Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in Brazil on the four-lane highway through protected Amazon rainforest being built for the COP30 climate summit in the Brazilian city of Belém.

Answered by Kerry McCarthy - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Planning decisions in Brazil are a matter for the Brazilian government.

Brazil has commitment to achieve zero deforestation by 2030 and we welcome the focus on forests set out by the incoming COP30 President in his letter of 10 March. We will continue to work closely with the COP President and others to drive forward efforts to halt and reverse deforestation globally by 2030, and to support their preparations for the important COP30 conference in Belem.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 August 2024 to Question HL407 on Rodenticides: Safety, to which species the Government Oversight Group is considering extending the monitoring of Second-Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticide residues.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

A final decision on which additional species to include in the residues monitoring programme has not yet been taken. However, the species under consideration include red kite, buzzard, sparrowhawk, peregrine falcon, red fox, otter and hedgehog.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of BPs decision to scale back investment in renewable energy and increase investment in oil and gas on their ability to be a credible partner in the transition to renewable energy.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department has made no such assessment.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the auto-clearance system on the UK’s ability to enforce (a) bans on the import of live (i) cattle, (ii) pigs and (iii) sheep and (b) restrictions on products of animal origin from (A) Germany, (B) Hungary and (C) Slovakia.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The auto clearance system does not impact on our ability to prohibit live animals from foot and mouth affected areas, as these commodities are specifically excluded. The auto clearance system has also been updated to exclude goods subject to Foot and Mouth Regulations from impacted countries. This means that we can enforce the bands on impacted commodities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to update data provided to the Global Record of Fishing Vessels, Refrigerated Transport Vessels and Supply Vessels.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is responsible for updating UK fishing vessel data on the Global Record of Fishing Vessels, Refrigerated Transport Vessels and Supply Vessels. The MMO last updated the record on 24 March 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) products of animal origin and (b) products containing products of animal origin have entered the UK from (i) Germany, (ii) Slovakia and (iii) Hungary since imports have been restricted following outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in those countries.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Since the introduction of foot and mouth controls for Germany, Hungary and Slovakia, there has been an effective prohibition on the movement of impacted goods into GB. It is important to note that most products of animal origin are not prohibited from these countries, for example poultry meat. Only products from susceptible animals that have not been treated to the required level to mitigate disease risk are prohibited, for example fresh beef.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of BP’s plan to scale back renewable energy investment on achieving the UK’s 2030 target to reduce emissions by 68% compared to 1990 levels.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department has made no such assessment.

Delivering the Government’s climate goals requires us to work with many different organisations.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with BP on the company's new strategy to prioritise oil and gas production over investment in renewable energy; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of this decision on the Government's green strategy.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

We have noted the changes bp is making to its strategy. Such decisions are a commercial matter for the company.

The Government is unable to assess the potential future impact of the new strategy on the UK as it relates to the company’s global business rather than being focused on activities in this country. However we welcome the significant investment bp is continuing to plan to make in low carbon projects in the UK, including in the East Coast Cluster.

Existing regulation of emissions from bp’s activities in the UK remain unchanged.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of taking steps to help prevent price differentials for different types of users of EV charging points.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle.

The Government are aware of the cost differential between those who can and cannot install a dedicated EV charger at home and continue to work with Ofgem and others on measures to keep the cost of EV charging affordable for consumers.

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 implications for his policies of the Royal College of General Practitioners' report entitled Towards Greener Prescribing in General Practice, published in March 2025; and whether he plans to implement the recommendations of that report.

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

In October 2020, the National Health Service published its Net Zero Strategy, in order to become the world’s first health system to commit to reaching net zero emissions, and NHS England is working collaboratively with a range of partners on implementation.

Recognising the importance of decarbonising general practices (GPs), NHS England collaborated with the Royal College of General Practitioners and the authors of the report Towards Greener Prescribing in General Practice, to develop a net zero hub, which includes three eLearning modules and a practice decarbonisation guide. These resources support and educate GPs in reducing carbon emissions from prescribing.  The Department will work with NHS England to consider the recommendations and findings of the Royal College of General Practitioners' report.

