Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects to publish draft regulations on the ban on high-caffeine energy drink sales to under 16s; what lead in time she considers appropriate for vending operators; and whether the Government plans a staged implementation or any pilot programme for new enforcement technologies.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has a commitment to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old. We ran a 12-week consultation on our proposals for the ban from 3 September 2025 to 26 November 2025. This included proposals on:

- the minimum age of sale for high-caffeine energy drinks;

- the products and businesses in scope of the ban;

- how the ban will apply in vending machines;

- the length of time that businesses and enforcement authorities need to implement the ban; and

- how the ban would be enforced.

We are now carefully considering the consultation responses. We will publish the Government response in due course, setting out the consultation outcome and next steps.

The accompanying impact assessment published on 3 September 2025 estimates the impact of our proposals. The Department engaged with relevant stakeholders, including representatives for the vending sector and enforcement, to inform this. If additional information or evidence provided through the consultation or published online becomes available, we will update our final impact assessment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has explored the use of existing contactless or mobile payment infrastructure as part of a potential age restriction mechanism for vending machines, rather than requiring new hardware.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has a commitment to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old. We ran a 12-week consultation on our proposals for the ban from 3 September 2025 to 26 November 2025. This included proposals on:

- the minimum age of sale for high-caffeine energy drinks;

- the products and businesses in scope of the ban;

- how the ban will apply in vending machines;

- the length of time that businesses and enforcement authorities need to implement the ban; and

- how the ban would be enforced.

We are now carefully considering the consultation responses. We will publish the Government response in due course, setting out the consultation outcome and next steps.

The accompanying impact assessment published on 3 September 2025 estimates the impact of our proposals. The Department engaged with relevant stakeholders, including representatives for the vending sector and enforcement, to inform this. If additional information or evidence provided through the consultation or published online becomes available, we will update our final impact assessment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what engagement his Department has had with Trading Standards on enforcement capacity for vending machine restrictions; and how enforcement would be considered relative to retail and online sales.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has a commitment to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old. We ran a 12-week consultation on our proposals for the ban from 3 September 2025 to 26 November 2025. This included proposals on:

- the minimum age of sale for high-caffeine energy drinks;

- the products and businesses in scope of the ban;

- how the ban will apply in vending machines;

- the length of time that businesses and enforcement authorities need to implement the ban; and

- how the ban would be enforced.

We are now carefully considering the consultation responses. We will publish the Government response in due course, setting out the consultation outcome and next steps.

The accompanying impact assessment published on 3 September 2025 estimates the impact of our proposals. The Department engaged with relevant stakeholders, including representatives for the vending sector and enforcement, to inform this. If additional information or evidence provided through the consultation or published online becomes available, we will update our final impact assessment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has modelled compliance expectations for unmanned 24 hour vending machines in (a) workplaces and (b) leisure settings.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has a commitment to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old. We ran a 12-week consultation on our proposals for the ban from 3 September 2025 to 26 November 2025. This included proposals on:

- the minimum age of sale for high-caffeine energy drinks;

- the products and businesses in scope of the ban;

- how the ban will apply in vending machines;

- the length of time that businesses and enforcement authorities need to implement the ban; and

- how the ban would be enforced.

We are now carefully considering the consultation responses. We will publish the Government response in due course, setting out the consultation outcome and next steps.

The accompanying impact assessment published on 3 September 2025 estimates the impact of our proposals. The Department engaged with relevant stakeholders, including representatives for the vending sector and enforcement, to inform this. If additional information or evidence provided through the consultation or published online becomes available, we will update our final impact assessment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department’s Impact Assessment entitled Banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under the age of 16 years, published on 23 June 2025, whether his Department has assessed the potential implications for his Department's policies of the Vending and Automated Retail Association's estimate that over 80% of vending machines operate in closed environments without routine access for under 16s; whether his Department has assessed the proportion of vending machines that operate in closed environments without routine access for under 16 year olds; and what assessment he has made of the proportionality of applying a blanket ban of the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks through vending machines in closed settings where under 16 year olds do not have access.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has a commitment to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old. We ran a 12-week consultation on our proposals for the ban from 3 September 2025 to 26 November 2025. This included proposals on:

- the minimum age of sale for high-caffeine energy drinks;

- the products and businesses in scope of the ban;

- how the ban will apply in vending machines;

- the length of time that businesses and enforcement authorities need to implement the ban; and

- how the ban would be enforced.

