Written Statements

Tuesday 20th October 2026 Written Statements

Tuesday 20 October 2026

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Military Assistance

Tuesday 20th October 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Defence (Wes Streeting)]

Recent attacks on civilian airports in Riyadh underscore the importance of standing with our allies to protect innocent lives. Therefore, I am pleased to update the House today on the United Kingdom’s defensive military support to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The United Kingdom has a long-standing defence and security partnership with Saudi Arabia and a strong interest in a stable, secure and prosperous middle east.

We unequivocally condemn Houthi attacks and fully support the right of Saudi Arabia and the legitimate Government of the Republic of Yemen to defend themselves. Our objective is to help our partners protect their territory, civilian populations and critical national infrastructure, while supporting efforts to create the conditions for a political resolution to the conflict.

Escalating instability in the region has direct consequences for the United Kingdom. The Red sea and Bab al-Mandab strait are among the world’s most important maritime trade routes. We cannot allow international shipping to be threatened or held to ransom.

Continued instability risks disrupting global trade and energy supplies, increasing costs for British families and businesses, while also undermining regional and international security. The Houthis pose a serious threat to the region; supporting a more secure and stable middle east is firmly in the United Kingdom’s national security and economic interests.

The United Kingdom is currently providing Saudi Arabia with air defence support and air-to-air refuelling for defensive Saudi air operations, including to degrade Houthi military targets in Yemen that threaten the Saudi and Yemeni people. In response to escalating Houthi missile and drone attacks, the Prime Minister has now authorised additional military support.

We are extending the provision of air-to-air refuelling for a further 90 days. In addition, RAF Typhoon aircraft will conduct defensive counter-air operations over Saudi Arabia, helping to protect Saudi cities, civilian populations and critical national infrastructure from Houthi attack. These aircraft will operate in a defensive role and will not conduct offensive strikes against the Houthis.

The United Kingdom will also make an RAF A400M aircraft available to support the movement of matériel within Saudi Arabia in support of its defence. UK military advisers will deploy to support Saudi staff officers.

The Government remain clear that there is no long-term military solution to the conflict in Yemen. We continue to support a UN-led political process as the best route to a durable peace. We remain deeply concerned by the humanitarian situation in Yemen and the suffering experienced by civilians. Alongside our defence engagement, the United Kingdom will continue its diplomatic efforts, humanitarian assistance and work to encourage de-escalation and negotiations between the parties.

We remain in regular contact with my international counterparts, and the Government will keep both the conflict and the UK military contribution under close review. We expect all partners receiving UK assistance to comply fully with their obligations under international law, including in relation to the protection of civilians. We will continue to monitor and assess this as part of our ongoing engagement.

[HCWS394]

Private Parking Code of Practice

Tuesday 20th October 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for Homelessness, Democracy, Communities and Faith (Florence Eshalomi)]

Today I have laid before Parliament the private parking code of practice, marking the Government’s first step in our commitment to protect drivers across England, Scotland and Wales.

Everyone knows a story of someone getting ripped off through huge charges, often because they have been a couple of minutes late back to their car, or because of something entirely out of their control. The new code will give drivers a range of rights and protections to make these unfair practices a thing of the past.

Drivers will now have a guaranteed minimum five minutes to decide whether to park and 10 minutes to leave without facing a penalty. The maximum charge will be capped at £60 if paid within a fortnight, and frozen at £100 if not. But for honest mistakes, like forgetting a permit, charges will now be limited to £20.

These are just a few examples of the dozens of new rights and protections being brought in for drivers. Operators who fail to comply will now face losing their access to DVLA data to pursue payment.

The code has been laid after receiving over 4,000 consultation responses, which showed drivers want fairer appeals, and independent oversight of the private parking industry. It will now be subject to the statutory parliamentary process set out in the Act. Parliament has a 40-day scrutiny period. The code will come into force 21 days from the point it is issued and replace the industry’s existing sector single code.

The Government will publish a further consultation as soon as possible which will include debt recovery and cover the remaining topics raised by the Competition and Markets Authority in their open letter sent to my Department in April 2026. We are committed to continue to set the bar at the right level and take further steps as necessary, based on sound evidence.

We are also today announcing plans to ban car clocking—the practice of altering a vehicle’s mileage. This will be done through the addition of odometer tampering to schedule 20 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. Anyone who buys a second-hand car should have the confidence of knowing the mileage has not been tampered with.