Greener prescribing and recycling are key enablers to support the NHS’ transition towards a more sustainable healthcare system. One key aspect of this is tackling overprescribing, including through improving repeat prescribing processes and delivering Structured Medication Reviews. Further information can be found in the updated Green Plan Guidance at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/green-plan-guidance/

The NHS has already made progress in reducing medicine emissions.  For example, optimising inhaler use by addressing Short Acting Beta Agonists overprescribing, improving inhaler technique, and working to ensure patients are on the appropriate treatment regimen and are using their inhaler at the right time. NHS England is also committed to exploring inhaler recycling and its potential benefits, and is currently supporting the implementation of an inhaler recycling pilot to assess a national scheme’s feasibility and potential benefits.

In 2021, NHS England set out its NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap. Alongside and since this announcement, many pharmaceutical companies have made commitments to decarbonise. The NHS and the Government continue to collaborate with industry across a range of actions, such as the Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing programme, and the Voluntary Pricing, Access and Growth Investment Programme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Royal College of General Practitioners' report entitled Towards Greener Prescribing in General Practice, published in March 2025, what plans his Department has to expand medicines recycling and re-use schemes.

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

In October 2020, the National Health Service published its Net Zero Strategy, in order to become the world’s first health system to commit to reaching net zero emissions, and NHS England is working collaboratively with a range of partners on implementation.

Recognising the importance of decarbonising general practices (GPs), NHS England collaborated with the Royal College of General Practitioners and the authors of the report Towards Greener Prescribing in General Practice, to develop a net zero hub, which includes three eLearning modules and a practice decarbonisation guide. These resources support and educate GPs in reducing carbon emissions from prescribing.  The Department will work with NHS England to consider the recommendations and findings of the Royal College of General Practitioners' report.

Greener prescribing and recycling are key enablers to support the NHS’ transition towards a more sustainable healthcare system. One key aspect of this is tackling overprescribing, including through improving repeat prescribing processes and delivering Structured Medication Reviews. Further information can be found in the updated Green Plan Guidance at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/green-plan-guidance/

The NHS has already made progress in reducing medicine emissions.  For example, optimising inhaler use by addressing Short Acting Beta Agonists overprescribing, improving inhaler technique, and working to ensure patients are on the appropriate treatment regimen and are using their inhaler at the right time. NHS England is also committed to exploring inhaler recycling and its potential benefits, and is currently supporting the implementation of an inhaler recycling pilot to assess a national scheme’s feasibility and potential benefits.

In 2021, NHS England set out its NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap. Alongside and since this announcement, many pharmaceutical companies have made commitments to decarbonise. The NHS and the Government continue to collaborate with industry across a range of actions, such as the Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing programme, and the Voluntary Pricing, Access and Growth Investment Programme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the environmental impact of prescribing (a) inhalers and (b) other medicines.

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

In October 2020, the National Health Service published its Net Zero Strategy, in order to become the world’s first health system to commit to reaching net zero emissions, and NHS England is working collaboratively with a range of partners on implementation.

Recognising the importance of decarbonising general practices (GPs), NHS England collaborated with the Royal College of General Practitioners and the authors of the report Towards Greener Prescribing in General Practice, to develop a net zero hub, which includes three eLearning modules and a practice decarbonisation guide. These resources support and educate GPs in reducing carbon emissions from prescribing.  The Department will work with NHS England to consider the recommendations and findings of the Royal College of General Practitioners' report.

Greener prescribing and recycling are key enablers to support the NHS’ transition towards a more sustainable healthcare system. One key aspect of this is tackling overprescribing, including through improving repeat prescribing processes and delivering Structured Medication Reviews. Further information can be found in the updated Green Plan Guidance at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/green-plan-guidance/

The NHS has already made progress in reducing medicine emissions.  For example, optimising inhaler use by addressing Short Acting Beta Agonists overprescribing, improving inhaler technique, and working to ensure patients are on the appropriate treatment regimen and are using their inhaler at the right time. NHS England is also committed to exploring inhaler recycling and its potential benefits, and is currently supporting the implementation of an inhaler recycling pilot to assess a national scheme’s feasibility and potential benefits.

In 2021, NHS England set out its NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap. Alongside and since this announcement, many pharmaceutical companies have made commitments to decarbonise. The NHS and the Government continue to collaborate with industry across a range of actions, such as the Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing programme, and the Voluntary Pricing, Access and Growth Investment Programme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support primary care to reduce carbon emissions from prescribing.

