Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what financial and staff resources from the London and North Eastern Railway have been used to support the creation of the Great British Railways Transition Team.

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

In designing the future of rail and creating Great British Railways (GBR), we encouraged participation from across the industry in the GBR Transition Team (GBRTT) to ensure it was truly representative of the railway. This industry participation has continued following GBRTT being stood down in the 2025 financial year.

Building GBR with railway professionals has always been central to its success. Individuals from London and North Eastern Railway have contributed to this programme in a variety of ways, including through secondments into GBRTT and participation in industry projects aimed at improving the railway.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of a reduction in the number of licensed greyhound stadiums in England on the welfare and rehoming of retired greyhounds.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) is responsible for the welfare of greyhounds on GBGB licensed tracks, including ensuring the welfare of racing greyhounds that have left tracks that have closed. Defra continues to monitor closely GBGB’s work in ensuring the welfare and homing of greyhounds.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to facilitate discussions between the Port of London Authority, the vessel's custodians and heritage organisations to seek a negotiated solution for HMS President.

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

The department at this time has no plans to facilitate discussions with the Port of London Authority regarding HMS President. The PLA is a trust port and as such does not consult the department on its day-to-day operational decisions.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance her Department provides to harbour authorities on balancing operational responsibilities with the preservation of nationally significant historic vessels.

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

The department provides Ports with guidance primarily via the Ports good Governance Guidance, which sets out how ports should manage their affairs. There is no specific guidance around preservation, but the department expects all ports to conform to national legislation that deal with preservation of vessels.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the new remote rate of General Betting Duty on Romford Greyhound Stadium.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

The new remote betting rate is part of the package of changes to gambling duties announced at Budget 2025 which will raise over £1 billion per year.

An assessment of the impact of any tax change is published within the relevant Tax Impact and Information Note. See link: Gambling duty changes - GOV.UK

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of HMS President's significance as one of the last surviving Royal Navy First World War warships.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The Ministry of Defence is no longer the owner of HMS President (formerly HMS Saxifrage) which was sold in the 1980s and as a result cannot directly influence her future.

We do, however, recognise the ship's historic importance and will continue to work with organisations within the maritime heritage sector to ensure HMS President is not forgotten.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has considered amending regulation of driverless vehicles.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 provides a comprehensive framework for the safe deployment and regulation of self-driving vehicles in Great Britain. The Department is currently focussed on implementation via secondary legislation and non-statutory guidance.

Whilst the Government keeps all transport legislation under review, any changes will be considered with respect to operational experience, technological developments and emerging evidence.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps he has taken to support expectant parents in full time employment.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The government is committed to supporting working parents. Through the Employment Rights Act, we are improving access to flexible working, which will support parents to fit work around their family life. We are also introducing enhanced dismissal protections for pregnant women and new mothers, protecting them at a time when they face a unique risk to their job security.

Additionally, we have committed to a Review of the Parental Leave and Pay system and are exploring how the system can better support working families and reflect the realities of modern work and childcare.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of taking legislative steps to amend Statutory Maternity Pay.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

I refer the hon. Members to the answer given on 24 April 2026 to Question UIN 124467.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken to support community food initiatives in a) England and b) the parliamentary constituency of Romford.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Crisis and Resilience Fund allows local authorities in England to support community food provision where this meets the Fund’s objectives. Local authorities are encouraged to work with voluntary and community sector organisations and connect food support with wider services, such as advice, benefit support and help with debt.

Local authorities determine provision according to local needs and priorities. The Department does not hold information on individual community food initiatives at constituency level.

The Government has also taken substantive action to support low-income households and tackle food insecurity, by increasing the National Living Wage and increasing the rates of Universal Credit. The Child Poverty Strategy, particularly the removal of the two-child limit and increasing access to Free School Meals, are also contributing to addressing demand for food related support.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she intends to reform the higher-education funding mechanism.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government has taken decisive action to support the long-term sustainability of the higher education (HE) sector, including increasing tuition fee caps in line with forecast inflation for the 2026/27 and 2027/28 academic years, providing greater certainty over future funding, and linking future inflationary fee uplifts to assessments of HE quality.

Additionally, the department is working with the Office for Students to reform the Strategic Priorities Grant to ensure that high-cost subject funding is more effectively targeted towards priority provision that supports future skills needs, as well as ensuring funding is targeted towards the most disadvantaged students in accessing and participating in HE.