We are now carefully considering the consultation responses. We will publish the Government response in due course, setting out the consultation outcome and next steps.

The accompanying impact assessment published on 3 September 2025 estimates the impact of our proposals. The Department engaged with relevant stakeholders, including representatives for the vending sector and enforcement, to inform this. If additional information or evidence provided through the consultation or published online becomes available, we will update our final impact assessment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department’s Impact Assessment entitled Banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under the age of 16 years, published on 23 June 2025, what steps his Department is taking to tackle access to high-caffeine energy drinks by children under 16 years at home or through friends; what assessment he has made of the potential impact of banning vending machine sales of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under the age of 16 years on the level of overall consumption; and what plans his Department has to take further regulatory steps towards a wider ban of such drinks.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has a commitment to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old. We ran a 12-week consultation on our proposals for the ban from 3 September 2025 to 26 November 2025. This included proposals on:

- the minimum age of sale for high-caffeine energy drinks;

- the products and businesses in scope of the ban;

- how the ban will apply in vending machines;

- the length of time that businesses and enforcement authorities need to implement the ban; and

- how the ban would be enforced.

We are now carefully considering the consultation responses. We will publish the Government response in due course, setting out the consultation outcome and next steps.

The accompanying impact assessment published on 3 September 2025 estimates the impact of our proposals. The Department engaged with relevant stakeholders, including representatives for the vending sector and enforcement, to inform this. If additional information or evidence provided through the consultation or published online becomes available, we will update our final impact assessment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department’s Impact Assessment entitled Banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under the age of 16 years, published on 23 June 2025, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the proportion of high-caffeine energy drinks sold to children under 16 years by (i) vending machines (ii) corner shops and convenience stores and (b) the primary sources of high-caffeine energy drinks sold to children under 16 years.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has a commitment to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old. We ran a 12-week consultation on our proposals for the ban from 3 September 2025 to 26 November 2025. This included proposals on:

- the minimum age of sale for high-caffeine energy drinks;

- the products and businesses in scope of the ban;

- how the ban will apply in vending machines;

- the length of time that businesses and enforcement authorities need to implement the ban; and

- how the ban would be enforced.

We are now carefully considering the consultation responses. We will publish the Government response in due course, setting out the consultation outcome and next steps.

The accompanying impact assessment published on 3 September 2025 estimates the impact of our proposals. The Department engaged with relevant stakeholders, including representatives for the vending sector and enforcement, to inform this. If additional information or evidence provided through the consultation or published online becomes available, we will update our final impact assessment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to undertake trials or pilots of restrictions on high-caffeine energy drink sales through vending machines prior to national implementation, including to improve the evidence base and inform future policy decisions.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has a commitment to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old. We ran a 12-week consultation on our proposals for the ban from 3 September 2025 to 26 November 2025. This included proposals on:

- the minimum age of sale for high-caffeine energy drinks;

- the products and businesses in scope of the ban;

- how the ban will apply in vending machines;

- the length of time that businesses and enforcement authorities need to implement the ban; and

- how the ban would be enforced.

We are now carefully considering the consultation responses. We will publish the Government response in due course, setting out the consultation outcome and next steps.

