Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with animal welfare organisations on the potential merits of prohibiting the import of eggs produced using caged systems for laying hens.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Department has had wide ranging discussions with animal welfare organisations and other stakeholders on laying hen cage reform, including conversations relating to egg imports.
As set out in the UK’s trade strategy, the Government will always consider whether overseas produce has an unfair advantage. Where necessary, the Government will be prepared to use the full range of powers at the Government’s disposal to protect the UK’s most sensitive sectors.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the agreement signed in December 2020 by the Chief of the Defence Staff and his Israeli counterpart formalising military collaboration between the UK and Israel remains in place; and whether it has been (a) reviewed, (b) modified and (c) amended.
Answered by Al Carns
The UK-Israel military cooperation agreement, which was signed in December 2020, remains extant.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has submitted documentation relating to correspondence with the firms a) Global Counsel or b) Palantir Technologies to the Intelligence and Security Committee, in accordance with the Humble Address of February 2026.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to the Oral Statement on 27 April 2026 providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament's instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves. As the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister told the House on 19 May 2026, the Government published a second tranche of material after the Whitsun recess to give the House sufficient time to review the material.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has considered including knife wound first response as part of mandatory training for secondary school education under the statutory guidance of common injuries.
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 set out in the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance. Independent schools are required to cover health education as part of their responsibility to provide personal, social, health and economic education.
The RSHE guidance requires primary schools to teach basic first aid, such as dealing with common injuries. In secondary schools, pupils learn about CPR, defibrillator use, the law on knife crime, how to manage personal safety in increasingly independent situations including around roads, and drug misuse. Schools have flexibility in how they deliver this content.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has considered including first responses to road traffic accidents as part of mandatory training for secondary school education.
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 set out in the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance. Independent schools are required to cover health education as part of their responsibility to provide personal, social, health and economic education.
The RSHE guidance requires primary schools to teach basic first aid, such as dealing with common injuries. In secondary schools, pupils learn about CPR, defibrillator use, the law on knife crime, how to manage personal safety in increasingly independent situations including around roads, and drug misuse. Schools have flexibility in how they deliver this content.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has considered including medical first response to drug misuse as part of mandatory first-aid training in 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 set out in the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance. Independent schools are required to cover health education as part of their responsibility to provide personal, social, health and economic education.
The RSHE guidance requires primary schools to teach basic first aid, such as dealing with common injuries. In secondary schools, pupils learn about CPR, defibrillator use, the law on knife crime, how to manage personal safety in increasingly independent situations including around roads, and drug misuse. Schools have flexibility in how they deliver this content.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has had discussions with trade unions representing workers in the taxicab or private hire vehicle sectors regarding the proposed rollout of driverless vehicles.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) has engaged with trade unions as part of its wider stakeholder engagement programme supporting implementation of the Automated Vehicles Act 2024, including through consultation on the Automated Passenger Services permitting scheme.
Unite the Union sits on CCAV’s Expert Advisory Panel, providing a formal mechanism for workforce perspectives to inform the development of automated vehicle policy and regulation alongside industry, academic and other stakeholders.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether (a) guidance and (b) support was provided by the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Public Protection to (i) police forces in England and Wales and (ii) candidates in the elections in 2026.
Answered by Natalie Fleet - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP) provides national leadership within policing to improve the response to violence against women and girls, including through developing guidance, training and sharing best practice. The Centre will receive £13.9 million of Home Office funding in 2026-27 - demonstrating the Government’s steadfast commitment to halving violence against women and girls in a decade. Through this funding, the NCVPP will be a key delivery partner for the commitments set out in the Governments to drive improvements across forces and support delivery of the Government’s ‘Freedom from Violence and Abuse: Cross-Government Strategy’.
The NCVPP does not provide guidance or support in relation to elections, including to police forces or candidates, and has not undertaken an assessment of the ability of survivors of domestic abuse and violence to stand for election.
Policy on elections, including eligibility criteria, is led by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for local and devolved elections, and by the Cabinet Office for UK Parliamentary elections.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what budget has been allocated to the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Public Protection for the year beginning April 1st 2026.
Answered by Natalie Fleet - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP) provides national leadership within policing to improve the response to violence against women and girls, including through developing guidance, training and sharing best practice. The Centre will receive £13.9 million of Home Office funding in 2026-27 - demonstrating the Government’s steadfast commitment to halving violence against women and girls in a decade. Through this funding, the NCVPP will be a key delivery partner for the commitments set out in the Governments to drive improvements across forces and support delivery of the Government’s ‘Freedom from Violence and Abuse: Cross-Government Strategy’.
The NCVPP does not provide guidance or support in relation to elections, including to police forces or candidates, and has not undertaken an assessment of the ability of survivors of domestic abuse and violence to stand for election.
Policy on elections, including eligibility criteria, is led by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for local and devolved elections, and by the Cabinet Office for UK Parliamentary elections.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Public Protection has made an assessment of the ability of survivors of domestic abuse and violence to stand in elections.
Answered by Natalie Fleet - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP) provides national leadership within policing to improve the response to violence against women and girls, including through developing guidance, training and sharing best practice. The Centre will receive £13.9 million of Home Office funding in 2026-27 - demonstrating the Government’s steadfast commitment to halving violence against women and girls in a decade. Through this funding, the NCVPP will be a key delivery partner for the commitments set out in the Governments to drive improvements across forces and support delivery of the Government’s ‘Freedom from Violence and Abuse: Cross-Government Strategy’.
The NCVPP does not provide guidance or support in relation to elections, including to police forces or candidates, and has not undertaken an assessment of the ability of survivors of domestic abuse and violence to stand for election.
Policy on elections, including eligibility criteria, is led by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for local and devolved elections, and by the Cabinet Office for UK Parliamentary elections.