Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consideration she has given to alternative models that would allow some form of payment to Coastguard Rescue Officers while remaining compliant with employment law following the removal of hourly remuneration and intention to implement a revised volunteer model by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A Court of Appeal ruling found that the current remuneration model could not legally continue.
Public safety remains our priority, and careful consideration was given to the options for a revised operating model. The legal position, the operational implications, and the wider organisational impact have all been looked at in detail, as well as the views of current Coastguard Rescue Officers (CRO). They were clear that serving their community was a major reason why they volunteer. Protecting volunteering preserves a valuable form of public service. The revised model protects choice, flexibility and the ability for people to serve alongside their primary employment.
As a result, the decision was made to move to a new model with expenses but no hourly remuneration. This will be implemented in September 2026.
Recruitment into membership of the CRS continues as it has previously. Alongside the Coastguard Rescue Service, HM Coastguard will continue to draw upon the full UK Search and Rescue system, including HM Coastguard aviation assets, RNLI and independent lifeboats, independent rescue teams, lifeguards and other emergency services as they do today.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment has been made of the sustainability of HM Coastguard relying on approximately 3,000 volunteers receiving expenses only as a result of the removal of hourly remuneration and intention to implement a revised volunteer model by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A Court of Appeal ruling found that the current remuneration model could not legally continue.
Public safety remains our priority, and careful consideration was given to the options for a revised operating model. The legal position, the operational implications, and the wider organisational impact have all been looked at in detail, as well as the views of current Coastguard Rescue Officers (CRO). They were clear that serving their community was a major reason why they volunteer. Protecting volunteering preserves a valuable form of public service. The revised model protects choice, flexibility and the ability for people to serve alongside their primary employment.
As a result, the decision was made to move to a new model with expenses but no hourly remuneration. This will be implemented in September 2026.
Recruitment into membership of the CRS continues as it has previously. Alongside the Coastguard Rescue Service, HM Coastguard will continue to draw upon the full UK Search and Rescue system, including HM Coastguard aviation assets, RNLI and independent lifeboats, independent rescue teams, lifeguards and other emergency services as they do today.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential benefit to the UK of joining the proposed Defence, Security and Resilience Bank.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The UK announced that it is exploring setting up the Multilateral Defence Mechanism with Finland, the Netherlands and other partners by 2027. This will be designed to improve value for money and increase standardisation in the defence sector through joint procurement. It will enhance collaboration among allies and improve interoperability. It will aim to increase the availability of munitions and other critical capabilities when we need them most and aim to support a more resilient and efficient defence industrial sector, underpinned by more certainty of orders from aggregated demand through joint procurement from its members.
The Chancellor regularly discusses with NATO allies the need to meet the challenge jointly of increasing expenditure on our defence and resilience.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment has been made of the potential impact of consolidation of operations under Great British Railways compared with the previous franchising model on (a) operational competition and (b) innovation.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government was elected on a clear manifesto commitment to return franchised passenger services to public ownership. Public ownership, as delivered through the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, is an important first step towards making the railway run better, with the whole system working to one set of clear objectives.
The Railways Bill delivers the next phase of rail reform, establishing Great British Railways (GBR) to run both track and train, thus ending the fragmentation that currently exists between Network Rail and train operating companies which is inefficient and drives down performance.
GBR will support a competitive private sector. Open access will continue to play an important role on the network where it genuinely adds value that benefits the public and aligns with the overall strategy for growth on our railways. Freight operations will remain in the private sector and will benefit from a statutory freight growth target. GBR will provide greater longer-term certainty for rail that gives investors' confidence, thus supporting innovation throughout the sector. Further detail can be found in the Impact Assessments for both pieces of legislation, including the analysis that neither public ownership nor GBR is expected to materially reduce competition in terms of operating passenger services, given competition was already limited under the franchising model.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussion has she has had with NATO-Partner countries on membership of the proposed Defence, Security and Resilience Bank.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The UK announced that it is exploring setting up the Multilateral Defence Mechanism with Finland, the Netherlands and other partners by 2027. This will be designed to improve value for money and increase standardisation in the defence sector through joint procurement. It will enhance collaboration among allies and improve interoperability. It will aim to increase the availability of munitions and other critical capabilities when we need them most and aim to support a more resilient and efficient defence industrial sector, underpinned by more certainty of orders from aggregated demand through joint procurement from its members.
The Chancellor regularly discusses with NATO allies the need to meet the challenge jointly of increasing expenditure on our defence and resilience.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2026 to Question 5446, if she will list the specific transport projects, in addition to the light rail infrastructure trial in Coventry, that have utilised the proportionate and flexible approach to approvals for innovative activity since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A proportionate and flexible approach enables the department to use the most appropriate methodology to assess the value for money, including for an innovative activity, considering risk versus reward. Projects cannot meaningfully be defined as only innovative or not innovative, there is a spectrum that is considered in a proportionate and flexible way.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the potential impact of changes on level crossing down times will be a factor in the upcoming SWR timetable review and consultation.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The potential impact of changes to level crossing down times will be a factor in the upcoming South Western Railway timetable review. This is an issue that is carefully considered as part of wider timetable development. The Department and the operator welcome engagement from interested parties on this and other impacts, including through pre-consultation events and a planned public consultation in the autumn.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Education Otherwise Than At School (EOTAS) is available as part of the continuation of SEND support where a child cannot be educated in school.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department’s consultation, “SEND reform: putting children and young people first”, proposes the introduction of Specialist Provision Packages for all children and young people with complex needs, including those children and young people whose needs are currently met through Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) packages of support.
After a 12-week consultation period, including over 200 engagement events, meetings and roundtables, the department’s consultation has now closed. We are carefully reviewing and taking into account all responses submitted to the consultation and continuing to engage widely on our proposals.
As part of that continued engagement, we intend to publish a consultation on the use of EOTAS provision in the coming weeks. It is crucial that we get support for EOTAS children and young people right, particularly given their often complex needs. This consultation will seek views to ensure we meet those specific needs, and that these children and young people benefit from the inclusive education we want for all.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the specialist provision packages in the SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First consultation on children with complex needs reliant on statutory Education Other Than in School provision.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department’s consultation, “SEND reform: putting children and young people first”, proposes the introduction of Specialist Provision Packages for all children and young people with complex needs, including those children and young people whose needs are currently met through Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) packages of support.
After a 12-week consultation period, including over 200 engagement events, meetings and roundtables, the department’s consultation has now closed. We are carefully reviewing and taking into account all responses submitted to the consultation and continuing to engage widely on our proposals.
As part of that continued engagement, we intend to publish a consultation on the use of EOTAS provision in the coming weeks. It is crucial that we get support for EOTAS children and young people right, particularly given their often complex needs. This consultation will seek views to ensure we meet those specific needs, and that these children and young people benefit from the inclusive education we want for all.
Asked by: Baroness Browning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of staff employed by the Land Registry work from home.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
HM Land Registry (HMLR) operates a hybrid working model under which staff are expected to spend at least 60% of their time on average working in an office, in line with Civil Service expectations.
Less than 2% of HMLR staff have not attended an office in the last 12 months. In addition to full-time homeworkers for whom this is a reasonable workplace adjustment (for example those managing long-term health conditions and disabilities), this includes employees on long-term sickness absence, maternity/paternity leave, and career breaks. Reasonable workplace adjustments are regularly reviewed.