Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the government plans to further regulate use by local authorities of glyphosate herbicides.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is not planning on further regulating glyphosate use by local authorities.
There is a legal requirement to minimise the use of pesticides along roads and in areas used by the public. It is for each Local Authority to decide the best way of delivering effective and cost-effective weed control in its operations without harming people or the environment.
The UK Pesticides National Action Plan (NAP) sets out how we intend to increase the uptake of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) across all sectors, including in amenity. Defra funded the recent publication of Parks for London’s Integrated Weed Management guide, which has been made open access. IPM lies at the heart of the government’s approach to minimise the environmental impact of pesticides.
A pesticide may only be placed on the market in Great Britain (GB) if the product has been authorised by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), GB’s pesticide regulator. This only happens following a thorough scientific risk assessment that concludes all safety standards are met.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of funding to national park authorities in England.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We recognise that the Defra core grant is vital to support England’s National Park Authorities.
In the 25/26 financial year, the government is providing £45.2 million of core funding to the 10 National Park Authorities, with a capital uplift of up to £15 million to support their contribution to protecting 30% of land by 2030. We have also extended programmes such as Farming in Protected Landscapes, providing £30 million to support projects in our National Landscapes and National Parks, until March 2026. We are also committed to working with Protected Landscapes organisations to unleash other income sources.
Defra has invested over £2m in a ‘Green Finance Accelerator’ comprised of National Parks Partnerships and the National Landscapes Association to provide the capacity, tools and expertise needed to increase private investment in nature.
Funding beyond April 2026 is being determined through an ongoing internal business planning process.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of parks and green spaces on communities.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Parks and urban green spaces are important for community cohesion, biodiversity, climate change mitigation, and civic pride.
Responsibility for funding, managing and maintaining them lies mainly with local authorities. The government is committed to supporting Local Authorities in developing best practice to look after parks and green spaces.
The cornerstone of our support for communities is the government’s Pride in Place Programme, providing up to £5 billion funding and support over 10 years to 244 places. This flagship offer will help build strong, resilient and integrated communities in areas that experience the most entrenched social and economic challenges. This includes opportunities for communities to invest in their local parks and green spaces.
We are also committed to maintaining the quality of parks and green spaces through the MHCLG-owned Green Flag Award, which sets the national quality standard. The scheme has helped to transform thousands of parks and green spaces across the country.
The government's statutory guidance on local government reorganisation requires that unitary structures must prioritise the delivery of high quality and sustainable public services to citizens and that unitary structures should enable stronger community engagement and deliver genuine opportunity for neighbourhood empowerment, including parks and green spaces.
The government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is also clear that planning policies should set out an overall strategy for the pattern, scale and design quality of places and make sufficient provision for the conservation and enhancement of the natural, built and historic environment, including green infrastructure.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to protect green spaces and parks as part of the local government review.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Parks and urban green spaces are important for community cohesion, biodiversity, climate change mitigation, and civic pride.
Responsibility for funding, managing and maintaining them lies mainly with local authorities. The government is committed to supporting Local Authorities in developing best practice to look after parks and green spaces.
The cornerstone of our support for communities is the government’s Pride in Place Programme, providing up to £5 billion funding and support over 10 years to 244 places. This flagship offer will help build strong, resilient and integrated communities in areas that experience the most entrenched social and economic challenges. This includes opportunities for communities to invest in their local parks and green spaces.
We are also committed to maintaining the quality of parks and green spaces through the MHCLG-owned Green Flag Award, which sets the national quality standard. The scheme has helped to transform thousands of parks and green spaces across the country.
The government's statutory guidance on local government reorganisation requires that unitary structures must prioritise the delivery of high quality and sustainable public services to citizens and that unitary structures should enable stronger community engagement and deliver genuine opportunity for neighbourhood empowerment, including parks and green spaces.
The government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is also clear that planning policies should set out an overall strategy for the pattern, scale and design quality of places and make sufficient provision for the conservation and enhancement of the natural, built and historic environment, including green infrastructure.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
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 adequacy of tree planting and the provision of public open space for completed residential developments in England since 2015.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has made no such assessment. The implementation of national planning policy is a matter for local planning authorities.
