Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the need for humanitarian aid in Syria.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The humanitarian situation in Syria remains dire, with over 16.5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and 90% of the population in poverty.

The UK is delivering up to £104 million of life-saving aid this year, and supporting longer-term recovery through education, health and livelihoods programmes.

We are also responding to emergencies, including providing humanitarian and medical supplies to those displaced by the recent violence in northern Aleppo.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has to ensure national public awareness of recent Highway Code changes as part of the Road Safety Strategy.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Injuries and fatalities from road collisions caused by driving are unacceptable, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users.

That is why on 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all.

Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran large-scale THINK! advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the changes.

Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts encouraging compliance with the guidance to improve safety for those walking, cycling and horse riding. We will also continue to promote the changes via THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations.

However, as set out in the strategy, more work is needed to continue embedding these changes and overall awareness of the Highway Code. We are considering options in this area, and further details will be shared in due course.

As our road environment and technologies evolve, providing education for all road users throughout their lifetime is vital to improving road safety. As announced in the strategy to support a Lifelong Learning approach in the UK, the government will publish for the first time national guidance on the development and delivery of road safety education, training and publicity. Alongside this, the government will publish a manual to support the implementation of a Lifelong Learning approach for road safety.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of UK–France border agreements in the context of trends in the number of (a) fatalities and (b) reports of violence at the border; and whether any changes are planned.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Violence against French law enforcement is unacceptable. Whilst the French law enforcement response to that violent conduct has to be a matter for the French authorities, we continue to support their operations to prevent small boat crossings.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of (a) trends in the level of violence asylum seekers face at the UK-France border and (b) the potential impact of UK policy on those trends.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Violence against French law enforcement is unacceptable. Whilst the French law enforcement response to that violent conduct has to be a matter for the French authorities, we continue to support their operations to prevent small boat crossings.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether data is collected on non-fatal injuries linked to border enforcement activity at the UK–France border.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Violence against French law enforcement is unacceptable. Whilst the French law enforcement response to that violent conduct has to be a matter for the French authorities, we continue to support their operations to prevent small boat crossings.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to ensure transparency and accountability where FCA-authorised firms fail and retail investors have losses.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) assumed responsibility for the peer to peer lending sector in 2014. In 2016, the FCA launched a post-implementation review into the peer to peer and crowdfunding sector, leading to a consultation on updated rules for the sector in 2018, with a set of strengthened rules being published in 2019.

The FCA has supervisory and enforcement powers in relation to the sector, and has undertaken investigations into certain, individual firms, such as Lendy Ltd. Lendy was subject to an asset restriction and a court petition to appoint a liquidator prior to it being placed in administration. The FCA has received several complaints about its regulation of Lendy under its Complaints Scheme. We await the findings of the complaints investigation into the FCA’s actions under the Complaints Scheme.

The Government takes the accountability of the FCA very seriously. The FCA’s independence from Government does not mean it can act arbitrarily; rather, it must operate within the framework of statutory duties and powers agreed by Parliament. As well as being required to operate within this framework, the FCA is fully accountable to Parliament for how it discharges its statutory functions.

There are a number of ways in which the legal framework ensures direct accountability of the FCA to Parliament, such as a requirement for the FCA to produce annual reports and accounts, which are laid before Parliament by the Treasury. The FCA is also subject to scrutiny via departmental select committee hearings, including the Treasury Select Committee and the Lords Financial Services Regulation Committee.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Financial Conduct Authority’s supervision and regulation of Lendy Ltd prior to its collapse.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) assumed responsibility for the peer to peer lending sector in 2014. In 2016, the FCA launched a post-implementation review into the peer to peer and crowdfunding sector, leading to a consultation on updated rules for the sector in 2018, with a set of strengthened rules being published in 2019.

