Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of staff in his Department did not meet the minimum office attendance target in the latest period for which data is available; and what sanctions his Department issues to staff who do not meet this target.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

Central data on Civil Service Headquarters (HQ) occupancy is collected and published quarterly on GOV.UK for all HQ buildings of Whitehall Departments.

In Cabinet Office, Line Managers are expected to be aware of, and ensure compliance with, the minimum 60% attendance expectation for their direct reports. Data on workforce attendance is not collated centrally by the department.

Where employees fail to reach or maintain expected attendance levels, beyond what is agreed with their line manager as part of workplace adjustments or caring responsibilities, due consideration is given as to whether it is reasonable to take disciplinary action. The level of sanction will be dependent upon the individual circumstances of the case.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of operating different deposit return scheme frameworks in different parts of the UK on costs for (a) producers and (b) retailers.

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

A new organisation called UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd (UK DMO) will run the scheme. It’s a not-for-profit group, led by businesses. They were officially appointed in May 2025 (England & NI) and June 2025 (Scotland).

The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) across England, Northern Ireland and Scotland have been designed with interoperability in mind to ensure the schemes look and feel like one scheme in all three nations.

I and my officials remain in close working partnership with the Welsh Government as they develop further detail of their scheme, and it is reassuring that they have decided to align their scheme launch date with DRS in the rest of the UK.

Government will continue to work closely across the sector, and now with UK DMO, to ensure the smooth implementation of the DRS for businesses and consumers. We will also maintain regular engagement with retailers, producers and interested groups to monitor implementation progress.

Each nation has or will set out the costs of their schemes in their respective impact assessments. The full impact assessment for England and Northern Ireland was published when the regulations came into force in January of this year and can be found here.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department taking to ensure that the Deposit Management Organisation can operate effectively in the context of the Welsh government’s decision to proceed with a scheme that includes glass.

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

The regulations allow the Deposit Management Organisation(s) for England and Northern Ireland to work in an interoperable way with any other deposit return schemes.

We previously published agreed interoperability requirements which would ensure that schemes can operate as one, including commitments to single registration and reporting, processes for reciprocal takeback of material, single logos and the same deposit level. These requirements currently apply for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Officials are working closely with the Welsh Government as they develop their regulations to ensure interoperability between the schemes where possible.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the inclusion of glass in the Welsh government's deposit return scheme on businesses in other parts of the UK.

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

The UK Government acknowledges the concerns raised by businesses in relation to differences in approach to Deposit Return Scheme across the UK. We will continue to engage with the Welsh Government on this matter as they finalise their policy positions and legislation. The Welsh Government will be responsible for developing an impact assessment of their scheme.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether she has had recent discussions with the Welsh government on the potential impact of including (a) glass and (b) a reuse element in its deposit return scheme on cross-border businesses.

Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales

The UK Government has regular discussions with the Welsh Government on the deposit return scheme, including through the Resources and Waste Common Framework.

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 recent discussions with the Welsh government on the interoperability of its deposit return scheme with the schemes in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland.

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

I and my officials remain in close working partnership with the Welsh Government as they develop further details of their scheme, with particular consideration of interoperability with DRS in the rest of the UK.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had on the future role of Nursing Associates within the NHS.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Secretary of State has not had any discussions on the future role of Nursing Associates specifically. The Government is committed to publishing a 10-Year Workforce Plan which will create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. We are working through how the Plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a comparative assessment of the potential impact of the deposit return scheme that will be used in (a) Wales and (b) the rest of the UK on the (i) economy and (ii) environment.

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

The Government published a Final Impact Assessment for the deposit return scheme (DRS) in England and Northern Ireland alongside the regulations in January 2025.

Attendance of the Attorney General at the Bar of the House on the Chinese espionage case

Agriculture

Found: Labour; Forest of Dean) Pam Cox (Labour; Colchester) Linsey Farnsworth (Labour; Amber Valley) Sir Ashley Fox

Found: Q73 (Sir Ashley Fox MP): Have you done any modelling as to what the 2027 changes [the inclusion of pensions

No description available