Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects the research her Department has commissioned into tackling gaps in the scientific evidence on the potential impact of various catching methods for farmed poultry to conclude.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Research into assessing the impact of poultry catching and handling methods on animal welfare and catching durations in Great Britain is expected to be completed in 2028, after which the Government will consider its findings.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much her Department spent on bilateral water, sanitation and hygiene projects in each year between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
UK bilateral Official, Development Assistance (ODA) expenditure on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is published annually in the Statistics on International Development. The latest report shows UK bilateral ODA for WASH totalled £37 million in 2023, £45 million in 2022, £78 million in 2021, and £110 million in 2020. Figures for 2024 will be published on the 18th of September 2025.
In parallel with this reduction, we have changed our approach to WASH, moving away from the direct delivery of WASH services at scale, to working in partnership with governments to strengthen the systems needed to provide and sustain WASH services. This can also help secure additional resources, including domestic funding, climate finance and private investment, extending our overall impact.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help prevent the Israeli Government’s E1 settlement plan going ahead.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the joint statement issued by the UK and 26 international partners on 21 August condemning the E1 settlement development, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/occupied-palestinian-territories-joint-statement-21-august-2025.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department subsidises inspections of independent schools undertaken by Ofsted.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Ofsted inspects around 50% of the 2,496 (July 2025) registered private schools in England. There is disparity between the fees charged for inspections and full cost recovery. Private school inspections carried out by Ofsted cost around £6.5 million per annum (2024/25), whilst only around £2.2 million will be recovered from fee income.
Government policy is that costs associated with inspections by government bodies should be recoverable. This will reduce the need for government subsidy. The government is considering options to close the gap.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention of 27 March 2025 in the debate on Hughes Report: First Anniversary, Official Report, column 472WH, if he will publish (a) her letter and (b) the response from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women's Health and Mental Health.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following the debate on Hughes Report: First Anniversary, I met and put on record my discussion with the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women's Health and Mental Health (Baroness Merron), who confirmed that the Government is carefully considering the work by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her Report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. The Department does not plan to publish the letter, and it did not require a response from Baroness Merron. This is a complex issue involving input from different government departments. The Government will provide a further update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s Report.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has provided for the (a) running of the Independent Schools Inspectorate and (b) cost of inspections undertaken by that inspectorate in each financial year since March 2015.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The department does not provide funding to the Independent Schools Inspectorate, and does not cover the cost of inspections undertaken by the inspectorate.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to consult on the potential merits of introducing mandatory standards for the labelling of alcohol products to include information on the risk of (a) drinking during pregnancy, (b) liver disease and (c) cancer.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In ‘Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England’, the Government has committed to strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages. The Plan is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future
Currently there is voluntary guidance on communicating the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers' low risk drinking guideline, which recommends labels include info that to keep health risks from alcohol to a low level it is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis, and to include a warning against drinking during pregnancy. The Department has commissioned a National Institute for Health and Care Research study on understanding the impact of alcohol calorie labelling on alcohol and calorie selection, purchasing, and consumption. This study is due to report in 2026.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of introducing mandatory health labelling on alcoholic drinks on public health.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In ‘Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England’, the Government has committed to strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages. The Plan is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future
Currently there is voluntary guidance on communicating the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers' low risk drinking guideline, which recommends labels include info that to keep health risks from alcohol to a low level it is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis, and to include a warning against drinking during pregnancy. The Department has commissioned a National Institute for Health and Care Research study on understanding the impact of alcohol calorie labelling on alcohol and calorie selection, purchasing, and consumption. This study is due to report in 2026.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children who are diagnosed with having an Autistic Spectrum Disorders also have a diagnosis of Foetal Valproate Syndrome.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Everyone who has been harmed from sodium valproate has our deepest sympathies. Information about the number of children diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder and a diagnosis of foetal valproate syndrome is not collected centrally.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children with a diagnosis of Foetal Valproate Syndrome also have a diagnosis of (a) Spina Bifida, (b) neural tube defects, (c) Cardiac/heart malformations, (d) Kidney malformations and (e) cleft lip and/or palate.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Everyone who has been harmed from sodium valproate has our deepest sympathies. The information requested is not held centrally.