The National Planning Policy Framework sets out clear policy regarding tree planting and the provision of public open space as part of new development. It outlines that planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for open space, sport and recreation facilities and opportunities for new provision, which plans should then seek to accommodate.
In relation to tree planting, the Framework outlines that planning policies and decisions should ensure that new streets are tree-lined (unless, in specific cases, there are clear, justifiable and compelling reasons why this would be inappropriate), that opportunities are taken to incorporate trees elsewhere in developments (such as parks and community orchards), and that existing trees are retained wherever possible.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the value of car parking income generated by NHS trusts in England; and how much was spent maintaining and operating car parks in those trusts in each year since 2015.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No estimate has been made of the car parking income generated by National Health Service trusts in England. The following table shows the income generated for car parking and car parking services costs for England from 2017/18 to 2023/24:
Year | Car parking services cost | Trust income from Car parking |
2023/24 | £77,232,171 | £242,832,309 |
2022/23 | £73,103,126 | £192,526,790 |
2021/22 | £71,364,527 | £102,303,053 |
2020/21 | £65,538,670 | £53,149,162 |
2019/20 | £70,037,633 | £289,326,668 |
2018/19 | £71,170,922 | £271,777,916 |
2017/18 | £28,936,526 | £226,357,822 |
Source: the Estates Returns Information Collection, available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 10 June 2025 to Question 55487 on Tourism: National Landscapes, if she will make an estimate of the economic contribution of tourism to areas with a protected landscape in each of the next five years.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
National Parks are vital assets for tourism, attracting millions of domestic and international visitors each year and supporting local economies through recreation, hospitality, and cultural heritage. While there are no plans to make an estimate of the economic contribution of tourism to areas with a protected landscape, DCMS recognises the importance of protected landscapes to the UK’s tourism offering.
DCMS continues to work with VisitBritain to champion visits to the British countryside to a worldwide audience. VisitBritain’s new GREAT-funded international marketing campaign, ‘Starring GREAT Britain’, uses the hook of Britain’s rich film and television history to encourage more international visitors to explore across Britain, including many rural destinations, landmarks and National Parks.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to help improve access to public transport for disabled patients at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board recognises that accessible transport is a key enabler for patients to attend hospital appointments independently and safely. To that end, the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust works closely with local transport providers and system partners to manage transport accessibility for disabled patients.
Hospital car parks are the responsibility of individual National Health Service trusts, with no central Government involvement. Where it is possible to accommodate parking, local trusts are responsible for determining the ratio of car parking for patients, hospital users, and staff.
We know access to hospital car parking is important for all patients, including disabled patients. All NHS trusts that charge for car parking provide free hospital car parking in England for those most in need. This includes Blue Badge holders, frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight in hospital, and NHS staff working night shifts. The Department has issued guidance to NHS trusts on the implementation of this commitment. Further information about this policy can be found at the following link:
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of disabled parking at hospitals.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board recognises that accessible transport is a key enabler for patients to attend hospital appointments independently and safely. To that end, the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust works closely with local transport providers and system partners to manage transport accessibility for disabled patients.
Hospital car parks are the responsibility of individual National Health Service trusts, with no central Government involvement. Where it is possible to accommodate parking, local trusts are responsible for determining the ratio of car parking for patients, hospital users, and staff.
We know access to hospital car parking is important for all patients, including disabled patients. All NHS trusts that charge for car parking provide free hospital car parking in England for those most in need. This includes Blue Badge holders, frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight in hospital, and NHS staff working night shifts. The Department has issued guidance to NHS trusts on the implementation of this commitment. Further information about this policy can be found at the following link:
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 27 October (HL Deb col 1192), whether the aim to "sort out Hillside" referred to the consequences of the decision of the Supreme Court in Hillside Parks Ltd v Snowdonia National Park Authority [2022] UKSC 30 or the planning status of the hillside location in Aberdyfi; and when they expect the Hillside issue to be resolved.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
My remarks to the House set out the Government’s proposed approach to handling the broader implications of the Supreme Court judgement on the use of drop in permissions for the development sector in England, not the specific case in Wales subject to the judgement.