they can request to view DBS certificates when recruiting individuals to work with i) children and ii) vulnerable adults.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

In January the following news story Self-employed workers and personal employees can now apply for Enhanced DBS checks - GOV.UK announced the legislative changes which now allow self‑employed individuals, as well as personal employees who are hired directly by an individual or family, to obtain enhanced criminal record checks with barred list information issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), when they work closely with children or vulnerable adults. The article explained that parents and carers who employ a self‑employed worker or personal employee in an eligible role can ask to see that individual’s enhanced DBS certificate, including barred list information; it also included links to further guidance.

Alongside this, DBS has updated its published guidance on GOV.UK to reflect the change:

• DBS checks for self-employed people and personal employees - GOV.UK
• Private individuals employing self-employed workers or personal employees - GOV.UK
• DBS application form: guide for counter signatories - GOV.UK

The Department for Education (DfE) has published guidance for parents and carers to help them make informed decisions on Out-of-School settings for their children. This highlights information on the safeguarding measures providers should have in place and questions to ask, including on staff/volunteer DBS checks.

Similarly, the DfE has provided explanatory posters for providers to put up in their setting. These include a safeguarding checklist and prompts parents to ask about appropriate staff/volunteer checks, including DBS checks.

The DfE also held a Call for Evidence in 2025, considering how to further improve safeguarding standards in Out-of-School settings, including questions on the issue of how providers communicate their safeguarding practices with parents. DfE will respond in due course.

The Department of Health and Social Care is working with Skills for Care to update guidance for people who employ personal assistants in line with the recent changes in access to enhanced DBS checks. The current guidance is published in the Employing PAs Toolkit in Skills for Care’s website, and further updates are due imminently.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it a requirement of the National Lottery licence that there be (a) transparent and (b) open communication of the odds of winning the National Lottery when purchasing a ticket.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The National Lottery is regulated by the Gambling Commission, which is responsible for awarding the operating licence, managing licence conditions, enforcing compliance, and licensing individual games.

The National Lottery licence requires that full, accurate and up‑to‑date information about National Lottery games is easily accessible to all participants in a range of formats. The Regulatory Handbook, which provides further detail on complying with licence requirements, adds that this should include clear information on prize levels and the likelihood of winning, and that the operator’s approach should reflect industry Best Practice.

In practice, this is delivered through printed Player’s Guides in retail locations, and Online Game Procedures on the National Lottery website. These resources set out how each game works, the prizes available and the odds of winning.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to take steps with key stakeholders to increase access to workplace electric charging points.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Workplace Charging Scheme enables businesses, charities, public sector organisations and small accommodation businesses to apply for up to 75% off the cost of buying and installing charge points, up to a maximum of £350 per socket. From 1 April 2026, the maximum grant rate per socket will increase to £500.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress has been made on (a) the rollout of the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund to local authorities and (b) increasing the number of electric charging points using the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Local EV Infrastructure Fund continues to make good progress. Nearly all grants under the LEVI Capital Fund have been issued to local authorities, with over half of eligible local authorities having launched tenders for private sector partners. The first projects have started installations, with many more expected during the course of this year.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to take steps with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) stakeholders to allow private renters to install a home electric charging point.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government continues to incentivise renters and landlords to install charging infrastructure through our domestic charge point grants. Additionally, all new build residential properties, including rentals and leasehold properties, have been required to install a charge point since June 2022.

We are considering what further policy interventions are suitable in supporting renters and leaseholders in the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). In October 2025, we announced that we will consult on improving renters and leaseholders' ability to charge. This consultation will consider how to make domestic EV charging for renters and leaseholders easier and more straightforward.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to regulate how multi-academy trusts address concerns raised by parents of children whose school is joining a multi-academy trust.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Section 5 of the Academies Act 2010 requires maintained schools to consult appropriate persons on whether the school should convert to academy status before the conversion goes ahead. This does not apply to schools that are eligible for intervention.

In the ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ White Paper, the department committed to consult on requiring school trusts to have local governance structures that together include all their schools, hold annual parental forums, and ensure boards hear directly from parents and school communities. The consultation will draw on the strongest sector practice in engaging parents and communities, to ensure that trust boards benefit from clear, consistent insight into the needs and priorities of the families they serve.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training is provided on the use of non-animal methods to inspectors in the Animals in Science Regulation Unit who are responsible for assessing project licence applications.

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

All Home Office Inspectors are specifically trained to assess licence applications rigorously and robustly and thereby assure compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). The National Centre for the 3Rs (NC3Rs) are providing training for all Inspectors which includes accessing 3Rs knowledge. Inspectors are also signposted to further resources, including Replacing Animal Research’s “Replacement Checklist”.

The responsibility of ensuring the principles of the 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement) have been fully applied in applications belongs to the applicant. The role of the Home Office is to assure that the applicant has conducted the necessary activity to maximally apply each of the 3Rs.

Establishments which test on animals must establish an Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (AWERB). AWERBs have a statutory responsibility under ASPA to advise on the application of the 3Rs within establishments. Home Office guidance stipulates that all applications for a new project licence must be evaluated by the local AWERB.

The Government is committed to non-animal alternatives in science and has published a strategy which sets out our long-term vision for a world where the use of animals in science is eliminated in all but exceptional circumstances. The strategy is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/replacing-animals-in-science-strategy/replacing-animals-in-science-a-strategy-to-support-the-development-validation-and-uptake-of-alternative-methods

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has any newly available (a) evidence or (b) modelling related to carriage studies and the potential impact of routinely offering Meningitis B vaccinations for people aged 13-25 on their health.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his planned timetable is for introducing legislation to end new onshore oil and gas licensing in England.

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

On 1 October 2025 the Secretary of State confirmed plans to bring forward legislation to end new onshore oil and gas licensing in England. We will seek to introduce this when Parliamentary time allows.

King's Guard's ceremonial bearskin caps

LGBTQ+ veterans

Conflict in Lebanon

Funding for rural Britain

Changes to Overseas Development Assistance

Student finance system reform

State visits to the US

Leasehold reform (No. 3)

Endometriosis Awareness Month 2026

Understanding of Tourette Syndrome

Heating oil prices

UNESCO World Heritage status for chalk streams in England

Royal Mail delivery standards

Public inquiry into Epstein links

Post Offices in rural areas

Found: Chair); Matt Bishop; Pam Cox; Warinder Juss; Tessa Munt; Sarah Russell; Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst; Vikki Slade

Found: meeting Members present: Andy Slaughter (Chair); Linsey Farnsworth; Warinder Juss; Tessa Munt; Vikki Slade