The FCA has supervisory and enforcement powers in relation to the sector, and has undertaken investigations into certain, individual firms, such as Lendy Ltd. Lendy was subject to an asset restriction and a court petition to appoint a liquidator prior to it being placed in administration. The FCA has received several complaints about its regulation of Lendy under its Complaints Scheme. We await the findings of the complaints investigation into the FCA’s actions under the Complaints Scheme.

The Government takes the accountability of the FCA very seriously. The FCA’s independence from Government does not mean it can act arbitrarily; rather, it must operate within the framework of statutory duties and powers agreed by Parliament. As well as being required to operate within this framework, the FCA is fully accountable to Parliament for how it discharges its statutory functions.

There are a number of ways in which the legal framework ensures direct accountability of the FCA to Parliament, such as a requirement for the FCA to produce annual reports and accounts, which are laid before Parliament by the Treasury. The FCA is also subject to scrutiny via departmental select committee hearings, including the Treasury Select Committee and the Lords Financial Services Regulation Committee.

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 help maintain the ceasefire following the Cambodian-Thai border conflict.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The renewed ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand is a welcome development. Throughout the recent tensions, I engaged directly with both governments to encourage dialogue and de‑escalation. I will continue to seek opportunities to encourage long-term peace and stability. The UK will continue to work closely with key international partners, including ASEAN, to support efforts to maintain the ceasefire.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her a) Israeli and b) European counterparts on the decision to restrict the operations of international non-governmental organisations in Gaza and the West Bank.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the statement to the House I made on 5 January, and to the joint statement issued by the Foreign Secretary and several of her counterparts on 30 December, available on GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/jointstatementon-the-gaza-humanitarian-response

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to conduct a review of collective worship in schools in England.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Collective worship remains an important part of school life, supporting pupils to reflect on the concept of belief and the role it plays in our country’s traditions and values.

Schools in England already have flexibility in how they meet this requirement and can deliver collective worship or assemblies in ways that reflect the diverse needs of their pupils and local communities. Students over 16 and parents of younger pupils also retain the right of withdrawal from collective worship.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including humanism as part of the national curriculum on religious education.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department recognises that non-religious worldviews, including humanism, can play an important role in supporting pupils’ understanding of beliefs and values. Religious education (RE) is not part of the national curriculum but is a mandatory subject for all pupils aged 5 to 18 in state-funded schools in England. Schools should deliver RE in an objective, critical and pluralistic way and already have the flexibility, through their locally agreed syllabuses, to include the study of non-religious world views such as humanism.

The department welcomes the Curriculum and Assessment Review’s recommendation that Vanessa Ogden, a former review panellist specialising in RE, should lead a sector group, independent from government, to develop a draft RE curriculum. We expect that the sector group’s work on RE will reflect the role the subject plays in building understanding between people of different faiths, beliefs and communities, including those with non-religious world views. If the group reaches consensus on a draft curriculum, the government will consult on whether to add it to the national curriculum.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with the Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission on tackling Islamophobia.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

To help inform policy development, Ministers and officials regularly engage with relevant stakeholders, such as the Equality and Human Rights Commission, including on tackling religious hatred.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his planned timetable is for the rollout of Automatic Voter Registration as part of the Democratic Modernisation Strategy.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is exploring more automated approaches to electoral registration over the coming years. Any changes must be tested to ensure they have a positive outcome in an already complex system, which will take time to assess. Some of this work may also require legislative changes which can only be brought forward when parliamentary time allows.

Found: Liverpool (Chair); Juliet Campbell; Lord Dholakia; Tom Gordon; Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws; Afzal Khan

Found: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Chair); Juliet Campbell; Lord Dholakia; Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws; Afzal Khan

Found: present: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Chair); Lord Dholakia; Tom Gordon; Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws; Afzal Khan

Found: present: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Chair); Lord Dholakia; Tom Gordon; Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws; Afzal Khan

Found: the Parliamentary Constituencies (Amendment) Bill 2017–19 Private Member’s Bill introduced by Afzal Khan