Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Office for Equality and Opportunity's press release entitled Government pushes forward with conversion practices ban to protect LGBT+ people from abuse, published on 25 June 2026, what assessment she has made of whether the exemption for health care services in the draft Bill provides sufficient legal protection for healthcare professionals.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government published its draft Conversion Practices Bill on 25 June for pre-legislative scrutiny. The draft Bill sets robust thresholds to target clear instances of harmful and abusive acts. Officials have assessed a range of evidence and research to develop and deliver measures that comprehensively protect people from abusive conversion practices.

We welcome further cross-party engagement and scrutiny to ensure our proposed draft Bill is effective in the long-term.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Office for Equality and Opportunity's press release entitled Government pushes forward with conversion practices ban to protect LGBT+ people from abuse, published on 25 June 2026, what assessment she has made of whether the threshold of serious harm is sufficiently clear to ensure consistent enforcement.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government published its draft Conversion Practices Bill on 25 June for pre-legislative scrutiny. The draft Bill sets robust thresholds to target clear instances of harmful and abusive acts. Officials have assessed a range of evidence and research to develop and deliver measures that comprehensively protect people from abusive conversion practices.

We welcome further cross-party engagement and scrutiny to ensure our proposed draft Bill is effective in the long-term.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Office for Equality and Opportunity's press release entitled Government pushes forward with conversion practices ban to protect LGBT+ people from abuse, published on 25 June 2026, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the draft Bill in providing legal certainty to religious leaders providing pastoral support.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government published its draft Conversion Practices Bill on 25 June for pre-legislative scrutiny. The draft Bill sets robust thresholds to target clear instances of harmful and abusive acts. Officials have assessed a range of evidence and research to develop and deliver measures that comprehensively protect people from abusive conversion practices.

We welcome further cross-party engagement and scrutiny to ensure our proposed draft Bill is effective in the long-term.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many criminal investigations there have been into alleged conversion practices under existing legislation in each of the last five years.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government published its draft Conversion Practices Bill on 25 June for pre-legislative scrutiny. Evidence shows that conversion practices are not just a historic issue. LGBT+ individuals, including young people, continue to report having recently experienced such practices in the UK.

The only way to prevent this abuse is to legislate. There are gaps in the current law which allows this abuse to happen lawfully and that is unacceptable.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Office for Equality and Opportunity's press release entitled Government pushes forward with conversion practices ban to protect LGBT+ people from abuse, published on 25 June 2026, what discussions have taken place with the Crown Prosecution Service regarding the evidential threshold required to secure convictions under the proposed offences.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government published its draft Conversion Practices Bill on 25 June for pre-legislative scrutiny.

The draft Bill sets robust thresholds to target clear instances of harmful and abusive acts.

The pre-legislative scrutiny process will test and strengthen our draft Bill ensuring it is effective in the long term. Once the draft legislation has completed pre-legislative scrutiny and the subsequent parliamentary passage, it would be at this point that the Government would produce any necessary guidance. We would engage with all relevant public sector bodies in developing any such guidance.

I would like to assure you, My officials and I engaged with a wide range of stakeholders from across relevant sectors, this includes the Crown Prosecution Service.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Office for Equality and Opportunity's press release entitled Government pushes forward with conversion practices ban to protect LGBT+ people from abuse, published on 25 June 2026, whether he plans to issue guidance to the (a) police and (b) Crown Prosecution Service on distinguishing abusive conversion practices from lawful conversations and advice.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government published its draft Conversion Practices Bill on 25 June for pre-legislative scrutiny.

The draft Bill sets robust thresholds to target clear instances of harmful and abusive acts.

The pre-legislative scrutiny process will test and strengthen our draft Bill ensuring it is effective in the long term. Once the draft legislation has completed pre-legislative scrutiny and the subsequent parliamentary passage, it would be at this point that the Government would produce any necessary guidance. We would engage with all relevant public sector bodies in developing any such guidance.

I would like to assure you, My officials and I engaged with a wide range of stakeholders from across relevant sectors, this includes the Crown Prosecution Service.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Office for Equality and Opportunity's press release entitled Government pushes forward with conversion practices ban to protect LGBT+ people from abuse, published on 25 June 2026, whether draft statutory guidance will be published before the legislation comes into force.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government published its draft Conversion Practices Bill on 25 June for pre-legislative scrutiny.

The draft Bill sets robust thresholds to target clear instances of harmful and abusive acts.

The pre-legislative scrutiny process will test and strengthen our draft Bill ensuring it is effective in the long term. Once the draft legislation has completed pre-legislative scrutiny and the subsequent parliamentary passage, it would be at this point that the Government would produce any necessary guidance. We would engage with all relevant public sector bodies in developing any such guidance.

I would like to assure you, My officials and I engaged with a wide range of stakeholders from across relevant sectors, this includes the Crown Prosecution Service.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Office for Equality and Opportunity's press release entitled Government pushes forward with conversion practices ban to protect LGBT+ people from abuse, published on 25 June 2026, what assessment has been made of the level of risk of vexatious allegations arising from disputes between family members following enactment of the legislation.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government published its draft Conversion Practices Bill on 25 June for pre-legislative scrutiny. The draft Bill sets robust thresholds to target clear instances of harmful and abusive acts. Officials have assessed a range of evidence and research to develop and deliver measures that comprehensively protect people from abusive conversion practices.

We welcome further cross-party engagement and scrutiny to ensure our proposed draft Bill is effective in the long-term.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Office for Equality and Opportunity's press release entitled Government pushes forward with conversion practices ban to protect LGBT+ people from abuse, published on 25 June 2026, what assessment has been made of whether the proposed safeguards for freedom of expression are adequate.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government published its draft Conversion Practices Bill on 25 June for pre-legislative scrutiny. The draft Bill sets robust thresholds to target clear instances of harmful and abusive acts. Officials have assessed a range of evidence and research to develop and deliver measures that comprehensively protect people from abusive conversion practices.

We welcome further cross-party engagement and scrutiny to ensure our proposed draft Bill is effective in the long-term.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what estimate has been made of the number of reported incidents of conversion practices involving minors in each of the last five years.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government published its draft Conversion Practices Bill on 25 June for pre-legislative scrutiny. The draft Bill sets robust thresholds to target clear instances of harmful and abusive acts. Officials have assessed a range of evidence and research to develop and deliver measures that comprehensively protect people from abusive conversion practices.

We welcome further cross-party engagement and scrutiny to ensure our proposed draft Bill is effective in the long-term.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Office for Equality and Opportunity's press release entitled Government pushes forward with conversion practices ban to protect LGBT+ people from abuse, published on 25 June 2026, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed offences on parents discussing sexual orientation or gender identity with their children.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government published its draft Conversion Practices Bill on 25 June for pre-legislative scrutiny. The draft Bill sets robust thresholds to target clear instances of harmful and abusive acts. Officials have assessed a range of evidence and research to develop and deliver measures that comprehensively protect people from abusive conversion practices.

We welcome further cross-party engagement and scrutiny to ensure our proposed draft Bill is effective in the long-term.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Best Value Notice issued to Basildon Borough Council on 15 July 2026, what discussions took place between his Department and (a) the Local Government Association, (b) Basildon Council and (c) other public bodies before the Notice was issued.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The former Secretary of State and Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness decided to issue a Best Value Notice to Basildon Borough Council after considering a range of evidence, in line with the Best Value Statutory Guidance. The Department engaged regularly with the Council and other relevant stakeholders before issuing the Notice and received correspondence from the Council during that period. The Department does not hold a single formal timeline of events leading to the decision. As Best Value Notices are non-statutory, there is no requirement for a representation period, and none took place.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Best Value Notice issued to Basildon Borough Council on 15 July 2026, what opportunities were provided to Basildon Borough Council to respond to his Department's concerns before the Notice was issued.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The former Secretary of State and Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness decided to issue a Best Value Notice to Basildon Borough Council after considering a range of evidence, in line with the Best Value Statutory Guidance. The Department engaged regularly with the Council and other relevant stakeholders before issuing the Notice and received correspondence from the Council during that period. The Department does not hold a single formal timeline of events leading to the decision. As Best Value Notices are non-statutory, there is no requirement for a representation period, and none took place.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Best Value Notice issued to Basildon Borough Council on 15 July 2026, whether his Department received representations from elected members of Basildon Borough Council prior to issuing the Notice.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The former Secretary of State and Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness decided to issue a Best Value Notice to Basildon Borough Council after considering a range of evidence, in line with the Best Value Statutory Guidance. The Department engaged regularly with the Council and other relevant stakeholders before issuing the Notice and received correspondence from the Council during that period. The Department does not hold a single formal timeline of events leading to the decision. As Best Value Notices are non-statutory, there is no requirement for a representation period, and none took place.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Best Value Notice issued to Basildon Borough Council on 15 July 2026, whether his Department holds a timeline of the events that led to the issue of the Notice.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The former Secretary of State and Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness decided to issue a Best Value Notice to Basildon Borough Council after considering a range of evidence, in line with the Best Value Statutory Guidance. The Department engaged regularly with the Council and other relevant stakeholders before issuing the Notice and received correspondence from the Council during that period. The Department does not hold a single formal timeline of events leading to the decision. As Best Value Notices are non-statutory, there is no requirement for a representation period, and none took place.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Best Value Notice issued to Basildon Borough Council on 15 July 2026, from which (a) organisations, (b) councillors and (c) other individuals his Department received information that informed the decision to issue the Notice.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The former Secretary of State and Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness decided to issue a Best Value Notice to Basildon Borough Council after considering a range of evidence, in line with the Best Value Statutory Guidance. The Department engaged regularly with the Council and other relevant stakeholders before issuing the Notice and received correspondence from the Council during that period. The Department does not hold a single formal timeline of events leading to the decision. As Best Value Notices are non-statutory, there is no requirement for a representation period, and none took place.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Best Value Notice issued to Basildon Borough Council on 15 July 2026, on what date his Department first received information that contributed to the decision to issue the Notice.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The former Secretary of State and Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness decided to issue a Best Value Notice to Basildon Borough Council after considering a range of evidence, in line with the Best Value Statutory Guidance. The Department engaged regularly with the Council and other relevant stakeholders before issuing the Notice and received correspondence from the Council during that period. The Department does not hold a single formal timeline of events leading to the decision. As Best Value Notices are non-statutory, there is no requirement for a representation period, and none took place.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Best Value Notice issued to Basildon Borough Council on 15 July 2026, which Ministers and officials were involved in the decision to issue the Notice.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The former Secretary of State and Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness decided to issue a Best Value Notice to Basildon Borough Council after considering a range of evidence, in line with the Best Value Statutory Guidance. The Department engaged regularly with the Council and other relevant stakeholders before issuing the Notice and received correspondence from the Council during that period. The Department does not hold a single formal timeline of events leading to the decision. As Best Value Notices are non-statutory, there is no requirement for a representation period, and none took place.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Best Value Notices in improving governance in local authorities.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

There are currently seven local authorities that have been issued with a Best Value Notice. No local authorities have been subject to a statutory intervention following the issue of a Best Value Notice in the last ten years.