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

In October 2020, the National Health Service published its Net Zero Strategy, in order to become the world’s first health system to commit to reaching net zero emissions, and NHS England is working collaboratively with a range of partners on implementation.

Recognising the importance of decarbonising general practices (GPs), NHS England collaborated with the Royal College of General Practitioners and the authors of the report Towards Greener Prescribing in General Practice, to develop a net zero hub, which includes three eLearning modules and a practice decarbonisation guide. These resources support and educate GPs in reducing carbon emissions from prescribing.  The Department will work with NHS England to consider the recommendations and findings of the Royal College of General Practitioners' report.

Greener prescribing and recycling are key enablers to support the NHS’ transition towards a more sustainable healthcare system. One key aspect of this is tackling overprescribing, including through improving repeat prescribing processes and delivering Structured Medication Reviews. Further information can be found in the updated Green Plan Guidance at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/green-plan-guidance/

The NHS has already made progress in reducing medicine emissions.  For example, optimising inhaler use by addressing Short Acting Beta Agonists overprescribing, improving inhaler technique, and working to ensure patients are on the appropriate treatment regimen and are using their inhaler at the right time. NHS England is also committed to exploring inhaler recycling and its potential benefits, and is currently supporting the implementation of an inhaler recycling pilot to assess a national scheme’s feasibility and potential benefits.

In 2021, NHS England set out its NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap. Alongside and since this announcement, many pharmaceutical companies have made commitments to decarbonise. The NHS and the Government continue to collaborate with industry across a range of actions, such as the Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing programme, and the Voluntary Pricing, Access and Growth Investment Programme.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of issuing guidance on limiting ambient noise in specific settings to help improve levels of accessibility.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government welcomes steps some retailers are taking to introduce sensory friendly hours for customers who may find busy or loud shopping environments overwhelming.

In educational settings, guidance on ambient noise levels may be found in Building Bulletin 93 and in DfE standards and guidance documentation found at: School and Further Education College Design and Construction on GOV.UK.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to require NHS hospitals to operate pay on exit parking.

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

The NHS car parking guidance 2022 for NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts states that trusts should consider installing ‘pay on exit’ or similar schemes so that drivers pay only for the time that they have used.

National Health Service organisations should continue to work with their patients and staff, local authorities, and public transport providers to make sure that users can get to the site, and park, if necessary, as safely, conveniently, and economically as possible. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress she is making on implementing the findings of The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review, published by her Department in February 2021.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government agrees with the central conclusion of the Dasgupta Review that nature, and the biodiversity that underpins it, sustains our economies, livelihoods and wellbeing. It is therefore committed to integrating nature into economic and financial decision-making, and the institutions and systems that underpin it.

The Treasury continues to make progress and explore ways to strengthen processes for assessing the climate and environmental impacts of fiscal decisions and improve the Green Book in line with emerging evidence and best practice. For example, building on the extensive guidance already provided for evaluating and monetising natural capital impacts, the Government has published updated supplementary guidance to the Green Book on Enabling a Natural Capital Approach, including additional guidance on valuing biodiversity.

As set out in the Budget last October, the Government is continuing to invest in the natural environment, confirming £5 billion over two years to support the transition to a more productive and environmentally sustainable agricultural sector in England, and at least £400 million for tree planting and peatland restoration to protect soils, rivers and biodiversity.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of implementing a scheme equivalent to Fuel Finder for the cost of charging electric vehicles.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government is committed to improving the transparency of public electric vehicle charging infrastructure costs. Under the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023, chargepoint operators are required to clearly provide the price of charging at public chargepoints in pence per kilowatt hour (or pound per kilowatt hour).