The government keeps the HE funding system under review and will continue to consider opportunities to improve the system, while ensuring it remains financially sustainable and delivers value for money for taxpayers.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he intends to reform the Local Housing Allowance.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)

The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum financial support available for renters in the private rented sector.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions reviews LHA rates annually and future decisions will be based on government priorities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to reform higher education funding arrangements or overseas students.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

When a borrower moves overseas to live or work, the obligation to repay a student loan within the terms and conditions they signed up to still remains. Where a borrower who has moved overseas chooses either not to engage with the Student Loans Company (SLC) or make repayments where their income is above the relevant threshold for that country, arrears will build up on the student loan account. The borrower will also be in breach of the terms and conditions of their student loan, with the arrears flagged to the SLC debt recovery team.

The SLC continue to target non-compliant overseas borrowers using the application of fraud detection and investigatory techniques. Where this fails, SLC work with a debt collection agency to target borrowers with arrears balances. Further action, including legal action, can also be taken to secure recovery.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she has taken with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that there is greater public awareness regarding out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In order to increase survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest NHS England has worked in partnership with St John’s Ambulance and others to increase access to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training.

Local ambulance trusts, charities, including St John’s Ambulance and the British Heart Foundation, and private providers deliver CPR training and training on the use of defibrillators both in the community and in schools, under the Restart a Heart programme.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to tackle illegal ‘ghost’ registration plates on motorcars.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government is committed to tackling number plate crime. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) works closely with police forces and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to improve the identification and enforcement.

Under its Road Safety Strategy, the Department for Transport is reviewing motoring offences. It has consulted on introducing penalty points and vehicle seizure for those in charge of a vehicle displaying an incorrect, altered or false number plate. The consultation closed on 11 May and responses are being considered.

The DVLA is also considering how to make the Register of Number Plate Suppliers more robust and auditable, enabling tighter checks on suppliers and the plates they provide. This includes reviewing the scheme’s fees, structure, resources and funding.

Working with the British Standards Institution, the DVLA has developed targeted amendments to the British Standard for number plates. These would prohibit raised or “ghost” characteristics and require finished plates to be flat, directly addressing the products of greatest concern. Work is under way to bring these changes into law.

The Department has also funded a new National Roads Policing Coordination Centre to help police forces share intelligence, collaborate more effectively and use data and technology to target those using illegal number plates.

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, How much money the Church of England has spent on administrative staff in every year since 2000.

Answered by Marsha De Cordova

The National Church Institutions (NCIs), of which the Church Commissioners are one, can only provide information on staff employed by the Church of England's national charities, which are predominantly based at Church House, Westminster.

Providing information for every year since 2000 would require extensive archival research and would incur disproportionate costs. It would also incur disproportionate costs to provide distinct figures for staff working solely in administrative roles

The 42 Diocesan Boards of Finance, approximately 12,500 Parochial Church Councils, 42 Cathedral Chapters (including those in Europe and the Isle of Man), 17 Theological Education Institutions, all Church schools and other arm's-length bodies, are separate charities.

Information relating to administrative staff in those organisations is not held centrally, although each publishes annual reports and accounts with the Charity Commission.

The National Church Institutions can provide an illustrative example of overall staff costs for the year 2025 (the most recent for which figures are available). This includes employer pension contributions and employer National Insurance contributions, but excludes asset management costs for the Church Commissioners and Church of England Pensions Board.

• Church Commissioners: staff costs of £6.8 million for employees undertaking administrative, secretariat and church functions. (Details are contained in Note 8, page 113, of the Church Commissioners Annual Report and Accounts 2025.)

• Archbishops' Council: £14.4 million for administrative, secretariat and staff undertaking church functions.

• Church of England Pensions Board: £6 million for administrative functions, comprising £3.2 million supporting housing operations, £2.2 million supporting community living activities and £0.6 million for secretariat functions.

• Church of England Central Services: £15.2 million for secretariat functions.

• National Society for Promoting Religious Education: £4.0 million for secretariat functions

Further information is available in the published annual reports and accounts of the respective organisations.

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, how much money the Diocese of London has spent on administrative staff in every year since 2000.

Answered by Marsha De Cordova

The National Church Institutions are not responsible for the operations of the Diocese of London, which is a separate charitable body. The Hon Member for Romford should direct his question to the Chief Operating Officer of the London Diocesan Fund. Contact details can be found on the diocesan website.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has estimated the net impact on Exchequer receipts of applying the 25 per cent remote rate to greyhound racing, including (a) betting turnover, (b) employment and (c) associated tax receipts.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

The new remote betting rate is part of the package of changes to gambling duties announced at Budget 2025 which will raise over £1 billion per year to support the public finances. In person betting will remain taxed at 15% for all sports, and only remote betting, excluding remote bets on UK horseracing, will be taxed at 25%.