The accompanying impact assessment published on 3 September 2025 estimates the impact of our proposals. The Department engaged with relevant stakeholders, including representatives for the vending sector and enforcement, to inform this. If additional information or evidence provided through the consultation or published online becomes available, we will update our final impact assessment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of adequacy of the level of regulation on vending operators following the implementation of the planned ban on high-caffeine energy drinks for under 16s and the Deposit Return Scheme.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has a commitment to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old. We ran a 12-week consultation on our proposals for the ban from 3 September 2025 to 26 November 2025. This included proposals on:

- the minimum age of sale for high-caffeine energy drinks;

- the products and businesses in scope of the ban;

- how the ban will apply in vending machines;

- the length of time that businesses and enforcement authorities need to implement the ban; and

- how the ban would be enforced.

We are now carefully considering the consultation responses. We will publish the Government response in due course, setting out the consultation outcome and next steps.

The accompanying impact assessment published on 3 September 2025 estimates the impact of our proposals. The Department engaged with relevant stakeholders, including representatives for the vending sector and enforcement, to inform this. If additional information or evidence provided through the consultation or published online becomes available, we will update our final impact assessment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce restrictions on the sale of coffee and other high caffeine beverages to under 16s.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has a commitment to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old. We ran a 12-week consultation on our proposals for the ban from 3 September 2025 to 26 November 2025. This included proposals on:

- the minimum age of sale for high-caffeine energy drinks;

- the products and businesses in scope of the ban;

- how the ban will apply in vending machines;

- the length of time that businesses and enforcement authorities need to implement the ban; and

- how the ban would be enforced.

We are now carefully considering the consultation responses. We will publish the Government response in due course, setting out the consultation outcome and next steps.

The accompanying impact assessment published on 3 September 2025 estimates the impact of our proposals. The Department engaged with relevant stakeholders, including representatives for the vending sector and enforcement, to inform this. If additional information or evidence provided through the consultation or published online becomes available, we will update our final impact assessment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what duties the proposed policy on banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16s would place on gyms supervising under 16 sessions to enforce possible vending machine restrictions; and what assessment he has made of (a) the level of customer intervention required to enforce such restrictions and (b) the potential risks of confrontation or conflict arising from those duties.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has a commitment to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old. We ran a 12-week consultation on our proposals for the ban from 3 September 2025 to 26 November 2025. This included proposals on:

- the minimum age of sale for high-caffeine energy drinks;

- the products and businesses in scope of the ban;

- how the ban will apply in vending machines;

- the length of time that businesses and enforcement authorities need to implement the ban; and

- how the ban would be enforced.

We are now carefully considering the consultation responses. We will publish the Government response in due course, setting out the consultation outcome and next steps.

The accompanying impact assessment published on 3 September 2025 estimates the impact of our proposals. The Department engaged with relevant stakeholders, including representatives for the vending sector and enforcement, to inform this. If additional information or evidence provided through the consultation or published online becomes available, we will update our final impact assessment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of (a) how gyms with existing over 18 membership policies could enforce restrictions on sales via vending machines where a parent purchases a high-caffeine energy drink for a child and (b) the potential impact of this policy on predominantly adult only facilities.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has a commitment to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old. We ran a 12-week consultation on our proposals for the ban from 3 September 2025 to 26 November 2025. This included proposals on:

- the minimum age of sale for high-caffeine energy drinks;

- the products and businesses in scope of the ban;

- how the ban will apply in vending machines;

- the length of time that businesses and enforcement authorities need to implement the ban; and

- how the ban would be enforced.

We are now carefully considering the consultation responses. We will publish the Government response in due course, setting out the consultation outcome and next steps.

The accompanying impact assessment published on 3 September 2025 estimates the impact of our proposals. The Department engaged with relevant stakeholders, including representatives for the vending sector and enforcement, to inform this. If additional information or evidence provided through the consultation or published online becomes available, we will update our final impact assessment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it remains his Department's policy to restrict the age threshold to 16 for purchasing high-caffeine energy drinks; whether he is considering increasing that threshold to 18; and what assessment he has made of the compatibility of this policy with plans to lower the voting age to 16.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has a commitment to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old. We ran a 12-week consultation on our proposals for the ban from 3 September 2025 to 26 November 2025. This included proposals on:

- the minimum age of sale for high-caffeine energy drinks;

- the products and businesses in scope of the ban;

- how the ban will apply in vending machines;

- the length of time that businesses and enforcement authorities need to implement the ban; and

- how the ban would be enforced.