Current and future assessments of the effectiveness of Best Value Notices will continue to be informed by the available evidence on authorities' progress against the concerns and expectations set out in those Notices.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities have been subject to statutory intervention following the issue of a Best Value Notice in the last ten years.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

There are currently seven local authorities that have been issued with a Best Value Notice. No local authorities have been subject to a statutory intervention following the issue of a Best Value Notice in the last ten years.

Current and future assessments of the effectiveness of Best Value Notices will continue to be informed by the available evidence on authorities' progress against the concerns and expectations set out in those Notices.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities are subject to a Best Value Notice.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

There are currently seven local authorities that have been issued with a Best Value Notice. No local authorities have been subject to a statutory intervention following the issue of a Best Value Notice in the last ten years.

Current and future assessments of the effectiveness of Best Value Notices will continue to be informed by the available evidence on authorities' progress against the concerns and expectations set out in those Notices.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential risk of fraud associated with the Youth Guarantee.

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

The Department for Work and Pensions takes fraud very seriously and we are taking a robust and rigorous approach to protect public money including across the entire Youth Guarantee. This includes on the Youth Jobs Grant where the Department conducts a comprehensive due diligence process to ensure that employers are legitimate and verifies employment through HMRC's RTI (Real Time Information) feed to ensure that a young person has been employed and paid for the required periods.

Similar rigorous checks apply for the Jobs Guarantee, and the vast majority of payments will be made in arrears, against evidence of actual spend, reducing the risk of fraud occurring. We will closely monitor our fraud risk for the entirety of both programmes. For both schemes, wherever we believe that an employer, or delivery partner, has acted in a way that is contrary to the scheme’s aims or is misusing public money, we will take steps to address this, including recovery of payments we believe may have been obtained through fraud or employers acting in bad faith.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Best Value Notice issued to Basildon Borough Council on 15 July 2026, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Council's progress in addressing concerns raised by the Regulator of Social Housing.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Ministers considered a range of evidence, in line with the Best Value Statutory Guidance, before issuing a Best Value Notice to Basildon Borough Council. The Notice sets out the Department's expectations, and future assessment will consider the Council’s progress against these expectations and the latest available evidence of compliance with its Best Value Duty. As set out in the Notice, Ministers expect the Council to demonstrate sufficient improvement and strong governance as it prepares for local government reorganisation.

The Regulator of Social Housing is responsible for assessing providers' compliance with its regulatory standards. Ministers considered the Regulator's published findings alongside other available evidence when deciding to issue the Notice.

The Department engages regularly with the Local Government Association on a range of local government stewardship matters, including the support for Basildon Borough Council.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Best Value Notice issued to Basildon Borough Council on 15 July 2026, what discussions his Department have had with the Local Government Association on the support being provided to Basildon Borough Council.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Ministers considered a range of evidence, in line with the Best Value Statutory Guidance, before issuing a Best Value Notice to Basildon Borough Council. The Notice sets out the Department's expectations, and future assessment will consider the Council’s progress against these expectations and the latest available evidence of compliance with its Best Value Duty. As set out in the Notice, Ministers expect the Council to demonstrate sufficient improvement and strong governance as it prepares for local government reorganisation.

The Regulator of Social Housing is responsible for assessing providers' compliance with its regulatory standards. Ministers considered the Regulator's published findings alongside other available evidence when deciding to issue the Notice.

The Department engages regularly with the Local Government Association on a range of local government stewardship matters, including the support for Basildon Borough Council.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Best Value Notice issued to Basildon Borough Council on 15 July 2026, what criteria will be used to determine whether the Council has demonstrated sufficient improvement after 12 months.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Ministers considered a range of evidence, in line with the Best Value Statutory Guidance, before issuing a Best Value Notice to Basildon Borough Council. The Notice sets out the Department's expectations, and future assessment will consider the Council’s progress against these expectations and the latest available evidence of compliance with its Best Value Duty. As set out in the Notice, Ministers expect the Council to demonstrate sufficient improvement and strong governance as it prepares for local government reorganisation.

The Regulator of Social Housing is responsible for assessing providers' compliance with its regulatory standards. Ministers considered the Regulator's published findings alongside other available evidence when deciding to issue the Notice.

The Department engages regularly with the Local Government Association on a range of local government stewardship matters, including the support for Basildon Borough Council.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Best Value Notice issued to Basildon Borough Council on 15 July 2026, what specific evidence led Ministers to conclude that a Best Value Notice was required.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Ministers considered a range of evidence, in line with the Best Value Statutory Guidance, before issuing a Best Value Notice to Basildon Borough Council. The Notice sets out the Department's expectations, and future assessment will consider the Council’s progress against these expectations and the latest available evidence of compliance with its Best Value Duty. As set out in the Notice, Ministers expect the Council to demonstrate sufficient improvement and strong governance as it prepares for local government reorganisation.

The Regulator of Social Housing is responsible for assessing providers' compliance with its regulatory standards. Ministers considered the Regulator's published findings alongside other available evidence when deciding to issue the Notice.

The Department engages regularly with the Local Government Association on a range of local government stewardship matters, including the support for Basildon Borough Council.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Best Value Notice issued to Basildon Borough Council on 15 July 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the issues identified in the Notice on the transition to the new South West Essex unitary council.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Ministers considered a range of evidence, in line with the Best Value Statutory Guidance, before issuing a Best Value Notice to Basildon Borough Council. The Notice sets out the Department's expectations, and future assessment will consider the Council’s progress against these expectations and the latest available evidence of compliance with its Best Value Duty. As set out in the Notice, Ministers expect the Council to demonstrate sufficient improvement and strong governance as it prepares for local government reorganisation.

The Regulator of Social Housing is responsible for assessing providers' compliance with its regulatory standards. Ministers considered the Regulator's published findings alongside other available evidence when deciding to issue the Notice.

The Department engages regularly with the Local Government Association on a range of local government stewardship matters, including the support for Basildon Borough Council.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data the Department holds on the number of enquiries received by the UK Maritime Innovation Hub since its launch.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

My officials at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s UK Maritime Innovation Hub (UKMIH) regularly engage with maritime technology developers, ports, shipowners, universities, research organisations and other maritime stakeholders.

Establishment of the Hub was set out in Government's Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy in March 2025, and the Hub was launched in April 2026. Since then, discussions have focused on improving access to early regulatory engagement and helping organisations understand the regulatory requirements and potential approval pathways relevant to emerging maritime technologies. The Hub provides a clear point of contact for innovators, facilitates engagement between industry and regulators, and supports organisations seeking to undertake safe trials and demonstrations.

The Hub also helps organisations engage effectively with major government funding programmes, including my Department’s UK SHORE Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) and the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) fund, and signposts organisations to other opportunities, including the Transport Research and Innovation Grants (TRIG) programme.

Engagement with ports and shipowners has included discussion of the regulatory considerations associated with innovative technologies, opportunities for trials and demonstrations, and collaboration between industry, government and regulators. Discussions with universities and research organisations have included collaboration on emerging technologies, access to specialist expertise and research capabilities, the development and testing of innovative solutions, and improving understanding of the regulatory environment in areas including decarbonisation, autonomy, digitalisation and nuclear propulsion.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency records enquiries, meetings and wider stakeholder engagement undertaken through the Hub. To date, the Hub has logged 299 enquiries and engagement with 242 organisations.

The total cost of establishing and operating the UK Maritime Innovation Hub to date is £314,453.

The Department for Transport and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency keep the effectiveness of the Hub under review as it continues to develop. There are currently no plans to publish a separate evaluation following its first year of operation. Its performance is monitored through operational and stakeholder engagement measures, including demand for support, the effective coordination of regulatory engagement, timely access to relevant expertise, and its contribution to supporting organisations developing innovative maritime technologies.

The Hub’s performance is formally assessed through four Key Performance Indicators, which are reported through the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Annual Report and Accounts.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data the Department holds on the number of organisations supported by the UK Maritime Innovation Hub since its launch.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

My officials at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s UK Maritime Innovation Hub (UKMIH) regularly engage with maritime technology developers, ports, shipowners, universities, research organisations and other maritime stakeholders.

Establishment of the Hub was set out in Government's Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy in March 2025, and the Hub was launched in April 2026. Since then, discussions have focused on improving access to early regulatory engagement and helping organisations understand the regulatory requirements and potential approval pathways relevant to emerging maritime technologies. The Hub provides a clear point of contact for innovators, facilitates engagement between industry and regulators, and supports organisations seeking to undertake safe trials and demonstrations.

