Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many nights were spent in hotels by Departmental staff in financial year 2024-25 by the star rating of the hotel.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department has access to records of hotel accommodation used by employees; however, this information is not collected or categorised by hotel star rating. In 2024/25, employees booked 8,367 hotel nights, equivalent to an average 1.06 nights per employee.
The department’s travel and expenses policy ensures value for money by setting clear limits for hotel costs: £160 per night in London and £110 per night elsewhere. Employees are expected to book within these caps through approved channels.
Where accommodation cannot reasonably be secured within these limits, any higher‑cost booking must receive prior approval from a Senior Civil Servant (Deputy Director or above). Such approval is granted only where there is a clearly evidenced business or critical operational need.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many nights were spent in hotels by Departmental staff in financial year 2024-25 by the star rating of the hotel.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
All business/duty hotel accommodation booked by Ministry of Defence (MOD) staff must be made using the Global Business Travel (GBT) online booking tool. The GBT tool does not record the star rating of hotels, but MOD policy stipulates that bookings must align with the Department’s Hotel Capitation Rates.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many nights were spent in hotels by Departmental staff in financial year 2024-25 by the star rating of the hotel.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
For the financial year 2024-25, 21,691 hotel nights were booked through the Department's travel booking platform.
The department’s reports do not contain the star rating of the hotels booked, therefore cannot provide an answer.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the cost to UK Export Finance was of mitigating operational emissions arising from (a) its office footprint and b) business travel in 2024-25.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
UKEF’s office footprint is managed by the Government Property Agency, which is responsible for the provision of all energy and utility services. UKEF mitigates operational emissions arising from business travel through policies to reduce the cost of business travel; these measures do not place additional costs on UKEF.
Full details regarding expenditure on UKEF’s office footprint and business travel for 2024-25 can be found in the UK Export Finance Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of her policy of no reduced rate or exemption for children or family travelling in premium economy of Air Passenger Duty on families travelling with children in premium economy cabins on long haul flights; and how the UK’s approach compares with aviation passenger tax regimes in other European countries.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Air Passenger Duty (APD) applies to airlines, not individual passengers, and is the principal tax on the aviation sector. It is expected to raise £4.7 billion in 2025-26 and it aims to ensure that airlines make a fair contribution to the public finances, particularly given that tickets are VAT free and aviation fuel incurs no duty. The distance-based band structure ensures that those who travel furthest, and in the greatest comfort, incur a greater tax liability. Other countries also have different forms of aviation taxes.
Children under 16 years old on the date of the flight, and in the lowest class of travel, are exempt from APD. If children under 16 years old are travelling in any other class (such as premium economy) or in business jets, they are not exempt. Children under 2 years old without a seat are exempt from Air Passenger Duty for all classes of travel.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to work with the travel industry to help ensure that package holidays sold to UK consumers meet appropriate health and safety standards, and what action is being considered to protect holidaymakers where there are persistent health concerns linked to particular destinations or resorts.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 set the consumer protection framework for package holidays and linked travel arrangements. They require organisers to meet specific standards and provide protections such as redress for substandard or unperformed services, refunds for cancellations, and assistance if issues arise during the trip. The Department is in regular contact with the industry to support standards across the sector.
Travellers are encouraged to research and plan carefully and consider potential risks, for example by consulting the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office website which provides up-to-date travel advice to help people make informed decisions before booking and travelling overseas.
Asked by: Baroness Caine of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government which of the priority growth sectors in the Modern Industrial Strategy 2025 they have agreed sector skills plans with; and how much public investment has been committed to each priority growth sector over what period of time.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We are developing, with industry, sector Jobs Plans for all growth-driving sectors identified by the Industrial Strategy, as well as construction. These plans will build on the Industrial Strategy Sector Plans and provide a clear direction of travel for government and industry to develop the domestic workforce together. The first of these plans to be published was the Clean Energy Jobs plan.
Firms in the eight Industrial Strategy sectors receive a wide range of investment, including via a range of sector-targeted programmes and the Public Financial Institutions, such as the British Business Bank (including £4 billion of capital specifically for the Industrial Strategy sectors), UK Export Finance and the National Wealth Fund. They are also supported by wider public investment into other policy interventions, such as skills. As part of the government's investment in skills across this Parliament, in addition to £1.2 billion of additional investment in skills per year by 2028-29, we have committed to sector skills packages including £187 million for digital skills and artificial intelligence learning; £182 million for engineering skills and £182 million to boost the defence talent pipeline.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the cost was of his Department's initiatives aimed at reducing official travel emissions in 2024–25, including behavioural programmes, reporting systems and policy compliance activity.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Records are not held that identify the cost of the Department's initiatives aimed at reducing official travel emissions including behavioural programmes, reporting systems and policy compliance activity.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions her Department has had with (a) Monzo, (b) Metro Bank, (c) Revolut and (d) Marks and Spencer bank about their use of the cash handling services provided by the Post Office.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the importance of access to cash and banking services for individuals and businesses, including those who may be in vulnerable groups or require assistance and is supportive of industry initiatives that improve access to these vital services.
Treasury Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at the link below.
The Post Office plays a key role in supporting access to banking services. Under the Banking Framework, a commercial agreement between the Post Office and 30 banking firms , personal and business customers can withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance, pay bills and cash cheques at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK. The specific services provided under the Framework are subject to commercial negotiations between individual banks and the Post Office, and the Government has no role in deciding what these arrangements are.
On 21 January, the Government held joint discussions between the Post Office and the banking sector to explore where continued collaboration, on a commercial and voluntary basis, would allow all parties to better meet the needs of individuals and businesses.
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.