We are now carefully considering the consultation responses. We will publish the Government response in due course, setting out the consultation outcome and next steps.

The accompanying impact assessment published on 3 September 2025 estimates the impact of our proposals. The Department engaged with relevant stakeholders, including representatives for the vending sector and enforcement, to inform this. If additional information or evidence provided through the consultation or published online becomes available, we will update our final impact assessment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has reviewed international deployment of age verification technology for vending machines, including jurisdictions trialling such systems, associated costs and measured outcomes, prior to assessing its suitability for the UK.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has a commitment to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old. We ran a 12-week consultation on our proposals for the ban from 3 September 2025 to 26 November 2025. This included proposals on:

- the minimum age of sale for high-caffeine energy drinks;

- the products and businesses in scope of the ban;

- how the ban will apply in vending machines;

- the length of time that businesses and enforcement authorities need to implement the ban; and

- how the ban would be enforced.

We are now carefully considering the consultation responses. We will publish the Government response in due course, setting out the consultation outcome and next steps.

The accompanying impact assessment published on 3 September 2025 estimates the impact of our proposals. The Department engaged with relevant stakeholders, including representatives for the vending sector and enforcement, to inform this. If additional information or evidence provided through the consultation or published online becomes available, we will update our final impact assessment.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that the experiences of children and young people with dyslexia are captured when measuring attainment at the end of secondary school.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department is committed to ensuring the exams system is equitable for all students, and that students with disabilities, including dyslexia, can access exams and assessments without disadvantage.

Ofqual, the independent regulator of exams and assessments in England, has a statutory duty to ensure that assessments are a fair representation of a student’s knowledge and requires awarding organisations to put processes in place to ensure that all students can access assessments appropriately.

The Equality Act 2010 also requires awarding organisations to make reasonable adjustments where assessment arrangements could place a student, who is disabled within the meaning of the Act, at a substantial disadvantage in comparison to someone who is not disabled.

These adjustments can include, but are not limited to, extra time to complete assessments or assistance via a reader or a scribe, depending on the individual needs of the student.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department gathers on the educational outcomes of children with dyslexia and other literacy challenges in the Key Stage 1 phonics screening check.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department holds information on pupils’ special educational needs and their attainment by 14 types of primary need. Dyslexia is usually included in the wider category of primary need ‘specific learning difficulty’. In 2025, 33% of pupils with ‘specific learning difficulty’ recorded as their primary need met the expected standard in the phonics screening check in year 1. The English Hubs programme is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress. ‘Reading Ambition for All’, developed with input from the British Dyslexia Association, is a continuous professional development programme to support schools help struggling readers, delivered by our 34 English Hubs, reaching more than 600 schools this academic year.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Building Safety Regulator’s (BSR) report entitled Building control approval application data January to March 2026, published on 31 March 2026, what is the BSR’s definition of a complex case; and for what reasons has the complex cases category been created in the January to March 2026 data.

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

“Complex Cases” has replaced the term for cases previously referred to as being with an Account Manager. The change in name is representative of the nature of these cases. These cases can include:

• Large and/or multi-building developments

• Cases where the construction systems, materials or design approaches that are proposed give rise to a new technical or operational policy issue that requires extra consultation with subject matter experts

• Cases that contain disputable design solutions that cannot be fully resolved through the normal MDT process

These criteria mean the application may take longer than a standard case to work to completion.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) can confirm that 100 Gateway Two applications were completed in March 2025, with 40 of these being determined within the 8 or 12-week statutory period.

Between 1st January 2026 and 13th April 2026 there have been 38 formal complaints raised to the BSR. Within these complaints, 8 have been upheld, and 11 have been partially upheld. Of the remainder, 11 were not upheld and 8 are still live.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many building control applications made under regulation 3 or 11 of the Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (England) Regulations 2023 were determined by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) within the respective statutory 8 or 12 week period in March 2025.