The Hub also helps organisations engage effectively with major government funding programmes, including my Department’s UK SHORE Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) and the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) fund, and signposts organisations to other opportunities, including the Transport Research and Innovation Grants (TRIG) programme.

Engagement with ports and shipowners has included discussion of the regulatory considerations associated with innovative technologies, opportunities for trials and demonstrations, and collaboration between industry, government and regulators. Discussions with universities and research organisations have included collaboration on emerging technologies, access to specialist expertise and research capabilities, the development and testing of innovative solutions, and improving understanding of the regulatory environment in areas including decarbonisation, autonomy, digitalisation and nuclear propulsion.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency records enquiries, meetings and wider stakeholder engagement undertaken through the Hub. To date, the Hub has logged 299 enquiries and engagement with 242 organisations.

The total cost of establishing and operating the UK Maritime Innovation Hub to date is £314,453.

The Department for Transport and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency keep the effectiveness of the Hub under review as it continues to develop. There are currently no plans to publish a separate evaluation following its first year of operation. Its performance is monitored through operational and stakeholder engagement measures, including demand for support, the effective coordination of regulatory engagement, timely access to relevant expertise, and its contribution to supporting organisations developing innovative maritime technologies.

The Hub’s performance is formally assessed through four Key Performance Indicators, which are reported through the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Annual Report and Accounts.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Best Value Notice issued to Basildon Borough Council on 15 July 2026, whether additional (a) support and (b) intervention will be required before the creation of the new South West Essex unitary authority in April 2028 as a result of the Best Value Notice.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Best Value Notice issued to Basildon Borough Council on 15 July 2026 sets out the Department's concerns and the actions expected of the Council. The Government will continue to monitor progress against those expectations and consider the latest available evidence before determining whether any further support or intervention is necessary.

As set out in the Notice, Ministers expect the Council to demonstrate sufficient improvement and strong governance as it prepares for local government reorganisation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's joint press release entitled Government invests in young people with more opportunities close to home, published on 28 July 2026, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the additional places on (a) additional participation in education and training and (b) moving existing learners between providers.

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

The department expects the investment to lead to over 22,000 additional learners each year and will support colleges and other further education providers to offer every young person a place to undertake post-16 study. The department does not expect significant movement of learners between providers as a result of the funding, as the criteria for funding made clear that projects which increased market share rather than met demographic need were ineligible for funding.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's press release entitled UK Maritime Innovation Hub establishes role as focal point for maritime innovation, published on 20 July 2026, what discussions his Department has had with maritime technology developers on improving access to regulatory support through the UK Maritime Innovation Hub.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

My officials at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s UK Maritime Innovation Hub (UKMIH) regularly engage with maritime technology developers, ports, shipowners, universities, research organisations and other maritime stakeholders.

Establishment of the Hub was set out in Government's Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy in March 2025, and the Hub was launched in April 2026. Since then, discussions have focused on improving access to early regulatory engagement and helping organisations understand the regulatory requirements and potential approval pathways relevant to emerging maritime technologies. The Hub provides a clear point of contact for innovators, facilitates engagement between industry and regulators, and supports organisations seeking to undertake safe trials and demonstrations.

The Hub also helps organisations engage effectively with major government funding programmes, including my Department’s UK SHORE Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) and the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) fund, and signposts organisations to other opportunities, including the Transport Research and Innovation Grants (TRIG) programme.

Engagement with ports and shipowners has included discussion of the regulatory considerations associated with innovative technologies, opportunities for trials and demonstrations, and collaboration between industry, government and regulators. Discussions with universities and research organisations have included collaboration on emerging technologies, access to specialist expertise and research capabilities, the development and testing of innovative solutions, and improving understanding of the regulatory environment in areas including decarbonisation, autonomy, digitalisation and nuclear propulsion.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency records enquiries, meetings and wider stakeholder engagement undertaken through the Hub. To date, the Hub has logged 299 enquiries and engagement with 242 organisations.

The total cost of establishing and operating the UK Maritime Innovation Hub to date is £314,453.

The Department for Transport and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency keep the effectiveness of the Hub under review as it continues to develop. There are currently no plans to publish a separate evaluation following its first year of operation. Its performance is monitored through operational and stakeholder engagement measures, including demand for support, the effective coordination of regulatory engagement, timely access to relevant expertise, and its contribution to supporting organisations developing innovative maritime technologies.

The Hub’s performance is formally assessed through four Key Performance Indicators, which are reported through the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Annual Report and Accounts.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's press release entitled UK Maritime Innovation Hub establishes role as focal point for maritime innovation, published on 20 July 2026, what metrics will be used to assess the success of the UK Maritime Innovation Hub.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

My officials at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s UK Maritime Innovation Hub (UKMIH) regularly engage with maritime technology developers, ports, shipowners, universities, research organisations and other maritime stakeholders.

Establishment of the Hub was set out in Government's Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy in March 2025, and the Hub was launched in April 2026. Since then, discussions have focused on improving access to early regulatory engagement and helping organisations understand the regulatory requirements and potential approval pathways relevant to emerging maritime technologies. The Hub provides a clear point of contact for innovators, facilitates engagement between industry and regulators, and supports organisations seeking to undertake safe trials and demonstrations.

The Hub also helps organisations engage effectively with major government funding programmes, including my Department’s UK SHORE Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) and the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) fund, and signposts organisations to other opportunities, including the Transport Research and Innovation Grants (TRIG) programme.

Engagement with ports and shipowners has included discussion of the regulatory considerations associated with innovative technologies, opportunities for trials and demonstrations, and collaboration between industry, government and regulators. Discussions with universities and research organisations have included collaboration on emerging technologies, access to specialist expertise and research capabilities, the development and testing of innovative solutions, and improving understanding of the regulatory environment in areas including decarbonisation, autonomy, digitalisation and nuclear propulsion.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency records enquiries, meetings and wider stakeholder engagement undertaken through the Hub. To date, the Hub has logged 299 enquiries and engagement with 242 organisations.

The total cost of establishing and operating the UK Maritime Innovation Hub to date is £314,453.

The Department for Transport and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency keep the effectiveness of the Hub under review as it continues to develop. There are currently no plans to publish a separate evaluation following its first year of operation. Its performance is monitored through operational and stakeholder engagement measures, including demand for support, the effective coordination of regulatory engagement, timely access to relevant expertise, and its contribution to supporting organisations developing innovative maritime technologies.

The Hub’s performance is formally assessed through four Key Performance Indicators, which are reported through the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Annual Report and Accounts.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made in discussions with the EU on simplifying pet travel arrangements as part of the EU-UK Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement.

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

Securing less burdensome arrangements for non-commercial pet travel remains a UK Government priority. As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, which will mean taking pets on holiday into the EU will be easier and cheaper.

Instead of getting an Animal Health Certificate each time they travel, pet owners will be able to get a multiuse pet passport valid for travel to the EU.

Discussions on the SPS agreement are progressing, and Defra has committed, with the EU, to conclude negotiations before the next UK-EU Summit. Whilst negotiations are ongoing, we are unable to provide further details on delivery timelines for multiuse pet passports.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to notify individuals of the existence of Child Trust Funds that were opened on their behalf by HM Revenue and Customs and remain unclaimed.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises it is vital to step up efforts to reunite young people with their unclaimed matured Child Trust Funds (CTFs), regardless of whether the account was opened by HMRC or by a parent. Around three million accounts have now matured, of which over three quarters of a million remain unclaimed. Recognising the scale of the challenge and building on existing steps, the Government has put in place three new initiatives.

Firstly, HMRC will be carrying out social research to better understand the barriers that may prevent young people from engaging with their CTF. This work will improve our understanding of how young people respond to communications about their accounts, and how Government and industry can encourage more account holders to act.

Secondly, HMRC will be writing directly to 21 year olds whose matured CTFs remain unclaimed. These letters will make young people aware that they have a CTF and encourage them to take steps to claim it.

Thirdly, Government has launched a dedicated CTF Taskforce, bringing together Government and CTF providers to improve tracing approaches and identify more effective ways to engage young people.

Information on CTFs is available in HMRC’s Annual Savings Statistics published on Gov.uk:

www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-savings-statistics-2025

We cannot provide the number or total value of matured CTFs that were opened by HMRC because the information required to identify these accounts is not included in the statistical returns that HMRC receives from providers.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many mature Child Trust Fund accounts that were opened by HM Revenue and Customs remain unclaimed, and what the estimated total value is of those accounts.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises it is vital to step up efforts to reunite young people with their unclaimed matured Child Trust Funds (CTFs), regardless of whether the account was opened by HMRC or by a parent. Around three million accounts have now matured, of which over three quarters of a million remain unclaimed. Recognising the scale of the challenge and building on existing steps, the Government has put in place three new initiatives.

Firstly, HMRC will be carrying out social research to better understand the barriers that may prevent young people from engaging with their CTF. This work will improve our understanding of how young people respond to communications about their accounts, and how Government and industry can encourage more account holders to act.

Secondly, HMRC will be writing directly to 21 year olds whose matured CTFs remain unclaimed. These letters will make young people aware that they have a CTF and encourage them to take steps to claim it.

Thirdly, Government has launched a dedicated CTF Taskforce, bringing together Government and CTF providers to improve tracing approaches and identify more effective ways to engage young people.

Information on CTFs is available in HMRC’s Annual Savings Statistics published on Gov.uk:

www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-savings-statistics-2025

We cannot provide the number or total value of matured CTFs that were opened by HMRC because the information required to identify these accounts is not included in the statistical returns that HMRC receives from providers.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the press release entitled UK Maritime Innovation Hub establishes role as focal point for maritime innovation, published on 20 July 2026, what recent discussions she has had with ports and shipowners on the work of the UK Maritime Innovation Hub.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

My officials at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s UK Maritime Innovation Hub (UKMIH) regularly engage with maritime technology developers, ports, shipowners, universities, research organisations and other maritime stakeholders.

