Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support disabled people who face the greatest barriers to work.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Good work is good for health, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. The Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 set out how we will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity, backed by £240 million investment, for which the Northern Ireland executive received consequential funding in the usual way.
Disabled people and people with health conditions, including young disabled people can face a wide range of unique, yet intersecting barriers, relating to not just their health, but their employment and circumstance (Work aspirations and support needs of health and disability customers: Final findings report - GOV.UK). We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Existing measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres in Great Britain.
DWP set out our plan for the “Pathways to Work Guarantee” in our Pathways to Work Green Paper and we are building towards our guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits in Great Britain. The guarantee is backed by £1 billion a year of new, additional funding for the UK by the end of the decade, the Northern Ireland executive will receive their share of this funding in the usual way. We anticipate the guarantee, once fully rolled out in Great Britain, will include: a support conversation to identify next steps, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement, and an offer of specialist long-term work health and skills support.
In recognition of employers’ vital role in addressing health-related economic activity, we appointed Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the independent Keep Britain Working Review across the UK. The Report was published on 5 November. In partnership with DBT and DHSC, we are immediately launching Vanguards to test new employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in work and develop a Healthy Workplace Standard, putting Sir Charlie’s key recommendations into action.
Additionally, the Joint Work and Health Directorate (JWHD) has developed a digital information service for employers and continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme in Great Britain where we have recently announced plans to make the scheme more robust.
Alan Milburn will author an independent report to tackle the persistently high numbers of young people out of work, education and training. The report will examine why increasing numbers of young people are falling out of work or education before their careers have begun. It will make recommendations for policy response to help young people access work, training or education, ensuring they are supported to thrive and are not sidelined.
In Northern Ireland, health, skills, careers and employment support are transferred matters. My officials work closely with those in the Northern Ireland Executive, sharing best practice in regard to providing employment support to disabled people.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2026 to Question 101854, how much funding is being provided over the Spending Review period in a) bus services, b) active travel infrastructure, and c) the Mode Shift Revenue Support grant; and over what years that funding will be allocated.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Funding for Bus Services can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-bus-grant-allocations/labg-revenue-allocations-2026-to-2029
Funding for Active Travel Infrastructure was published as part of the Spending Review 2025, and can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spending-review-2025-document
Mode Shift Revenue Support grant: Up to £20 million provisional budget for 2026/27 – shared with Waterborne Freight Grant. Future funding arrangements subject to future departmental business planning.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the ability of vulnerable groups to access planning consultations.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Under the Equality Act 2010, all public bodies have a Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) to have due regard to certain equality considerations when exercising their functions, this includes public engagements such as planning consultations.
Planning consultations are carried out through a range of methods and local planning authorities are required to publish these on their website. Public authorities must make their website accessible and publish and keep updated an accessibility statement on their website.
The duty should always be applied in a proportionate way depending on the circumstances of the case and the seriousness of the potential equality impact.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria will be used to assess whether a train station is well-connected for the purposes of a planning application receiving a default yes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 102319 on 12 January 2026.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what powers public authorities have to restrict vehicular access to Sites of Special Scientific Interest that span multiple land ownerships where ecological damage is taking place.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All public bodies have a statutory duty to take reasonable steps to further the conservation and enhancement of the special features of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), including where an SSSI spans multiple landownerships. Natural England (NE) works with all relevant parties to ensure appropriate protection is in place.
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 provides the main framework for protecting SSSIs. It controls operations likely to damage an SSSI’s special features and includes enforcement powers to stop harmful activities, including those involving vehicles.
Any owner or occupier of land on a SSSI who wishes to carry out, or permit others to carry out, an activity likely to damage an SSSI, must obtain consent from NE. Failing to do so is an offence in the absence of a reasonable excuse. NE has various powers in such circumstances, including a power to issue enforcement notices, and require restoration. These consent procedures provide NE with powers to restrict or regulate vehicular access to SSSIs where ecological damage has occurred or is at risk.
In addition, section 28R of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 enables NE to make byelaws for the protection of SSSIs, which could include restricting vehicular entry.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what powers public authorities have to restrict vehicular access to Sites of Special Scientific Interest where ecological damage has been, or is being, wilfully caused.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All public bodies have a statutory duty to take reasonable steps to further the conservation and enhancement of the special features of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), including where an SSSI spans multiple landownerships. Natural England (NE) works with all relevant parties to ensure appropriate protection is in place.
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 provides the main framework for protecting SSSIs. It controls operations likely to damage an SSSI’s special features and includes enforcement powers to stop harmful activities, including those involving vehicles.
Any owner or occupier of land on a SSSI who wishes to carry out, or permit others to carry out, an activity likely to damage an SSSI, must obtain consent from NE. Failing to do so is an offence in the absence of a reasonable excuse. NE has various powers in such circumstances, including a power to issue enforcement notices, and require restoration. These consent procedures provide NE with powers to restrict or regulate vehicular access to SSSIs where ecological damage has occurred or is at risk.
In addition, section 28R of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 enables NE to make byelaws for the protection of SSSIs, which could include restricting vehicular entry.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the East of England APPG and Local Government East's report entitled Opportunity East One Year On, published on 19 November 2025.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Opportunity East: One Year On makes a strong case for the East of England and the role it can play in driving growth and prosperity, and we welcome the efforts of the APPG and Local Government East in raising the profile of the region and highlighting its great potential. We will consider the report with interest as we take forward our mission to kickstart growth across the country.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost to the Department.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the out-of-service date is for Fuchs CBRN.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The current Out of Service Dates (OSDs) for the platforms can be found in the table below:
Platform | OSDs |
Fuchs | 2029 |
Stormer | 2028 (extended from 2026) |
Terrier | 2043 |
Titan | 2032 |
Trojan | 2040 |
OSDs are continuously reviewed to ensure that the British Army has the capabilities it requires to deliver against Defence commitments.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the out-of-service date is for Stormer.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The current Out of Service Dates (OSDs) for the platforms can be found in the table below:
Platform | OSDs |
Fuchs | 2029 |
Stormer | 2028 (extended from 2026) |
Terrier | 2043 |
Titan | 2032 |
Trojan | 2040 |
OSDs are continuously reviewed to ensure that the British Army has the capabilities it requires to deliver against Defence commitments.