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

“Complex Cases” has replaced the term for cases previously referred to as being with an Account Manager. The change in name is representative of the nature of these cases. These cases can include:

• Large and/or multi-building developments

• Cases where the construction systems, materials or design approaches that are proposed give rise to a new technical or operational policy issue that requires extra consultation with subject matter experts

• Cases that contain disputable design solutions that cannot be fully resolved through the normal MDT process

These criteria mean the application may take longer than a standard case to work to completion.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) can confirm that 100 Gateway Two applications were completed in March 2025, with 40 of these being determined within the 8 or 12-week statutory period.

Between 1st January 2026 and 13th April 2026 there have been 38 formal complaints raised to the BSR. Within these complaints, 8 have been upheld, and 11 have been partially upheld. Of the remainder, 11 were not upheld and 8 are still live.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many formal complaints the Building Safety Regulator received this year; and how many of these complaints were upheld.

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

“Complex Cases” has replaced the term for cases previously referred to as being with an Account Manager. The change in name is representative of the nature of these cases. These cases can include:

• Large and/or multi-building developments

• Cases where the construction systems, materials or design approaches that are proposed give rise to a new technical or operational policy issue that requires extra consultation with subject matter experts

• Cases that contain disputable design solutions that cannot be fully resolved through the normal MDT process

These criteria mean the application may take longer than a standard case to work to completion.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) can confirm that 100 Gateway Two applications were completed in March 2025, with 40 of these being determined within the 8 or 12-week statutory period.

Between 1st January 2026 and 13th April 2026 there have been 38 formal complaints raised to the BSR. Within these complaints, 8 have been upheld, and 11 have been partially upheld. Of the remainder, 11 were not upheld and 8 are still live.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the definition of substantial discount will be under the Tobacco and Vapes Act and how it will be enforced.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There is currently no restriction on the free distribution of samples of nicotine or non-nicotine vapes. It is completely unacceptable that a child could be given a harmful product that could lead them to a lifetime of addiction.

That is why the Tobacco and Vapes Bill introduces a ban on businesses giving away any tobacco, herbal smoking, vaping, or nicotine products, as well as cigarette papers, to a member of the public.

To support this, it will also be an offence to sell one of these products at a substantial discount. The bill does not give a definition of what constitutes a substantial discount because this will be different depending on the product and circumstances in question. However, further guidance will be provided after the bill becomes law.

Enforcement action will be taken by the relevant enforcement authority if businesses do not comply.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has (a) sought and (b) received reassurances from the Spanish Government that recent restrictions on military airspace use will not be applied in a manner that could prejudice the UK's (i) ongoing and (ii) future arrangements concerning Gibraltar.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The draft Agreement reached between the UK and the European Union in respect of Gibraltar fully protects the UK's ability to operate to, through, and from our military facilities in Gibraltar.

RAF Gibraltar continues to operate as a sovereign UK military airfield, and the current overflight ban by Spain does not impede our operational freedom with respect to aircraft movements.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has held with his Spanish counterpart regarding the application of Spanish airspace or basing policies in ways that could affect Gibraltar or UK access to the territory.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Defence and Foreign Secretaries meet regularly with their Spanish counterparts to discuss a range of issues of shared strategic interest. These recent interactions have not included discussion on the transit through Spanish airspace of UK military aircraft arriving at or departing from RAF Gibraltar.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Spanish Government's decision to restrict the use of Spanish airspace and military facilities for certain allied military operations on the UK’s defence, security and diplomatic interests relating to Gibraltar.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

RAF Gibraltar continues to operate as a sovereign UK military airfield, and the current overflight restrictions by Spain does not impede our operational freedom with respect to aircraft movements and does not impact NATO interoperability in the region.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has assessed the potential operational impact of Spanish restrictions on allied military aircraft on UK military mobility or contingency planning in the Western Mediterranean, including in relation to Gibraltar.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