Establishment of the Hub was set out in Government's Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy in March 2025, and the Hub was launched in April 2026. Since then, discussions have focused on improving access to early regulatory engagement and helping organisations understand the regulatory requirements and potential approval pathways relevant to emerging maritime technologies. The Hub provides a clear point of contact for innovators, facilitates engagement between industry and regulators, and supports organisations seeking to undertake safe trials and demonstrations.

The Hub also helps organisations engage effectively with major government funding programmes, including my Department’s UK SHORE Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) and the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) fund, and signposts organisations to other opportunities, including the Transport Research and Innovation Grants (TRIG) programme.

Engagement with ports and shipowners has included discussion of the regulatory considerations associated with innovative technologies, opportunities for trials and demonstrations, and collaboration between industry, government and regulators. Discussions with universities and research organisations have included collaboration on emerging technologies, access to specialist expertise and research capabilities, the development and testing of innovative solutions, and improving understanding of the regulatory environment in areas including decarbonisation, autonomy, digitalisation and nuclear propulsion.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency records enquiries, meetings and wider stakeholder engagement undertaken through the Hub. To date, the Hub has logged 299 enquiries and engagement with 242 organisations.

The total cost of establishing and operating the UK Maritime Innovation Hub to date is £314,453.

The Department for Transport and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency keep the effectiveness of the Hub under review as it continues to develop. There are currently no plans to publish a separate evaluation following its first year of operation. Its performance is monitored through operational and stakeholder engagement measures, including demand for support, the effective coordination of regulatory engagement, timely access to relevant expertise, and its contribution to supporting organisations developing innovative maritime technologies.

The Hub’s performance is formally assessed through four Key Performance Indicators, which are reported through the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Annual Report and Accounts.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the press release entitled UK Maritime Innovation Hub establishes role as focal point for maritime innovation, published on 20 July 2026, what discussions she has had with universities and research organisations on supporting maritime innovation through the Hub.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

My officials at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s UK Maritime Innovation Hub (UKMIH) regularly engage with maritime technology developers, ports, shipowners, universities, research organisations and other maritime stakeholders.

Establishment of the Hub was set out in Government's Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy in March 2025, and the Hub was launched in April 2026. Since then, discussions have focused on improving access to early regulatory engagement and helping organisations understand the regulatory requirements and potential approval pathways relevant to emerging maritime technologies. The Hub provides a clear point of contact for innovators, facilitates engagement between industry and regulators, and supports organisations seeking to undertake safe trials and demonstrations.

The Hub also helps organisations engage effectively with major government funding programmes, including my Department’s UK SHORE Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) and the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) fund, and signposts organisations to other opportunities, including the Transport Research and Innovation Grants (TRIG) programme.

Engagement with ports and shipowners has included discussion of the regulatory considerations associated with innovative technologies, opportunities for trials and demonstrations, and collaboration between industry, government and regulators. Discussions with universities and research organisations have included collaboration on emerging technologies, access to specialist expertise and research capabilities, the development and testing of innovative solutions, and improving understanding of the regulatory environment in areas including decarbonisation, autonomy, digitalisation and nuclear propulsion.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency records enquiries, meetings and wider stakeholder engagement undertaken through the Hub. To date, the Hub has logged 299 enquiries and engagement with 242 organisations.

The total cost of establishing and operating the UK Maritime Innovation Hub to date is £314,453.

The Department for Transport and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency keep the effectiveness of the Hub under review as it continues to develop. There are currently no plans to publish a separate evaluation following its first year of operation. Its performance is monitored through operational and stakeholder engagement measures, including demand for support, the effective coordination of regulatory engagement, timely access to relevant expertise, and its contribution to supporting organisations developing innovative maritime technologies.

The Hub’s performance is formally assessed through four Key Performance Indicators, which are reported through the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Annual Report and Accounts.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Department plans to publish an evaluation of the UK Maritime Innovation Hub after its first year of operation.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

My officials at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s UK Maritime Innovation Hub (UKMIH) regularly engage with maritime technology developers, ports, shipowners, universities, research organisations and other maritime stakeholders.

Establishment of the Hub was set out in Government's Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy in March 2025, and the Hub was launched in April 2026. Since then, discussions have focused on improving access to early regulatory engagement and helping organisations understand the regulatory requirements and potential approval pathways relevant to emerging maritime technologies. The Hub provides a clear point of contact for innovators, facilitates engagement between industry and regulators, and supports organisations seeking to undertake safe trials and demonstrations.

The Hub also helps organisations engage effectively with major government funding programmes, including my Department’s UK SHORE Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) and the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) fund, and signposts organisations to other opportunities, including the Transport Research and Innovation Grants (TRIG) programme.

Engagement with ports and shipowners has included discussion of the regulatory considerations associated with innovative technologies, opportunities for trials and demonstrations, and collaboration between industry, government and regulators. Discussions with universities and research organisations have included collaboration on emerging technologies, access to specialist expertise and research capabilities, the development and testing of innovative solutions, and improving understanding of the regulatory environment in areas including decarbonisation, autonomy, digitalisation and nuclear propulsion.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency records enquiries, meetings and wider stakeholder engagement undertaken through the Hub. To date, the Hub has logged 299 enquiries and engagement with 242 organisations.

The total cost of establishing and operating the UK Maritime Innovation Hub to date is £314,453.

The Department for Transport and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency keep the effectiveness of the Hub under review as it continues to develop. There are currently no plans to publish a separate evaluation following its first year of operation. Its performance is monitored through operational and stakeholder engagement measures, including demand for support, the effective coordination of regulatory engagement, timely access to relevant expertise, and its contribution to supporting organisations developing innovative maritime technologies.

The Hub’s performance is formally assessed through four Key Performance Indicators, which are reported through the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Annual Report and Accounts.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what was the cost of establishing and operating the UK Maritime Innovation Hub to date.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

My officials at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s UK Maritime Innovation Hub (UKMIH) regularly engage with maritime technology developers, ports, shipowners, universities, research organisations and other maritime stakeholders.

Establishment of the Hub was set out in Government's Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy in March 2025, and the Hub was launched in April 2026. Since then, discussions have focused on improving access to early regulatory engagement and helping organisations understand the regulatory requirements and potential approval pathways relevant to emerging maritime technologies. The Hub provides a clear point of contact for innovators, facilitates engagement between industry and regulators, and supports organisations seeking to undertake safe trials and demonstrations.

The Hub also helps organisations engage effectively with major government funding programmes, including my Department’s UK SHORE Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) and the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) fund, and signposts organisations to other opportunities, including the Transport Research and Innovation Grants (TRIG) programme.

Engagement with ports and shipowners has included discussion of the regulatory considerations associated with innovative technologies, opportunities for trials and demonstrations, and collaboration between industry, government and regulators. Discussions with universities and research organisations have included collaboration on emerging technologies, access to specialist expertise and research capabilities, the development and testing of innovative solutions, and improving understanding of the regulatory environment in areas including decarbonisation, autonomy, digitalisation and nuclear propulsion.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency records enquiries, meetings and wider stakeholder engagement undertaken through the Hub. To date, the Hub has logged 299 enquiries and engagement with 242 organisations.

The total cost of establishing and operating the UK Maritime Innovation Hub to date is £314,453.

The Department for Transport and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency keep the effectiveness of the Hub under review as it continues to develop. There are currently no plans to publish a separate evaluation following its first year of operation. Its performance is monitored through operational and stakeholder engagement measures, including demand for support, the effective coordination of regulatory engagement, timely access to relevant expertise, and its contribution to supporting organisations developing innovative maritime technologies.

The Hub’s performance is formally assessed through four Key Performance Indicators, which are reported through the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Annual Report and Accounts.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate has been made of the number of collaborative farming groups currently operating in England.

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

Between 2015 and 2023, Defra supported approximately 6,000 farmers in 220 collaboration groups through the Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Fund. There are also a wide range of formal and informal farmer collaboration models operating across England, and the Government does not track all of those groups. Defra’s latest Farmer Opinion Tracker data, from April 2026, indicates that farmers on 26% of holdings are currently members of a collaboration group. A further 43% are not currently involved but believe participation in such a group would be beneficial.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the press release entitled PM: From today Britain will value the hard hat as much as the graduation cap, published on 28 July 2026, whether the Department has estimated the potential impact of the reforms on youth unemployment.

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

The department is still at an early stage of developing the new technical education pathways. Our ambition is to give every young person access to high-quality technical education pathways from age 14 and support progression into further study, training and skilled employment. As policy develops, we will continue to consider the evidence needed to support implementation and evaluation of the pathways.

In addition, the government has announced a package of measures aimed at preventing young people from becoming NEET. These include strengthening identification and support for those at risk, enabling better data sharing between local authorities, schools, and further education providers, and introducing a ‘Risk of NEET’ indicator tool. Schools will also have a stronger role in ensuring every pupil has a clear post-16 destination.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the press release entitled PM: From today Britain will value the hard hat as much as the graduation cap, published on 28 July 2026, what recent discussions have taken place with local authorities on the implementation of the proposed technical education reforms.

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

The department is still at an early stage of development. Our ambition is to give every young person access to high-quality technical education pathways from age 14 and support progression into further study, training and skilled employment.

We will work with Mayoral and Strategic Authorities to design locally tailored, vocationally focused pathways for each region for students from age 14. These authorities can bring together employers, training providers, schools and colleges to make technical pathways a success. This should include universities, where particular pathways and qualifications lead to progression to higher education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the press release entitled PM: From today Britain will value the hard hat as much as the graduation cap, published on 28 July 2026, what metrics will be used to assess the success of the new technical education pathways.

