Asked by: Jo White (Labour - Bassetlaw)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has assessed the potential merits of landscape models combining 70% environmental preservation with 30% productive agricultural land, such as CPR Verde, as a tool to meet government environmental targets.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has made no assessment of such landscape models.
Defra’s revised Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) and the Land Use Framework (LUF) set out how the Government will accelerate progress towards Environment Act targets over the next five years and help tackle the challenges posed by the nature and climate crises, while supporting growth.
The EIP recognises national food security relies on the restoration of a healthy natural environment and climate, and that farmers and food producers have a critical role in growing the food that feeds the nation and meeting our environmental targets. The LUF illustrates how a strategic approach means land can support a resilient food system, climate mitigation and thriving nature.
The Government has allocated a record £11.8bn to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. Defra is targeting public money where it delivers most value – supporting nature, because all farms need healthy soils, abundant pollinators, and clean water to produce good food.
Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what oversight mechanisms exist to ensure that behaviour policies adopted by further education colleges do not disproportionately disadvantage young people with SEND.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Further education (FE) colleges are subject to statutory and regulatory oversight to ensure that policies do not disadvantage learners with special educational needs and disabilities. Colleges must comply with the Equality Act 2010, including the duty to make reasonable adjustments so that disabled learners, including those with learning difficulties, are not placed at a substantial disadvantage.
Colleges must also meet equality and safeguarding requirements set out in their funding agreements. Where providers fail to meet legal or regulatory duties, the department has powers to support and take further action.
Ofsted plays a key role in assessing how effectively providers support learners with high needs. Under its renewed framework, inspectors evaluate participation, development, and behaviour expectations across provision types.
Inspectors evaluate participation and development across different FE and skills settings and consider the nature of the learners, along with differences in approach to behaviour monitoring and management for different groups of learners.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to page 8 of the Government's document entitled Global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security, published on 20 January 2026, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to reduce the level of risk of the six ecosystem regions collapsing.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Nature underpins the UK’s security, prosperity and resilience and understanding the threats we face from biodiversity loss is essential to addressing them effectively. The Nature security assessment forms part of cross-government resilience planning and complements the UK’s National Security Strategy, National Risk Register and Chronic Risks Analysis. It will help the Government plan for potential shocks that are credible enough to warrant preparation.
The UK is already taking action to address the potential risks identified in the Assessment, including major investment in nature, forests and climate resilience.
Internationally, the UK is investing in forest and ocean protection and is on track to invest £11.6 billion of International Climate Finance between 2021 to 2026, including £3 billion for vital habitats such as tropical rainforests and marine ecosystems, and to support indigenous communities.
Domestically, tree planting in England is at its highest rate in over twenty years; we are restoring peatlands, improving water quality, protecting pollinators, and have introduced landmark legislation to safeguard our marine environment. The UK is strengthening supply chain resilience through the Critical Imports and Supply Chains Strategy and supporting food security by backing British farmers through new technology, streamlined regulation, and nature-friendly farming schemes that reward sustainable production.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take to help mitigate the national security risks identified in the nature security assessment on global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Nature underpins the UK’s security, prosperity and resilience and understanding the threats we face from biodiversity loss is essential to addressing them effectively. The Nature security assessment forms part of cross-government resilience planning and complements the UK’s National Security Strategy, National Risk Register and Chronic Risks Analysis. It will help the Government plan for potential shocks that are credible enough to warrant preparation.
The UK is already taking action to address the potential risks identified in the Assessment, including major investment in nature, forests and climate resilience.
Internationally, the UK is investing in forest and ocean protection and is on track to invest £11.6 billion of International Climate Finance between 2021 to 2026, including £3 billion for vital habitats such as tropical rainforests and marine ecosystems, and to support indigenous communities.
Domestically, tree planting in England is at its highest rate in over twenty years; we are restoring peatlands, improving water quality, protecting pollinators, and have introduced landmark legislation to safeguard our marine environment. The UK is strengthening supply chain resilience through the Critical Imports and Supply Chains Strategy and supporting food security by backing British farmers through new technology, streamlined regulation, and nature-friendly farming schemes that reward sustainable production.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to report to Parliament annually about species reintroduction projects underway in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
There are no plans to report to Parliament annually about species reintroductions projects underway in the UK. In the Environmental Improvement Plan, Defra has committed to provide opportunities for conservation translocations and reintroductions of native species where benefits to the environment and people are clear.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential to reintroduce previously native animals to the UK.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In the Environmental Improvement Plan [see attached], Defra committed to support conservation translocations and reintroductions of native species where benefits to the environment and people are clear. This broad policy work can include extensive work, such as by Defra and Natural England on beaver reintroductions to shape the framework for wild releases. However, most projects are delivered by external organisations and landowners, including in collaboration with our arms-length bodies.