This Government know that if we are to give people hope again, we must show that politics can work for them. Through these everyday fixes for drivers, we are taking on daily frustrations to make life that bit easier.

[HCWS393]

Covid-19 Inquiry: Module 6 Report

Tuesday 20th October 2026 Written Statements

[The Prime Minister (Andy Burnham)]

The chair of the UK covid-19 inquiry has today published the inquiry’s module 6 report, which examined the impact of the pandemic on the publicly and privately funded adult social care sector across the four nations of the UK. I have laid a copy of the report before both Houses of Parliament.

The chair highlights the “devastating impact that Covid-19 had on people receiving and providing care and their loved ones”, including the “immense distress and harm” caused by visiting restrictions. She recognises the extraordinary lengths that care workers and unpaid carers went to in providing care during the pandemic.

I recognise the pain and suffering caused by the pandemic and the lasting impact it continues to have on many people. I am acutely aware of the experiences of people receiving and providing care during the pandemic, and the impact on their wellbeing, dignity and independence, as well as the time being separated from their loved ones. I pay tribute to family and friends who provided care and support, and to the dedication, compassion and professionalism shown by staff and volunteers working across adult social care, who supported and protected some of the most vulnerable people in exceptionally difficult circumstances.

The chair’s report has noted “that for too long the adult social care sector has been undervalued and under-recognised” and entered the pandemic in a fragile state with long-standing workforce shortages, financial pressures and limited pandemic preparedness planning. She concludes that the protections put in place for people receiving care and those supporting them came too late, highlighting weaknesses in testing, isolation and discharge arrangements, PPE availability, guidance, visiting restrictions and data collection. She recommends strengthening pandemic preparedness across adult social care through clearer planning, improved workforce support, more robust inspection and oversight and data collection, and better arrangements for isolation, visiting and end-of-life care.

The Government are committed to learning the lessons from the inquiry and ensuring that the social care sector is prepared for a future pandemic. We will consider carefully the findings and recommendations of the report and respond in due course. We will use these findings to continue development of our adult social care pandemic action plan, and we will also respond to Baroness Casey’s review when it is published.

I have set out my vision for a national care service. This will be person-centred, highly integrated with health services and preventative in its character, helping people lead as independent and fulfilling lives as possible and providing dignity and peace of mind. We are delivering reform through significant additional investment in adult social care, including introducing a fair pay agreement for care workers and developing a new workforce action plan. We are also appointing a champion for unpaid carers, developing neighbourhood health services, and taking immediate action on adult safeguarding, dementia and motor neurone disease.

I would like to thank Baroness Hallet and her team for their thorough work on this report.

[HCWS395]

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: 2026-27 Business Plan

Tuesday 20th October 2026 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Justin Madders)]

I would like to update the House that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s 2026-27 business plan was published yesterday.

The business plan sets out the key business priorities that the DVLA will deliver and any significant changes it plans to make to its services as well as the key performance indicators by which the DVLA’s performance will be assessed.

The business plan allows users of the DVLA’s services to understand the agency’s plans for delivering its vital services to motorists and managing its finances.

The business plan is available electronically on www.gov.uk and copies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

[HCWS392]

Offenders Detained in Hospital: Benefit Entitlement

Tuesday 20th October 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Pat McFadden)]

The Department for Work and Pensions will today lay regulations that will remove benefit entitlement from serious and violent offenders detained in hospital. In January 2026, I announced my intention to remove a loophole in the benefits system where offenders detained in hospitals have their living costs met by the NHS while also claiming benefits. This legislation delivers on that promise.

The regulations will remove entitlement from individuals convicted of specified serious offences and with either a section 37 order under the Mental Health Act 1983 or a section 57A order under the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995. It will apply to claimants in receipt of one of four benefits; universal credit, employment and support allowance, state pension and pension credit.

The benefits system plays a crucial role in providing a safety net for millions of people, but it cannot be right that convicted serious offenders can indefinitely receive benefit payments while they are detained in hospital.

The Government have taken a proportionate approach by limiting the change to offences that involve death, serious personal injury or sexual harm. The prescribed offences would typically lead to a custodial sentence, where individuals would generally be unable to receive benefits. The change will not affect those who are unfit to plead or detained in hospital under either a civil order or an offence not included in the regulations.

It is crucial that the benefits system can be trusted by the public and that support is going to those who need it most.

[HCWS391]