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

The department is still at an early stage of development. Our ambition is to give every young person access to high-quality technical education pathways from age 14 and support progression into further study, training and skilled employment.

The department will work closely with Mayoral and Strategic Authorities to consider how success of the new technical education pathways should be measured. We will also consider how existing budgets can best support schools, colleges and local authorities to implement the technical education pathways from age 14.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's joint press release entitled Government invests in young people with more opportunities close to home, published on 28 July 2026, what recent assessment her Department has made of whether the geographical distribution of the proposed additional places reflects areas of greatest unmet demand for post-16 education and training.

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

The bidding round for the £287 million Post-16 and Construction Skills Capacity Fund in non-devolved areas was a competitive process, with project need the most weighted element. The successful projects were those that could best evidence a need for additional places.

For devolved areas, the department has already allocated £283 million capital funding to strategic authorities to support the creation of additional education and training places in areas where they are most needed.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Best Value Notice issued to Basildon Borough Council on 15 July 2026, whether concerns relating to the Council's preparedness for local government reorganisation influenced the decision to issue the Notice.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Best Value Notice issued to Basildon Borough Council on 15 July 2026 sets out the Department's concerns and the actions expected of the Council. The Government will continue to monitor progress against those expectations and consider the latest available evidence before determining whether any further support or intervention is necessary.

As set out in the Notice, Ministers expect the Council to demonstrate sufficient improvement and strong governance as it prepares for local government reorganisation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's joint press release entitled Government invests in young people with more opportunities close to home, published on 28 July 2026, what recent discussions her Department has had with education providers receiving funding on their capacity to deliver the additional places.

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

The department has issued grant agreements to almost all the successful applicants to the £287 million Post 16 and Construction Skills Capacity Fund. We are now working with all successful recipients to ensure that they are able to deliver the additional places to the planned deadlines.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to the UK Space Agency's press release entitled UK invests in homegrown space tech to boost national resilience, published on 20 July 2026, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential economic impact of the investment in homegrown space technologies.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The UK Space Agency assesses the economic impact of its investments through proportionate monitoring and evaluation. The National Space Innovation Programme has been under independent evaluation since 2023, with findings due to be published. The Agency is also commissioning a long-term independent evaluation covering the National Space Innovation Programme, the Space Clusters Infrastructure Fund and Connectivity in Low Earth Orbit. This will assess their contribution to outcomes including technological capability and commercialisation, private investment, contracts, employment and skills, sector growth and competitiveness, and value for money, with interim and final findings published as the evidence develops.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Department's press release entitled New support to help farmers thrive for generations, published on 16 July 2026, what assessment was made of the principal barriers to collaboration between farming businesses before announcing this policy.

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

The Farmer Collaboration Fund was created to address a gap in support for collaboration and peer-to-peer learning. While the Government already helps farmers and land managers develop a range of skills, there are limited opportunities to learn from each other and work towards shared objectives. Farmers are more likely to adopt new practices if they can see them working in a local setting, and collaboration at scale can accelerate change. Although many farmer groups and clusters operate across England, they often lack sustainable funding, which limits their capacity to maintain momentum, strengthen networks, and deliver long-term business and environmental benefits.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the press release entitled PM: From today Britain will value the hard hat as much as the graduation cap, published on 28 July 2026, what recent discussions have taken place with employers and employer representative organisations on the design and delivery of the proposed technical education reforms.

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

The department is still at an early stage of development. Our ambition is to give every young person access to high-quality technical education pathways from age 14 and support progression into further study, training and skilled employment.

We will work with Mayoral and Strategic Authorities to design locally tailored, vocationally focused pathways for each region for students from age 14. These authorities can bring together employers, training providers, schools and colleges to make technical pathways a success. This should include universities, where particular pathways and qualifications lead to progression to higher education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the press release entitled PM: From today Britain will value the hard hat as much as the graduation cap, published on 28 July 2026, what recent discussions have taken place with universities on the potential impact of the proposed technical education reforms on progression to higher education.

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

The department is still at an early stage of development. Our ambition is to give every young person access to high-quality technical education pathways from age 14 and support progression into further study, training and skilled employment.

We will work with Mayoral and Strategic Authorities to design locally tailored, vocationally focused pathways for each region for students from age 14. These authorities can bring together employers, training providers, schools and colleges to make technical pathways a success. This should include universities, where particular pathways and qualifications lead to progression to higher education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the press release entitled PM: From today Britain will value the hard hat as much as the graduation cap, published on 28 July 2026, what recent discussions have taken place with academy trusts on the implementation of the proposed technical education reforms.

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

The department is still at an early stage of development. Our ambition is to give every young person access to high-quality technical education pathways from age 14 and support progression into further study, training and skilled employment.

We will work with Mayoral and Strategic Authorities to design locally tailored, vocationally focused pathways for each region for students from age 14. These authorities can bring together employers, training providers, schools and colleges to make technical pathways a success. This should include universities, where particular pathways and qualifications lead to progression to higher education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the press release entitled PM: From today Britain will value the hard hat as much as the graduation cap, published on 28 July 2026, what additional funding will be provided to schools, colleges and local authorities to implement the new technical education pathways.

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

The department is still at an early stage of development. Our ambition is to give every young person access to high-quality technical education pathways from age 14 and support progression into further study, training and skilled employment.

The department will work closely with Mayoral and Strategic Authorities to consider how success of the new technical education pathways should be measured. We will also consider how existing budgets can best support schools, colleges and local authorities to implement the technical education pathways from age 14.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the teacher vacancy rate was in a) England, b) Essex and c) South Basildon and East Thurrock in the latest period for which figures are available.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Information on the school workforce is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.

This publication includes information on the number and rate of teacher vacancies at school, local authority, regional and national level. The latest available figures, for November 2025, for England and Essex are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/84345759-2cf5-416f-2df0-08df07a6df71.

Figures for parliamentary constituencies are not published directly. However, they can be derived from the published school-level data. In November 2025, across the 34 schools in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency, there were 2 teacher vacancies, equivalent to a teacher vacancy rate of 0.2%.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Government press release entitled Government invests in young people with more opportunities close to home, published on 28 July 2026, what recent assessment has been made of the availability of suitable premises and equipment required to deliver the additional technical and vocational courses.

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

The department invited bids from further education colleges, sixth form colleges and 16 to 19 academies to meet the additional need for capacity for post-16 education and to increase construction skills provision to address waiting lists for construction courses. Applicants were assessed against clear criteria which focused on the need for the project, as well as the applicant’s ability to plan and deliver the new facilities, and in the case of construction skills capacity funding, specialist equipment.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the impact of energy debt repayment arrangements on the ability of small businesses to remain financially viable.

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

As an independent regulator, Ofgem are responsible for monitoring non-domestic energy debt and supplier's behaviours around debt management, repayments and disconnections.

Supplier's debt practices must adhere to Ofgem rules and guidance and be consistent with the overarching customer objective that suppliers treat non-domestic consumers fairly.

Ofgem continually monitor supplier's compliance with these requirements and undertake formal and informal enforcement actions where necessary.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the exclusion of dedicated school services from the national bus fare cap on the cost of travel for families.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The National Bus Fare Cap scheme applies to eligible local bus services that are open to the general public. This means that services that only operate on school days, or whose primary purpose is to transport school children, are outside the scope of the scheme. Children can nevertheless benefit from capped fares when travelling on eligible local bus services.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason dedicated school services are not included in the national bus fare cap.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The National Bus Fare Cap scheme applies to eligible local bus services that are open to the general public. This means that services that only operate on school days, or whose primary purpose is to transport school children, are outside the scope of the scheme. Children can nevertheless benefit from capped fares when travelling on eligible local bus services.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Government's investment in additional college and post-16 education places announced on 28 July 2026, what recent assessment has been made of the number of additional education and training places that will be created in (a) Basildon, (b) Thurrock and (c) Essex.

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

The department is funding through the Post-16 and Construction Skills Capacity Fund no projects in Basildon, one in Thurrock and four in Essex. We expect these projects to lead to (a) no additional places in Basildon, (b) around 150 additional learners per year in Thurrock, and (c) around 900 additional learners per year in Essex.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Department's press release entitled New support to help farmers thrive for generations, published on 16 July 2026, what estimate has been made of the average financial benefit participating farms are expected to receive through the Farmer Collaboration Fund.

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

Defra has considered a range of anticipated benefits of the Farmer Collaboration Fund, based on evidence about the economic impact of adopting new business practices following engagement with peers and advisers. The department focussed on reviewing evidence-based best practices recommended by industry experts including AHDB. The fund will also have a direct benefit by giving farmers access to Defra funded facilitators and expert advisers. The magnitude of benefits will depend on farm business circumstances, size and type. We expect all participating farms to benefit from the sharing of information and best practices between peers.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Department's press release entitled New support to help farmers thrive for generations, published on 16 July 2026, what assessment has been made of the extent to which the Farmer Collaboration Fund will reduce operating costs for participating farms.

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

Defra has considered a range of anticipated benefits of the Farmer Collaboration Fund, based on evidence about the economic impact of adopting new business practices following engagement with peers and advisers. The department focussed on reviewing evidence-based best practices recommended by industry experts including AHDB. The fund will also have a direct benefit by giving farmers access to Defra funded facilitators and expert advisers. The magnitude of benefits will depend on farm business circumstances, size and type. We expect all participating farms to benefit from the sharing of information and best practices between peers.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Department's press release entitled New support to help farmers thrive for generations, published on 16 July 2026, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the Farmer Collaboration Fund on farm productivity.