RAF Gibraltar continues to operate as a sovereign UK military airfield, and the current overflight restrictions by Spain does not impede our operational freedom with respect to aircraft movements and does not impact NATO interoperability in the region.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the implications of Spain’s current airspace policy for NATO interoperability and collective defence in the Western Mediterranean region.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

RAF Gibraltar continues to operate as a sovereign UK military airfield, and the current overflight restrictions by Spain does not impede our operational freedom with respect to aircraft movements and does not impact NATO interoperability in the region.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government has alternative contingency arrangements in place to ensure uninterrupted defence and security support for Gibraltar should allied access through Spanish airspace or facilities be restricted.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

RAF Gibraltar continues to operate as a sovereign UK military airfield, and the current overflight restrictions by Spain does not impede our operational freedom with respect to aircraft movements and does not impact NATO interoperability in the region.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that UK sovereignty, access and operational freedom in Gibraltar are not indirectly affected by unilateral policy decisions taken by neighbouring states.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The draft Agreement reached between the UK and the European Union in respect of Gibraltar fully protects the UK’s sovereignty, access and operational freedom in Gibraltar.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of Chevening Scholars have claimed asylum in the United Kingdom since 2019.

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

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of people claiming asylum where the latest leave held prior to claim was a study visa is published in table Asy_D01a of the ‘Asylum claims and initial decisions datasets’. The number of student entry clearance visas issued is published in table Vis_D02 of the 'Entry clearance visas datasets'.

The requested information on asylum claims from Chevening scholars is not available from published statistics.

Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data. These reviews allow us to balance the production of our regular statistics whilst developing new statistics for future release.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, where revenues raised from the Heavy Goods Vehicle Road User Levy have been used in new road infrastructure and transport planning.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The HGV Road User Levy Act 2013 specifies that the levy is paid into the Consolidated Fund. This revenue is then available for general public expenditure, which includes transport investment.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether any patients in Montserrat who are (a) naturalised and (b) full British citizens and must travel to the United Kingdom for specialist treatment unavailable locally but fall outside the NHS–Montserrat referral scheme have been (i) denied (A) accommodation and (B) welfare support and (ii) advised to return to Montserrat.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers he was previously provided on these issues on 6 November and 1 December 2025.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans she has to support alternative methods for nighttime medical evacuation from Montserrat following the decision of the Governor of Montserrat to disallow fixed wing aircraft night medevac operations.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers he was previously provided on these issues on 6 November and 1 December 2025.

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 (a) reduce the cost of air access to Montserrat and (b) support its transition away from UK Government funding dependence.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers he was previously provided on these issues on 6 November and 1 December 2025.

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 improve emergency medical evacuation and overseas treatment on Montserrat.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers he was previously provided on these issues on 6 November and 1 December 2025.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the development needs of the Overseas Territories have first call on the UK’s Official Development Assistance programme.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK remains committed to meeting the reasonable needs of the Overseas Territories (OTs) where financial self-sufficiency is not possible. As such, the OTs continue to have the first call on Official Development Assistance to facilitate sustainable economic growth and development.

We have recently informed Montserrat of their new allocation, and I held a positive and constructive call with Premier Meade on 25 March.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of maritime safety, search and rescue capability, and maritime security resources available to the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat; and if she will take steps to ensure that the territory retains an appropriately equipped maritime patrol and rescue vessel in order to meet the UK’s constitutional responsibilities for the security and good governance of the territory and its obligations under international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, to protect life at sea.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Since 2016 the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has established a programme of activities to improve Montserrat's capacity to meet its international maritime safety and search and rescue (SAR) obligations. Montserrat has three UK-funded multipurpose vessels including two new fast police patrol boats provided by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office which improve the Royal Montserrat Police Service's capability to respond to maritime threats more efficiently and effectively, as well as fulfilling international obligations in relation to search and rescue.

