Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of junk food advertising on childhood obesity.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England, we are taking decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever. We have implemented United Kingdom-wide restrictions on advertising of less healthy food and drink on television and online which we estimate will remove up to 7.2 billion calories from UK children’s diets each year and deliver health benefits of approximately £2 billion. We have also committed to updating the standards that underpin the advertising and promotions restrictions on ‘less healthy’ food and drink to reflect the latest dietary advice and strengthen the restrictions by more effectively targeting the products of most concern to childhood obesity.

An impact assessment on the advertising restrictions of less healthy food and drink on television and online 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 steps he is taking to reduce the consumption of junk food by children.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, we are taking decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever. As part of this, the Government has announced an ambitious programme aimed at improving the healthiness of the food environment. In December 2024, the Government published the revised National Planning Policy Framework for local government. As part of this, local authorities were given the stronger, clearer powers they have told us they need to block new fast-food outlets near schools.

On 1 October 2025, we implemented restrictions on volume price promotions for less healthy food and drinks, such as three for two offers, in stores and their online equivalents and United Kingdom-wide restrictions on the advertising of less healthy food and drink on television and online came into force on 5 January 2026.

We have also consulted on banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old and announced changes to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy in the Autumn Budget to deliver greater health benefits to children.

We announced in the 10-Year Health Plan that, in a world-first, we will introduce mandatory healthier food sales reporting for large food businesses and set new targets to increase the healthiness of sales. We will also strengthen the existing advertising and promotions restrictions by consulting on applying an updated definition of ‘less healthy food and drink’.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to page 26 of the Animal Welfare Strategy for England, published on 22 December 2025, whether she plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) making wildlife crimes notifiable and (b) including them in national crime statistics.

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

Wildlife crime can have devastating consequences for our natural environments and countryside communities. This Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas and anyone exploiting or deliberately harming British wildlife should face the full force of the law.

There are currently no plans to make wildlife crimes notifiable (which would result in them being included in the national crime statistics). Any non-notifiable wildlife crime reported to the police can still be investigated where appropriate, as Chief Constables have operational independence to tackle the crimes that matter most to their communities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he will take steps to allow non-Mayoral authorities to access proposals for a Tourism Levy.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We are consulting whether the visitor levy should be extended to Foundation Strategic Authorities, which can be accessed on gov.uk.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress her Department has made on bringing forward legislative proposals to prohibit the importation of hunting trophies.

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

The Government is committed to banning the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern, which is the most effective approach the Government can take on this matter.

The department continues to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can implement a robust ban.

Timeframes for introducing legislation will be provided once the Parliamentary timetable for future sessions is determined.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help reduce the breeding of animals who are genetically predisposed to brachycephaly.

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

Under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 anyone breeding dogs and advertising a business of selling dogs and/or who breeds three or more litters of puppies in a twelve-month period must have a licence from their local authority.

Licensees must meet statutory animal welfare standards including a prohibition from breeding dogs if it can be reasonably expected that on the basis of their genotype, phenotype or health, this would lead to welfare problems for the mother or the puppies.

As part of the Animal welfare strategy for England which was published on 22 December 2025, the Government has committed to launch a consultation on dog breeding reform. As part of our consultation, we will consider ways to improve the welfare of breeding dogs and their offspring. Separately, the strategy will see us improve our understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding, drawing on expertise from the sector, and consider any further steps which may improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing licensing requirements for the establishment of (a) hairdressers and (b) barbers.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government recognises the significant economic and social role that the hairdressing and barbering industry plays in high streets and communities across the UK.

The Hairdressers Registration Act of 1964 provides for a UK register of qualified hairdressers, although registration remains voluntary. Hairdressing salons and barbers, like other employers, are subject to normal business regulations such as health and safety requirements, employer and public liability insurance.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have set up a forum with the industry on informing the hair and beauty sector on good compliance. However, the government has no current plans to introduce further regulation of the industry, but we will always remain open to evidence.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to include proposals on the regulation of veterinary fees for uninsured animals in the upcoming consultation on reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966.

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

The forthcoming consultation on potential reforms to the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 will include proposals for a new framework through which all pet owners would have better access to treatment options.

The proposed reforms could also help address cost of living concerns, including through mandatory business regulation, and embedding any remedies proposed by the Competition and Markets Authority.

Pet owners who have difficulty affording veterinary treatment can consider contacting charities such as Blue Cross and the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA).

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a grading system for food labelling that rates the animal welfare standards in the food’s production.

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

As set out in the animal welfare strategy, the Government committed to ensuring that consumers have access to clear information on how their food was produced. To support this, the Government will continue working with relevant stakeholders, including the farming and food industry, scientists and NGOs to explore how improved animal welfare food labelling could provide greater consumer transparency, support farmers and promote better animal welfare.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to increase the uptake of (a) hairdressing and (b) barbering apprenticeships.

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

There are a number of apprenticeship standards available to support the hair and beauty sector, including the Level 2 Hairdressing Professional standard and the Level 2 Barbering Professional standard.