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

Defra has considered a range of anticipated benefits of the Farmer Collaboration Fund, based on evidence about the economic impact of adopting new business practices following engagement with peers and advisers. The department focussed on reviewing evidence-based best practices recommended by industry experts including AHDB. The fund will also have a direct benefit by giving farmers access to Defra funded facilitators and expert advisers. The magnitude of benefits will depend on farm business circumstances, size and type. We expect all participating farms to benefit from the sharing of information and best practices between peers.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to the Government press release entitled £130 million for cutting-edge next generation vehicles securing over 1,800 jobs, published on 10 August 2026, what estimate has been made of how many of the jobs expected to be supported are additional jobs rather than jobs that would otherwise have existed.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Projects announced in the Government's press release of 10 August 2026 were assessed through the relevant programme assessment processes before funding was awarded, following a competitive exercise. Funding is awarded only where projects are assessed as delivering benefits that would be unlikely to be realised to the same extent, scale or timeframe without government support. This includes projected manufacturing jobs.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to the Government press release entitled £130 million for cutting-edge next generation vehicles securing over 1,800 jobs, published on 10 August 2026, what assessment has been made of the extent to which the investment will result in additional private investment in the UK.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Projects announced in the Government's press release of 10 August 2026 were assessed through the relevant programme assessment processes before funding was awarded, following a competitive exercise. Funding is awarded only where projects are assessed as delivering benefits that would be unlikely to be realised to the same extent, scale or timeframe without government support.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to the Government press release entitled £130 million for cutting-edge next generation vehicles securing over 1,800 jobs, published on 10 August 2026, what assessment has been made of the extent to which the investment will increase productivity in the UK automotive sector.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Projects announced in the Government's press release of 10 August 2026 were assessed through the relevant programme assessment processes before funding was awarded, following a competitive exercise. Funding is awarded only where projects are assessed as delivering benefits that would be unlikely to be realised to the same extent, scale or timeframe without government support.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to the Government press release entitled £130 million for cutting-edge next generation vehicles securing over 1,800 jobs, published on 10 August 2026, what assessment has been made of the potential economic impact from the Government's contribution to the projects announced.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Projects announced in the Government's press release of 10 August 2026 were assessed through the relevant programme assessment processes before funding was awarded, following a competitive exercise. Funding is awarded only where projects are assessed as delivering benefits that would be unlikely to be realised to the same extent, scale or timeframe without government support.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to the Government press release entitled £130 million for cutting-edge next generation vehicles securing over 1,800 jobs, published on 10 August 2026, what assessment has been made of whether the projects receiving Government funding would have proceeded without public funding.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Projects announced in the Government's press release of 10 August 2026 were assessed through the relevant programme assessment processes before funding was awarded, following a competitive exercise. Funding is awarded only where projects are assessed as delivering benefits that would be unlikely to be realised to the same extent, scale or timeframe without government support.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to the Government press release entitled £130 million for cutting-edge next generation vehicles securing over 1,800 jobs, published on 10 August 2026, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of Government support for particular automotive technologies on competition between businesses.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Projects announced in the Government's press release of 10 August 2026 were assessed through the relevant programme assessment processes before funding was awarded, including compliance with the UK's subsidy control regime. Funding is awarded on a competitive basis and is designed to support investment that might not otherwise proceed at the same scale or pace, while promoting innovation and strengthening UK automotive supply chains.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to the Government press release entitled £130 million for cutting-edge next generation vehicles securing over 1,800 jobs, published on 10 August 2026, what assessment has been made of the cost to the Exchequer per job expected to be created or supported through the Government's contribution.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Projects announced in the Government's press release of 10 August 2026 were assessed through the relevant programme assessment processes before funding was awarded. Value for money is assessed across a range of benefits, including jobs created or supported, private investment leveraged and wider economic benefits, rather than through a single cost-per-job measure.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to the Government press release entitled £130 million for cutting-edge next generation vehicles securing over 1,800 jobs, published on 10 August 2026, what plans the Department has to assess the adequacy of the commercial performance of projects after Government funding has ended.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Projects announced in the Government's press release of 10 August 2026 are subject to ongoing monitoring and evaluation. This includes assessing their delivery against agreed milestones with grant claims paid in arrears, overseen by the programme's delivery partners, as well as an assessment of outcomes, including private investment leveraged and projected jobs supported. Projects were selected following a competitive exercise.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to the Government press release entitled £130 million for cutting-edge next generation vehicles securing over 1,800 jobs, published on 10 August 2026, what metrics will be used to assess whether the Government funding has delivered value for money.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Projects announced in the Government's press release of 10 August 2026 are subject to ongoing monitoring and evaluation. This includes assessing their delivery against agreed milestones with grant claims paid in arrears, overseen by the programme's delivery partners, as well as an assessment of outcomes, including private investment leveraged and projected jobs supported. Projects were selected following a competitive exercise.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Department's press release entitled New support to help farmers thrive for generations, published on 16 July 2026, whether recipients of funding will be required to demonstrate measurable improvements in farm profitability as a condition of continued support.

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

There will be no requirement for grant recipients to demonstrate improvements in farm profitability as a condition of continued support. Farm profitability is influenced by a wide range of factors, many of which fall outside the scope of the fund and cannot be directly attributed to funded activity. However, recipients will be required to participate in monitoring and evaluation activities, which will help the department assess the fund's contribution to farm profitability and wider business outcomes.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the European Commission on the implementation of pet travel requirements for animal travelling from the UK to the EU.

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

From 22 April 2026, new European Union regulations apply regarding the non‑commercial movement of pet dogs, cats and ferrets entering the EU from Great Britain. The European Commission have been clear that EU pet passports should only be issued to pet owners who have their main residence inside the European Union.

Updated guidance on travelling to the EU from Great Britain is now available on GOV.UK, and any future updates will be published on the relevant pages.

Securing less burdensome arrangements for non-commercial pet travel remains a UK Government priority. As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, which will mean taking pets on holiday into the EU will be easier and cheaper.

Discussions on the SPS agreement are progressing, and we have committed, with the EU, to conclude negotiations before the next UK-EU Summit.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help reduce uncertainty for pet owners travelling between the UK and EU.

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

From 22 April 2026, new European Union regulations apply regarding the non‑commercial movement of pet dogs, cats and ferrets entering the EU from Great Britain. The European Commission have been clear that EU pet passports should only be issued to pet owners who have their main residence inside the European Union.

Updated guidance on travelling to the EU from Great Britain is now available on GOV.UK, and any future updates will be published on the relevant pages.

Securing less burdensome arrangements for non-commercial pet travel remains a UK Government priority. As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, which will mean taking pets on holiday into the EU will be easier and cheaper.

Discussions on the SPS agreement are progressing, and we have committed, with the EU, to conclude negotiations before the next UK-EU Summit.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the minimum juice requirements for cider products in a) the US, b) Germany, c) Spain and d) other European countries.

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

The department has not made a formal assessment of the adequacy of minimum juice requirements for cider products in the United States, Germany, Spain or other European countries. Traditions of cider production and consumer preferences vary between countries, and this is reflected in differences in product definitions and composition requirements. Defra continues to engage with stakeholders on issues relating to cider production and labelling and keeps relevant international developments under review.

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 made an assessment of the relationship between minimum juice content requirements and the economic viability of UK a) cider apple and b) perry pear orchards.

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

The department has not made a formal assessment of the relationship between minimum juice content requirements for cider and perry products and the economic viability of UK cider apple and perry pear orchards. A range of factors can affect the viability of orchards, including production costs, yields, market conditions, and consumer demand. Defra continues to engage with stakeholders on issues relating to cider and perry orchards and supports their management through agri-environment schemes and grants.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to require cider and perry products to display their percentage juice content on product labels.

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

This Government currently has no plans to change the rules governing the labelling of juice content in cider and perry products. Defra continues to engage with stakeholders on issues relating to cider and perry production and labelling.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Department's press release entitled New support to help farmers thrive for generations, published on 16 July 2026, what assessment was made of the impact of collaborative purchasing arrangements on farm input costs before announcing this policy.

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

Defra has considered a range of anticipated benefits of the Farmer Collaboration Fund. The impact of collaborative purchasing arrangements on input costs was not included in that assessment because there was insufficient evidence about likely uptake and effects of that uptake. We will build further evidence about benefits through our monitoring and evaluation process.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Department's press release entitled New support to help farmers thrive for generations, published on 16 July 2026, whether there are plans to publish annual data on the performance and outcomes of projects supported through the Farmer Collaboration Fund.

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

Defra is planning to publish the names of organisations that have been successfully chosen to administer the Farmer Collaboration Fund, including the amount of money they are receiving. Performance and outcomes of the projects will be included in the farming annual report.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of traditional cider orchards which no longer operate in England in the last ten years.

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

The department has not made a formal estimate of the number of traditional cider orchards in England that have ceased to operate in the last ten years. Defra recognises the historic decline of traditional orchards in England, as well as their environmental and cultural importance, and supports their management, restoration and creation through agri-environment schemes and grants, including Countryside Stewardship.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the minimum juice content requirements for cider and perry products.

