Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question
To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what discussions he has had with the Royal Mail's on its ability to deliver outgoing and returned postal votes.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
The Electoral Commission regularly engages with Royal Mail to consider the logistics and operational pressures of postal vote delivery, particularly in the run up to elections. This engagement informs the support the Commission provides to Returning Officers, who are responsible for issuing postal votes, and Royal Mail, who are responsible for delivery.
The Commission provides guidance to electoral administrators on how to plan and manage postal votes. The guidance recommends Returning Officers liaise early and regularly with their Royal Mail contact about postal vote pack delivery and returns.
The Commission has recommended the postal vote system should be reformed to improve the service for voters and strengthen resilience. Key areas for improvement include the information given to postal voters, considering whether the current deadline to return a postal vote should be extended and more flexibility for reissuing postal votes.
The Commission responded to Ofcom's consultation on the universal post service in 2025 highlighting the implications of postal service reforms for the management and funding of UK elections. The Commission's view is that reform proposals must ensure that electoral processes can continue to depend on an agile, flexible and reliable universal postal service.
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Royal Mail's on its ability to deliver outgoing and returned postal votes.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Officials in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government meet regularly with the Royal Mail to discuss matters relating to elections including capacity, capability and contingency planning.
As part of the usual engagement ahead of the significant electoral events, Ministers and senior government officials have met with the Chief Executive and other senior representatives from Royal Mail and it is intended to do so again ahead of the May elections.
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help tackle hunger and malnutrition across Africa through the Africa Strategy.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's new Approach to Africa sets out how we are building respectful long-term partnerships with African countries to deliver shared priorities. Through our support for the Global Compact on Nutrition Integration, the Child Nutrition Fund, and other initiatives, the UK is continuing to play a leading role in tackling hunger and malnutrition in Africa and beyond, as set out in the answers previously provided to Questions 89032 (18 November 2025), 35685 (14 March 2025) and 28246 (11 February 2025).
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to deliver the UK’s financial commitments from the Nutrition for Growth Summit 2021.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK’s longstanding commitment to addressing malnutrition was reaffirmed earlier this year at the Nutrition for Growth Summit.
During that summit, we launched the Global Compact on Nutrition Integration and committed to continue integrating nutrition across our development programmes.
We are also continuing to support the Child Nutrition Fund to tackle acute malnutrition, and providing Technical Assistance to help developing countries improve their own nutrition responses.
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of protecting authorised sales of debenture tickets above face value in proposed legislation on ticket sales.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government response to our consultation on the resale of live events tickets recognised that debenture schemes operate differently from one-off events tickets and allow venues to generate secure, up-front revenue that can be invested in bringing world-class sporting, music and other live events to the public.
As the response set out, we believe there is a good case for a narrow exemption to allow event organisers to authorise debenture holders to resell tickets in excess of the price cap. We will continue to explore how this exemption should be defined so that it does not undermine the overall effectiveness of the price cap.
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on departmental responsibility for cannabis-based medicinal products.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Home Office leads on drug legislation and the Department of Health and Social Care and its Arm’s Length Bodies oversee healthcare and medicine regulation. This regulatory framework applies to all drugs under Schedules 1-5 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, including cannabis-based products for medicinal use.
No changes are planned to the current responsibilities. The Government has asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to review the impact of the 2018 change in the law, which enabled the widened use of cannabis-based products for medicines, and will consider the recommendations in the usual way.
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what monies he has allocated to fund publicity for the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme in order to ensure awareness of the Scheme.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence is committed to ensuring that all eligible LGBT Veterans are made aware of the Financial Recognition Scheme. To this end, we have employed a range of communication channels, including social media platforms, partnerships with external charities, and engagement with relevant networks, to reach out to LGBT Veterans affected by the historic ban. It would not be appropriate to disclose the precise funding allocated to these publicity efforts, as this information is considered commercially sensitive.
Our priority remains ensuring that those impacted by the ban are informed ahead of the Financial Recognition Scheme’s closure at 23:59 on 12 December 2026, and we will continue to work with stakeholders and utilise appropriate communication methods to achieve this.
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the costs of operating the Impact Panel under the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme are; and whether the costs of operating the Impact Panel will be taken from the £75M allocated for reparations.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I am withholding the cost of operating the Impact Panel under the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme as this information is commercial in confidence. None of the operating costs are taken from the £75 million allocated for making payments under the Scheme.
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Child Nutrition Fund on nutrition outcomes for women, children and newborns in Nigeria.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answers provided to Questions 89032 (18 November), 35685 (14 March) and 28246 (11 February) on the issues of global malnutrition and hunger; Question 46477 (30 April) on the Child Nutrition Fund; and Question 35278 (14 March) on the work of the fund in Nigeria.
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress she has made on helping to tackle global malnutrition and hunger.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answers provided to Questions 89032 (18 November), 35685 (14 March) and 28246 (11 February) on the issues of global malnutrition and hunger; Question 46477 (30 April) on the Child Nutrition Fund; and Question 35278 (14 March) on the work of the fund in Nigeria.