These regulations also require operators to share open data on charging costs free of charge, among other data fields. Both these measures allow drivers to compare public chargepoint costs and choose the best rate.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on the UK's ability to meet its binding climate and nature targets.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The measures contained in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, including a new Nature Restoration Fund and streamlined consultation requirements for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, will help deliver the government’s climate and nature commitments.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to reduce the time taken to reach decisions on Attendance Allowance applications.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Attendance Allowance is currently undergoing a significant modernisation through the piloting of an online digital claim process. We are using customer feedback to design a transformed application that is shorter and easier, which focuses on collecting only the information we need to make a decision. This pilot will also support decision makers to handle claims more quickly with a significant reduction in requests for further information from customers.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2025 to Question 37932 on Gambling Commission, in what month this year she expects the Gambling Commission to concludes its investigation on allegations under section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005 relating to bets placed on the date of the 2024 General Election.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Gambling Commission is continuing its investigation into potential criminal offences of cheating under section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005 in relation to bets placed on the timing of the 2024 General Election. Responsibility for specific timings related to this investigation are a matter for the Gambling Commission and it would be inappropriate to comment whilst the matter is ongoing.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many products have been investigated in detail by the Competition and Markets Authority as part of its fast-moving consumer goods investigation announced in January 2023.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

In January 2023 the Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) announced a compliance review into the Fast Moving Consumer Goods sector – these include essential everyday items such as toiletries and cleaning products. Over the period following that announcement, the CMA carried out an initial review of hundreds of products.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure the adequacy of support for children in kinship care.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is taking a number of steps to ensure that children in kinship care get the support that they need to thrive. This includes promoting their educational and mental health needs and supporting the people who care for them.

From September 2024, the department expanded the role of virtual school heads on a non-statutory basis to include championing the education, attendance and attainment of children in kinship care, ensuring that more children in kinship care receive the help they need to thrive at school. The department is now mandating this through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

In addition, the department is providing over £3 billion of pupil premium funding to improve the educational outcomes of disadvantaged pupils in England, including looked after and previously looked after children. Schools can direct pupil premium spending where the need is greatest, including to pupils with other identified needs, such as children in kinship care. Schools can also use pupil premium on whole class approaches that will benefit all pupils, such as on high quality teaching.

Some children in kinship care will be able to access the adoption and special guardianship support fund, which helps adoptive and special guardianship order children and their families access therapeutic interventions related to trauma and attachment.

Children in kinship care will also benefit from this government’s commitment to improving mental health support for all children and young people. The government will deliver on this commitment through providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. We will also recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults, and open new Young Futures hubs with access to mental health support workers.

The steps the government is taking to improve support for kinship carers will also improve the support children living in kinship care receive. In October, the department announced £40 million to trial a new kinship allowance in up to ten local authorities. This pilot will test whether paying an allowance will help support more children to live and thrive with a kinship carer.

In addition, the government has provided over 140 peer support groups and a package of training and support for all kinship carers to access across England. The increased financial support, emotional support and training kinship carers receive should help them in their role as carers and enhance the support they give the children in their care.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what progress the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has made on their investigation into misleading environmental claims made in relation to fast moving consumer goods announced in January 2023; and when he expects the CMA to report publicly on any findings.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Following its compliance review into environmental claims, in December 2023 the Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) opened an investigation into certain claims made by Unilever in relation to some of its fast-moving consumer goods, which include everyday items such as toiletries and cleaning products.

In November 2024 the CMA announced its decision to close the investigation. In making this decision, the CMA took into account a range of factors, including changes Unilever had made to claims on some of its products and the wider impact of the CMA’s programme of work tackling misleading green claims.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals in this Session to create a right of responsible access to the English countryside.

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

The Government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors for people’s health and wellbeing and is working to ensure this is safe and appropriate. That is why we have set out ambitious manifesto commitments to create nine new national river walks and three new national forests in England, expanding access to the great outdoors.

We have also announced plans to remove the 2031 cut-off date for the recording of historic rights of way to enhance public access to nature. This will ensure that the public can continue to use these routes for years to come, with the change being formally enacted when parliamentary time allows.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question 16660 on Consumer Goods: Carbon Emissions, what discussions he has had with the (a) Circular Economy Taskforce and (b) Committees of Advertising Practice and Advertising Standards Authority on measures to limit climate emissions from advertising of high carbon products.

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

The Government recognises the importance of reducing emissions from high carbon products and will continue to bring forward proposals to do so. As the Circular Economy Taskforce develops recommendations for the strategy, it will consider the evidence for action right across the economy and evaluate what interventions may be needed. The Committee of Advertising Practice and Advertising Standards Authority operate independently of the Government.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2025 to Question 36460 on Litter, what steps he plans to take to support local authorities to tackle littering.

