Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many animal welfare inspections of game bird farms were undertaken in (a) England and (b) Wales in 2025; how many and what proportion of those visits identified the use of barren cages for breeding birds; and whether follow up inspections were carried out in those circumstances.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In 2025, there were 14 inspections of game bird farms in England and 3 in Wales. There were no non-compliances noted in relation to the birds’ housing or environment.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what national guidance is in place for NHS commissioners and providers regarding emergency or out-of-hours support for patients who experience sudden hearing aid failure; and whether he has assessed the patient safety risks associated with gaps in such provision.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has published national commissioning guidance for adult audiology services, including the provision, maintenance, and ongoing support of hearing aids, to help commissioners deliver high quality and accessible hearing services in line with local population needs.
Responsibility for determining and commissioning any emergency or out of hours support for patients experiencing sudden hearing aid failure rests with integrated care boards, who are best placed to assess local demand and put appropriate arrangements in place.
The Department does not hold information on the number of trusts that provide out-of-hours support for hearing aid failure and has made no assessment on safety risks associated with variation in local provision.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Crown Court backlogs on the length of time defendants are held on remand prior to trial.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Crown Court backlogs can cause defendants to spend longer time on remand. This Government is committed to pulling every lever we have – investment, reform and efficiency – so can we turn the tide on the backlog. The Government has invested significantly in the system, including funding unlimited sitting days so that the Crown Court can hear as many cases as possible next year. We have also introduced the Courts and Tribunals Bill to enable much-needed reform of the criminal courts, and are leading a major efficiency drive, including the introduction of ‘blitz courts’ to get through the backlog.
The use of remand is a judicial matter, and there are well established processes for extending Custody Time Limits if needed. Applications must be approved by independent judges and defendants have the right to oppose any application.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance he has issued on engagement between his Department and the legal representatives of prisoners undertaking prolonged hunger strikes.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Under the Prison Rules and Prison Service Instruction 49/2011 Prisoner Communication Services, prisoners are entitled to confidential access to their legal advisers, including by telephone, in person legal visits, and written correspondence, all of which must take place without being monitored except in exceptional, legally defined circumstances. Prisons must facilitate reasonable opportunities for legal contact, such as providing access to visit rooms, scheduling telephone calls, and ensuring that mail to and from legal representatives is handled promptly and without routine opening or interference.
On 24 December, the Deputy Prime Minister wrote in response to a letter from legal representatives of those who were refusing food. He offered to facilitate a meeting between senior representatives of the healthcare provider and the prisoners’ solicitors. This offer was accepted on 8 January, and the meeting took place on 9 January.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average length of time spent on remand in custody was in the most recent 12-month period for which data is available.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Information relating to the time spent on custodial remand is not centrally held by the Ministry of Justice. To obtain the data to answer this question would involve a manual interrogation of court records which would result in a disproportionate cost to the Department.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on expanding access to women's health hubs.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We know that women’s health hubs are an effective model for improving access to and experiences of care for women and girls.Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support police forces in reducing serious and fatal road traffic collisions.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The safety of all road users is a priority for this Government. While the operational enforcement of road traffic laws is a matter for individual police forces, the Home Office is committed to supporting them in reducing serious and fatal collisions.
The Government is strengthening police powers to enforce traffic law, through measures in the Crime and Policing Bill which will enable officers to seize vehicles without having to serve a notice and to tackle dangerous driving more effectively.We support police forces in targeting speeding, drink and drug driving, mobile phone use while driving and failure to wear seatbelts, through enforcement campaigns and educational schemes such as BikeSafe and the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme.
The Home Office is also working closely with the Department for Transport on the recently published Road Safety Strategy which sets an ambitious target to reduce deaths and serious injuries by 65% by 2035. This includes measures to strengthen enforcement, improve vehicle safety and enhance collision investigation capability.
Through these combined efforts, we are ensuring that police forces have the tools, powers and partnerships needed to make our roads safer and reduce the tragic toll of serious and fatal collisions.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support her Department provide to people affected by fatal road traffic collisions.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
This government takes road safety extremely seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads and to tackling the behaviours that make our roads less safe. On 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all.
The Strategy sets an ambitious target to reduce and prevent the number of people killed or seriously injured on British roads by 65% by 2035. This target will focus the efforts of road safety partners across Britain, with measures to protect road users including the victims impacted by road traffic collisions.
Decisions on the support offered by trained police Family Liaison Officers to those affected by fatal road traffic collisions are operational matters for chief officers, supported by guidance from the College of Policing.
The Ministry of Justice provides annual funding to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to commission a range of local support services for victims of crime.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how lessons from serious and fatal road traffic collisions are incorporated into national road safety policy.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Improving road safety is a key priority. Injuries and fatalities from road collisions caused by driving are unacceptable, and this Government is working hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users.
The Road Safety Strategy published on 7th January sets out the Department’s intention to establish a data-led road safety investigation branch to learn lessons from road incidents, by taking a strategic, thematic approach, focusing on patterns of collisions, injury trends, and systemic safety issues. It will adopt a test-and-learn approach, using real-world evidence to inform targeted safety interventions, data-driven policies, and proactive prevention and enforcement strategies.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding was allocated to Greater Manchester under national road safety funding schemes in each of the last three years.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
There have been no allocations to Greater Manchester under national road safety funding schemes in each of the last three years. Local authorities are responsible for prioritising road safety measures within their existing transport and highways budgets.
The Government remains committed to improving road safety and the condition of local roads. While there is no ring‑fenced road safety funding, Greater Manchester will benefit from wider transport and highways investment, including £15,572,000 in highways maintenance incentive funding in 2026/27 and a £2.47 billion Transport for City Regions settlement for 2027–32 to support local transport priorities, which may include road safety initiatives.