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 meet obligations under Article 73 of the UN Charter in respect of the British Overseas Territories; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) the costs of healthcare, fuel and electricity, (b) quality of infrastructure and (c) levels of hurricane-resilient housing in Montserrat on people in that territory.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK fulfils its responsibilities under Article 73 of the United Nations Charter to promote the political, economic, social, and educational advancement of the Overseas Territories. As part of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's capital allocation to Montserrat, we are investing in green energy, including solar and resilience works, as well appropriate and safe social housing.

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 support access to legal assistance for Montserratian citizens residing in Montserrat, in the context of Article 73 of the United Nations Charter.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK fulfils its responsibilities under Article 73 of the United Nations Charter to promote the political, economic, social, and educational advancement of the Overseas Territories. As part of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's capital allocation to Montserrat, we are investing in green energy, including solar and resilience works, as well appropriate and safe social housing.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has had discussions with the Government of Montserrat on the adequacy of levels of education funding in Montserrat; and if she will make an assessment of whether funding levels are adequate to meet the educational needs and aspirations of the Government and people of Montserrat.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As part of the UK's ongoing support to Montserrat, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) provides annual Budget Support to cover the provision of key services, including education. FCDO officials work with the Government of Montserrat (GoM) on annual budget allocations, but ultimately it is for GoM to determine those allocations, including what goes to the Education Ministry. Over the last five years the FCDO has provided the following:

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding the United Kingdom Government has provided to support primary and secondary education in Montserrat in each of the last five years.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As part of the UK's ongoing support to Montserrat, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) provides annual Budget Support to cover the provision of key services, including education. FCDO officials work with the Government of Montserrat (GoM) on annual budget allocations, but ultimately it is for GoM to determine those allocations, including what goes to the Education Ministry. Over the last five years the FCDO has provided the following:

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether there is a limit to the Official Development Assistance available to Montserrat.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK remains committed to meeting the reasonable needs of the Overseas Territories (OTs) where financial self-sufficiency is not possible. As such, the OTs continue to have the first call on Official Development Assistance to facilitate sustainable economic growth and development.

We have recently informed Montserrat of their new allocation, and I held a positive and constructive call with Premier Meade on 25 March.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has received reports regarding the treatment of disabled or seriously ill prisoners in Montserrat.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Secretary of State does not routinely receive formal reports specifically on the treatment of disabled or seriously ill prisoners in Overseas Territory prisons. However, he would be informed in cases where a prisoner is transferred to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.

Ministry of Justice officials have visited HMP Brades, the prison in Montserrat, on several occasions over the past five years to review prison operations, including healthcare provision. This has helped inform the overall management of the establishment by the Superintendent and Governor.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what standards and safeguards apply to the treatment of prisoners in British Overseas Territories; and what assessment he has made of whether those standards are equivalent to those applied to prisoners in the UK.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Prisons in the Overseas Territories are subject to the local laws and constitutions of each Territory. The Ministry of Justice works with the Overseas Territories to help align the treatment of prisoners with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules).

The standards the Overseas Territories operate under are not directly equivalent to those applied to the UK because HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP), England and Wales has no formal jurisdiction in the Overseas Territories and the UK is a signatory to relevant international obligations, such as the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture, which the Overseas Territories are not.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which transport and infrastructure schemes received funds directly from the revenues raised by the Heavy Goods Vehicle Road User Levy in 2019, 2022 and 2024.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The HGV Road User Levy Act 2013 specifies that the levy is paid into the Consolidated Fund. This revenue is then available for general public expenditure, which includes transport investment.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much revenue was raised by the Heavy Goods Vehicle Road User Levy in (a) 2019, (b) 2022 and (c) 2024.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The HGV Road User Levy raised £204m in 2019-20 and £163m in 2024-25. It raised no revenue in 2022-23 as the levy was suspended for a period due to the pressures faced by the haulage industry caused by the Covid pandemic.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed ban on the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks from vending machines on gym users during physical activity.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has a commitment to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old. This has been subject to a consultation which we ran for 12-weeks from 3 September to 26 November 2025.