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

Littering is a crime that blights communities and the environment. Local councils are usually best placed to respond to littering and related problems, in a way tailored to the community in which they occur. They have a range of enforcement tools at their disposal including fixed penalty notices and prosecution.

This Government is considering what further steps are needed to help local authorities reduce litter and keep their streets clean. Any new announcements will be made in the usual manner.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what progress the Competition and Markets Authority has made on its investigation into misleading environmental claims, announced on 26 January 2023.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Following the closure of the Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) investigation into certain claims made by Unilever in relation to some of its fast-moving consumer goods, which include everyday items such as toiletries and cleaning products, the CMA does not currently have any open investigations into misleading environmental claims.

The CMA remains interested in the issue and may take further enforcement action where this is warranted and appropriate, based on intelligence and its published prioritisation criteria.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will have discussions with representatives of the horticultural industry on an alternative to the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government’s commitment to our horticulture sector and its vital role in strengthening food security remains steadfast. Our proposed approach to future funding for horticulture will be considered alongside Defra’s work to simplify and rationalise agricultural grant funding, ensuring that grants deliver the most benefit for food security and nature. This includes developing a 25-year Farming Roadmap, which will involve government and the industry working together to identify solutions to challenges to make the sector more profitable in the decades to come.

We recognise the specific needs of the horticulture sector, and Defra ministers and officials meet regularly with a variety of growers from across the sector, (including a number of Producer Organisation members), to discuss a wide range of issues to help us understand how best to support sector.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Green Paper entitled Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working, published on 18 March 2025, what criteria she plans to use to identify claimants with serious and lifelong health conditions to ensure they will never face reassessment.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The assessment process is an important part of claiming PIP and WCA to ensure that people receive the right level of support.

However, for some people with very severe health conditions and disabilities, by the time they come to make a claim, they have already undergone intensive assessments and provided detailed evidence about their condition to receive support from other services. That is why in PIP, we are also exploring ways in which we could use evidence from eligibility for other services to reduce the need for some people with very severe health conditions to undergo a full PIP functional assessment. For example, for young people with very severe long-term conditions who have already been assessed for and awarded support from Disability Living Allowance for children before claiming PIP for the first time.

For those on UC with the most severe, life-long, conditions who we know will never be able to work, we will aim to exempt them from ever needing to be reassessed.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the technical differences between co-operatives and credit unions which justify excluding credit unions from the exemption from audit requirements available to smaller co-operatives under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014; and whether the Government plans to review this distinction in light of forthcoming recommendations from the Law Commission’s review of the Act.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the important contribution of co-operatives and mutuals to the economy, serving local communities around the country and ensuring the UK has a diverse business sector with their model of shared ownership. The Government is committed to unlocking the full potential of the mutual and co-operative sector to support inclusive growth.

Co-operatives are diverse organisations that span a variety of different sectors. Credit unions are financial co-operatives which offer savings and loans to their members. As deposit-takers, credit unions are subject to specific regulatory requirements.

The Government is funding the Law Commission’s independent review of the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 to help ensure that co-operatives legislation is meeting the needs of this sector. This review will consider ways to update and modernise the Act. The Government will carefully consider the findings of this review to understand whether reform of the legislation is needed to ensure these businesses are supported to grow and succeed into the future.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his Israeli counterpart on whether UK-made (a) arms and (b) arms components for (i) F35 aircraft and (ii) other arms have been used in the Israeli Defence Force air strikes that commenced in Gaza on 18 March 2025.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK's robust export licensing criteria states that the Government will not issue export licences if there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). In September 2024, following an IHL review, we have suspended certain export licences to Israel where we have assessed there is a clear risk that they might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of IHL. The suspension of relevant export licences for Israel will be kept under review and we hope to see evidence of sustained improvements that address concerns relating to IHL.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the number of district heating schemes.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government believes that heat networks are an essential part of a decarbonised future energy system. In high density urban areas, they are often the lowest cost, low carbon heating option, and can use a range of low carbon energy sources such as waste heat from industry. This helps to reduce costs for consumers and strengthens the Uk’s energy resilience.