To support best practice, Defra has published the Code for Reintroductions and other Conservation Translocations in England [see attached]. The Code sets clear expectations for projects, including demonstrating a conservation need, assessing feasibility and risks, securing permissions and meeting legal requirements, and ensuring appropriate release, monitoring and advice from Natural England where needed.
Defra continues to support the England Species Reintroduction Taskforce in their provision of evidence-led advice and guidance on existing and potential species conservation translocations in England. Current projects include clarifying the contribution of conservation translocations to species recovery targets and developing a framework to inform decisions on conservation reintroductions.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the final report of the Infected Blood Inquiry, published on 20 May 2024, whether any ongoing access to (a) patient notes, (b) tissue samples and (c) post‑mortem material is being carried out under (i) public health legislation and (ii) other regulatory powers.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Given the long-running nature of the infected blood scandal, not all medical records will still be available, and eligibility for compensation will be determined based on the balance of probabilities.
The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) will try to get as much information, including medical records and information about an applicant’s condition, from organisations who already have this information. This should mean those claiming will be asked for the least amount of information possible.
The IBCA will provide assistance to those who believe their medical records have been lost or destroyed. The role of the IBCA’s claim managers includes helping individuals who are claiming to gather information, including medical evidence where available, to support their claim.
In July 2025, the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office wrote to the chairs of the Public Accounts and Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committees to set out the measures being taken to prioritise faster payments to victims of the infected blood scandal. One of these measures is to use the powers in the Victims and Prisoners Act to get records from the Infected Blood Inquiry, and using testimony to contribute to the assessment of proof of infection.
Organisations that remove, store, and use human tissue for some types of health research, medical treatment, post-mortem examination, education and training, and for display in public, are independently regulated by the Human Tissue Authority.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason Matthew Doyle was asked to undertake supplementary due diligence on Lord Mandelson being appointed as Ambassador, and whether the nature of Mr Doyle’s relationship with Mandelson was (a) declared or (b) considered as a potential conflict of interest.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer the Hon Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of lowering the age of smoking and vaping to 16 year olds on the impact of 16 year olds.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Smoking is the number one preventable cause of death, disability, and ill health. It claims the lives of approximately 80,000 people a year in the United Kingdom and kills up to two-thirds of its long-term users.
Three quarters of smokers wish they had never started smoking but are unable to due to the addictive nature of tobacco. Raising the age of sale for smoking from 16 to 18 years old reduced prevalence in this age group by 30%. In addition, people who start smoking under the age of 18 years old have higher levels of nicotine dependence compared to those starting over 21 years old, and are less likely to make a quit attempt and successfully quit.
The landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill will help deliver our ambition for a smoke-free UK. It will enable us to create a smoke-free generation, gradually ending the sale of tobacco products across the country and breaking the cycle of addiction and disadvantage.
Vaping is less harmful than smoking and can be an effective quit aid, but is not risk-free. The health advice is clear, that young people and those who have never smoked should not vape or be encouraged to vape.
The age of sale for nicotine vapes is 18 years old. Due to the risk of harm and addiction, we are not considering reducing the age of sale for vaping. Whilst non-nicotine vapes and nicotine products are not currently subject to specific age of sale regulations, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill aligns the law for these products, ensuring consistency across vapes and nicotine products so that all these products are subject to an age of sale of 18 years old.
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department holds information on the number of children who have not been granted contact with their mothers on the basis of reports by unregulated psychological experts in private family law proceedings.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government does not hold data on the number of cases, or their outcomes, where allegations of “parental alienation” were made or where unregulated psychological experts were instructed in Family Court proceedings. This information is not held centrally. It may be held in court records but to obtain this data would require a review of individual case files at disproportionate costs.
The Government does not recognise the concept of “parental alienation” syndrome and does not believe it is capable of diagnosis.
The Family Justice Council’s guidance on “responding to a child’s unexplained reluctance, resistance or refusal to spend time with a parent and allegations of alienating behaviour” provides a comprehensive overview of the reasons a child may reject a parent, including from witnessing domestic abuse and harmful parenting. The guidance also outlines the appropriate timing, scope, and nature of expert witness evidence.
The Government shares the concerns that unregulated experts, often using the title psychologist, have been instructed in Family Court proceedings to give evidence on “parental alienation”. We are working with the Family Procedure Rule Committee to make changes to the Family Procedure Rules and Practice Directions to prevent the instruction of these experts.