Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing multi-year funding for Active Travel England grants.

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

Following publication of the Devolution White Paper in 2024, the majority of grants to local authorities are consolidated and are provided on a multi-year funding basis, including Active Travel England funding. This reduces burdens on authorities and allows greater flexibility to spend on local priorities. This funding is now paid out as part of wider integrated and consolidated funding arrangements for 2026/27 onwards.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the proportion of short stages in towns and cities in England that are currently walked and cycled.

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

Estimates of the proportion of short stages in towns and cities in England that are walked and cycled are obtained from the National Travel Survey. In 2024, 48% of stages of less than 5 miles made by residents of towns and cities in England were walked or cycled.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the findings of the National Literacy Trust’s report on ‘Children and young people’s reading in 2026’ relating to children’s reading enjoyment.

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

Reading for pleasure is hugely important and brings a wide range of benefits, from increased wellbeing, confidence and empathy to better vocabulary and aptitude for learning. That is why this government, in collaboration with our delivery partner, the National Literacy Trust (NLT), has declared 2026 the National Year of Reading (NYR), a UK-wide campaign to inspire a love of reading, combining a universal campaign with a targeted focus on priority groups who are least likely to read for pleasure. We are pleased to see that the NLT’s recent report shows children’s reading enjoyment increased in 2026 for the first time in five years.

Since the launch of NYR in January, the campaign has attracted significant attention and momentum, including 2.1 million children across the UK engaging in NYR events and activities, and over 6,000 schools and 11,000 teachers across the UK registering to get their schools involved in the NYR schools and settings offer, which includes exciting activities, resources, events and continuing professional development webinars.

This government has also committed £12.5 million to provide a library in every primary school in England by the end of this Parliament, alongside £5 million for secondary schools to purchase books and reading material to support reading for pleasure.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for publication of the cardiovascular disease Modern Service Framework.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

The Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF) is being finalised to ensure it reflects the strongest available evidence and is due to be published soon.

The CVD MSF will support consistent, high quality, and equitable care whilst fostering innovation across the cardiovascular disease pathway.

Carbon monoxide alarms

Independent Office for Police Conduct findings on Norman Bettison

50th Anniversary of the Grunwick Strike

Deaths of PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough

South Yemen

Draft Code of Practice on Services, public functions and associations

Found: Carolyn Harris Navendu Mishra Tessa Munt Apologies: Alex Barros-Curtis, Alberto Costa, Gill Furniss

Found: ND12] Members present: Nick Smith (in the Chair) Alex Barros-Curtis Bob Blackman Gill Furniss

Found: Smith (in the Chair) Alex Barros-Curtis Bob Blackman Alberto Costa Mary Glindon Gill Furniss

Found: Members expressed their thanks to Gill Furniss for serving on the Committee and welcomed Bambos Charalambous

Found: Members present: Nick Smith (in the Chair) Alex Barros-Curtis Bob Blackman Mary Glindon Gill Furniss

Found: Carolyn Harris Navendu Mishra Tessa Munt Max Wilkinson Apologies: Alberto Costa, Gill Furniss

Found: Room 5 [ND06] Members present: Nick Smith (in the Chair) Alberto Costa Bob Blackman Gill Furniss

Found: 5 [ND08] Members present: Nick Smith (in the Chair) Bob Blackman Alex Barros-Curtis Gill Furniss

Found: in Committee Room 7 [ND07] Members present: Nick Smith (in the Chair) Bob Blackman Gill Furniss

Found: Glindon Navendu Mishra Joe Morris Tessa Munt Max Wilkinson Apologies: Alberto Costa, Gill Furniss

Found: present: Nick Smith (in the Chair) Mr Alex Barros- Curtis Bob Blackman Alberto Costa Gill Furniss

Found: Curtis Bob Blackman Alberto Costa Mary Glindon Navendu Mishra Tessa Munt Apologies: Gill Furniss

Found: Room 16 [ND05] Members present: Nick Smith (in the Chair) Alberto Costa Bob Blackman Gill Furniss

Found: Members present: Nick Smith (in the Chair) Mr Alex Barros- Curtis Bob Blackman Gill Furniss

Found: Costa (Conservative; South Leicestershire) (Chair) Paula Barker (Labour; Liverpool Wavertree) Gill Furniss

Found: Costa (Conservative; South Leicestershire) (Chair) Paula Barker (Labour; Liverpool Wavertree) Gill Furniss

Found: David Stirling (Lay member) Carys Williams (Lay member) Paula Barker (Labour; Liverpool Wavertree) Gill Furniss

Found: (100.0%) Paula Barker (Labour, Liverpool Wavertree) (added 28 Oct 2024) 6 of 7 (85.7%) Gill Furniss

Found: (96.7%) Paula Barker (Labour, Liverpool Wavertree) (added 28 Oct 2024) 28 of 30 (93.3%) Gill Furniss

Found: MP Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice Clive Jones MP, Richard Quigley MP, Gill Furniss