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

The department has not made a formal assessment of the adequacy of the current minimum juice content requirements for cider and perry products. The current minimum juice content requirements provide flexibility for producers, support product variety and innovation, and maintain consumer choice.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Department's press release entitled Care workers to be represented in fair pay agreements, published on 16 July 2026, whether he plans to publish annual assessments of the impact of the Fair Pay Agreement on workforce vacancies, turnover of staff, and quality of care.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the supporting documentation published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fair-pay-agreement-process-in-adult-social-care

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Department's press release entitled Care workers to be represented in fair pay agreements, published on 16 July 2026, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the first Fair Pay Agreement on the availability of residential care places.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the supporting documentation published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fair-pay-agreement-process-in-adult-social-care

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Department's press release entitled Care workers to be represented in fair pay agreements, published on 16 July 2026, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the £500 million for the first Fair Pay Agreement on meeting the costs incurred by adult social care providers.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the supporting documentation published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fair-pay-agreement-process-in-adult-social-care

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Department's press release entitled Care workers to be represented in fair pay agreements, published on 16 July 2026, what estimate has been made of the average increase in pay for care workers resulting from the £500 million in the first Fair Pay Agreement.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the supporting documentation published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fair-pay-agreement-process-in-adult-social-care

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Department's press release entitled Care workers to be represented in fair pay agreements, published on 16 July 2026, what discussions have taken place with the Care Quality Commission on the potential impact of the Fair Pay Agreement on the quality and availability of adult social care services.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the supporting documentation published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fair-pay-agreement-process-in-adult-social-care

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Department's press release entitled Care workers to be represented in fair pay agreements, published on 16 July 2026, what discussions took place with organisations representing care home providers on the potential impact of the proposed Fair Pay Agreement on provider sustainability.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the supporting documentation published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fair-pay-agreement-process-in-adult-social-care

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Department's press release entitled Care workers to be represented in fair pay agreements, published on 16 July 2026, what discussions have taken place with the Local Government Association regarding the first Fair Pay Agreement.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the supporting documentation published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fair-pay-agreement-process-in-adult-social-care

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Department's press release entitled Care workers to be represented in fair pay agreements, published on 16 July 2026, whether integrated care boards were consulted before the announcement of the Fair Pay Agreement proposals.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the supporting documentation published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fair-pay-agreement-process-in-adult-social-care

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Department's press release entitled Care workers to be represented in fair pay agreements, published on 16 July 2026, whether plans are in place to undertake an independent evaluation of the first Fair Pay Agreement before negotiations begin on a subsequent agreement.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the supporting documentation published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fair-pay-agreement-process-in-adult-social-care

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Department's press release entitled Care workers to be represented in fair pay agreements, published on 16 July 2026, what discussions she had with representatives of independent adult social care providers before the announcement of the Fair Pay Agreement proposals.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the supporting documentation published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fair-pay-agreement-process-in-adult-social-care

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Department's press release entitled Care workers to be represented in fair pay agreements, published on 16 July 2026, whether productivity and improvements in quality of care will be taken into account when negotiating future Fair Pay Agreements.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the supporting documentation published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fair-pay-agreement-process-in-adult-social-care

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Department's press release entitled Care workers to be represented in fair pay agreements, published on 16 July 2026, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the first Fair Pay Agreement on costs for care providers in rural areas.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the supporting documentation published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fair-pay-agreement-process-in-adult-social-care

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Department's press release entitled Care workers to be represented in fair pay agreements, published on 16 July 2026, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the first Fair Pay Agreement on staff retention in the adult social care sector.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the supporting documentation published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fair-pay-agreement-process-in-adult-social-care

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Department's press release entitled Care workers to be represented in fair pay agreements, published on 16 July 2026, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the first Fair Pay Agreement on recruitment into the adult social care workforce.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the supporting documentation published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fair-pay-agreement-process-in-adult-social-care

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Department's press release entitled Care workers to be represented in fair pay agreements, published on 16 July 2026, what metrics will be used to assess the impact of the first Fair Pay Agreement.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the supporting documentation published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fair-pay-agreement-process-in-adult-social-care

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Department's press release entitled Care workers to be represented in fair pay agreements, published on 16 July 2026, what discussions took place with trade unions representing adult social care workers before the announcement of the Fair Pay Agreement proposals.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the supporting documentation published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fair-pay-agreement-process-in-adult-social-care

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Department's press release entitled Care workers to be represented in fair pay agreements, published on 16 July 2026, what discussions took place with local authorities on the potential financial implications of the first Fair Pay Agreement.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the supporting documentation published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fair-pay-agreement-process-in-adult-social-care

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Department's press release entitled Care workers to be represented in fair pay agreements, published on 16 July 2026, what estimate has been made of the additional funding that local authorities will require to meet the costs arising from the first Fair Pay Agreement.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the supporting documentation published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fair-pay-agreement-process-in-adult-social-care

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Department's press release entitled Care workers to be represented in fair pay agreements, published on 16 July 2026, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the first Fair Pay Agreement on the sustainability of independent care providers.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the supporting documentation published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fair-pay-agreement-process-in-adult-social-care

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to the UK Space Agency press release entitled UK invests in homegrown space tech to boost national resilience, published on 20 July 2026, what recent discussions his Department has had with UK satellite manufacturers on the potential impact of additional funding on their business opportunities.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Programme teams within the UK Space Agency meet regularly with companies from across the space sector. Discussions can include future business planning and opportunities but are always bounded by the fact that most of our funding opportunities are run as competitions and specific proposals cannot be discussed once a funding call is open. Looking to the future, the Government will strengthen our domestic supply chain and support high-skilled jobs and innovation by using its procurement power. This will mean refocusing our grant programmes for businesses to enable fewer, higher-value awards aligned with our priorities.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Office for Budget Responsibility on the adequacy of the level of weighting for (a) future unfunded pension liabilities and (b) other significant long-term commitments when assessing fiscal sustainability.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Office for Budget Responsibility is independent and is responsible for determining the methodology and assumptions used in its assessment within its fiscal risk and sustainability report. Its Economic and Fiscal Outlook assesses the shorter term sustainability of the public finances, including assessing performance against the Government's fiscal rules.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Best Value Notice issued to Basildon Borough Council on 15 July 2026, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the external assurance review.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The non-statutory external assurance review of Basildon Borough Council will be funded from existing departmental budgets, and the cost is in line with standard rates.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has made of the long-term sustainability of the public finances when future pension liabilities are taken into account.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Office for Budget Responsibility’s recent fiscal sustainability analysis provides an independent assessment of the long-term pressures on the public finances, including those arising from the State Pension and unfunded public service pension schemes.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the speech entitled Pension reform, published on 20 July 2026, what plans he has to encourage greater investment by pension schemes in UK infrastructure and high-growth businesses.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is unlocking billions of pounds of investment through landmark reforms legislated for in the Pension Schemes Act, and through working with pension schemes to deliver on the Mansion House Accord. The government is strongly encouraged by the Accord, an industry-led, voluntary commitment by 17 of the UK’s largest pension funds to invest 10% of their default funds in private markets, with at least half of that in the UK, by 2030. We have seen positive early progress on the Accord, including new investment commitments being made. For example, Nest, one of the UK’s largest pension funds has committed to investing £200mn in venture opportunities, with ambitions to reach £1bn by the end of the decade.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of early release decisions on victims’ families.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

This Government inherited prisons days from collapse with the previous government only adding just 500 net places in 14 years. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe. Without the changes this government made, courts would have had to halt trials and the police cancel arrests, undermining public safety and leading to a disastrous impact on public confidence in the Criminal Justice System.

The Lord Chancellor and Prime Minister delayed the implementation of the Progression Model to ensure that two crucial things were incorporated: the need to put victims at the heart of our work while ensuring we never run out of space to lock up the most dangerous criminals, a scenario which would represent the worst possible outcome for victims.

The Government carefully considered concerns raised by victims, survivors, parliamentarians and the wider public and acted on those concerns. As a result, offenders convicted of unlawful killing offence such as manslaughter, causing death by dangerous driving, as well as further historic child sex offences, will now be excluded, on top of rape and serious child sex offences. A full list of exclusions can be found here: Sentencing Act 2026 offence exclusions - GOV.UK.

These exclusions are in addition to the existing exclusion of more than 18,000 offenders serving more serious sentences.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Competition and Markets Authority's press release entitled Parking charges: CMA takes action to drive improvements for motorists, published on 16 July 2026, what discussions she has had with consumer organisations on reforms to the private parking sector.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government is committed to raising standards across the private parking industry and welcomes the CMA's insights on practices within the private parking industry. We will continue to engage with relevant stakeholders, including the CMA, to better protect and support motorists.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of levels of private rents on rough sleeping.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Poverty, housing availability and affordability are the root causes of homelessness and rough sleeping. In addition, people who sleep rough are more likely to have complex and overlapping support needs. The National Plan to End Homelessness acknowledges that many people on low incomes struggle to afford rising rents in an increasingly insecure private rental market. As well as abolishing Section 21 'no fault' evictions, our Renters’ Rights Act has empowered private rented sector tenants to challenge unreasonable rent increases, outlawed rental bidding and ended the practice of landlords demanding large amounts of rent in advance from tenants looking to secure a tenancy.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026: Impact Assessment, published on 30 June 2026, whether the opportunity cost of increased demand on publicly funded education arising from asylum seekers was included in the calculations underpinning the impact assessment.

Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026: Impact Assessment was produced in line with guidance set out in the HMT Green Book.

The Article 8 policy reforms are estimated to increase the number of refusals from migrants applying on the family and private life visa route. This would therefore lead to an overall reduction in demand on the NHS, education system and local authorities. Fiscal pressures avoided are included in Table 18 in Appendix A1.

Table 17 in Appendix A1 sets out the opportunity costs that have been identified and quantified. Additional costs identified but not quantified are set out in Section C.

For opportunity costs arising from the usage of hotel and asylum accommodation, the cost of this accommodation used in the Impact Assessment reflects the market price for the goods and services that it provides. This represents the economic value of the accommodation being occupied and not used for other commercial purposes.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026: Impact Assessment, published on 30 June 2026, whether the impact on the availability of hotel accommodation for other commercial purposes was factored into the calculations underpinning the impact assessment.

Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026: Impact Assessment was produced in line with guidance set out in the HMT Green Book.

The Article 8 policy reforms are estimated to increase the number of refusals from migrants applying on the family and private life visa route. This would therefore lead to an overall reduction in demand on the NHS, education system and local authorities. Fiscal pressures avoided are included in Table 18 in Appendix A1.