The government provides a range of financial support for employers to take on apprentices. We provide £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in care. Employers also benefit from not being required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25, when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year.

In addition, from the next academic year, the government will fully fund apprenticeships for non-levy paying employers (essentially small and medium sized enterprises) for all eligible people aged under 25. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16-21 and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care. This change will make it easier for those employers to engage with apprenticeships by cutting costs and reducing bureaucracy for both them and their training providers.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to encourage industry to end the practice of culling male laying hen chicks; and if she will publish a timetable for taking these steps.

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

As stated in the recently published Animal Welfare Strategy¹ the Government welcomes the UK egg industry’s interest in the development of day zero sexing technology. There has been rapid global progress in a range of technologies that could help end the routine culling of male chicks by identifying or determining the sex of chick embryos before hatching as set out in the Animal Welfare Committee’s ‘Opinion on alternatives to culling newly hatched chicks in the egg and poultry industries’.

Aside from in-ovo sexing technology, government is co-funding an initiative to assess the viability of dual-purpose poultry breeds, that is, breeds that can be used for laying eggs and meat therefore avoiding the need to cull males.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had discussions with hospitality businesses on the potential impact of the timeframe for completing rateable evaluations of business that have had their premises renovated on businesses completing such renovations.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Legislation sets the route for ratepayers to notify the Valuation Office Agency of changes, including renovations, through the Check Challenge Appeal service. The timeframe for the VOA to complete reviews is also set out in legislation; for Check cases it is up to 12 months and Challenges up to 18 months, although the VOA aims to respond sooner.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme, (a) when the Department plans to publish the full evaluation of this programme; and (b) whether the findings of this evaluation will inform (i) the SEND Improvement Plan and, (ii) any future Schools White Paper.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

An independent interim evaluation of the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme was published on 2 December 2025, and is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/partnerships-for-inclusion-of-neurodiversity-in-schools-pins-interim-evaluation-report.

The second year of PINS delivery is due to conclude on 31 March 2026, with independent evaluation activity continuing until summer 2026. We anticipate publishing a final evaluation report of the PINS programme after this date.

The learning from the PINS interim evaluation is informing policy development around how schools support neurodivergent children. We will set out our plans for reform of the special educational needs and disabilities system in the upcoming Schools White Paper, building on the work we have already done to create a system that is rooted in inclusion, where children receive high quality support early on and can thrive at their local school.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure protections for British Iranians who are affected by the violence against protesters taking place in Iran.

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

The UK condemns in the strongest of terms the horrendous and brutal killing of Iranian protestors we have seen over recent weeks.

The Iranian authorities must be held accountable for the violence that claimed the lives of thousands of Iranians who were exercising their right to peaceful protest. Last week, in a statement to the House, the Foreign Secretary set out the action that the Government is taking in coordination with allies in response to the consistent threat that the Iranian regime poses to stability, security, freedom and the UK national interest.

The Home Office works closely with other government departments as well as relevant agencies and law enforcement to protect the UK and its people against any threats from the Iranian state.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of moving the BVRLA guidelines on Fair Wear and Tear onto a statutory basis for people hiring cars.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has not made a specific assessment of the potential merits of moving the BVRLA guidelines on Fair Wear and Tear onto a statutory basis for people hiring cars.

BVLRA members are bound by the BVLRA's Code of Conduct which ensures fair treatment in assessing vehicle condition upon return. Failure to do so could represent a breach of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring car hire companies to capture and store digitally timestamped (a) photographic and (b) video evidence of a vehicle’s condition both at check-out and check-in for people hiring cars.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Competition and Markets Authority published guidance in 2018 to support car rental companies to comply with consumer law. The department does not intend to impose specific obligations on car rental companies regarding how they monitor the vehicle's condition. Consumers are advised to keep their own records regarding the state of the vehicle before and after the hire, so that they can dispute any damage claims if required.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of adults with a learning disability in England have a regular annual health check by a GP.

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

The Department does not hold data relating to what proportion of adults with a learning disability in England have a regular annual health check with a general practitioner.

NHS England is required to offer to all primary medical services contractors the opportunity to enter into arrangements under the Network Contract Directed Enhanced Services (DES) Scheme. Integrated care boards (ICBs), as commissioners of primary care services, are responsible for ensuring that there is sufficient provision of these services to meet the needs of their patient population.

As part of the Network Contract DES Learning Disabilities Health Check Scheme, primary services contractors are required to identify registered patients aged 14 years old or over who have learning disabilities and to record this on a learning disabilities register. Contractors are required to offer annual health checks to these patients.

World Cancer Day

Signing of the Hamburg Declaration

President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement

Hospices and end of life care

Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

Role of the House of Lords in scrutinising legislation

Gardens Trust statutory consultee status

Horse and rider road safety

Dolphin hunting in the Faroe Islands

Social media for under 16s

UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons

Public health campaign on tackling stigma towards suicide

Nuclear Regulatory Review and habitats regulations

Deregistration of international non-governmental organisations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Iran protests

Found: Vikki Slade: Good afternoon.

Found: Vikki Slade: Good afternoon.