An assessment of the impact of any tax change is published within the relevant Tax Impact and Information Note: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-gambling-duties/gambling-duty-changes.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria his Department applied in determining which sports qualified for the exclusion at Autumn Budget 2025 of remote bets on horseracing from the 25% remote rate of General Betting Duty.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

At Budget 2025, the government announced a package of changes to gambling duties which will raise over £1 billion per year to support the public finances.    

As part of this package, remote betting will see an increase from 15% to 25% from 1 April 2027. Remote bets on UK horseracing will be excluded from these changes and remain taxed at 15%, as operators already contribute 10% towards the statutory Horserace Betting Levy, resulting in an existing de-factor 25% rate for bets on UK horse races.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of HM Armed Forces' long-range strike capabilities.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Strategic Defence Review recommended that the UK should make further investment in conventional deep (long-range) precision strike capabilities to provide the broadest range of options for deterring threats. The Defence Investment Plan delivers on this recommendation through investments to develop deep (long-range) precision strike capabilities to reach strategic targets in ways that are very hard to defeat. Learning the lessons from Ukraine, we are also continuing to alter the balance of expensive complex weapons with emerging cheaper alternatives, such as the next generation of low-cost cruise missiles.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had recent discussions with his (a) French and (b) German counterparts on conventional submarine cooperation with Argentina.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The Secretary of State and the wider Ministry of Defence regularly engage with our French and German allies on a range of issues. The Ministry of Defence is committed to maintaining a defensive military presence in the South Atlantic to ensure the protection of the Falkland Islands. Our defences in the South Atlantic are robust, consisting of air, land, and maritime forces with a strong permanent presence on the Falkland Islands. I am confident that our military presence is at the appropriate level for the defence of the Islands, and we keep this under constant review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to improve awareness of CPR procedures within secondary schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

All state funded schools are required to teach first aid as part of the statutory health education, as set out in the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance. Independent schools must cover health education as part of their responsibility to provide personal, social, health and economic education.

The RSHE guidance includes basic first aid for primary school children, such as dealing with common injuries, including head injuries. At secondary school, pupils are taught additional life-saving skills, including how to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation, as well as the purpose of defibrillators and when they might be needed.

The guidance sets out that schools have flexibility over how they teach RSHE topics, including first aid, and may draw on locally available expertise.

The government has commissioned Oak Academy to make lesson materials freely available.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to ensure the security of military bases.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

We remain highly vigilant to threats against Defence sites and have strengthened security across the estate following the incidents at RAF Fairford and RAF Molesworth. Recent arrests demonstrate that those who seek to compromise the security of Defence sites can expect a robust security and police response. Where criminal offences are suspected, we won't hesitate to use the full range of powers available, including the National Security Act.

The Defence Investment Plan provides an additional £470 million over four years to enhance site protection and reduce legacy underspending. Defence has invested in surveillance and counter-drone capabilities and is working to extend Restricted Airspace protections around Defence sites.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has considered amending the regulation of private hire vehicles.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Since coming into Government, we have been actively considering regulatory reform to support a thriving taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) sector through a modern legislative framework. Through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026, we have legislated to enable the setting of national standards for taxi and PHV licensing, improving consistency and oversight across England.

As announced in the King's Speech, we intend to bring forward a draft taxi and PHV bill for pre-legislative scrutiny, providing a licensing framework that reflects how people travel today and replaces a patchwork of outdated, Victorian-era rules with a single, consistent framework across England that passengers and drivers can trust.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to support the black cab sector.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

We recognise taxis' distinct role in the transport network. They continue to provide unique services, including rank and street-hail work, and remain an important mode of transport for many passengers.

To support a thriving taxi sector, we have been actively considering regulatory reform by developing a modern legislative framework. Through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026, we have legislated to enable the setting of national standards for taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) licensing, improving consistency and oversight across England. We are currently engaging with stakeholders to understand the challenges facing taxi services, including issues relating to accessibility, passenger choice and commercial viability. Insights from this engagement will help shape future policy reforms, including the development of forthcoming national standards.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to work with Transport for London to support the Black Cab sector.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

We recognise taxis' distinct role in the transport network. They continue to provide unique services, including rank and street-hail work, and remain an important mode of transport for many passengers.

To support a thriving taxi sector, we have been actively considering regulatory reform by developing a modern legislative framework. Through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026, we have legislated to enable the setting of national standards for taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) licensing, improving consistency and oversight across England. We are currently engaging with stakeholders to understand the challenges facing taxi services, including issues relating to accessibility, passenger choice and commercial viability. Insights from this engagement will help shape future policy reforms, including the development of forthcoming national standards.

Contribution of cinemas to local communities