Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the net zero targets are for (a) their Department and (b) its arm’s-length bodies; and whether guidance has been issued on adopting net zero targets earlier than 2050.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport (DfT), the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Office of Rail and Road (ORR), Trinity House, Transport Focus, the Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain, the Civil Aviation Authority, and Active Travel England (ATE) are committed to achieving the UK Government’s Net Zero Carbon target by 2050. The Department for Transport also holds policy responsibility for ensuring greenhouse gas emissions from in-use transport and transport infrastructure construction reduce in line with the legislated economy-wide target of net zero by 2050.
The position in terms of other Department for Transport bodies is set out below.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) supports the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy. This includes reducing fuel lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent by 2030, 80 per cent by 2040, and achieving zero emissions by 2050.
All other arm’s-length bodies will be expected to adopt the existing 2050 target or develop their own based on their operational impacts.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Environment Agency's implementation timeline for the waste registration and accreditation system.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The packaging regulations provide the Environment Agency (EA) with a statutory 12-week period to determine applications for reprocessor & exporter registration and accreditation applications.
In a small number of cases the determination period is going beyond this 12-week period for applications under the new 2026 packaging regulations. This is due to increased application queries and embedding the new requirements to ensure all applications are consistently assessed. The EA will back date registrations and accreditations to 1 January 2026. The EA does not anticipate that these delays will continue and has a plan to determine all applications as promptly as possible.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department is considering to address capital works required at the Old Royal Naval College.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence works closely with parties who have an interest in the Old Royal Naval College. In exercising his power to grant leases on the Old Royal Naval College, the Secretary of State gives regard to the suitability of occupants to maintain the site, and to public access. Under the terms of their lease, responsibility for heritage conservation, maintenance, and repair rests with the Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College. Public access is a matter for all tenants, and employment is a matter for individual employers on site.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many full-time equivalent staff in her Department have been employed for the purpose of making social media content in each of the last three years.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Due to the difficulty of disaggregating the number of staff who are employed to produce social media content from staff who are employed to work on broader digital communications, it is not possible to report exact figures in response to this question.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to help Ukraine win the war against the Russian Federation.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the oral statement made by the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry on 18 December 2025, and to the UK support to Ukraine factsheet available on GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-support-to-ukraine-factsheet/uk-support-to-ukraine-factsheet.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2025 to Question 96315 on Sports: Finance, how much of the £400 million announced for investment into grassroots sports facilities she anticipates will be spent in 2026, and on which sports will that funding be spent.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government’s announcement of £400m of investment into grassroots sports over the next four years will ensure that we continue to deliver high-quality multi-sport facilities in communities that need them across the UK, including Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, in order to increase participation and allow people to be active.
According to Sport England’s Active Places database, as of December 2025 there are 56,855 non-pitch-based sport facilities in England, which can be broken down by local authority. More details can be found here.
We are working on our plans for future grassroots sports funding and we will continue to engage the Devolved Governments and our local partners across the UK on this matter. We will provide an update early in 2026.
Asked by: Robin Swann (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will provide an assessment on the role of Chaplains in the Armed Forces.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Chaplains play a vital role in the provision of holistic care and support of service personnel and their families. Their role is multifaceted, focusing on spiritual, moral and pastoral support for personnel of all faiths and beliefs, reflecting the diversity of British society and the Armed Forces.
A chaplain’s role is especially important in operational contexts, where they are among the few individuals accessible outside the command structure; this enhances trust and makes them an important source of support and advice for Service personnel. They bolster morale and cohesion, leading religious services and ceremonial or commemorative events, reinforcing tradition and collective identity.
Chaplains also contribute advice to commanders on the moral dimensions of leadership and the human impact of military decisions. Their input can shape the command culture and aid decision-making, reinforcing the Armed Forces’ emphasis on values and standards and being a force for good.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Rapid £140 million boost for drone and counter-drone tech from newly-formed UK Defence Innovation, published on 15 December 2025, what weapon will be procured for the air-launched collaborative Uncrewed Air Vehicle.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The RAF’s Rapid Capability Office are working with industry partners and allies on key underpinning technologies that support the development of Autonomous Collaborative Platforms.
The timeline to fielding frontline capability is subject to a range of factors, several of which are dependent on the Defence Investment Plan. However, I am withholding further details as disclosure would prejudice commercial interests and also would prejudice the capability, effectiveness, or security of the Armed Forces.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Rapid £140 million boost for drone and counter-drone tech from newly-formed UK Defence Innovation, published on 15 December 2025, what will the air-launched collaborative Uncrewed Air Vehicle be called.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The RAF’s Rapid Capability Office are working with industry partners and allies on key underpinning technologies that support the development of Autonomous Collaborative Platforms.
The timeline to fielding frontline capability is subject to a range of factors, several of which are dependent on the Defence Investment Plan. However, I am withholding further details as disclosure would prejudice commercial interests and also would prejudice the capability, effectiveness, or security of the Armed Forces.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Rapid £140 million boost for drone and counter-drone tech from newly-formed UK Defence Innovation, published on 15 December 2025, what will the air-launched collaborative uncrewed air vehicle be called.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The RAF’s Rapid Capability Office are working with industry partners and allies on key underpinning technologies that support the development of Autonomous Collaborative Platforms.
The timeline to fielding frontline capability is subject to a range of factors, several of which are dependent on the Defence Investment Plan. However, I am withholding further details as disclosure would prejudice commercial interests and also would prejudice the capability, effectiveness, or security of the Armed Forces.