The Committee for Climate Change has recommended the government grows the heat network sector from providing 3% of national heat demand to 20% by 2050. We are implementing heat network zoning and funding low carbon heat networks to get to this scale.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of facilitating the recycling of blister packs.

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

Through making producers responsible for the costs of managing the packaging they use; packaging extended producer responsibility incentivises producers to use less packaging and transition to re-usable or easy-to-recycle packaging.

Defra has previously considered the merits of facilitating the recycling of harder to recycle packaging such as blister packs. This resulted in some currently difficult to recycle packaging, such as plastic films, being subject to kerbside collection and recycling requirements.

For others, such as blister packs, we concluded that where they are separately collected by producers, via takeback schemes, and are then recycled at the producer’s cost, then producers would not need to pay pEPR fees on the tonnage which is recycled. In addition, for future years, a producer’s modulated fees may be reduced if the packaging they are using, such as blister packs, is part of an easy to access, UK wide takeback scheme, as it will improve their recyclability assessment outcome.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the (a) Plan 5 student loan repayment threshold and (b) annual pay for someone on the minimum wage in a full-time job from 1 April 2025 on the net income of graduates with student loans.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

In 2022, the department conducted a government consultation to assess the impact of policy reforms on higher education funding and finance, including changes to repayment thresholds from Plan 2 to Plan 5. More details on the consultation can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/62223cfb8fa8f549071fc82c/Higher_education_policy_statement_reform_consultation_-_Equality_analysis.pdf.

Comparing the previous threshold of £28,470 under Plan 2 with the new threshold of £25,000 under Plan 5, the monthly repayments under the new repayment plan would result in an individual who was previously earning £28,470 and not repaying their loan, to now repaying approximately £26 per month.

From 1 April 2025, the National Minimum Wage has increased to £12.21 for workers aged 21 and over. If working a standard 37.5 hours per week, a minimum wage worker will earn £23,809.50, which is below the annual threshold for both Plans 2 and 5. This calculation is based on the average actual weekly hours of work for full-time workers.

Launch of The Rational Policy-Maker’s Guide to Rebuilding the NHS report

Spring Statement 2025 and young disabled people

Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week

Incitement of violence against political representatives

Black Maternal Health Awareness Week 2025

National Stalking Awareness Week

Foster Care Fortnight

Sanctioning of UK Parliamentarians by Russia

Close season for hare shooting

Palantir Technologies, Peter Thiel and the NHS (No. 2)

Immigration application fees for young adults and children

Earth Day 2025

Collapse of Rana Plaza, Bangladesh

Second state visit by Donald Trump

Armenian genocide

Chalk stream river protection

Securing habitat for endangered swifts and other cavity nesting birds

Rural bus services

75th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights

International Day of the Midwife

Scams and fraud

Households below average income

Humanitarian response to the Myanmar earthquake

Wealth tax and social security reform

Tackling child poverty

Disability hate crime

News journalism and artificial intelligence tools

Israeli Defence Force attacks on humanitarian workers

80th anniversary of Christian Aid

Protecting children from data exploitation

International Day for Mine Awareness

Abduction of Ukrainian children

Libraries in state primary schools

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Toby Perkins (Chair); Catherine Atkinson; Ellie Chowns; Bill Esterson

Found: Environmental Audit Committee members present: Mr Toby Perkins (Chair); Olivia Blake; Julia Buckley; Ellie Chowns

Found: Environmental Audit Committee members present: Mr Toby Perkins (Chair); Olivia Blake; Julia Buckley; Ellie Chowns

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will strengthen legal protections for farmed fish.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for North Herefordshire, Ellie Chowns, on 6 March 2025, PQ 34489.

Found: Also speaking in debate on the Water (Special Measures) Bill, Ellie Chowns (Green Party) said that “

Found: _2 Chris Hinchliff Ellie Chowns .

Found: Qureshi David Smith Christine Jardine Kevin Hollinrake Shockat Adam David Simmonds Naz Shah Ellie Chowns

Submit Evidence (by 26 May 2025)

Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are a large, complex group of about 14,000 synthetic chemicals used in a wide variety of everyday products. For example, PFAS are used to keep food from sticking to packaging or cookware, make clothes and carpets resistant to stains, and create firefighting foam that is more effective.