In the consultation, we proposed using powers under the Food Safety Act 1990 to introduce the ban, to protect children’s health, and reduce health inequalities from the negative outcomes associated with high-caffeine energy drink consumption.

We considered the range of available evidence when developing the proposals. Our assessment is available in the consultation document, with further detail set out in the accompanying impact assessment. The impact assessment includes consideration of devolved governments’ policy on high-caffeine energy drinks.

The impact assessment also estimates the impact of our proposals, including on the vending sector. The Department engaged with relevant stakeholders, including representatives for the vending sector, to inform this. If additional information or evidence provided through the consultation or published online becomes available, we will update our final impact assessment.

The Government is considering all consultation responses and will publish its response in due course.

Any legislation proposed following the consultation outcome would depend on ministerial decisions following the consultation, impact assessment requirements, and the necessary parliamentary scrutiny.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has assessed the the Scottish Government’s report entitled Energy drinks: evidence brief, published on 30 May 2023.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has a commitment to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old. This has been subject to a consultation which we ran for 12-weeks from 3 September to 26 November 2025.

In the consultation, we proposed using powers under the Food Safety Act 1990 to introduce the ban, to protect children’s health, and reduce health inequalities from the negative outcomes associated with high-caffeine energy drink consumption.

We considered the range of available evidence when developing the proposals. Our assessment is available in the consultation document, with further detail set out in the accompanying impact assessment. The impact assessment includes consideration of devolved governments’ policy on high-caffeine energy drinks.

The impact assessment also estimates the impact of our proposals, including on the vending sector. The Department engaged with relevant stakeholders, including representatives for the vending sector, to inform this. If additional information or evidence provided through the consultation or published online becomes available, we will update our final impact assessment.

The Government is considering all consultation responses and will publish its response in due course.

Any legislation proposed following the consultation outcome would depend on ministerial decisions following the consultation, impact assessment requirements, and the necessary parliamentary scrutiny.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Air Safety Support International (ASSI) conducted a formal engine-out take-off performance and obstacle-clearance analysis for departures from John A. Osborne Airport, Montserrat, using a DHC-6 Twin Otter.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

It is the responsibility of the individual aircraft operator, in accordance with their operational requirements and based upon the certified performance data, to ensure that the aircraft meet the international aircraft performance standards.

ASSI has undertaken specific aircraft performance calculations for the DHC-6 Twin Otter, associated with engine-out take-off performance (accelerate stop distance), using approved aircraft manufacturers performance data, to review third party operations from John A. Osborne Airport, Montserrat.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the proposed ban of the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to people under 16 years of age will be implemented using the Food Safety Act 1990.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has a commitment to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old. This has been subject to a consultation which we ran for 12-weeks from 3 September to 26 November 2025.

In the consultation, we proposed using powers under the Food Safety Act 1990 to introduce the ban, to protect children’s health, and reduce health inequalities from the negative outcomes associated with high-caffeine energy drink consumption.

We considered the range of available evidence when developing the proposals. Our assessment is available in the consultation document, with further detail set out in the accompanying impact assessment. The impact assessment includes consideration of devolved governments’ policy on high-caffeine energy drinks.

The impact assessment also estimates the impact of our proposals, including on the vending sector. The Department engaged with relevant stakeholders, including representatives for the vending sector, to inform this. If additional information or evidence provided through the consultation or published online becomes available, we will update our final impact assessment.

The Government is considering all consultation responses and will publish its response in due course.

Any legislation proposed following the consultation outcome would depend on ministerial decisions following the consultation, impact assessment requirements, and the necessary parliamentary scrutiny.

Staffordshire Day 2026

Anzac Day 2026

Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday and National Nature Day

100th anniversary of the birth of Queen Elizabeth II

Anniversary of the formation of the Ulster Defence Regiment

100th birthday of Sir David Attenborough

St George’s Day 2026

Animal protection disclosure scheme

Energy Conservation

100th anniversary of the birth of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

UN resolutions on slavery reparations