Table 17 in Appendix A1 sets out the opportunity costs that have been identified and quantified. Additional costs identified but not quantified are set out in Section C.

For opportunity costs arising from the usage of hotel and asylum accommodation, the cost of this accommodation used in the Impact Assessment reflects the market price for the goods and services that it provides. This represents the economic value of the accommodation being occupied and not used for other commercial purposes.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026: Impact Assessment, published on 30 June 2026, whether the Department plans to publish an assessment of any opportunity costs identified during the preparation of the impact assessment.

Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026: Impact Assessment was produced in line with guidance set out in the HMT Green Book.

The Article 8 policy reforms are estimated to increase the number of refusals from migrants applying on the family and private life visa route. This would therefore lead to an overall reduction in demand on the NHS, education system and local authorities. Fiscal pressures avoided are included in Table 18 in Appendix A1.

Table 17 in Appendix A1 sets out the opportunity costs that have been identified and quantified. Additional costs identified but not quantified are set out in Section C.

For opportunity costs arising from the usage of hotel and asylum accommodation, the cost of this accommodation used in the Impact Assessment reflects the market price for the goods and services that it provides. This represents the economic value of the accommodation being occupied and not used for other commercial purposes.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026: Impact Assessment, published on 30 June 2026, what opportunity costs were identified during the preparation of the impact assessment but not monetised.

Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026: Impact Assessment was produced in line with guidance set out in the HMT Green Book.

The Article 8 policy reforms are estimated to increase the number of refusals from migrants applying on the family and private life visa route. This would therefore lead to an overall reduction in demand on the NHS, education system and local authorities. Fiscal pressures avoided are included in Table 18 in Appendix A1.

Table 17 in Appendix A1 sets out the opportunity costs that have been identified and quantified. Additional costs identified but not quantified are set out in Section C.

For opportunity costs arising from the usage of hotel and asylum accommodation, the cost of this accommodation used in the Impact Assessment reflects the market price for the goods and services that it provides. This represents the economic value of the accommodation being occupied and not used for other commercial purposes.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Competition and Markets Authority's press release entitled Parking charges: CMA takes action to drive improvements for motorists, published on 16 July 2026, what discussions she has had with the Competition and Markets Authority on implementing its recommendations for improving standards in the private parking sector.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government is committed to raising standards across the private parking industry and welcomes the CMA's insights on practices within the private parking industry. We will continue to engage with relevant stakeholders, including the CMA, to better protect and support motorists.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Competition and Markets Authority's press release entitled Parking charges: CMA takes action to drive improvements for motorists, published on 16 July 2026, what discussions she has had with the private parking industry following publication of the Competition and Markets Authority's recommendations.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government is committed to raising standards across the private parking industry and welcomes the CMA's insights on practices within the private parking industry. We will continue to engage with relevant stakeholders, including the CMA, to better protect and support motorists.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Prime Minister's speech entitled New PM says government can bring back hope to Britain, and launches drive to end rough sleeping at the earliest opportunity, whether there will be special measures to reduce the number of veterans who are rough sleeping.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Prime Minister has called for the whole of government to support his ambition to end rough sleeping, and we are working with all departments to ensure that no one has to sleep rough this winter.

This urgent drive will build on the work already underway through our National Plan to End Homelessness. That includes support for veterans, including an additional £12 million to vital homelessness services through the Reducing Veteran Homelessness programme announced in November 2025.

We are also working closely with the Department for Health and Social Care to ensure that people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping can access the support they need, including addiction support. For 2026 to 2029, we have invested £185 million into the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment programme that will continue to fund evidence-based drug and alcohol treatment and wraparound support for people experiencing sleeping rough, or at risk.

Our new £442 million Rough Sleeping Programme is funding local areas to expand accommodation provision for people sleeping rough, alongside tailored support to address the issues that contribute to rough sleeping. This may include accommodation, support to access mental health or substance use services, help to access employment or training, help to access or maintain accommodation, or other support tailored to individual circumstances.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on improving addiction support for rough sleepers.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Prime Minister has called for the whole of government to support his ambition to end rough sleeping, and we are working with all departments to ensure that no one has to sleep rough this winter.

This urgent drive will build on the work already underway through our National Plan to End Homelessness. That includes support for veterans, including an additional £12 million to vital homelessness services through the Reducing Veteran Homelessness programme announced in November 2025.

We are also working closely with the Department for Health and Social Care to ensure that people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping can access the support they need, including addiction support. For 2026 to 2029, we have invested £185 million into the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment programme that will continue to fund evidence-based drug and alcohol treatment and wraparound support for people experiencing sleeping rough, or at risk.

Our new £442 million Rough Sleeping Programme is funding local areas to expand accommodation provision for people sleeping rough, alongside tailored support to address the issues that contribute to rough sleeping. This may include accommodation, support to access mental health or substance use services, help to access employment or training, help to access or maintain accommodation, or other support tailored to individual circumstances.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026: Impact Assessment, published on 30 June 2026, whether the Department modelled the impact of different household sizes when estimating the fiscal effects of Article 8 appeals; and if so, what assumptions were used.

Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

In the Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026: Impact Assessment, the costs and benefits associated with the Article 8 reforms have been quantified for the individuals directly impacted. Table 13 in Appendix A1 states that 81% of in-country family and private life visa grants were main applicants and 19% were dependants.

The Impact Assessment sets out a lifetime fiscal cost of -£141,000 per main applicant on the Family and Private Life route. In line with the Migration Advisory Committee’s methodology for estimating the lifetime fiscal impact of family partner visas, which did not account for the dependants of these main applicants, the equivalent lifetime fiscal cost of dependants has not been calculated, either for Article 8 or Asylum claimants.

The analysis produced by the Migration Advisory Committee can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/migration-advisory-committee-annual-report-2025/migration-advisory-committee-mac-annual-report-2025-accessible#chapter-1-fiscal-analysis-of-the-family-visa

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026: Impact Assessment, published on 30 June 2026, what estimate has been made of the average number of dependants assumed for each successful Article 8 claimant in the fiscal modelling.

Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

In the Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026: Impact Assessment, the costs and benefits associated with the Article 8 reforms have been quantified for the individuals directly impacted. Table 13 in Appendix A1 states that 81% of in-country family and private life visa grants were main applicants and 19% were dependants.

The Impact Assessment sets out a lifetime fiscal cost of -£141,000 per main applicant on the Family and Private Life route. In line with the Migration Advisory Committee’s methodology for estimating the lifetime fiscal impact of family partner visas, which did not account for the dependants of these main applicants, the equivalent lifetime fiscal cost of dependants has not been calculated, either for Article 8 or Asylum claimants.

The analysis produced by the Migration Advisory Committee can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/migration-advisory-committee-annual-report-2025/migration-advisory-committee-mac-annual-report-2025-accessible#chapter-1-fiscal-analysis-of-the-family-visa

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026: Impact Assessment, published on 30 June 2026, what estimate has been made of the average cost to the public purse of dependants remaining in the United Kingdom.

Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

In the Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026: Impact Assessment, the costs and benefits associated with the Article 8 reforms have been quantified for the individuals directly impacted. Table 13 in Appendix A1 states that 81% of in-country family and private life visa grants were main applicants and 19% were dependants.

The Impact Assessment sets out a lifetime fiscal cost of -£141,000 per main applicant on the Family and Private Life route. In line with the Migration Advisory Committee’s methodology for estimating the lifetime fiscal impact of family partner visas, which did not account for the dependants of these main applicants, the equivalent lifetime fiscal cost of dependants has not been calculated, either for Article 8 or Asylum claimants.

The analysis produced by the Migration Advisory Committee can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/migration-advisory-committee-annual-report-2025/migration-advisory-committee-mac-annual-report-2025-accessible#chapter-1-fiscal-analysis-of-the-family-visa

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Government's press release entitled Crackdown on baseless legal claims to get Britain building, published on 16 July 2026, what estimate has been made of the number of judicial review claims relating to major housing, transport and energy developments that were ultimately found to be without merit in each of the last five years.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on judicial review cases in England and Wales as part of the Civil Justice statistics quarterly bulletin (Civil justice statistics quarterly - GOV.UK). The consolidated figures for all judicial review cases since 2000 are available at the “Civil Justice and Judicial Review data (zip file)” link.

The existing dataset does not provide further breakdown of cases beyond significant planning court claims and other planning cases. It does not specifically identify major housing, transport and energy developments.

This is why the Ministry of Justice published the Judicial Review Reforms Beyond Nationally Significant Infrastructure consultation on 16 July 2026. The consultation sought evidence on the potential impact of legal challenges on the delivery of major infrastructure projects and other strategically important developments to inform the Government’s decision on further judicial review reforms.

The consultation closed on 27 August 2026. The Government is considering the responses received and will set out its position in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Government's press release entitled Crackdown on baseless legal claims to get Britain building, published on 16 July 2026, what data the Department holds on the number of major housing developments delayed by judicial review proceedings in each of the last five years.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on judicial review cases in England and Wales as part of the Civil Justice statistics quarterly bulletin (Civil justice statistics quarterly - GOV.UK). The consolidated figures for all judicial review cases since 2000 are available at the “Civil Justice and Judicial Review data (zip file)” link.

The existing dataset does not provide further breakdown of cases beyond significant planning court claims and other planning cases. It does not specifically identify major housing, transport and energy developments.

This is why the Ministry of Justice published the Judicial Review Reforms Beyond Nationally Significant Infrastructure consultation on 16 July 2026. The consultation sought evidence on the potential impact of legal challenges on the delivery of major infrastructure projects and other strategically important developments to inform the Government’s decision on further judicial review reforms.

The consultation closed on 27 August 2026. The Government is considering the responses received and will set out its position in due course.