Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to review the (a) application and (b) enforcement of the UK Forestry Standard in Surrey, in the context of recent logging activities at Bummoor Copse; and if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the UK Forestry Standard for balancing ecological protections with commercial forestry operations in (i) bluebell season, (ii) the bird nesting period and (ii) other times.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Forestry Commission regulates tree felling in England under the provisions in the Forestry Act. Most felling licences require that felled trees or woodland are replaced by replanting or natural regeneration. The exception to this is a thinning licence, where sufficient woodland cover is retained so as not to require restocking. In this specific case, the Forestry Commission issued 3 felling licences covering thinning, coppicing and an area of clear felling. Felling trees is an essential part of woodland management and plays a vital role in supporting the rural economy through the production of sustainable timber.
When considering a felling licence application, the Forestry Commission will judge the proposals against the UK Forestry Standard, the government’s approach to sustainable forestry. The latest (5th) edition was published in 2023 following an extensive review process. The standard encompasses the impacts on biodiversity and recognises the importance of priority habitats and species. As a result, felling licences also include guidance on additional issues the licence holder may need to consider such as compliance with wider relevant legislation, including laws related to habitat and species conservation.
Following concerns raised by the local community, the Forestry Commission visited the site in early May to assess compliance with the felling licence conditions. The woodland has been impacted by ash dieback and therefore the felling operations will help address the health and safety risks associated with diseased trees as well as providing an opportunity to increase the structural diversity to improve biodiversity in the longer term.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to regulate (a) poisonous and (b) harmful substances procured (i) domestically and (ii) internationally that may be used for suicide.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave her on 6 May to Question 48303.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the (a) effectiveness and (b) value for money of outsourcing interpreter and translation services for court proceedings; and what steps she has taken to ensure (i) quality, (ii) consistency and (iii) the protection of fair trial rights when third-party contractors provide such services.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Department has recently undertaken a re-procurement of its interpreter and translation service under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. These regulations mandate that public bodies aggregate expenditure on classes of goods and services and ensure that competition is applied through defined procurement procedures to ensure value for money. This principle underpinned the Ministry of Justice’s previous procurement of services and remains the case today.
The Ministry of Justice has regular conversations with stakeholders and incorporated their views into the options explored within a delivery model assessment which resulted in the consideration of insourcing, and hybrid options of insource and outsource. Stakeholders were informed in 2022/23 that the Department planned to continue with an outsourced model after assessments indicated that it was the best model for our needs. This option allowed for greater cost efficiency and enabled a larger share of funding to be directed towards paying interpreters.
It is vital that victims, witnesses and defendants understand what is happening in court to ensure justice is done. To support this, the Ministry of Justice operates a robust performance and quality regime for interpretation and translation services. These include monthly meetings with suppliers and stakeholders to monitor and discuss, in detail, the quality of the services being provided and performance against contractual performance indicators. The suppliers forecast demand, and work to ensure that there is a pool of qualified interpreters available to the Department to fulfil bookings and facilitate fair trials for those that require interpretation services. The contracts also provide for the Ministry of Justice to audit the suppliers to verify the accuracy of contractual payments, management information, and compliance with contractual obligations.
In addition, the Department has awarded a contract for the provision of independent quality assurance of the services provided under these other contracts. This assurance is undertaken in a number of ways, including:
Managing the Ministry’s register of interpreters
Conducting an annual audit of supplier processes for introducing new interpreters
Conducting a programme of 'spot checks' of interpreters undertaking assignments
Annual surveys of business users of the service
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what systems are in place within (a) Border Force and (b) her Department to monitor the international procurement of poisons; and whether those systems are applied consistently across all countries.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We remain committed to stopping dangerous drugs – including poisons – from entering the country. Our Border Force Officers continue to work to stop illegal drugs by making more, higher-quantity seizures than in previous years, using advanced technology, data analytics, and greater intelligence, derived from close working relationships with police, the National Crime Agency, and international partners.
It would not be in the interest of national security to disclose specific systems in place, nor further information regarding intelligence gathering and sharing.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to include (a) national commissioning standards for adult social care, (b) assurance and (c) oversight of adult social care commissioning in the National Care Service.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have launched an independent commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey. The commission will build a national consensus to create a National Care Service that is productive, preventative, and that gives people who draw on care, and their families and carers, more power in the system.
The commission's Terms of Reference are sufficiently broad enough to enable Baroness Casey to define its remit to independently consider how to build a social care system fit for the future, including the approach to commissioning, assurance, and oversight.
In the interim, we are making tangible improvements to lay the foundations for a National Care Service that will enable more people to live independently and make social care more productive. This includes driving ‘home first’ as the default option for receiving care. We have introduced a new Better Care Fund framework, for example, setting out that the National Health Service and local authorities should work together to set and meet goals, and we are backing care technologies by making it easier for everyone to identify and buy trusted solutions that help people live independently.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has powers under the Health and Care Act 2022 to assess how well local authorities in England are performing against their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including their duties relating to market shaping and commissioning. Formal assessments commenced in December 2023, and as of June 2025, the CQC has published over 40 local authority assessments. You can view their assessment of individual local authorities via published reports on the CQC’s website.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with airlines on the (a) accessibility and (b) clarity of compensation claim processes; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of claims procedures on passengers.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Under UK law, airlines are required to provide written information to passengers affected by flight disruptions, setting out the rules for compensation and assistance. This information must be clear, easy to understand, and available in accessible formats.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is responsible for ensuring airlines comply with their legal obligations towards passengers.
The EU conducted an assessment of the potential impact of the claims procedure on passengers as part of its proposed 2013 reform to Regulation 261, finding that some passengers were being discouraged from claiming their rights even when entitled. The UK has not carried out any further assessments on this issue since then.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring airlines to issue compensation for denied boarding automatically.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
An assessment of the merits of automatic compensation for denied boarding has not been made.
Provision of automatic compensation to passengers for denied boarding would present some practical challenges that would need to be fully considered through a full public consultation ahead of any potential legislative reforms.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure that ensure that (a) refugees and (b) stateless people are not penalised for their irregular (i) entry or (ii) arrival.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
Irrespective of someone’s method of entry or arrival to the UK, all asylum claims that are admitted to the UK asylum system are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. Each individual assessment is made against the background of relevant case law and the latest available country of origin information.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that there is adequate (a) capacity and (b) resources for anticipated levels of demand for English-language classes, in the context of proposed requirements for English language proficiency for visa applications.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
I refer the Hon Member to Paragraphs 244-258 of the Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May 2025, which addresses these issues in detail. Further updates will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to begin consulting with adult social care providers on proposals for a Fair Pay Agreement.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In England, we are committed to consulting on the design of the Fair Pay Agreement process, and we aim to begin a public consultation after the Employment Rights Bill receives Royal Assent later this year. We expect the consultation to run for 12 weeks, and we will work with partners to reach as much of the sector as possible.
We have already begun engaging with sector representatives in England through the Department’s Fair Pay Agreement Working Group and policy specific task and finish groups, which will help to inform policy options for a public consultation on the design of the Fair Pay Agreement process.