Asked by: Jo White (Labour - Bassetlaw)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is taking steps to ensure that open access rail services continue to be available in Bassetlaw constituency.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are clear that there will remain a role for are Open Access on the reformed railway. Existing Open Access operators will be able to continue their operations in line with existing access contracts, serving constituencies such as Bassetlaw.
Asked by: Jo White (Labour - Bassetlaw)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he is considering establishing a formal UK–Brazil Green Trade Corridor to support legal certainty for environmental credit investments.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
HMG recognises the importance of Green Corridors in demonstrating clean maritime technologies and laying the foundation for widespread decarbonisation. We are focussed on delivering this change through the International Maritime Organization and domestic action as set out in the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy. In doing so, we expect this to incentivise and support industry to deliver Green Corridors from the UK and globally. Brazil is an important partner on climate and decarbonisation: we have several bilateral initiatives on green finance, some of which sit under the UK PACT (Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions) programme.
Asked by: Jo White (Labour - Bassetlaw)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with his Brazilian counterpart on the eligibility of CPR Verde credits for corresponding adjustments under the Paris Agreement.
Answered by Katie White - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Corresponding adjustments are a form of carbon accounting that stop carbon credits from being counted towards more than one target.
They are mandatory under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement when countries trade carbon credits to support achievement of national climate targets (Nationally Determined Contributions).
They are optional in other carbon markets, for example where corporates buy credits for use towards discretionary net zero targets.
In all cases, the decision to apply corresponding adjustments is a sovereign prerogative.
Asked by: Jo White (Labour - Bassetlaw)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether sovereign-linked biodiversity and carbon certificates are an investable environmental asset class within the Green Financing Framework.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK Green Financing Framework, published in June 2021 and updated in November 2025, governs the UK Green Financing Programme. The Programme raises funds through the issuance of green gilts and NS&I’s retail Green Savings Bonds to finance public expenditure that can demonstrate a direct and positive climate or environmental impact.
The Framework defines the categories of expenditure that are eligible for green financing. Eligible expenditures are drawn from departments’ confirmed settlements through the Spending Review process and are assessed on the basis of their contribution to the government’s climate and wider environmental objectives.
The Framework governs the raising of financing for green public spending where biodiversity and credit certificates are not in scope.
Asked by: Jo White (Labour - Bassetlaw)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has assessed the potential merits of landscape models combining 70% environmental preservation with 30% productive agricultural land, such as CPR Verde, as a tool to meet government environmental targets.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has made no assessment of such landscape models.
Defra’s revised Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) and the Land Use Framework (LUF) set out how the Government will accelerate progress towards Environment Act targets over the next five years and help tackle the challenges posed by the nature and climate crises, while supporting growth.
The EIP recognises national food security relies on the restoration of a healthy natural environment and climate, and that farmers and food producers have a critical role in growing the food that feeds the nation and meeting our environmental targets. The LUF illustrates how a strategic approach means land can support a resilient food system, climate mitigation and thriving nature.
The Government has allocated a record £11.8bn to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. Defra is targeting public money where it delivers most value – supporting nature, because all farms need healthy soils, abundant pollinators, and clean water to produce good food.
Asked by: Jo White (Labour - Bassetlaw)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions the UK–Brazil Joint Economic and Trade Committee has had on cooperation on nature markets and carbon finance.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK-Brazil Joint Agricultural Committee, led by Defra, engages in discussions relating to sustainable agriculture. Recent discussions have covered topics including green fertiliser partnerships and collaboration on agricultural technologies. The UK and Brazil also have a number of bilateral initiatives on green finance, some of which sit under the UK PACT (Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions) programme.
Asked by: Jo White (Labour - Bassetlaw)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what role UK Export Financing plays in supporting British firms with environmental credit investments.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
UK Export Finance (UKEF) has not supported any environmental credit investments to date.
UKEF supports clean growth exports and has included a clean growth and transition objective in its Business Plan for 2024-2029, which will seek to position UK exporters and suppliers at the heart of the global low‑carbon transition. In support of this, UKEF aims to provide £10 billion of clean growth finance to accelerate the UK’s green export sector by 2029.
Asked by: Jo White (Labour - Bassetlaw)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her Department holds on the number of times Peter Mandelson visited 11 Downing Street between June 2010 and March 2020 for each year.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Visitor information for 11 Downing Street is not retained for the time periods specified. Archived diary records, which are only available for the period from June 2016-March 2020, found no record of a visit by Lord Mandelson to 11 Downing Street.
Asked by: Jo White (Labour - Bassetlaw)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of times Peter Mandelson visited 10 Downing Street in each year since 6 May 2010 before he was appointed as the UK Ambassador to the United States of America.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Visitor information for 10 Downing Street is not retained for the time period specified.
Asked by: Jo White (Labour - Bassetlaw)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if will he publish a list of all (a) current and (b) former Parliamentarians that have been named in the Epstein files.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
There are no plans to publish such a list.